United States of America

Strengthening economic ties among South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the United States would contribute to shared goals and facilitate growth in the wider Asia-Pacific community. After reviewing Korea-Southeast Asia ties,…

South Korea (Republic of Korea – ROK) is well recognizedfor achieving remarkable success: transforming itself from an impoverished, war-torn society into a modern, developed, and democratic nation within the span…

Southeast Asia/ASEAN is enormously important to the “rebalancing” and “pivot” of American policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, in recent years, there has been considerable scholarly and analytical debate…

China’s ideal outcome for North Korea is a Goldilocks state—one that is not so strong to challenge China or so weak that its implosion threatens Chinese interests. China’s multifaceted approach…

2,367 days ago (6 years and 6 months ago), the last U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights left office after serving in that position for over 7 years.  (By way of full disclosure, I was that last Special Envoy.)  The North Korean Human Rights Act, which established the position of Special Envoy, was…

On May 17, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a confirmation hearing for five individuals nominated by President Joe Biden to be ambassadorial representatives of the United States.  One of the nominees whose confirmation was under consideration was Julie Turner who was nominated by the President on January 23 of this year to be the…

The ROK-U.S. state visit significantly strengthened the alliance amid changes in the international order, such as the Ukrainian war and intensifying U.S.-China competition. The two countries adopted six joint statements, including the "Washington Declaration," which is significant in expressing the U.S. commitment for extended deterrence and South Korea's willingness to comply with the Treaty on…

During the arrival ceremony for his state visit, President Yoon Suk Yeol rightly observed the ROK-U.S. alliance is not a transactional relationship but an alliance of values or, as he later remarked, an everlasting partnership. However, effusive language aside, it’s a partnership that includes tradeoffs. And such tradeoffs were evident in the Washington Declaration. While…

Please join KEI and KIEP for a discussion about the first 10 years of KORUS and the future of the U.S.-Korea economic relationship.