The Impossible State

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor at King's College London and KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, to discuss his recently published book, Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop, North Korea's recent missile tests and military capabilities, as well as South Ko...

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and Director of Stimson's 38 North Program, to discuss Vice President Harris' visit to Korea on September 29th, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and how the war in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan Strait affect Korean policy and North Korean calculations.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Nicholas Szechenyi, Senior Fellow with the Japan Chair and Deputy Director for Asia at CSIS, to discuss Abe's death, the implications of the Liberal Democratic Party, Japanese defense security reform under Prime Minister Kishida, as well as trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and Korea.

In Session 2, " Normalization of Korea-Japan Relations," of the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2022, speakers Dr. Choi Eunbong, Dr. Ellen Kim, Dr. Sheila Smith, Dr. Sohn Yul, and Dr. Yoon Young-kwan discussed ways to improve the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Japan.

In Session 1, "The Biden-Yoon Summit and Korea’s Pivot to Regional Leadership," of the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2022, speakers Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Ma Sangyoon, Mr. Robert Rapson, Dr. Yoon Young-kwan, and Amb. Mark Lippert discussed the U.S.-Korea alliance, the potential cooperation opportunities, and North Korea issues.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee from Tufts University to discuss the nature of North Korean leadership throughout three generations, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un, as well as the rise of Kim Yo-jong, the subject of Dr. Lee's forthcoming book, The Sister.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Andrew Yeo, senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asian Policy Studies, and professor of politics at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for a conversation on his latest book, "State, Society and Markets in North Korea," an overview of North Korea's market...

This special episode is from the 7th annual ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum on June 6, 2022, CSIS Korea Chair's premier international forum bringing together policymakers, experts, and officials to discuss US-ROK alliance issues. Moderated by Amb. Mark Lippert, Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, delivers a keynote address on t...

In a crossover episode with CSIS's The Truth of the Matter, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz talk about what is expected to be North Korea's seventh nuclear test and its repercussions - from our recent Beyond Parallel report.

This special episode is from the 7th annual ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum on June 6, 2022, CSIS Korea Chair's premier international forum bringing together policymakers, experts, and officials to discuss US-ROK alliance issues. Lee Geun, the president of the Korea Foundation opens the event with welcoming remarks. The Secretary to the President for Economic Security, Wang Yunjong, delivers a keynote ad...

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz and Victor Cha are joined by Ellen Kim, the deputy director of the Korea Chair at CSIS, and Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, for a discussion on the relationship between the United States, China, and Korea, including issues related to economics, foreign policy, and the current situation in Taiwan and North Korea.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz and Victor Cha are joined by Christian Davies, Seoul Correspondent for the Financial Times to discuss the Biden-Yoon summit on May 21 as well as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, North Korea's missile and nuclear threat, and China's response to Biden's active agenda in Asia.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz and Victor Cha are joined by J. Stephen Morrison to discuss the Covid-19 outbreak in North Korea - which CSIS predicted back in March, the impact of the pandemic on the unvaccinated country, and the road ahead amidst ongoing health and food crises worsened by an extreme lockdown.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz is joined by Victor Cha and Tom Karako to discuss the implications of the current conflict in Ukraine on North Korea's missile threat. They also discuss what it means for North Korea's capability going forward and what practical steps can be taken to accomplish denuclearization.

This bonus episode is from our second Tipping Points event, The North Korean Missile Threat: Expert Roundtable. Dr. Victor Cha hosted an expert roundtable on North Korea's latest missile developments, including the current state of their ballistic missile force, and how they may have advanced their technologies so quickly. He was joined by Joe Bermudez of CSIS, Markus Garlauskas of the Atlantic Co...

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS mainta...

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS mainta...

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz is joined by Victor Cha and Joe Bermudez to talk about the new CSIS report on the Hoejung-ni missile operating base, which is located just 15 miles from the Chinese border, and will, according to informed sources, likely house a regiment-sized unit equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS mainta...

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS mainta...

In Session 3, "Trilateralism and U.S.-ROK Alliance in Indo-Pacific Region" of the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2021, speakers Andrew Yeo, Alex Wong, Kim Hyun-wook, Kim Ji-young and Victor Cha discussed U.S., Japan and South Korea trilateral relations and what it means for the Indo-Pacific region.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS mainta...

In Session 1, "U.S.-China Competition and the Alliance: To Hedge or to Choose?," of the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2021, speakers Dr. Evan Medeiros, Mr. Randall Schriver, Dr. Kim Joon-hyung, Dr. Ma Sangyoon, Dr. Sohn In-Joo and Amb. Mark Lippert discussed the U.S.-China competition and what it means for Korea and the U.S.-ROK alliance.

In the keynote address for the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2021, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong Kun of the Republic of Korea explained South Korea's foreign policy, the ROK-U.S. alliance, inter-Korea relations and an end-of-war declaration and peace process on the Korean peninsula.

In this episode, Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Lami Kim, Assistant Professor at the U.S. Army War College, and a CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholar for a conversation on their recent op-eds in Foreign Affairs and War on the Rocks, military buildup under South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and options for dealing with the North Korean crisis.  Dr. Victor Cha, Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffa...