Carol Gluck, the George Sansom Professor of History and Chair of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University, took part in the March 8, 2018 conference “Japan-Korea Relations 20 Years After the Kim-Obuchi Summit,” held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C.
Nearly twenty years ago, the leaders of Japan and South Korea raised hopes for “a new Japan-Korea partnership for the twenty-first century,” backed by an action plan to foster broader cooperation and closer people-to-people ties. Although progress has been made, disagreements over history have stymied the desired transformation in their relationship, even as North Korean nuclear threats grow. The half-day conference—which featured scholars and former officials of that time from Japan, South Korea, and the United States—combined a look back with a look ahead, reflecting on what types of polices and initiatives have succeeded or failed since 1998 and why.
In addition to Professor Gluck, the participants included: Douglas H. Paal, Gi-Wook Shin, Koreshige Anami, James L. Schoff, Yuki Asaba, Chung Min Lee, and James Zumwalt.
