CSIS Korea Chair

10/20/2025

What's the future of inter-Korean engagement and what to expect from the upcoming APEC meetings, and summit meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Lee Jae Myung?

Victor Cha, Sydney Seiler and Andrew Yeo discuss these and more in the newest episode of The Impossible State podcast.

Watch tomorrow at 11:00 AM!

https://www.csis.org/events/impossible-state-live-podcast-upcoming-us-rok-summit-and-future-inter-korean-engagement

10/14/2025

🚨 Victor Cha’s latest op-ed is out now on .
Dr. Cha emphasizes that the U.S. and South Korea must salvage their tariff and investment agreement — for the sake of the alliance. 
Seoul and Washington should view tensions over investment and immigration not as setbacks, but as opportunities to refine a trade framework that strengthens both economies and the alliance. 
Read more here: https://fortune.com/2025/10/10/us-south-korea-tariff-trump-agreement-salvage-alliance-victor-cha/

07/30/2025

JUST IN: Deal struck, U.S. slaps 15% tariff on Korean goods.

Can Seoul’s shipbuilding prowess turn the tide? Explore how ROK would help boost U.S. naval & commercial shipbuilding.

🔴TOMORROW 2 PM ET LIVE
With Adm. (ret.) Scott H. Swift
Registration link in bio.

12/03/2024

On December 3, 2024, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in an unannounced televised address, citing threats from “North Korean communist forces” and the need to “rebuild and protect” South Korea from “falling into ruin.”

experts answer critical questions regarding this important development. 

Read the full analysis via link in bio.

11/08/2024

🗓️November 12, 2024
🕐 11 - 11:45 am ET

Please join the Impossible State podcast for a special discussion with Secretary General Youngho Tae. In this episode, Sydney Seiler and Tae will explore the latest developments in North Korea.

Register | https://buff.ly/4fTfCzV

The inaugural report from the CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department features insights from 21 leading CSIS experts examining how regional leaders are preparing for shifts in U.S. global leadership—regardless of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

11/08/2024

“We should work on a collective defense declaration among the U.S. Japan and South Korea. We should do more to improve relationships between South Korea Japan and NATO," says .

Watch again ⬇️
https://buff.ly/3AirKuW

11/08/2024

A Beyond Parallel satellite analysis shows no signs of imminent preparations for a 7th nuclear test at Punggye-ri Nuclear Testing Facility. The timing remains up to Kim Jong-un to serve his political goals.

Read more ⬇️

Satellite image of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Testing Facility acquired on October 4, 2024, a few days before the rapid escalation of tension in the peninsula, shows that the facility continues to be well maintained.

11/07/2024

North Korea launched at least 7 short-range missiles on the eve of the US presidential election…unusual, unpredictable?

Not really, data shows they turn up the temperature every US election year. Expect them to push the envelope during the transition. They greeted new presidents Obama & Trump with nuclear tests.

More by here:
https://buff.ly/3UEPY9K

11/07/2024

"10 years from now, there'll be an expanded strategic partnership. The alliance could evolve into a more comprehensive partnership involving...technological, climate, and human rights,” says Park Jin.

Watch again⬇️

The U.S.-ROK alliance has been going strong for more than 70 years, and with a new U.S. administration on the horizon, what should we expect for the future o...

11/07/2024

🗓️November 12, 2024
🕐 11 - 11:45 am ET

Please join the Impossible State podcast for a special discussion with Secretary General Youngho Tae. In this episode, Sydney Seiler and Tae will explore the latest developments in North Korea.

Register | https://buff.ly/4fTfCzV

11/07/2024

"The dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia for the war in Ukraine effectively shows that Kim Jong-un is “all in” in helping Putin win his unjust war," writes .

Read the full Critical Questions⬇️

The U.S. government's confirmation that North Korea is sending troops to Russia shows the DPRK has effectively crossed the Rubicon and that Kim Jong-un is "all in" in helping Putin win his unjust war in Ukraine.

11/07/2024

"Is there any doubt what Pyongyang and Moscow are up to? It is now abundantly clear that Russia has chosen its partner on the peninsula, and it is not South Korea," writes Henry Haggard.

Read more ⬇️

It is now abundantly clear that Russia has chosen its partner on the Korean peninsula, and it is not South Korea. Now is the time for South Korea to acknowledge this fact and stand with the Ukrainian people, the United States, and Europe.