Korea Strategic Talks Webinar VII: Presidential Election in South Korea – What Next?
On June 3rd, South Korea will hold its ninth presidential election. The election follows a very turbulent time in South Korean politics, initiated by former President Yoon calling for martial law on December 3rd last year. After the Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly’s impeachment vote, President Yoon was officially removed from power on April 3rd.
The second Strategic Talk for 2025 will take place on June 17 at 15.00 hrs Stockholm time and 09.00 hrs US East Coast time. Our guests for this session are Ms. Jenny Town, Stimson Center, and Mr. Bruce Klinger, Heritage Foundation.
In June 2024, the ISDP Stockholm Korea Center introduced a new series of “Korea Strategic Talks,” to further promote dialogue and exchange of views related to the developments on the Korean peninsula. The overall aim of the initiative is to further increase the understanding of the many factors and policies that impact political and security developments. We invite scholars and experts from different backgrounds to a conversation moderated by Mats Engman, Head of the Stockholm Korea Center. By conducting two or three talks within a short time span, we believe it will enable us to identify possible differences in understanding, assessments, and policies.
The Strategic Talks are live, online, and recorded for later use. A typical session runs for 60 minutes. Occasionally, we will also summarize a Strategic Talk or a series of talks into a publication.
This third round of Strategic Talks will feature two sessions: one with two South Korean experts (12 June) and one with two US experts (17 June), discussing the potential implications of the June Presidential election.
During this third series of talks, we will concentrate our discussion on domestic political development in South Korea, following the outcome of the presidential election. Some of the issues we will discuss are.
- Can we already say something about possible policy shifts in foreign and defense policies?
- How will the outcome impact prospects for inter-Korean relations and engagement with DPRK?
- What possible implications will the outcome have on the ROK domestic situation, a continuation of societal division, or a return to more of a compromise?
- How have domestic institutions handled the political turmoil following the martial law declaration on December 3rd?