Victor Cha

President, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair
Victor Cha

Victor Cha is president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the distinguished university professor and professor of government at Georgetown University. He was appointed in 2021 by the Biden administration to serve on the Defense Policy Board in an advisory role to the secretary of defense. From 2004 to 2007, he served on the National Security Council (NSC) and was responsible for Japan, Korea, Australia/New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations. Dr. Cha was U.S. deputy head of delegation at the Six Party Talks and received two outstanding service commendations during his tenure at the NSC. He is the author of eight books, including the award-winning Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States-Korea-Japan Security Triangle (Stanford, 1999) (winner of the 2000 Ohira Book Prize), The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future (Ecco, 2012) selected by Foreign Affairs as a “Best Book on the Asia-Pacific for 2012", Powerplay: Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia (Princeton, 2018), Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale, 2023), and The Black Box: Demystifying the Study of Korean Unification and North Korea (Columbia University Press, 2024). Dr. Cha is a two-time Fulbright scholar, former Olin fellow at Harvard, and former Hoover, CISAC, and Koret fellow at Stanford. He currently serves on 10 editorial boards of academic journals and is coeditor of the Contemporary Asia book series at Columbia University Press. He serves on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy and is a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. He is also a foreign affairs contributor for MSNBC and NBC News. Dr. Cha received his PhD, MIA and BA degree from Columbia University and a BA Honors from Oxford University.

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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

What's Next for South Korea? The Capital Cable #103

South Korea's National Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14, eleven days after he declared a short-lived martial law. The next critical step now is deliberations by the Constitutional Court to determine whether the impeachment motion is constitutional. 

Event — December 20, 2024

The Impossible State

South Korea's Political Crisis

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Darcie Draudt-Véjares, and Mr. Bruce Klingner discuss the current political situation in South Korea. Topics will include updates on President Yoon's martial law, his impeachment, what's next for the Korean peninsula and US-ROK alliance, and more. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — December 19, 2024

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea

What Happened in South Korea? The Capital Cable #102

Why was martial law declared in South Korea on December 3? What happens next for President Yoon Suk Yeol as he faces impeachment? What does this mean for South Korea and its relations with the U.S., China, Japan and the world? 

Event — December 12, 2024