2007 was a year of extraordinary “big deals” on the Korean peninsula. Following the difficult 2006 that saw North Korea testing its nuclear weapon and difficult negotiations over security and trade issues with Washington, the Republic of Korea (ROK) made remarkable diplomatic breakthroughs on many weighty issues. But these agreements face challenges of ratification or implementation, and much work remains to be done.

The 2nd Edition of the SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook covers principal developments, including these “big deals.” The Yearbook is the product of SAIS’s Fall 2007 course, “The Two Koreas: Contemporary Research and Record.” Each chapter was researched and written by SAIS students based on in-depth readings and study. Additionally, as a part of the course, students conducted field research in South Korea, interviewing numerous government officials, think tank scholars, NGO workers, academics and private sector experts.

The 2007 Yearbook is divided into four parts: U.S.-ROK Relations, U.S.-DPRK Relations, Korea in the Region and Korean Politics. read more …

As part of the new Korea program at SAIS, a course was also introduced for the fall semester 2006: “The Two Koreas: Contemporary Research and Record.” SAIS students researched current issues in U.S. relations with North and South Korea under the direction of David Straub, a former director of Korean affairs at the State Department. In addition to conducting numerous interviews of U.S. government officials and other experts on U.S.-Korean relations in Washington, D.C., the students traveled as a group to Seoul to receive briefings from and conduct interviews with Korean government officials, scholars, and politicians. This inaugural edition of the U.S.-Korea Yearbook, covering the chief security, economic, and cultural issues in relations between the U.S. and the two Koreas in calendar year 2006, is the product of their research.

Download the full 2006 U.S.-Korea Yearbook

All SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbooks

read more …