LDI Director Speaks at Seoul National University on Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia.

LDI Director Professor Y.S. Lee speaks at Seoul National University (South Korea) on sustainable peace in Northeast Asia.

Graduate School of Public Administration (Knowledge Center for Public Administration and Policy), Seoul National University, hosts Professor Lee’s speech on June 5, 2023 (11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.).

Northeast Asia, a major region in Asia covering China, North and South Korea, Mongolia, and Japan, is economically the most vibrant area, offering unprecedented economic opportunities for the rest of the world. However, the region also exhibits considerable political and military tensions, creating a worldwide security risk. The nuclear crisis caused by North Korea’s nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches has dramatically revealed this risk. The summit between South and North Korea on April 27, 2018, and another summit between the United States and North Korea on June 12, 2018, may have averted the worst catastrophe; substantial political uncertainty and risk of major military conflict still remain.

Although less dramatic and visible to the outside world, there have long been other political and military tensions among the constituent countries in Northeast Asia with deep historical roots, such as territorial disputes; lack of reconciliation over the atrocities caused by the Second World War; deepening disparity among Northeast Asian countries in political influence and military powers associated with the rise of China; and uncertainty for the future of the region due to the potential instability of North Korea caused by its international confrontations, internal political issues, and economic problems. The magnitude of these issues has the potential to destabilize the entire region.

Professor Lee discusses his upcoming book Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia (Anthem Press, forthcoming September 2023) and explores a pathway to sustaining peace in Northeast Asia.