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This event highlights experts discussing South Korea's growing influence in the U.S., the dynamics of U.S.-South Korea relations, and the potential ramifications of North Korea's threats on a global scale.
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Dr. Clint Work
Dr. Work is a Fellow and Director of Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). In addition to his work on KEI’s publications and publication-related programs, Clint leads KEI’s University Outreach and conducts research, writing, and public engagement focused on US-Korea relations.
Before joining KEI, Clint served as a Fellow in the Henry L. Stimson Center’s 38 North Program from 2020-2022, where he focused on issues related to the US-ROK alliance transformation, led Congressional engagement about peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and organized and moderated a military working group centered on North Korea’s evolving “checkerboard” threat. He also worked with a broad range of universities and state and local organizations throughout the country to foster public engagement on US-Korea relations. Prior to joining Stimson, Dr. Work was an assistant professor at the University of Utah’s Asia Campus in South Korea and the regular foreign policy writer for The Diplomat Magazine’s Koreas page. He holds a Doctorate in International Studies from the University of Washington and a master’s in international relations from the University of Chicago, and his work focuses on the Korean Peninsula, US-Korean relations, East Asia, and US foreign policy. He is currently writing on the history and evolution of the US force presence on the Korean Peninsula and the US-ROK alliance transformation in the post-Cold War era. In addition to his academic publications, he has written extensively for popular media, including the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Diplomat Magazine, The National Interest, 38 North, and Sino-NK. He regularly provides commentary to U.S. and foreign media outlets, such as The Economist, Time Magazine, NPR, and Arirang News.
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Dr. Seongbae Lim
Dr. Lim received a doctorate from the University of Nebraska College of Business for his research on "e-commerce ecosystem formation strategies." He was a professor at the State University of New York before accepting a position at Saint Mary's University, where he also chaired the department of Finance and Quantitative Management. He also works as a research associate at University College London's "Center for Blockchain Technology." He is a global authority in the domains of "IT-enabled innovation," "strategic use of blockchain technology," and "digital transformation," having authored over 100 scholarly articles and delivered over 200 speeches at globally renowned organizations such as the United Nations, Boston Global Forum, Wells Fargo Bank, LG Electronics and the University of California, Berkeley. His recent publications include 'Innovation 5.0,' 'Living Innovation: from Value Creation to the Greater Good,' Meta Innovation and Blockchain for Smart Governance. Thus, he was named one of the "2000 intellectuals of the twenty-first century. "He is currently the director of the King Sejong Institute at St. Mary's University, which offers Korean language and Asian culture education to the local community. He also serves as chair of the San Antonio Korean American Association and director of operations for the International Cognitive Science Association and Pan Pacific Business Association.
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Alexine Carr
Alexine Carr is a Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S. Department of State Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs. Alexine’s portfolio within the Republic of Korea Unit covers a wide range of external countries and regions – China, Russia, Ukraine, the DPRK, the Middle East, to name a few – and multilateral organizations including the UN, ASEAN, and the Quad. Before joining the State Department, Alexine worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, the interagency Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. She is a former Presidential Management Fellow and a graduate of Wake Forest University and Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.
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Tak Namgung
Tak Namgung is a First Secretary at the Public Diplomacy Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the United States. Tak's portfolio within the Embassy includes the engagement with the media and the academia. In recent years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea, Tak was responsible for Korea's policies on UN peace operations, especially on peacekeeping operations (PKOs). He is a graduate of Korea University and University of California, Berkeley Goldman School (MDP).