- K-12
- Determining America's Role in the World
Join Chung Eui-yong, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and Hoover Senior Fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the future of the US–ROK alliance in the face of North Korea’s accelerating weapons programs, the implications of a growing Russia–North Korea partnership, and how Washington and Seoul can strengthen deterrence while preserving space for diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula.
Reflecting on his memories of the Korean War, Chung Eui-yong discusses the historical forces that have shaped South Korea's security outlook and offers his perspective on domestic political dynamics in South Korea today. Ahead of President Trump's upcoming visit to Beijing, Chung Eui-yong shares what he hopes will be on the agenda, including regional security and relations with China and North Korea. He discusses the importance of cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan and the need for allies to work together on issues such as supply chain resilience, defense manufacturing capacity, and energy security, and his assessment of the current conflict in the Middle East and what it means for global stability.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Chung Eui-yong is the former minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Korea. Minister Chung joined South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971. He later served in the National Assembly and contributed to deliberations over the US–Korea Free Trade Agreement. In 2017, President Moon Jae-in appointed him director of the National Security Office, where he coordinated South Korea’s national security strategy. He went on to serve as foreign minister from 2021 to 2022, helping steer South Korea’s alliance management, North Korea policy, and regional engagement.
H.R. McMaster is the host of Today's Battlegrounds. He is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Each episode features H.R. McMaster, in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”
