GW Institute for Korean Studies – Page 2 – at the Elliott School of International Affairs

Founded in the year 2016, the GW Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) is a university wide institute housed in the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. The establishment of the GWIKS was made possible by a generous grant from the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS). The mission of GWIKS is to consolidate, strengthen, and grow the existing Korean studies program at GW, and more generally in the greater D.C. area and beyond. The Institute of Korean Studies enables and enhances productive research and education relationships within GW, and among the many experts throughout the region and the world.

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GWIKS Fall 2025 Event Schedule

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Monthly US-ROK Policy Brief

A Geostrategic shift: trilateral convergence of china, rUSSIA, AND nORTH kOREA ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

Issue 13 (September 2025)

By Troy Stangarone

Edited by Celeste Arrington, Yonho Kim & Jungchul Lee

Announcements & News

Ecriture with the Body: Contemporary Korean Women's Art OPENING & PERFORMANCE

October 3, 3-5pm

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Upcoming Events

7th Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference: Discerning North Korean Economic Strategies

As the global order continues to shift, North Korea’s economic strategies and foreign policy are evolving in response to new challenges and opportunities. The 2025 North Korea Economic Forum (NKEF) Annual Conference seeks to explore these dynamics, focusing on how the North’s economic policies are shaped by sanctions enforcement, geopolitical realignment, and emerging global conflicts. This year’s program will open with a panel of next-generation scholars, who will present innovative, open-source research on North Korea’s economic aspirations through text analysis, satellite imagery, and trade data. Subsequent sessions will examine the challenges of post-COVID open-source intelligence, the opportunities presented by the Ukraine war for North Korea’s strategic minerals, and the future of sanctions enforcement under shifting international alignments. Over two days, the fully virtual conference will convene leading experts from academia, think tanks, journalism, and policymaking to provide fresh insights into the evolving North Korean economy and its international implications. This interdisciplinary approach will provide policymakers and scholars with valuable perspectives as they consider future policy options for engaging with North Korea in the rapidly changing global context.

Date: [October 14-15, 2025]

Location: [ Virtual via Zoom]

Program Brochure

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Korea Policy Forum : The US–ROK Alliance Under the Trump & Lee Administrations

The U.S.–ROK alliance faces new challenges and opportunities under the Trump and Lee administrations, as both countries seek to modernize their security partnership while navigating shifting regional and global dynamics. Issues such as the transfer of operational control (Op-Con), the evolution of deterrence strategies, and the implications of U.S.–China strategic competition underscore the complexity of the alliance’s future. At the same time, trilateral cooperation with Japan, changing security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific, and emerging domains such as technology and supply chain security are reshaping the policy agenda for Washington and Seoul. The Institute for Korean Studies at the George Washington University and the Research Institute for National Security Affairs at the Korea National Defense University warmly invite you to join us for this timely Korea Policy Forum. The event will bring together leading scholars to assess how the Trump–Lee administrations are shaping the trajectory of the U.S.–ROK alliance and to explore its broader implications for regional security and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Program Agenda

Korea Policy Forum: Building a Strategic U.S.-ROK Artificial Intelligence Partnership

The United States and South Korea are at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) research, development, and industrial application. Both countries have announced new initiatives—the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan in Washington and the Lee administration’s pledge to expand cooperation in AI, nuclear energy, shipbuilding, and semiconductors—signaling their shared commitment to technological leadership. At the same time, rapid advancements in AI across the globe are reshaping the competitive and strategic environment.

This panel discussion will explore the following central question: What are the opportunities and challenges that the U.S. and South Korea may face as they further develop their AI partnership? By bringing together leading voices from government, industry, and academia, the event will examine how the two allies can build a durable and mutually beneficial U.S.–ROK Strategic AI Partnership, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and address global governance and security concerns arising from AI’s rapid evolution.

Program Agenda

33rd Annual Hahn Moo-Sook Colloquium in the Humanities: Transcultural K-Drama

The rise of K-dramas as a global streaming phenomenon has transformed the politics of entertainment–bridging cultural divides and fostering cross-cultural exchanges. This colloquium explores the transcultural dimensions of K-dramas, focusing on how they present, represent, and translate various cultures, peoples, and languages across diverse streaming platforms (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, and podcasts). Our presenters will examine the evolution of narrative techniques, global circulation of emotions, history of consumerism and product placement, homosocial eroticism, and the impact of these dramas on global audiences. By situating K-dramas within the broader framework of transcultural communication, this year’s colloquium underscores their significance in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in an increasingly interconnected world, ultimately aiming to contribute to the discourse on global media, cultural identity, and the evolving nature of storytelling in the digital age.

Program Agenda

Premodern Korea Lecture Series - The Grand Strategy of a Middling Power: A New Diplomatic History Approach to Early Modern Korean Relations with China

Event Description:

Usually, “Grand Strategy” is the purview of the so-called Great Powers: large, powerful states with the wherewithal to fundamentally shape the institutional, diplomatic, military, and economic environment around them. But what about middle powers? Recent scholarly examinations of contemporary South Korean diplomacy have debated the issue, revolving around the question of whether autonomy counts when it is premised on security guarantees from a “Great Power.” This presentation adopts a “New Diplomatic History” approach to the question by examining early modern Korean relations with Ming China (ca. 1400–1600). Rather than a realpolitik-centered analysis of diplomatic history, it focuses on the cultural strategies of Chosŏn Korea’s engagement with Ming China. In particular, it addresses how Chosŏn Korea focused on slowly and gradually reshaping the hegemonic structures of its immediate diplomatic context. It points to political dynamics with long-term consequences that might be overlooked or discounted in traditional definitions of “Grand Strategy.”

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