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 a distinguished university professor and professor of government at Georgetown University. In 2021, he was appointed 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), where he was responsible for Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations. Dr. Cha was the 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 University Press, 1999), which won 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 University Press, 2018); Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale University Press, 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 and a former Olin Fellow at Harvard University, as well as a former Hoover, Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), and Koret fellow at Stanford University. He currently serves on the editorial boards of ten 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. Dr. Cha received his PhD, MIA, and BA from Columbia University and a BA with honors from Oxford University.

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Nampo Guided Missile Frigate Unwrapped

Recent imagery show clearest view yet of North Korea’s largest warship, the new guided missile frigate (FFG), with netting removed.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Victor Cha, and Jennifer Jun — April 23, 2025

Yongdok-tong Nuclear High Explosive Test Facility: Part 1

The Yongdok-tong Nuclear High Explosive Test Facility is North Korea’s only known operating facility for testing designs and components for high-explosive detonation of nuclear weapons, as detailed in this most comprehensive report currently publicly available.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Victor Cha, and Jennifer Jun — April 22, 2025

The Impossible State

Korea, Japan, and the Tariff War

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Kristi Govella, and Mr. William Reinsch discussed the tariff war, its potential impact on Korea, Japan, and other countries around the world, and more.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha, Kristi Govella, and William Alan Reinsch — April 21, 2025

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea
The Impossible State

The Future of U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Cooperation

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Dr. Michael Green discussed U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, the Trump administration’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific, and more.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha and Michael J. Green — April 11, 2025

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea

North Korea Restores Uiju Airbase

Recent satellite images indicate that Uiju has returned to full operational status with Il-28 aircraft redeployed at the airbase previously used for rail freight quarantine facility during COVID-19.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Victor Cha, and Jennifer Jun — April 9, 2025

The Impossible State

The Constitutional Court Decides Yoon's Fate

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Yoojin Kim, Andrew Yeo, and Darcie Draudt-Véjares discussed the analysis of the Constitutional Court's unanimous decision on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — April 7, 2025

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea