Events of 2016 suggest the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are entering uncharted waters on the Korean peninsula. North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and its rejection of denuclearization talks signal a “new normal” in its intransigent behavior. In South Korea, President Park Guen-hye has responded by the unprecedented closing of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, and is welcoming of new missile defense cooperation within the U.S.-ROK alliance that puts at risk her engagement strategy with China. The United States is transitioning to a level of heightened sanctioning not seen before, but at the same time, shows interest in peace treaty talks in parallel with a resumption of denuclearization dialogue.
How do we navigate these uncharted waters? Is there a strategy to manage these new challenges? Will China reach the limits of its patience with its communist ally? What is the future of inter-Korean relations? How will the next American president deal with North Korea?
World experts will converge on Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 3, 2016 for the sixth annual JoongAng Ilbo-CSIS Forum to address these and other issues of importance. Scholars, experts, opinion leaders, and former government officials will assess the internal situation in North Korea: What is the meaning of the continued high-level purges? What should we expect to see in its first Party Congress in over 36 years? Panels will look at the U.S.-ROK alliance: What is the state of extended deterrence in the face of North Korea’s fourth nuclear test? How have the American presidential candidates thought about the peninsula? What would a U.S. policy review on North Korea in the next administration look like? Opinion leaders will also unpack the regional context, analyzing the complex and new dynamics emerging among China, Japan, Russia, and other players.
These among other questions will be addressed in the Forum, the first JoongAng-CSIS Forum to take place in Washington, D.C.
JoongAng-CSIS Forum 2016 Panels and Speakers
Salutation
Dr. Victor Cha
Senior Adviser and Korea Chair, CSIS;
Professor and Director, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University
Welcoming Remarks
Ambassador Hong Seok-Hyun
Chairman, JoongAng Ilbo and JTBC
Dr. John Hamre
President and CEO, CSIS
Panel One: Whither North Korea
Chair:
Dr. Moon Chung-in
Professor, Yonsei University;
Former Chairman, Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative, Republic of Korea
Panelists:
The Honorable J.D. Crouch
President and CEO, United Service Organizations;
Former Deputy National Security Advisor
The Honorable Robert Einhorn
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution;
Former Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Suh Hoon
Professor, Ewha Womans University;
Former Deputy Director for North Korean Intelligence, Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service
Dr. Cheong Seong-Chang
Director of the Unification Strategy Studies Program, Sejong Institute
Keynote Luncheon Address
The Honorable Wendy R. Sherman
Senior Counselor, Albright Stonebridge Group
Former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Panel Two: The Regional Context
Panelists:
Dr. Michael Green
Senior Vice-President for Asia, CSIS;
Former Senior Director for Asian Affairs, U.S. National Security Council
The Honorable Kurt Campbell
Chairman and CEO, The Asia Group;
Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Park Cheol Hee
Professor of Japanese Politics, Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University
Dr. Lee Shin-wha
Professor of International Relations, Korea University
Panel Three: Alliance Dynamics
Panelists:
Ambassador Mark W. Lippert
United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, U.S. Department of State
Ambassador Ahn Ho-Young
Republic of Korea Ambassador to the United States
Dr. Evan Medeiros
Managing Director for Asia, Eurasia Group;
Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council
The Honorable Kim Tae Young
Former Minister of National Defense, Republic of Korea
Dr. Moon Chung-in
Professor, Yonsei University;
Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative, Republic of Korea
