The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held a live event on Thursday, May 21, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET to mark the release of the upcoming Energy, Economics, and Security Program report Invested Allies: How the Private Sector Can Boost U.S.-South Korea Economic Security Cooperation, by Geoffrey Gertz and Eleanor Hume. 

Economic security is an increasingly important focus of the U.S.–Republic of Korea alliance. While the two countries have many common economic security objectives, a series of tensions in the bilateral trade and investment relationship may limit deeper government-to-government cooperation in the near term. Yet the private sectors in both economies have significant incentives to work together: American and South Korean companies have made major investment commitments and forged new partnerships to integrate supply chains across a range of strategic sectors. With the right signals and support from government, this momentum could form the foundation of a more durable partnership and make a meaningful contribution to the economic security of both allies. 

The panel featured Tami Overby, partner at DGA Group; James Kim, director of the Stimson Center’s Korea Program; and Eleanor Hume, research assistant for the CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program and explored the report’s findings and the broader prospects for U.S.–South Korea economic security cooperation. The discussion was moderated by Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program.