March 2020

Since the Korean Armistice Agreement (KAA) was signed in 1953, the disputed maritime border has been a source of tension between the two Koreas as well as for their partners and allies in the region. Following the mutual agreement of the land border at the 38th parallel in the KAA, the UN Command stationed in the Republic of Korea (ROK, or South Korea) unilaterally drew a maritime boundary called the Northern Limit Line (NLL) as an extension of the land border. The two sides of the conflict had been unable to agree to a maritime border, and the UN commander… Read More »Inter-Korean Relations and Maritime Confidence-Building

Watch video of this online discussion with Terence Roehrig, Jean Lee, and Seokwoo Lee. Few nations confront a more complex security environment than the Republic of Korea. South Korea’s security challenges come into sharp relief in its maritime periphery, particularly in the Yellow Sea/West Sea. In these choppy waters, exclusive economic zone and fishery disputes with China, and a boundary disagreement with North Korea, have led to consistent friction, and at times, outright hostility. Agenda Welcome and Introduction Alison Szalwinski, Vice President, National Bureau of Asian Research South Korea and the Challenges of a Maritime Nation Terence Roehrig, Professor of… Read More »South Korea in a Challenging Maritime Security Environment