Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston

The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) recently pledged to strengthen and broaden their alliance, moving beyond traditional security concerns around the Korean Peninsula to regional and global issues. The broadly worded U.S.-ROK Leaders’ Joint Statement in May called for expanding security cooperation into the space and cyber domains. It also highlighted increased cooperation on climate issues, nuclear and alternative energy development, pandemic response, and the semiconductor supply chain. 

 As U.S.-ROK relations continue to evolve we expect areas of continued alignment but potentially some friction points. Washington and Seoul have differing views and priorities when it comes to China, and deteriorating US-China economic and trade relations may put South Korea in a difficult spot when it comes to maintaining economic ties and be part of both countries’ supply chains. 

Join RANE and EAI for this special edition webinar where our panelists will address both traditional security issues and non-security issues, including:  

• Expanding the US-ROK alliance and partnership beyond the Korean Peninsula
• Priorities and policies toward North Korea
• South Korea’s regional and international interests as a rising Middle Power
• Navigating U.S.-China strategic tensions, in both traditional security and technology development and supply chains
• The role of nuclear power and green energy in managing climate change and enhancing economic and technological cooperation

PANELISTS:

Rodger Baker is Stratfor Senior Vice President for Strategic Analysis At RANE. He has spent more than two decades with Stratfor focused on the Indo-Pacific region, with special attention to China and the Korean Peninsula. He addresses the strategic dynamics of an evolving world system, looking at great power competition, the role of middle powers, and the impacts of technological, environmental, and demographic changes on geopolitical relationships. His core emphasis is the multidisciplinary approach to geopolitics and the evolution of international relations to develop mid- and long-term forecasts to assist companies, governments, and other globally engaged organizations make informed decisions. Mr. Baker is a Senior Fellow at the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, a Steering Fellow for the Mackinder Forum, and teaches a certificate program in Geopolitical Analysis at Florida Atlantic University.

Yul Sohn is President of EAI and professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University. Sohn has served Dean of Yonsei GSIS (2012-2016) and President of the Korean Association for Contemporary Japanese Studies (2012). Before joining the faculty at Yonsei, he was professor of international studies at Chung-Ang University and visiting scholar at institutions in the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California at Berkeley. Sohn has written extensively on Japanese politics and foreign policy, international political economy, and East Asian international relations. His most recent book publications include Japan and Asia’s Contest Order (with T. J. Pempel) and Understanding Public Diplomacy in East Asia (with Jan Melissen).

Matthew Bey is a Stratfor senior analyst at RANE where he covers a wide range of topics in international relations. Matthew has focused heavily on geopolitical, political, economic, and security issues in the Middle East and Africa. Matthew also covers several international topics relating to global governance, technology, trade, and the oil and gas industry. Matthew has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Texas Lutheran University and a masters degree in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Eric Gomez is director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute. His research focuses on the U.S. military budget and force posture, as well as arms control and nuclear stability issues in East Asia. In 2020, Gomez was a member of the Project on Nuclear Issues Nuclear Scholars Initiative program, where he conducted research on the impacts of U.S. intermediate‐range missiles on U.S.-China strategic stability. He received a Master’s of International Affairs degree from the Bush School at Texas A&M University and a BA in International Affairs from the State University of New York, College at Geneseo.

Seong-Ho Sheen is Professor of International Security and East Asia at the Graduate School of International Studies and former Dean for the Office of International Affairs at Seoul National University. Professor Sheen was a visiting fellow at the East-West Center DC, a CNAPS fellow at the Brookings Institution, an assistant research professor at Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), Honolulu, Hawaii and a research fellow at Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (IFPA), Cambridge, Mass, the U.S. He has taught at Univ. Mass Boston. In addition, he advised various government organizations including ROK National Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification and Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification, the ROK National Assembly. His area of interest includes International Security, US Foreign Policy, Northeast Asian Politics and the Korean Peninsula. Professor Sheen received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University and his B.A. from Seoul National University.

Seungjoo Lee is Chair of the Trade, Technology, and Transformation Research Center at EAI and professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Chung-Ang University. His area of interest includes East Asian regionalism, mega FTAs and economy-security nexus, international economic order in cyber space, digital trade policy, and middle power diplomacy. His publications include “Institutional Balancing and the Politics of Mega FTAs in East Asia,” Northeast Asia: Ripe for Integration? and Trade Policy in the Asia-Pacific: The Role of Ideas, Interests, and Domestic Institutions. Professor Lee received his Ph.D. in politics at the University of California at Berkeley.  

ABOUT RANE

RANE (Risk Assistance Network + Exchange) is networked-based risk intelligence company that connects business leaders to critical risk insights and expertise, enabling risk and security professionals to more efficiently address their most pressing challenges and drive better risk management outcomes. RANE clients receive access to a global network of credentialed risk experts, curated network intelligence, risk news monitoring, in-house analysts and subject matter experts, and collaborative knowledge-sharing events.

ABOUT EAI

The EAI (East Asia Institute) was established as an independent think-tank dedicated to developing ideas and formulating policy recommendations on the main challenges facing the region. Through hosting scholarly seminars, forums, education program and various publications it can achieve these aims in creating influential products. The EAI is conducting research activities along with six major projects, which are conducted by the eight research centers. Also through the utilization of the research task force team, the EAI addresses imminent and critical issues. In this way by working together with recognized scholars and leading policymakers, the EAI is at the center of producing research outcomes reflecting innovation and influential policy debate. As one of the leading think-tanks in Korea, the EAI is fulfilling the way in forming a true knowledge-net community in Northeast Asia by setting up a system of joint research and scholarly exchanges in the U.S., China, and Taiwan as well as many other countries.