Victor Cha

Senior Vice President for Asia and Korea Chair
Victor Cha

Victor Cha is senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at 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 seven 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), and Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale, 2023). 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 Impossible State Live Podcast: The Sister

Please join the Impossible State live podcast for a special discussion with Dr. Lee Sung-Yoon about his recent book, The Sister.

Event by Victor Cha and Sung-Yoon Lee — September 28, 2023

ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2023

Please join us for the 8th annual ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum, our premier international forum that brings together officials, policymakers, and experts to discuss issues important to the U.S.-ROK alliance.

Event by Antony Blinken , Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) , John J. Hamre , Kim Gheewhan , Victor Cha , Mark Lippert , and Vincent Brooks , Kathleen Stephens , Yun Byung-se , Han Sukhee , Christopher B. Johnstone , Lee Chung Min , Lee Jaemin , Lim Eunjung , Sydney Seiler , Sue Mi Terry , Ellen Kim — September 25, 2023

Korea: A New History of South & North

Please join the Capital Cable for a discussion of Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo's new book, Korea: A New History of South & North. 

Event by Victor Cha , Ramon Pacheco Pardo , and Sue Mi Terry — September 21, 2023

The Impossible State

A Renewed Axis: Putin and Kim

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Kim is joined by Dr. Angela Stent and Dr. Victor Cha to discuss the second summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, the significance of the meeting at the spaceport, and the reactions of the United States and South Korea to this summit.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim — September 19, 2023

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea

How China and Russia Facilitate North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses

Washington should ensure that human rights are integrated into a clear North Korea policy, enforce existing legislation, impose additional sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies complicit in abuses, and recruit the private sector to be vigilant.

Report by Victor Cha and Katrin Fraser Katz — September 14, 2023

The Truth of the Matter

Kim Jong Un-Putin Summit

Victor Cha joins the podcast to discuss the meeting of the two autocrats in which they vowed greater cooperation on economic and security issues.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Victor Cha — September 14, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter

Summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin

The second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in September 2023 marks the tightening of the Russia-North Korea axis and a growing cooperation on arms and possibly strategic weapons technology.

Critical Questions by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim — September 13, 2023

U.S.-ROK Bilateral Dialogue for the Next 70 Years of the U.S.-ROK Alliance

The CSIS Korea Chair cordially invites you to its annual strategic dialogue with the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) to discuss the next 70 years of the U.S.-ROK alliance on Monday, September 11 at 1:00 PM at CSIS Headquarters. 

Event by John J. Hamre , Cheol Hee Park , Victor Cha , Jung H Pak , Kathleen Stephens , Kak-Soo Shin , Vincent K. Brooks , and Hyun-Wook Kim — September 11, 2023