The North Korea Economic Forum (NKEF) is part of the policy program at the George Washington University’s Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS). The Forum aims to promote understanding of North Korean economic issues, to spread in-depth and balanced analyses of the North Korean economy from diverse perspectives, and to expand networks among various North Korean economy watchers. The Forum is mostly a closed and off-the-record meeting where participants can freely and seriously discuss the critical issues. Rachel Minyoung Lee and Troy Stangarone are currently the co-chairs of the NKEF and are leading the meetings. The NKEF also organizes special conferences made public throughout the academic year. The Forum is made possible by a generous grant provided by the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

The GWIKS North Korea Program is designed to provide professionals in Washington, including Congressional staff, government officials, journalists, think tank, NGOs, private sector experts, and graduate students with a variety of perspectives about North Korea. The Program is structured as one-month intensive courses covering North Korea’s history, domestic politics, economy, foreign policy, nuclear program, culture, society, and human rights. An Acknowledgement of Participation will be awarded at the end of the Program with a special lecture on negotiating with North Koreans.

The Fiscal Policy Forum (FPF) aims to bring together fiscal experts from academia, think tanks, international organizations, and governments from the U.S., South Korea, and Europe to foster knowledge sharing on fiscal policies, legal frameworks, and related topics. The FPF will also explore the intersection of fiscal policy with issues such as sustainability in budgeting, supply chain challenges, demographic shifts, national debt, and redistribution. The FPF includes educational programs for GW students and faculty and officials from the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance; virtual workshops for officials, students, and practitioners; and a policy conference open to the public on October 1st and 2nd, 2025, in Washington DC. The Forum is made possible by a generous grant provided by the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

U.S.-ROK Strategic Communication: Track II Dialogue on U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry and the U.S.-ROK Alliance is a Korea Foundation-sponsored research project. The purpose of this project is to set up a platform between leading U.S. and South Korean experts for a) actively communicating on and frankly discussing major diplomatic, security, economic and strategic challenges that the two allies are facing in the intensifying U.S.-China strategic rivalry; b) searching for forward-looking cooperative measures to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance in the changing regional strategic environment; and c) making concrete and actionable policy recommendations for the policy leaders in both countries.

Across Seoul and Washington: The Multilevel Politics of the US–South Korea Partnership is a Korea Foundation-sponsored research project. This comprehensive report, situated in historical, political, and strategic contexts, delves into pivotal issues shaping alliance politics for the next decade. Authored by six experts from South Korea and the United States, it explores the intricate interplay of domestic politics, nuclear nonproliferation, and military strategy. Examining US-ROK relationship, the report dissects political and institutional entanglements including partisanship, issue politicization, legislative politics, and social cleavage. The publication also offers Korean and US perspectives on South Korea’s debates on nuclear weapons, digging into questions remaining after the May 2023 Washington Declaration. Grounded in rich data-driven case studies, the chapters of this volume also contribute to international relations theory and form the basis for insightful policy recommendations.