Nationalism versus liberalism: A South Korean view of the Taiwan issues

By |2023-05-08T10:30:33-10:00May 8th, 2023|Categories: Faculty Articles, news, Cho|Tags: , , |

At the invitation of Brookings Institution, Dr. Sungmin Cho contributed an essay for its Taiwan-U.S. Quarterly Analysis series. In this essay, Dr. Cho explains, “The Taiwan issue is often viewed by leaders of the United States and its allies as a contest between democracy and authoritarianism. From a South Korean perspective, however, the Taiwan issue also represents a clash between nationalism and liberalism.” Dr. Cho argues, “While nationalism emphasizes the importance of the group over the individual, liberalism privileges the individual. From a nationalist perspective, individuals are expected to align their preferences with the goals of the nation. However, young [...]

How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan

By |2022-10-24T15:22:36-10:00October 24th, 2022|Categories: news, Cho|Tags: , , , |

Dr. Sungmin Cho has a new co-authored paper titled “How South Korea can contribute to the defense of Taiwan” published in the Washington Quarterly. According to Cho, “It remains unclear what South Korea can and should do in a Taiwan contingency. US-China competition is currently fiercest over this issue—it is the most likely potential cause of a great-power war between the two sides. Preventing this outcome through enhanced deterrence depends on the policies of US allies like South Korea. What can South Korea do to support US-led efforts, and what are the major hurdles in attaining deeper bilateral cooperation on [...]

North Korea Is Becoming an Asset for China 

By |2022-02-15T08:12:41-10:00February 15th, 2022|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, news, Cho|Tags: , , , , |

“North Korea Is Becoming an Asset for China” is a new article by Dr. Sungmin Cho for Foreign Affairs magazine. Co-authored with Oriana Skylar Mastro, the article discusses the latest round of missile testing by North Korea and its potential impact on US alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea. According to the authors, "North Korea's missile tests are occurring at a time of stark, rising competition between the United States and the Pacific’s other great power: China... Pyongyang’s weapons program was long seen as a liability for Beijing, given the erratic and unpredictable behavior of North Korea’s leaders. [...]

South Korea’s Taiwan Conundrum

By |2022-01-05T13:14:50-10:00January 6th, 2022|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, news, Cho|Tags: , |

“South Korea’s Taiwan Conundrum” is Dr. Sungmin Cho’s latest commentary for War on the Rocks. What would South Korea do if China attacked Taiwan?  According to Cho, “many people in Washington, Taipei, and Tokyo are wondering. South Korea’s position remains much more ambivalent than Japan’s. Seoul is understandably more worried about the possibility of retaliation from China, akin to Beijing’s fury over the basing of a U.S. defensive missile system in South Korea several years ago. Seoul also has a unique concern that Beijing would turn even more non-cooperative in the future process of Korean unification, if it ever occurs, as a result [...]

Arms buildup between two Koreas heightens risk of conventional and nuclear war

By |2021-11-12T10:00:01-10:00November 12th, 2021|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, Minnich, news|Tags: , , |

“Arms buildup between two Koreas heightens risk of conventional and nuclear war” is a new article written by DKI APCSS Professor Dr. James M. Minnich.  The article was published by NK Pro, a professional journal on the topic of North Korea. This in-depth review of military capabilities on the peninsula underscores obstacles to peace and catastrophic costs of war. Read the full article James M. Minnich  is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.  The views expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect those of DKI APCSS, the U.S. Department of [...]

The Joint Recovery of Fallen Soldiers from the Korean War: One Way for American, Chinese, North and South Korean Soldiers to Cooperate and Reconcile

By |2021-04-26T13:28:02-10:00April 26th, 2021|Categories: Journal, news, Cho|Tags: , , , |

“The Joint Recovery of Fallen Soldiers from the Korean War: One Way for American, Chinese, North and South Korean Soldiers to Cooperate and Reconcile,” is the title of a paper by Dr. Sungmin Cho for Security Nexus. This article recommends a cooperative solution to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Summary For a new approach to break through the diplomatic stalemate on the Korean Peninsula, this paper makes a policy recommendation to launch a joint recovery project calling for soldiers from the U.S., China, North and South Korea to work together on recovering the remains of their predecessors who died [...]

New research article about Chinese perspectives of Korean unification

By |2021-01-07T13:07:14-10:00January 7th, 2021|Categories: External Publications, news, Cho|Tags: , , |

Professor Sungmin Cho’s latest peer-reviewed article entitled "The Chinese Perspectives of the Korean Unification: Evidence from the Chinese Academic Publications” was recently published by the Korea Observer. Here is the abstract of the article. "What are the Chinese perspectives on Korean unification, and what are the concerns and expectations? The English-language literature on this subject lacks citations from primary sources to claim a wide survey of Chinese perspectives. Based upon the 62 Chinese journal articles and 29 expert commentaries in Chinese, I infer a broad spectrum of Chinese thinking on the Korea unification. I find that the Chinese analysts have [...]

Five Coronavirus Success Stories: Different, But the Same

By |2020-06-08T12:35:40-10:00May 20th, 2020|Categories: Watson, Journal, news|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

“Five Coronavirus Success Stories: Different, But the Same” is a new paper written by DKI APCSS professor Dr. Virginia Bacay Watson for Security Nexus. In this paper, Dr. Watson highlights the steps taken by five countries to minimize the spreading of COVID-19 through a common thread of effective preparation, quick actions and effective, trusted leadership, despite different approaches. Excerpt: All told, the quick, early, and decisive actions of the governments of Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam enabled them to manage the coronavirus spread. A legacy of a robust health-care infrastructure provided a point of departure for assessing additional [...]

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