The U.S.-Korea Alliance and Economic Cooperation under Presidents Trump and Lee

You’re invited to a special panel event, “The U.S.-Korea Alliance and Economic Cooperation under Presidents Trump and Lee,” on Thursday, September 11, 2025.

U.S.–South Korea relations have regained momentum after the election of President Lee Jae Myung in June, with the two sides signing a record trade deal in July and President Lee visiting Washington for a White House summit in August.

Yet both governments continue to confront pressing issues, including tariff negotiations, alliance modernization, and regional and global challenges involving North Korea and China. Managing divergent priorities and policy preferences will shape perceptions of alliance credibility and commitment.

At the same time, emerging areas of economic collaboration are beginning to take shape, creating opportunities to offset these frictions and expand trade even further.

Speakers:

Bruce Klingner, Senior Fellow at the Mansfield Foundation

Troy Stangarone, Non-Resident Fellow at the Carnegie Mellon Institute

KEI Director of Academic Affairs Ellen Kim will moderate this hybrid event from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET at KEI’s event space. Livestream available on the KEI YouTube channel.

The panelists’ research will appear in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of Korea Policy, KEI’s flagship journal, to be published in digital format in November.