Sejong Institute conducted the “2026 Sejong–U.S. Think Tank Joint Seminar” on January 12 and 13, 2026, by visiting five research institutes based in Washington, D.C. The seminar aimed to assess U.S. foreign policy and the ROK–U.S. alliance under the second Trump administration and to examine the direction of the alliance amid the international security environment in 2026.
Participants from Sejong Institute were as follows:
- Yong-Joon Lee, Chairman
- Hyun-Wook Kim, President
- Jungsup Kim, Principal Fellow
- Jae Hung Chung, Senior Fellow
- Chansong Lee, Research Fellow
- Bee Yun Jo, Research Fellow
- Donghyuk Shin, Researcher
On the morning of January 12, a joint seminar was held between the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Sejong Institute. Presentations on changes in the ROK–U.S. alliance and the East Asian security environment were delivered by Andrew Yeo (Senior Fellow, SK–Korea Foundation Chair, Brookings Institution) and Jungsup Kim (Principal Fellow, Sejong Institute). Sydney Seiler (Senior Adviser, Non-resident, CSIS) and Jae Hung Chung (Senior Fellow, Sejong Institute) served as discussants. The session concluded with an open discussion among all participants.
Participants from CSIS included:
- Victor Cha (President, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department, and Korea Chair)
- Henrietta Levin (Senior Fellow)
- Sydney Seiler (Senior Adviser)
- Adam Farrar (Senior Associate)
- Bruce Klingner (Senior Fellow, Mansfield Foundation)
- Andrew Yeo (Senior Fellow, SK–Korea Foundation Chair, Brookings Institution)
On the afternoon of January 12, a meeting was held at the Hudson Institute. Participants engaged in an open discussion on U.S. foreign and security policy, the ROK–U.S. alliance, and China-related issues.
Participants from the Hudson Institute were as follows:
- John Walters (President and CEO)
- Joel Scanlon (Vice President)
- Patrick Cronin (Asia-Pacific Security Chair)
- James Przystup (Senior Fellow)
- Riley Walter (Senior Fellow)
- Aparna Pande (Senior Fellow)
- Michael Sobolik (Senior Fellow)
- Tsiporah Fried (Visiting Senior Fellow)
- Takehito Kamata (Visiting Fellow)
- Hiromi Sugimoto (Visiting Fellow)
- Pinshan Lai (Research Associate)
On the morning of January 13, a meeting at the Heritage Foundation took place. The discussion focused on U.S. foreign and security policy, the ROK–U.S. alliance, and China-related issues through a free exchange of views among participants.
Participants from the Heritage Foundation included:
- Robert Greenway (Director, Allison Center for National Security)
- Jeff Smith (Director, Asia Studies Center)
- Steve Yates (Senior Research Fellow)
- Robert Peters (Senior Research Fellow)
- Anthony Kim (Research Fellow)
- Wilson Beaver (Senior Policy Advisor)
- Yuichiro Kkutani (Policy Advisor)
- Allen Zhang (Research Assistant)
On the afternoon of January 13, a meeting was held at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). The discussion centered on ROK–U.S. defense cooperation, U.S. China policy, and North Korea-related issues.
Participants from CNAS were as follows:
- Richard Fontaine (Chief Executive Officer)
- Jacob Stokes (Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Indo-Pacific Security)
- Craig Schnappinger (Senior Military Fellow, United States Marine Corps)
- Ryan Claffey (Research Assistant)
- Sitara Gupta (Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Intern)
On the evening of January 13, a meeting at the RAND Corporation was held. Participants exchanged views on ROK–U.S. defense cooperation, U.S. Forces Korea, and North Korea-related issues.
Participants from the RAND Corporation included:
- Miyeon Oh (Distinguished Chair in Korea Policy)
- Mark Cozad (Senior Political Scientist)
- John Parachini (Senior International and Defense Researcher)
- Gina Kalasky (Research Assistant)
- Joseph Yun (Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea)