Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith / Wikimedia Commons
70 Years of the US-ROK Alliance: The Past and the Future
2023 US-ROK Policy Forum
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Korea Center and the Korean Association of International Studies (KAIS) hosted the 2023 US-ROK Policy Forum in advance of the April 26th US-ROK presidential summit. As President Joe Biden prepares to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to Washington, D.C., we looked back over the past 70 years of US-ROK relations, assessing progress and previewing discussion topics likely to be at the forefront of President Yoon’s state visit.
Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the US-ROK alliance, the Korea Center and KAIS gathered US and South Korean experts to assess the key issues in the alliance. The first panel assessed the continuing geostrategic concerns facing the United States and South Korea, including US-China strategic competition and the implications for South Korea, the growing North Korea threat, how to improve US-South Korea-Japan trilateral relations, and the regional implications of the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war. The second panel went beyond security to offer insights into US-ROK cooperation on economic and trade issues.
The keynote address was delivered by Edgard D. Kagan, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council.
A luncheon reception followed the conference with an address by Ms. Seohyun Lee, North Korean defector and human rights advocate. Please click the word agenda above to see the full schedule for the event.
Introductions

Ambassador Mark A. Green

Ihn-hwi Park

Cheol-hee Park
Keynote Speakers
Moderators

Sue Mi Terry

Scott Snyder
Panelists

Victor Cha

Allison Hooker

Yungwoo Chun

Andrew Yeo

Kuyoun Chung

Wonho Yeon

Wendy Cutler

Matthew P. Goodman

Miyeon Oh

Yukyung Yeo
Hosted By
Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy
The Center for Korean History and Public Policy was established in 2015 with the generous support of the Hyundai Motor Company and the Korea Foundation to provide a coherent, long-term platform for improving historical understanding of Korea and informing the public policy debate on the Korean peninsula in the United States and beyond. Read more
Asia Program
The Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region. Read more
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