On May 21, 2022, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden held a summit meeting in Seoul to discuss the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance. We have asked experts from both countries to share their views on the summit’s implications for Korea.

With President Yoon Suk Yeol officially taking office, all eyes are on how his administration will shape the future of South Korean foreign policy. We have asked several prominent domestic and international figures to share their analyses and predictions on the prospects and challenges the Yoon administration will face over the next five years.

During World War II, the Meiji government exploited hundreds of forced laborers and prisoners of war — many of whom were Korean — to operate the Sado Island Gold Mines. Despite this deplorable history, the Japanese government has recently nominated the mines for UNESCO World Heritage status. In response, the Korean government has expressed its deep regrets and has called for an immediate retraction. On this topic, we have asked Alexis Dudden (professor at the University of Connecticut), David Palmer (professor at the University of Melbourne), and Jaeheon Choi (professor at Konkuk University) to share their views on what this move implies for future relations between Seoul and Tokyo.