On Friday, November 14, at 8:50 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative and the Korea Society, with the support of the Kim Koo Foundation, will host the 2025 Van Fleet Policy Forum—the Korea Society’s flagship policy event.

This year’s forum will convene senior thought leaders from the United States and Korea for dynamic, informative, and analytical discussions on US-ROK cooperation across domains and throughout history. Speakers will explore shared strategic interests, analyze challenges in alliance management, and identify opportunities for deepening cooperation across security, diplomacy, geoeconomics, and alliance history.

Reach out to indopacificsecurity@atlanticcouncil.org with any questions.

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Speakers

Agenda

All times listed are in Eastern Time (ET).

8:00–8:50 a.m. | Registration and breakfast

In-person only.

8:50–9:00 a.m. | Welcoming remarks

Speakers

Jonathan Corrado
Policy Director,
The Korea Society

Tom Byrne
President & CEO,
The Korea Society

Kathleen Stephens
Board Chair,
The Korea Society

Markus Garlauskas
Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative,
Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security,
Atlantic Council

9:00–9:50 a.m. | Diplomacy panel: Adaption or transformation? 

Speakers

Hyoung-zhin Kim
Former Republic of Korea Ambassador to the European Union; Deputy National Security Advisor

Philip Goldberg
Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Korea

Moderated by

Kathleen Stephens
Board Chair,
The Korea Society

09:50–10:00 a.m. | Networking break

In-person only.

10:00–10:50 a.m. | Geoeconomics panel: The nexus of trade, investment, and national security 

Speakers

Kimberly Donovan
Director, Economic Statecraft Initiative, GeoEconomics Center,
Atlantic Council

Myung-hee Yoo
Former Republic of Korea Trade Minister

Nadia Schadlow
Senior Fellow,
Hudson Institute;
Former US Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy

Moderated by

Tom Byrne
President & CEO,
The Korea Society

10:50–11:00 a.m. | Networking break

In-person only.

11:00–11:50 a.m. | Security panel: Deterring and defending in a regional conflict

Speakers

Beomchul Shin
Senior Research Fellow,
Sejong Institute;
Former Republic of Korea Vice Minister of National Defense

Markus Garlauskas
Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative,
Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security,
Atlantic Council

General (Ret.) Paul LaCamera
Former Commander,
United States Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command, and United Nations Command

David Maxwell
Vice President,
Center for Asia Pacific Strategy;
Former US Army Special Forces Colonel

Moderated by

General (Ret.) Walter Sharp
Board Vice Chair,
The Korea Society

11:50–12:00 p.m. | Networking break

In-person only.

12:00–12:50 p.m. | History panel: The forging of an alliance

Speakers

Kathryn Weathersby
Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service,
Georgetown University

David Fields
Associate Director, The Center for East Asian Studies,
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Moderated by

Jonathan Corrado
Policy Director,
The Korea Society

12:50–1:00 p.m. | Virtual keynote remarks

Pete Ricketts
United States Senator (R-NE)

Introduced by

Tom Byrne
President & CEO,
The Korea Society

1:00–1:10 p.m. | In-person keynote remarks

Christopher Landau
United States Deputy Secretary of State

Introduced by

Matthew Kroenig
Vice President and Senior Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

1:10–2:30 p.m. | Networking lunch and conference close

In-person only.

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The Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) informs and shapes the strategies, plans, and policies of the United States and its allies and partners to address the most important rising security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including China’s growing threat to the international order and North Korea’s destabilizing nuclear weapons advancements. IPSI produces innovative analysis, conducts tabletop exercises, hosts public and private convenings, and engages with US, allied, and partner governments, militaries, media, other key private and public-sector stakeholders, and publics.

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