Regions/South Korea

South Korea

The Case for South Korean Soft Power
- Chung Min Lee, Kathryn Botto
- December 15, 2020
South Korea’s soft power reached new heights in 2020, driven by everything from its model pandemic response to cultural staples like chart-topping BTS albums. But Seoul must use this rising political capital wisely to build lasting influence beyond its borders.
- Event
Protecting the Financial System from Cyber Threats in the Asia-Pacific and Beyond
- Vincent Loy, Cheri McGuire, Kai Keller, Tobias Feakin, Jason Witty, Valerie Abend, Tim Maurer
- November 26, 2020
- November 25, 2020: 10:30 PM—11:30 PM EST
This month, the Carnegie Endowment, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, released a first-of-its-kind blueprint to better protect the global financial system against cyber threats. Join us for a discussion with leading voices in the Asia-Pacific on this report's crucial recommendations.
- Event
The Korean Peninsula After the U.S. Elections: Views from Washington, Beijing, and Moscow
- Tong Zhao, Alexander Gabuev, Paul Haenle
- October 27, 2020
- Live Online
- Event Transcript
- Article
Elections, Nukes, and the Future of the South Korea–U.S. Alliance
- Toby Dalton, Ain Han
- October 26, 2020
The stage is set for a potentially disruptive period in South Korea–U.S. security relations. If tensions are allowed to build, the alliance could rupture.
- Q&A
South Korea Is Caught Between China and the United States
- Chung Min Lee
- October 21, 2020
But Seoul’s positioning is not all bad. As South Korea and other Asian countries step gingerly with one eye on the superpowers’ rivalry, there are also opportunities to be found.
- Op-Ed
Japan’s New Leader Has Narrow Window to Advance South Korea Ties
- Kathryn Botto
- September 23, 2020
- Nikkei Asian Review
Improving relations with Seoul will require a proactive effort to settle recent disputes, and separate complex historical issues from economic and security cooperation.
- Article
Solid Ambitions: The U.S.–South Korea Missile Guidelines and Space Launchers
- Ankit Panda
- August 25, 2020
Revisions to the U.S.–South Korea missile guidelines open a new era in Seoul’s space ambitions, but their consequences for regional security are limited.
- Commentary
Can South Korea and the United States Maintain Military Readiness During COVID-19?
- Kathryn Botto
- August 20, 2020
How do you make sure that the military is prepared to tackle threats during a pandemic? The U.S.–South Korean alliance has been wrestling with the problem.
- Op-Ed
Ending the Korean War Won’t Be Easy as Long as North Korea Exists
- Chung Min Lee
- July 05, 2020
- National Interest
A just, enduring peace is possible on the Korean Peninsula, but it’s not going to happen just because political leaders decide to formally end the Korean conflict.
- Op-Ed
North Korea Wants a Crisis, Not Cooperation
- Kathryn Botto
- June 24, 2020
- Nikkei Asian Review
While North Korea’s economy is suffering greatly under the combined pressure of sanctions and border closures because of COVID-19, by escalating tensions it puts pressure on South Korea to grant concessions and frames it to a domestic audience as responsible for North Korea's economic situation.

Inside Korea

Carnegie Experts on
Special Projects

Toby Dalton
Co-director and Senior Fellow
Nuclear Policy Program
Dalton is the co-director and a senior fellow of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment. An expert on nonproliferation and nuclear energy, his work addresses regional security challenges and the evolution of the global nuclear order.
Evan A. Feigenbaum
Vice President for Studies
Evan A. Feigenbaum is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington, Beijing and New Delhi on a dynamic region encompassing both East Asia and South Asia.
Rose Gottemoeller
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Nuclear Policy Program
Rose Gottemoeller is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. She also serves as the Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.
Paul Haenle
Maurice R. Greenberg Director’s Chair
Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Paul Haenle holds the Maurice R. Greenberg Director’s Chair at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center based at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Haenle served as the director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Affairs on the National Security Council staffs of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama prior to joining Carnegie.
Christopher Hill
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Asia Program
Ambassador Christopher Robert Hill is currently chief global advisor at the University of Denver Global Engagement. He is a former career diplomat, a four-time ambassador, nominated by three presidents, whose last post was as ambassador to Iraq.
Philippe Le Corre
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Europe Program
Asia Program
Philippe Le Corre is a nonresident senior fellow in the Europe and Asia Programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Chung Min Lee
Senior Fellow
Asia Program
Chung Min Lee is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Asia Program. He is an expert on Korean and Northeast Asian security, defense, intelligence, and crisis management.
Evan S. Medeiros
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Asia Program
Evan S. Medeiros is a nonresident senior fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Douglas H. Paal
Nonresident Scholar
Asia Program
Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
Ankit Panda
Stanton Senior Fellow
Nuclear Policy Program
Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
James L. Schoff
Senior Fellow
Asia Program
Schoff is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese technology innovation, and regional trade and security dynamics.
Ashley J. Tellis
Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs
Ashley J. Tellis holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specializing in international security and U.S. foreign and defense policy with a special focus on Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Tristan Volpe
Nonresident Fellow
Nuclear Policy Program
Tristan Volpe is a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and assistant professor of defense analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School.