Ellen Kim

Senior Fellow, Korea Chair
Ellen Kim

Ellen Kim is a senior fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her research focuses on U.S.-Korea relations and U.S.-China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. She joined the Korea Chair upon its inception in 2009 and previously served as associate director and fellow before her departure in 2015. Her recent publications include "North Korea without Change” (with Victor Cha in The International Relations of Asia, edited by David Shambaugh, Rowman & Littlefield, forthcoming 2022) and "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: South Korea’s Strategic Dilemmas with China and the United States” (with Victor Cha, Asia Policy, January 2016). She holds a PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Southern California, an MPP from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a BA in international relations and Japanese studies from Wellesley College.

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North Korea Announces Nuclear-Powered Submarine Development

On March 8, Kim Jong-un reportedly visited unidentified shipyards where he was photographed with what North Korea called a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine.” If true, it would mark the country's first glimpse of its nuclear-powered sub.

Critical Questions by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim — March 10, 2025

The Impossible State

What's Next for the Korean Peninsula Under Trump 2.0?

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Kim and Mr. Sydney Seiler discuss the DPRK's recent and anticipated actions, the potential for exploitation of ROK political developments, US policy toward the North under a second Trump administration, and more. 

Podcast Episode by Ellen Kim and Sydney Seiler — January 24, 2025

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea

The Arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol

Yoon Suk Yeol, the lionized prosecutor-turned-politician who led the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye before becoming president himself, was arrested on charges of insurrection related to his declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.

Commentary by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim — January 15, 2025