Alliance at an Inflection Point: The US–ROK Partnership and Korea’s Future

President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung issued an ambitious alliance fact sheet last November. It codified security and economic priorities, including increased South Korean defense spending and investment in United States shipbuilding, US support for Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, and preparations for the eventual transfer of wartime operational control.

Both presidents are eager to reengage North Korea even as Pyongyang strengthens its nuclear arsenal and entrenches its status as a nuclear-armed state. An even larger strategic question is how Washington and Seoul will manage relations with China, whose growing power increasingly shapes both regional security and the global economy. Sustaining cooperation with Japan and other US allies and partners cuts across each of these challenges.

Join Hudson Institute for an in-person and livestreamed discussion bringing together American experts and some of South Korea’s leading analysts. The program will feature two panels examining the future of the US–South Korea alliance and the regional challenges it faces.