KEI Podcasts

62 years ago on this day of June 25, hostilities broke out on the Korean peninsula. It was a conflict that ended only due to what everybody thought would be a temporary armistice agreement.  Who would have thought six decades later, a state of war would still prevail on the Korean peninsula and that the DPRK would have develop a nuclear weapons capability?

To remember the past and look forward to the future, in this episode Korean Kontext spoke to current Chairman of The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and Korean War veteran, Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr.

Having fought in the Korean war, for the first half of the interview General Gard reflects upon his initial deployment to Korea, details his first impressions of Korea, and describes the complex dynamics that the Cold War presented.  In the second half of the interview, Gard sets out his personal views and opinions on why efforts to prevent a nuclear North Korea ultimately failed and what opportunities were missed.

Beyond his contribution to the United States army, Gard served as Executive Assistant to two secretaries of defense; was the first Director of Human Resources Development for the U.S. Army; Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; and President of National Defense University (NDU).

Gard also served for five years as director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Center in Bologna, Italy, and then as President of the Monterey Institute of International Studies from 1987 to 1998.

The views expressed in this podcast reflect General Gard’s own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Korea Economic Institute.