Date:
Location:
Asia Center Seminars
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Korea Institute
Speaker: Yaena Kwon, TV Journalist at ZDF and WDR; Visiting Scholar, Harvard University Asia Center
Moderator: Rana Mitter, S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
Abstract: South Korea has become a soft superpower whose cultural influence keeps growing internationally and exceeds that of K-pop. When President Yoon Suk-Yeol visited the United States in 2023 and surprised President Biden with his singing skills, he sent out the message, “We go together.” Yet ultimately, South Korea’s smart diplomatic choices are driven by hard power. At the core of the seven-decade partnership between South Korea and the United States is an “ironclad” alliance that is still defined by mutual security and defense interests.
On the other side of the Korean peninsula in the DPRK, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has strengthened his alignment with Vladimir Putin. Since February 2022, Pyongyang and Moscow have denied engaging in any arms deals. However, according to the U.S. government, Kim Jong-Un has been supporting Putin’s war against Ukraine, and Russia has acquired ballistic missiles and other munitions from the DPRK. Both autocrats have also deepened their ties with China, while South Korea, under the Yoon government, has prioritized trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan.
During the 2024 U.S. election year, the anti-Western alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow might become even more aggressive. What are the geopolitical implications of this strategic alignment? And what will happen to the two Koreas if Donald Trump gets reelected?
In this presentation, visiting scholar and journalist Dr. Yaena Kwon will address the deepening political divisions on the Korean peninsula and how they impact the security order in Asia and globally.
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