Korea 101 2020 offered a 3-part series to provide a unique insight into the US-Korea relationship. Featuring speakers with firsthand knowledge of Korea – its culture, its people, and its policies—the 2020 series focuses on seven three areas of interest to U.S. policymakers and their advisors. Designed to increase awareness and understanding, the one-hour sessions offer staff the opportunity to hear from and interact with diverse experts from on and off the Hill.
The 2020 Korea 101 Congressional Briefing Series connected Congressional staff with academic, government, and business leaders with direct experience and expertise in the Korean peninsula.
The first session featured Mark Manyin, a specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Troy Stangarone, the Senior Director and Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI), and Paul Bock, a partner at Holland & Knight. The discussion centers around the challenges and opportunities for growth in the U.S.-South Korea economic relationship, covering the impact of the Korea-Japan trade disputes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the U.S.-China relationship.
The second session brought together Jessica J. Lee, a Senior Research Fellow in the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute and Scott A. Snyder, a Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. The speakers analyzed the changing contours of the U.S.-ROK security relationship and viable strategies for future negotiations that will better address common interests and improve the current alliance.
The third and final session featured Frank Aum, a Senior Expert on North Korea at the United States Institute of Peace, Soojin Park, a Public Policy Fellow at the Wilson Center, and Keith Luse, Executive Director of the National Committee on North Korea and a Senior Adviser at the US-Asia Institute. The speakers the historical context surrounding inter-Korea relations, the political dynamics in both countries influencing the current climate, and the role of the United States and China in the conflict.
Session 1 | July 9 | U.S.-Korea Relations: Expanding Economic Ties in an Evolving Global Economy
Mark Manyin, Specialist in Asian Affairs, Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Troy Stangarone, Senior Director and Fellow, Korea Economic Institute (KEI)
Paul Bock, Partner, Holland & Knight
Session 2 | July 16 | Recalibrating the Alliance: Challenges and Opportunities in U.S.-Korea Relations
Jessica J. Lee, Senior Research Fellow, East Asia Program, Quincy Institute
Scott A. Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies, Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
Session 3 | July 23 | Present and Future Implications of an Increasingly Volatile Relationship on the Korean Peninsula
Frank Aum, Senior Expert on North Korea, United States Institute of Peace
Soojin Park, Public Policy Fellow, Asia Program, Wilson Center
Keith Luse, Executive Director, National Committee on North Korea and Senior Advisor, US-Asia Institute
