Seoul, June 18, 2013 – This year marks the 60th anniversary of the ROK-US Alliance. To commemorate the alliance, the Asan Institute for Policy Studies will host the Asan Washington Forum 2013 titled, “The Enduring Alliance: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of ROK-US Relations,” on June 24 (Mon.) – 25 (Tues.) at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The Forum will bring together leading experts and scholars on politics, diplomacy and security and, most of all, Korean War veterans who have shaped the history of the alliance.

High-level key speakers include:

• Walter Sharp, former commander of US Forces Korea
• Gary Samore, former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism
• Joe Lieberman, former US Senator from Connecticut
• Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
• Han Sung-Joo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, ROK
• Kil Jeong Woo, National Assembly, ROK
• Yu Myung Hwan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, ROK

The Forum will provide a platform to explore the past, present and future of the alliance. The two-day conference consists of 10 sessions highlighting some of the most significant topics raised on the alliance for the past sixty years. Four sessions on Day 1 will discuss broader meanings of the alliance on topics such as, “Sixty Years of the Alliance,” “The Alliance and North Korea,” “The Future of the Alliance,” and “The Alliance and the Future of East Asia.” Six sessions on Day 2 will examine more specific areas of the alliance on topics such as, “The Ambassador’s Dialogue,” “Public Opinion: Alliance, Security, Nukes,” “Dealing with a Nuclear North Korea,” “Dealing with North Korea’s Human Rights,” “The Virtual Alliance,” and “Korea between US and China.”

About the Asan Institute for Policy Studies

The Asan Institute for Policy Studies is an independent think tank that provides innovative policy solutions and spearheads public discourse on the core issues in Korea, East Asia and the world. Our goal is to assist policymakers to make better informed and mutually beneficial policy decisions. The Asan Institute, established in 2008, has successfully hosted a series of international conferences including the Asan Plenum, the Asan China Forum and the Asan Nuclear Forum and published a number of books such as China’s Foreign Policy, Japan in Crisis and The Arab Spring.

For more information, please contact:

• (Mr.) Karl Friedhoff (klf@asaninst.org / 202 386 2260) based in Washington, D.C.
• (Ms.) Minhee Lee (minheepd@asaninst.org / 82 10 4512 8523) based in Seoul

• 1. Host: The Asan Institute for Policy Studies (www.asaninst.org)
• 2. Title: The Enduring Alliance: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of ROK-US Relations
• 3. Date and Time: Monday, June 24, 2013 09:00 – 21:00 / Tuesday, June 25, 2013 09:00 – 18:00
• 4. Venue: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 12^th floor 1111 19th St NW, Washington D.C.
• 5. Conference Agenda (Agenda is subject to change)

  • Day 1 (June 24, 2013)

    09:00 – 10:30

    Welcoming and Opening Remarks
    Keynote Speech

    11:00 – 12:00

    Session I
    “Sixty Years of the Alliance”

    14:20 – 15:20

    Session II
    “The Alliance and North Korea”

    15:40 – 16:40

    Session III
    “The Future of the Alliance”

    17:00 – 18:00

    Session IV
    he Alliance and the Future of East Asia”

  • Day 2 (JUNE 25, 2013)

    09:00 – 10:20

    Session I
    “The Ambassador’s Dialogue: Challenges for the Alliance”

    10:30 – 11:40

    Session II
    “Public Opinion: Alliance, Security, Nukes”

    11:50 – 13:00

    Session III
    “Dealing with a Nuclear North Korea”

    13:50 – 15:00

    Session IV
    “Dealing with North Korea’s Human Rights”

    15:20 – 16:30

    Session V
    “The Virtual Alliance”

    16:50 – 18:00

    Session VI
    “Korea between US and China”