What Trump's Middle East Moves Mean for the Korean Peninsula | Ep. 30

Trump has demanded allies like South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but what does the broader conflict with Iran mean for deterrence on the Korean Peninsula? And as assets like THAAD shift to the Middle East, how should Seoul and Washington rethink contingency planning?

Jeonghun Min, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), describes the ripple effects of U.S. Middle East policy on the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Together with KEI President & CEO Scott Snyder, topics include: — What happens to alliance readiness when U.S. assets like THAAD get pulled to the Middle East — Why growing nuclear and naval capabilities in South Korea can multiply U.S. force projection — Why nuclear submarine acquisition and uranium enrichment are fundamentally different issues — Balancing alliance modernization with non-proliferation commitments — The Taiwan contingency question and why it's a sensitive issue for Seoul — The gap between how Washington and Seoul perceive the China threat

Dr. Jeonghun Min is a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). He is interested in conducting research on ROK-US relations, North Korea-US relations, US-China strategic competition, and American Politics. After joining the KNDA, he has published many policy papers on the diplomatic and security situations on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia. He has been working as a policy adviser for the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Unification of Republic of Korea. Dr. Min received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Georgia.

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