Two Presidents, One Agenda: A Blueprint for South Korea and the United States to Address the Challenges of the 2020s and Beyond

Two Presidents, One Agenda: A Blueprint for South Korea and the United States to Address the Challenges of the 2020s and Beyond

Organized by the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy

Thursday, May 26, 2022, 9 A.M.-12:00 PM EST

Please join the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Korea Center for a special rollout event on the publication of Two Presidents, One Agenda. This briefing book contains memos from both American and Korean policy experts and policymakers offering President Biden and the new South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, specific policy recommendations to address the most significant security and economic challenges the two allies face.

Please click on the word “Agenda” above for full details of each panel, including the list of speakers.

PANEL I: The US-ROK Alliance and Shifting Geopolitics of Northeast Asia will examine the major geostrategic issues facing the United States and South Korea, including U.S.-China relations and South Korea’s role in the superpower competition, the growing North Korean threat, U.S.-South Korea-Japan trilateral relations, and implications of the Russo-Ukraine war for South Korea and the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

PANEL II: Redefining Security: Trade, Technology and “New Frontier” Issues will examine the state of the U.S.-ROK alliance and, going beyond security, how the two allies should coordinate on economic and trade issues, including regional and international trade architecture, supply chains, and “new frontier” issues from climate change to cyber attacks.

Given all the shifts transforming the international environment, the United States and South Korea cannot afford a “business as usual” approach to their relations. The presidents of South Korea and the United States need specific, innovative, and actionable recommendations from veteran policymakers and scholars on how to deal with the most important issues confronting their countries. This event will highlight key takeaways from the briefing book, which seeks to chart a way forward for both administrations.

The panels will feature some of the contributors to the briefing book. The keynote address will be delivered by Edgard D. Kagan, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council.

This event is made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation.