Korea Chair

The Korea Chair is the premier independent platform in Washington, D.C. for the advancement of major policy issues of common importance to the people of the Republic of Korea and the United States

Mission

Through nonpartisan, expert analysis and cutting-edge research on ongoing policy opportunities and security challenges facing the region, the Korea Chair promotes a greater understanding of relations between the United States, Korea, and Asia. 

CSIS appointed Dr. Victor Cha, former White House official and Georgetown University professor and vice dean as the inaugural chair holder in 2009. 

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Victor Cha

Victor Cha

Victor Cha

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Media Queries

Recent Analysis

Photo: Airbus DS 2023

Photo: Airbus DS 2023

Post-Launch Operations at Sohae Satellite Launching Station

Satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station taken five hours after the launch of North Korea's military reconnaissance satellite shows typical post-launch operations at the original launch pad.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. , Victor Cha , and Jennifer Jun — May 31, 2023

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Recent Event

Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images

North Korean Human Rights at a New Juncture

COVID, Regional Players, and South Korea-U.S. Cooperation

This event explored the human rights implications on North Korea's response to the massive coronavirus outbreak in the country as well as China's continuous complicity in North Korea's human rights abuses.

October 6, 2022

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Punggye-ri Update: New Activity at Tunnel No. 4

Recent satellite imagery shows new activity at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility, including the completion of road construction and new structures by the collapsed portal of Tunnel No. 4.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. , Victor Cha , and Jennifer Jun — May 4, 2023

Aircraft Return to Sunchon Airbase?

Recent satellite imagery shows that the ongoing modernization project at Sunchon Airbase is nearing completion, along with the presence of ten aircraft – the first observed in two years.

Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. , Victor Cha , and Jennifer Jun — May 3, 2023

An Assessment of President Yoon’s State Visit to the White House

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s U.S. state visit on April 26, the highest honor for a visiting head of state, resulted in some noteworthy deliverables, including the Washington Declaration and an expansion of the “New Frontiers” agenda of the relationship.

Critical Questions by Victor Cha — May 1, 2023

The Impossible State

Unpacking North Korea’s Isolation - The CommonHealth Crossover Episode

In a crossover episode with CSIS's The CommonHealth, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by J. Stephen Morrison to discuss an update on what we know, suspect, and do not know about North Korea still in extreme isolation from the rest of the world.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha and J. Stephen Morrison — April 24, 2023

CSIS The Impossible State North Korea

Nuclear Belt and Road and U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Cooperation

As a latecomer to the global nuclear market, China’s share is still small, but it is increasingly becoming a competitive vendor based on its advanced nuclear technology, competitive prices, and lavish financing as part of its Nuclear Belt and Road.

Newsletter by Lami Kim — April 24, 2023

North Korean Human Rights and International Cooperation: The Way Forward after the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI)+10

Please join the CSIS Korea Chair for the "North Korean Human Rights and International Cooperation: The Way Forward after the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI)+10." conference on April 21 at 9 am EDT. 

Event by John J. Hamre , Victor Cha , Jin Park , Shin-wha Lee , and Hyun-dong Cho , Robert R. King , Jung-Hoon Lee , Michael Kirby , Elizabeth Salmón , Robert Joseph , Jung H. Pak , Scott Snyder , Chaesung Chun , Sheena Chestnut Greitens , Ellen Kim — April 21, 2023

ROK President State Visit to Washington: The Capital Cable #69

Please join us for a special discussion about the upcoming state visit of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol to the U.S with Mr. Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Event by Scott Snyder , Victor Cha , Mark Lippert , and Sue Mi Terry — April 20, 2023

Xi Jinping's China and the Korean Peninsula

The 'Commission on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula', launched by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), invites you to an in-depth discussion on the impact of Xi Jinping's third term as president of Chinese Communist Party in the geopolitics of Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula with prominent experts such as Prof. Joseph S. Nye Jr. of Harvard University, and formerly high-ranking officials from the United States and South Korea. 

Event by Joseph S. Nye Jr. , Park In-kook , Victor Cha , Bonny Lin , and Ahn Ho-young , Bonnie Glaser , Lee Chung Min , Dennis Wilder , Yeon Wonho , Sue Mi Terry , Lee Jae-Seung , Andrew Yeo , Kim Byung-yeon , Han Young-Sup , Park Byung Kwang — April 14, 2023