U.S.-ROK Alliance
The SHIPS Act: Domestic Shipbuilding With a Foreign Ally
On December 19, 2024, a bipartisan coalition introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act (SHIPS Act) to Congress. The Act aims to strengthen domestic...
Modernizing Korea’s United Nations Command
The United Nations Command (UNC), a U.S.-led multinational command that enforces the Korean Armistice Agreement and coordinates international contributions to maintain peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, recently welcomed...
Forecasting Kamala Harris’ North Korea Policy
The Harris administration will likely maintain the Biden administration’s approach to North Korea because of the significant and long-lasting effects of recent shifts in the international security landscape marked by...
Kim Jong-un’s Fears Could Be Exploited
Summary: Kim Jong-un’s regime poses a significant threat to South Korea and global stability, but understanding his fears could benefit the ROK-U.S. alliance. Kim’s primary fears include assassination or coup...
Elbridge Colby Is Wrong on the U.S.-ROK Alliance
Debate over the U.S.-South Korea alliance has erupted again, this time sparked by analyst Elbridge Colby’s comments during an interview on May 6. Colby’s views have particular importance because he...
North Korea Needs to Get Ready for a Second Donald Trump Presidency
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency would give North Korean paramount leader Kim Jong-un a highly unusual four-year window to win important political and economic concessions from Washington. There is...
Stronger Alliance or Nuclear Weapons? North Korea’s Military Might Means Tough Choices for South Korea
Summary: North Korea’s recent escalation in rhetoric, declaring South Korea as its “principal enemy,” may not signal an imminent military threat but does indicate a strategic shift with significant implications for...
The Real Reason North Korea Is Threatening War
With Kim Jong-un’s recent statements that he considers the Republic of Korea (ROK) the “primary enemy” and no longer seeks peaceful unification, analysts in Korea and the United States are...
South Korea’s Nuclear Education
The trends driving the U.S.-ROK alliance to enhance cooperation around extended deterrence and establish the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in 2023—advancing North Korean capabilities, increasingly virulent threats, and a worsening...
The Politics of North Korea’s ICBM Program
In another world, it would be reasonable to expect North Korea to rank among the strongest and wealthiest countries across the dimensions of national power, just like its neighbor, South...
‘Inevitable Threat’: North Korea Conducts Ballistic Missile Test
North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday, the latest in a flurry of missile tests amid mounting tensions amid military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs...
U.S. Gears Up For Potential North Korean Nuclear Test
North Korea has not yet carried out a nuclear test, despite worries that it would attempt one prior to the U.S. midterm elections on November 8. This week, the Pentagon...