About Stimson

Korea Program

Promoting greater understanding of relations between the United States and the Korean Peninsula to help address some of the world’s most pressing traditional and nontraditional security challenges.

The Korea Program at the Stimson Center is a policy research and engagement hub dedicated to advancing understanding of South Korea, U.S.–Korea relations and their broader global implications. The program combines in-depth research with high-level dialogues among policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and civil society to inform actionable strategies and policy for both governments and stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Three Pillars for the program are as follows:

U.S.-ROK Alliance and Regional Leadership. Examining how the U.S.–ROK alliance can adapt to emerging security challenges amid shifting regional order. It facilitates bilateral and multilateral dialogues, produces policy analyses on extended deterrence and maritime security, and develops public opinion studies on regional cooperation.

The Economic Security and Technology Cooperation. Aligning South Korea’s strategic technologies with U.S. Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs). Through policy research, expert councils, and pilot projects, the program promotes joint innovation and cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, robotics, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, among others.

Korea's Democracy and Society in the 21st Century. Tracking the health of democracy and democratic institution in South Korea with a special focus on election, civic engagement, media integrity, and interparliamentary cooperation. Through surveys, workshops, and research, the program seeks to support democratic resilience and institutional trust.

Through these three pillars, the Korea Program establishes the Stimson Center as a leading platform for integrated analysis of South Korea’s geopolitics, economics, and society and aims to stand alongside other major research programs in Washington, DC as the preeminent venue for Korea-focused research, dialogue, and leadership development.

Program Team

J. James Kim

Program Director

Sean (Hyuk Hyun) Kwon

Nonresident Fellow

Projects

Countering AI Disinformation and Implications for the US-ROK Alliance

A survey of the current AI landscape, how these technologies are leveraged for misinformation and disinformation campaigns, and ways the U.S. and its allies can foster cooperation to mitigate these risks.

Economic Security and Technology Cooperation

Building a U.S.–Korea framework for joint innovation and coordination across critical and emerging technologies driving cooperation in economic security.

U.S.-ROK Alliance and Regional Leadership

Advancing a forward-looking U.S.–Korea alliance through research, strategic dialogue, security cooperation, and regional policy innovation in the Indo-Pacific.

Korea’s Democracy and Society in the 21st Century

Strengthening democratic resilience in Korea through research, dialogue, civic engagement, media integrity, and interparliamentary cooperation.

Nuclearization Debates: Lesson for South Korea

Examining critical issues regarding nuclear dynamics and security challenges facing the Korean Peninsula, drawing from South Asia’s experiences.

Research

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Commentary

Understanding Kim Jong Un’s Economic Policymaking: Foreign Trade Narrative

Examining North Korean internal discussions related to foreign trade and the sensitivities involved in trading with capitalist countries

February 6, 2023

Commentary

North Korea’s Tourism Industry: A Grand Initiative in Limbo

As North Korea begins to loosen its pandemic restrictions, assessing the current status of major tourism projects may provide some indication of its near-term expectations for resuming tourism

January 25, 2023

Commentary

Understanding Kim Jong Un’s Economic Policymaking: Rolling Out Economic Development Zones

Our study on North Korea’s economic policymaking continues, with an examination of the internal push and pull of embracing economic development zones (EDZs)

December 21, 2022

Resource

DPRK Economic Journals

Nonresident Fellow Rachel Minyoung Lee has translated articles from key economic journals, informing research conducted by Ms. Lee and Nonresident Fellow Robert Carlin.

December 20, 2022

Commentary

Twenty Years of Mobile Communications in North Korea

Assessing the status and role of cellphones and communication in North Korea since this technology was introduced.

November 15, 2022

Policy Paper

US-ROK Strategic Dialogue: Recalibrating Deterrence Against An Evolving DPRK Nuclear Threat

As North Korea's WMD capabilities evolve, the US and South Korea must adapt their extended deterrence arrangement.

September 20, 2022

Commentary

North Korea’s Komdok Mining Region: Empty Promises?

Without substantive investments, such as developing better transport networks or improving energy provision, North Korea's Komdok mining region will remain underperforming.

August 17, 2022