Governance

FSI's research on the origins, character and consequences of government institutions spans continents and academic disciplines. The institute’s senior fellows and their colleagues across Stanford examine the principles of public administration and implementation. Their work focuses on how maternal health care is delivered in rural China, how public action can create wealth and eliminate poverty, and why U.S. immigration reform keeps stalling.

FSI’s work includes comparative studies of how institutions help resolve policy and societal issues. Scholars aim to clearly define and make sense of the rule of law, examining how it is invoked and applied around the world.

FSI researchers also investigate government services – trying to understand and measure how they work, whom they serve and how good they are. They assess energy services aimed at helping the poorest people around the world and explore public opinion on torture policies. The Children in Crisis project addresses how child health interventions interact with political reform. Specific research on governance, organizations and security capitalizes on FSI's longstanding interests and looks at how governance and organizational issues affect a nation’s ability to address security and international cooperation.

Shin says South Korea needs a stronger foreign policy vision

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News Type

Commentary

Date

Mon, 05/11/2015 - 12:00

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In a recent interview with Korea Daily, Gi-Wook Shin, director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, said that South Korea needs to be more strategic in its approach to its foreign policy agenda. The country’s leadership must aim to be more proactive in handling current diplomatic issues.

Shin suggested that South Korea should separate wartime history issues from other diplomatic priorities such as trade and security. This type of organization would allow each issue to receive the focused attention and expertise needed to understand and work toward resolution.

Recently, Japan provided a successful model for this, Shin said, referencing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s official state visit to the United States. Abe visited many major U.S. regions including Silicon Valley. He spoke mainly about the U.S.-Japan alliance and economic development as policy priorities for Japan. He did not address at length issues of the wartime past since the focus of his visit was U.S.-Japan relations and the economy.

Shin said he thinks it is important that South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers a concrete foreign policy vision in her June visit to the United States. For the long-term, South Korea should find ways to boost its public diplomacy efforts to shore up support for that vision.

The full article is in Korean and available by clicking here.

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Research Presentations by Park and Chin

Thursday, May 28, 2015 | 3:15 PM -Thursday, May 28, 2015 | 4:30 PM

"The Controversy Over South Korean Wartime Operational Control: The Real Issues"

Speaker: Nam-soo Park, 2014-15 Visiting Scholar, Lieutenant General (Ret.)

South Korean Lt. Gen. (retired) Nam-soo Park will address the controversy in South Korea (ROK) over the indefinite, “conditions-based” postponement last year of Seoul’s planned reassumption of wartime operational control (opcon) over its own forces. Since the Korean War, the U.S. commander in South Korea has been assigned wartime operational control over most South Korean military units, but U.S. and Korean leaders agreed in 2007 that Seoul would resume wartime opcon over all its forces by 2012. That decision was based on progressives’ concerns that U.S. exercise of opcon over South Korean forces diminished Seoul’s sovereignty and disadvantaged it in negotiations with North Korea. Conservatives and some military leaders, however, pushed for postponement in the belief that ROK military forces were not adequately prepared for the change and that it might increase the likelihood of a further reduction in U.S. forces in South Korea. Lt. Gen. Park will share his views on this controversy over opcon change.

"The Use of Domestic and International Law: Against North Korean Subversion and Human Rights Violations"

Speaker: Dong Hyuk Chin, 2014-15 Visiting Scholar from Kim & Chang Law Firm

Visiting scholar Dong Hyuk Chin will discuss issues of criminal law related to North Korea, including the application of the controversial National Security Law in South Korea in the case of individuals and organizations suspected of supporting Pyongyang, and the international community's consideration of the North Korean regime's human rights violations and crimes against humanity. Chin is a former South Korean prosecutor with experience handling cases involving the National Security Law; he also established comprehensive plans for national security-related administration while serving in the Public Security Affairs Division of the Ministry of Justice and District Prosecutor's Office. In his talk, he will review the South Korean Constitutional Court's recent dissolution of a political party accused of supporting North Korea; share his personal experience prosecuting a criminal case involving the National Security Law; and discuss the United Nation's Commission of Inquiry into North Korea's human rights situations and the UN General Assembly's referral of North Korean crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court.

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Philippines Conference Room

Encina Hall, 3rd floor

Nam-soo Park

Shorenstein APARC616 Serra StreetEncina Hall E301Stanford, CA 94305-6055

(650) 723-6530

nampark@stanford.edu

nam-soo_park.jpg

Lieutenant General (Ret) Park, Nam-soo joins the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) during the 2014-2015 academic year. At Shorenstein APARC, General Park's research will focus on ROK-U.S. strategic responses to North Korean threats, the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance, and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

As a career officer, General Park held varied military staff and field positions. His final assignment (2012-2013) was as superintendent of the Korea Military Academy (KMA), and he commanded the Capital Defense Command in 2011. Earlier, he was the director of Combat Readiness Inspection and the deputy chief of staff for Joint Operations with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2010-2011). General Park also served as the director of Defense Reform Planning and Coordination, and later as the director of Management Reform at the Ministry of National Defense (2006-2008). After retirement, he served as a chair professor of Soegyung University in Seoul, and he is also a senior research fellow with the Korea Research Institute for Strategy (KRIS). He received a BA in literature from KMA and an MA in security assurance from Kyonggi University.

Visiting Scholar

Dong Hyuk Chin

Shorenstein APARC616 Serra StreetEncina Hall, E301Stanford, CA 94305-6055

(650) 723-6530

donghyuk@stanford.edu

Visiting Scholar

dong-hyuk_chin.jpg

Dong Hyuk Chin joins the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center during the 2014–15 academic year from the Kim & Chang Law Office in Korea. Chin is a senior attorney at Kim & Chang's Labor and Employment Group and White Collar Defense Practice Group. He served as a public prosecutor for 7 years, and has handled cases of the National Security Act and established comprehensive plans for a national security-related administration while in Public Security Affairs division of the Ministry of Justice and District Prosecutor’s Office.

Chin's research interests include the influence and meaning of criminal cases related to North Korean issues and the role of the jurists in preparation for the unification of Korea.

Chin graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea and holds a BA in law from the Seoul National University.

Seminars

Research Presentations by Cho and Lee

Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 3:15 PM -Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 4:30 PM

"South Korea's 'Creative Economy' Initiative"

Speaker: Kyeongsik Cho, 2014-15 Visiting Scholar from Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning

In recent years South Korea, home of the economic "miracle on the Han River," has been suffering from low growth. A rapidly aging population means that the potential growth rate is falling, and the country has encountered difficulties adapting to new globally integrated markets. Concerned that low growth and jobless growth might become a permanent fixture, the Korean government has come up with a new vision to develop a "Creative Economy." Visiting scholar Kyeongsik Cho, a senior official in Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, will explain the origin, content, and implementation of this critically important initiative.

"Is South Korea Ready for Internet of Things?"

Speaker: Seunghoon Lee, 2014-15 Visiting Scholar from Maeil Business Newspaper

Visiting scholar Seunghoon Lee will examine the current Internet of Things (IoT) trends and discuss how South Korea can benefit from emerging opportunities of the next technology wave of IoT.

Mr. Lee is a staff reporter at the Maeil Business Newspaper in Korea.

Philippines Conference Room

Encina Hall, 3rd floor

Kyeongsik Cho

Shorenstein APARCStanford UniversityEncina Hall E301Stanford, CA 94305-6055

(650) 723-6530

kyeongsi@stanford.edu

Visiting Scholar

kyeongsik_cho.jpg MS

Kyeongsik Cho joins the Shorenstein APARC during the 2014-2015 academic year from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) in Korea where he serves as a director general. His research interests encompass how the US is currently solving national issues that involve slow growth, unemployment and how scientific technologies and ICT are used in solving those problems. Kyeongsik Cho holds an MS in finance from the Michigan State University, and a BA in Business Administration from the Korea University.

Seung-Hoon Lee

Shorenstein APARC616 Serra StreetEncina Hall, E301Stanford, CA 94305-6055

(650) 723-6530

shlee14@stanford.edu

Visiting Scholar

seung-hoon_lee.jpg

Seung-Hoon Lee joins the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center during the 2014-15 academic year from Maeil Business Newspaper (leading economic daily in South Korea) where he serves as an economics and industry reporter. His research interests encompass IoT (Internet of Things) impact on the future of Korea. Since 2007, more 'things or objects' have been connected to the internet than people have. In 2015, world population would be 7.2 billion, and connected devices four times larger than that. In the era of IoT, he will analyze the collision of big data and machine-to-machine connected information. He was awarded two major media related prizes in Korea: the Grand Prize by CITIGROUP for articles on Korea's economic reform and another Grand Prize by Korea Financial Investment Association for articles on capital market crisis. He co-authored Great Decision (2012) and Mobile Economy (2010). Lee holds an MBA from KDI School of Public Policy and Management, and a BA in business from Korea University. He also took a special course from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

“Critical Engagement”: British Policy toward the DPRK

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"'Critical Engagement': British Policy toward the DPRK" examines the United Kingdom's policy toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The policy known as "critical engagement" has been applied for over 14 years.

"UK efforts are not going to have the immediate result we all want. However, they do show...that it is possible to carry out engagement and hopefully reduce the chasm between DPRK thinking and the rest of the world," author Mike Cowin writes. He suggests that the British approach is similar to that advised by a Stanford research team in Tailored Engagement.

Cowin wrote an earlier policy paper on relations between the DPRK and the European Union in March 2015.

Mike Cowin is the 2014-15 Pantech Fellow in the Korea Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. Before coming to Stanford, he served as the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea. He has also served in the British embassies in Seoul from 2003 to 2007, and in Tokyo from 1992 to 1997.

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Publication Type

Policy Briefs

Publication Date

April 13, 2015

Authors

Mike Cowin

Building a foundation for critical engagement

Read more about Building a foundation for critical engagement

News Type

News

Date

Tue, 04/14/2015 - 12:00

Paragraphs

North Korea fired off short-range missiles last Tuesday close to the arrival of U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to the region. Carter, who was on his inaugural trip to Asia as the newly confirmed Secretary of Defense, said the launch was a sign of the region’s continued tensions.

The United States consistently expresses concern over North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities, yet attempts to resume the Six-Party Talks, the negotiations to denuclearize North Korea which began in 2003, have been unsuccessful. The United Kingdom, although not an official participant in the Talks, has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 2000, setting itself apart from many in the West, and from Japan which do not have formal diplomatic ties with the country.

In a new policy brief, Mike Cowin, the 2014-15 Pantech Fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), discusses lesser-known channels of engagement between the United Kingdom and North Korea.

Cowin is the former deputy head of mission at the British Embassy Pyongyang, and implemented many of the programs he describes in the paper, "Critical Engagement": British Policy Towards the DPRK.

Typically small-scale and led largely in collaboration with European NGOs, the Embassy’s initiatives span from humanitarian aid – providing water supplies and sewage systems – to exchanges – hosting visiting delegations of North Korean paralympic athletes and English teachers.

The Embassy also works to build a stronger understanding of modern Britain in North Korea. They have shown films such as Wallace and Grommit and Philomena at the Pyongyang International Film Festival, and supplemented reading materials in the Grand People’s Study House, a central library in Pyongyang.

Cowin says that it’s not easy to construct these exchanges, but if established, they provide small steps in the right direction, and help set the stage for critical engagement in the future. The United Kingdom’s approach shares commonalities with the suggestions made by a Stanford research team in Tailored Engagement, he says.

“The United Kingdom’s efforts are not going to have the immediate result we all want. However, they do show that the DPRK is not completely isolated from the Western world and that it is possible to carry out engagement,” he says.

Cowin is also the author of an earlier policy brief on relations between North Korea and the European Union.

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The Next South Korean Presidential Election: Analysis and Recommendations from a Top Korean Political Leader

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | 12:00 PM -Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | 1:15 PM

Koret Distinguished Lecture Series: Lecture VI

Facing increasingly daunting challenges at home and abroad, South Korea will hold its next presidential election in December 2017. At home, South Koreans are concerned about a rapidly aging society, imminent population decline, economic slowdown, and an inadequate social welfare net. Abroad, they worry about the strength of their alliance with the United States, confrontation among the countries of Northeast Asia over history and territorial issues, and military buildups in the region, including North Korea’s continuing pursuit of nuclear weapons. Thus, the 19th presidential election may prove to be the most important in Korea’s history. Yet problems with Korea’s current presidential system and candidate selection process are all too apparent. The Honorable Hyong O Kim, a former Speaker of Korea’s National Assembly who has been heavily engaged in many past presidential elections, will analyze the outlook for the 2017 presidential election and recommend ways of dealing with the weighty issues it entails.

The Koret Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible through the generous support of the Koret Foundation.

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Philippines Conference Room

Encina Hall, 3rd floor

Hyong O Kim <i>former Speaker of the National Assembly, South Korea</i>

Lectures

North Korean Human Rights: A Long Journey with Little Progress

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"North Korean Human Rights: A Long Journey with Little Progress" examines human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) and the approaches that the European Union has taken to address the situation. In this paper, Mike Cowin provides perspective on EU-DPRK engagement; the two sides officially established diplomatic relations in May 2001. The EU and its members have continued to raise the human rights issue during bilateral meetings. But, North Korea says it will continue to refuse dialogue if the EU continues to sponsor resolutions against North Korea at the UN Human Rights Commission/Council. The EU has rejected this as a precondition. "The EU has had no incentive or justifiable reason to take the initiative to break out of this chicken-and-egg dilemma...The DPRK has also maintained its position. The gap between the two sides has therefore widened," he writes. Cowin suggests the EU could take additional steps to restart EU-DPRK engagement.

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Publication Type

Policy Briefs

Publication Date

March 10, 2015

Journal Publisher

Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

Authors

Mike Cowin

Kim Jong-un's North Korea: Are Things Really Changing?

Friday, February 13, 2015 | 12:00 PM -Friday, February 13, 2015 | 1:15 PM

Now beginning his fourth year as North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un is putting his own stamp on the country, including an emerging policy of economic reform. Andrei Lankov, one of the world’s foremost experts on North Korea, will analyze Kim’s motivations, the obstacles he faces, and the likely evolution of his economic and security policies in the coming months and years. Lankov will also suggest how the international community should respond.

Andrei Lankov was born in Leningrad (now Petersburg) and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Leningrad State University, obtaining a PhD in 1989. He taught Korean history at the Australian National University from 1996 to 2004. Since 2004 he has been teaching at Kookmin University in Seoul where he is currently a professor at the college of social science. His major research interest is in North Korean history and society. Professor Lankov's English-language publications on North Korea include From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960 (Rutgers University Press, 2003); Crisis in North Korea: the Failure of De-Stalinization, 1956 (Universiy of Hawaii Press, 2004); North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea (McFarland and Company, 2007); and The Real North Korea (Oxford University Press, 2013). He has published numerous academic articles, and contributed to major international media including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, and Newsweek.

Philippines Conference Room

Encina Hall, 3rd Floor

Stanford University

Andrei Lankov <i>Professor, Kookmin University, Korea</i>

Seminars

Democracy studies journal reviews “New Challenges”

Read more about Democracy studies journal reviews “New Challenges”

News Type

Commentary

Date

Thu, 01/29/2015 - 12:00

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Writing for Democratization, Kyong Jun Choi at the University of Washington reviewed New Challenges for Maturing Democracies in Korea and Taiwan (Stanford University Press, 2014), a co-edited book by Stanford professors Larry Diamond and Gi-Wook Shin.

“Among the most notable strengths of this volume is its analysis of new phenomena that have rarely been addressed in existing literature,” Choi writes.

The book seeks to illustrate different characteristics of the evolution of democracy in Taiwan and South Korea. The two countries share similar economic and political directions since industrialization took place in the 1960s and transition toward democracy began in the 1980s.

Choi says that the book “certainly stands as a stepping stone for research on new democracies struggling to consolidate democracy.”

“New Challenges” is one outcome of a multiyear research project at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, and a conference co-hosted with the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law in 2011.

The review is featured in Democratization’s vol. 21, issue 7. Information about accessing the review can found by clicking here.

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Thirteenth Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum

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The thirteenth session of the Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum, held in Seoul on December 11, 2014, convened senior South Korean and American policymakers, scholars and regional experts to discuss North Korea policy and recent developments in the Korean peninsula. Hosted by the Korea Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, the Forum is also supported by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

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Publication Type

Policy Briefs

Publication Date

January 28, 2015

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