On Thursday, November 17, 2016, the Sejong Institute held the 32nd Sejong National Strategy Forum on the theme of “The New U.S. Administration’s Foreign Policy” at the institute. Beginning with opening remark by President Chang Soo Jin and welcoming remark by Chairman Joon-woo Park, the forum was organized into four sessions. Under the theme of “U.S. Presidential Elections: Analysis and Assessment,” the first session started with Dr. Miong-sei Kang (Senior Research Fellow, the Sejong Institute) and Professor Won Gon Park's (Handong Global University) presentations on “The Influence of American Society on Presidential Elections” and “Analysis of the New U.S. Administration’s Leadership” respectively. Professor Byung Kwon Son (Chung-Ang University), Vice President for Research Planning Sang Hyun Lee (the Sejong Institute), Professor Tae-hyun Kim (Chung-Ang University), and Sun-taek Wang (journalist, YTN) participated and discussed the structural outline of the US presidential election results and the leadership of the Trump administration.
On the theme of “The New U.S. Administration’s East Asia Policy,” the second session was participated by Professor Hee-ok Lee (SungKyunKwan University), Professor Sang Joon Kim (Yonsei University), Dr. Byung-Gwang Park (Research Fellow, Institute of National Security and Strategy) and Soung Chul Kim (Senior Research Fellow, the Sejong Institute). In this session, Dr. Seong-Hyon Lee (Research Fellow, the Sejong Institute) and Professor Yanghyeon Jo (Korea National Diplomatic Academy) each gave a presentation on “U.S. Policy on China: Changes in U.S.-China Relations Outlook” and “U.S. Policy on Japan: Changes in U.S.-Japan Relations.” The participants discussed the US policy on Japan and China and changes that will occur after the inauguration of the Trump administration.
In the third session on the topic of “The New U.S. Adminsitration’s Korean Peninsula Policy,” Professor Sung-wook Nam (Korea University) and Vice President Kang Choi (Asan Institute for Policy Studies) presented on “U.S. Policy on North Korea” and “U.S. Policy on South Korea” respectively. Discussants including Director Seong-chang Cheong (Department of Unification Strategy Studies, the Sejong Institute), Professor Hyun-Wook Kim (Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Professor Yeol-soo Kim (Sungshin Women’s University) and Professor Jungkun Seo (Kyung Hee University) prospected the Trump administration’s policy on Korean Peninsula and conversed about South Korea’s response.
In the overall discussion session moderated by Sejong Institute’s President Chang Soo Jin, all participants contemplated on South Korea’s U.S. policy.