Korea Policy Forum
Trilateral Strategic Cooperation Beyond the Security on the Korean Peninsula
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Hybrid Event
George Washington University, Elliott School for International Affairs 1957 E ST NW, Washington DC
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
Virtual via Zoom
At the Camp David Summit on August 18th, U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida agreed to upgrade their relationship to a level of strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region that is not confined solely to the Korean peninsula. This new trilateral cooperation focuses not only on coping with security threats from North Korea but also on enhancing security alertness against disruptive powers in the Indo-Pacific region. Promoting peace and stability in the region by co-defending a rules-based international order stands at the core of the spirit of this trilateral strategic cooperation. Furthermore, this trilateral cooperation encompasses not only defense issues but also a diverse array of issues including economic security, supply chain soundness, technological development, health, and climate change. Working together to deal with these future challenges represents a new comprehensive strategic partnership between the three countries. The GW Institute for Korean Studies and East Asian National Resource Center invite you to join us for this special lecture which will highlight newly-unfolding opportunities and challenges related to enhanced strategic cooperation among the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.
Speaker
CHEOL HEE PARK has been the Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) since March 31, 2023. He has also served as a Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University since 2004. Previously, he was Director of Institute for Japanese Studies (2012-2016), Dean of the GSIS (2016-2018), and Director of the Institute of International Affairs (2019-2023) at Seoul National University. He also served as President of the Korean Association for Contemporary Japanese Studies in 2017. Before joining the faculty at Seoul National University in 2004, he was an Assistant Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan between 1999 and 2002 and at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) between 2002 and 2004. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, the University of Tokyo, Keio University, and Nankai University. In 2022, he served as a senior staff member on the Subcommittee on Foreign Relations and Security of the Presidential Transition Committee. In his personal capacity, Dr. Park has worked as a board member at several think tanks, including the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Sejong Institute, East Asia Foundation, and Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. He also served as a Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Dr. Park is also a prolific author and he wrote a column in the Tokyo Shimbun from 2012 to 2021. He has written a number of columns in Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, Munhwa Ilbo, Maeil Business Newspaper, and Seoul Shinmun. Dr. Park has written a number of books and articles in Korean, English, and Japanese, including a book titled LDP Politics and the Transformation of Postwar Japanese Regime (Seoul National University Press, 2011). Dr. Park received his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Seoul National University and has a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Moderator
