KOREA FOUNDATION

The first ROK-US Strategic Forum, co-hosted by the KF and the Center for Strategic International Studies, was held from December 5–6 in Washington, DC.
  The 15 participants from the Korean side included former Ministers of Foreign Affairs Han Sung-joo and Yoon Young-kwan, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Sung-han, former Minister of Trade Kim Jong-hoon, former National Assembly member Shim Yoon-joe, and Vice President Choi Kang of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
  The participants on the US side included over 30 experts in various sectors, including former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert, US Department of State Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun, CSIS Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair Michael J. Green, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Scott Snyder, and CSIS Senior Adviser and Korea Chair Victor Cha. The event’s audience was made up of approximately 200 people.
  Participants of the forum, which was organized under the theme “US-ROK Alliance: Looking Ahead to the New Administration and Beyond,” discussed the following topics in the open session on the first day: North Korea-related challenges, the ROK-US alliance and East Asia, and the future of bilateral cooperation in terms of the economy, energy, and trade. During the closed session on the second day, in-depth discussions were held on the subjects of North Korea’s nuclear program and China and East Asia.