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Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at /giving/contributeFor more information on this publication, visit /t/CF364 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R is a registered trademark.iiiPrefaceThis report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the conference on“Strengthening U.S.-ROK Relations in the New Administrations of the United States and SouthKorea” held October 10 and 11, 2016, at the RAND Corporation’s Santa Monica office inCalifornia. It presents material as prepared for this conference, which was before theimpeachment of ROK President Park Geun-hye or the May 2017 ROK presidential election.At the time of the conference, the United States was facing a presidential election in onemonth. In Korea, a presidential political scandal had erupted that would lead to the impeachmentof the incumbent and fresh elections. Keeping these uncertainties in mind, the conferenceparticipants focused on long-term issues that would shape relations. These included the globalimplications of China’s rising regional influence, North Korea’s nuclear threat, and the changingregional economic architecture that is being shaped by a dominant Chinese economy andongoing trade imbalances between the United States and East Asian states.This report describesthe intellectual search for the solutions to these challenges that U.S. and Korean expertsconducted together at the conference. The authors would like to express their appreciation to Ambassador Key-Cheol Lee, Koreanconsul general for Los Angeles; Rafiq Dossani, director of the RAND Center for Asia-PacificPolicy; and Un-Chul Yang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, for sponsoring and arrangingthis conference. The authors also appreciate the efforts of each of the speakers in preparingmaterials and presentations for the conference.This conference was made possible, in part, by funding from the Korean Ministry of ForeignAffairs. It was organized by the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP) and the SejongInstitute. RAND VenturesThe RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policychallenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier andmore prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.RAND Ventures is a vehicle for investing in policy solutions. Philanthropic contributionssupport our ability to take the long view, tackle tough and often-controversial topics, and shareour findings in innovative and compelling ways.Funding for this venture was provided by gifts from RAND supporters and income fromoperations. RAND’s research findings and recommendations are based on data and evidence andtherefore do not necessarily reflect the policy preferences or interests of its clients, donors, orsupporters. ivRAND Center for Asia Pacific PolicyThis work was conducted within the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP). CAPP ispart of International Programs at the RAND Corporation. CAPP provides analysis on political,social, economic, and technological developments in and around the Asia Pacific. Throughresearch and analysis, CAPP helps public and private decisionmakers solve problems, tacklechallenges, and identify ways to make society safer, smarter, and more prosperous. For moreinformation on the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, see/international_programs/capp or contact the director (contact information isprovided on the web page).vTable of ContentsPreface ........ iii RAND Ventures .. iii RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy ..... iv Summary .... vi Abbreviations ........ vii CHAPTER ONE Introduction . 1 CHAPTER TWO Session 1: Strengthening U.S.-ROK Security Relations in the New Administration ......... 2 U.S. Regional Security Interests ....2 ROK Regional Security Interests ..4 Extended Deterrence and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella .......6 CHAPTER THREE Session 2: Panel Discussion on Managing Korean Unification via Trilateral Cooperation Amongthe United States, South Korea, and China ..... 10 Scenario: Kim Jong-Un’s Death and Factions Struggling for Power ......10 Discussion ...........10 Summary .13 CHAPTER FOUR Session 3: Regional and Economic Relations in the New Administration ........... 14 Addressing Chinese Concerns with North Korea 14 U.S. Participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Other Free Trade Agreements .16 CHAPTER FIVE Concluding Remarks ......... 19 。。。。。。