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South Korea's New Southern Policy and Partnerships in Southeast Asia
On October 6, 2021, the National Bureau of Asian Research hosted a 2021 Pacific Energy Summit Dialogue Series event with Dr. Woongtae Chung of the Korea Energy Economics Institute. Pacific Energy Summit Advisor Dr. Se Hyun Ahn, University of Seoul, provided additional special remarks. The session was invitation-only and employed a modified “fireside chat” style format to allow for substantive dialogue between the speaker and the expert level audience.
Agenda
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Roy Kamphausen, The National Bureau of Asian Research
KEYNOTE
South Korea’s New Southern Policy and Partnerships in Southeast Asia
Woongtae Chung, Korea Energy Economics Institute
SPECIAL REMARKS
Se Hyun Ahn, University of Seoul
MODERATED DISCUSSION
Clara Gillispie, The National Bureau of Asian Research
“South Korea’s New Southern Policy energy projects directed towards ASEAN and India include (1) clean energy development such as smart grid, energy efficiency and renewable, (2) Joint R&D in clean technologies, and (3) smart city networks in ASEAN.”
—Woongtae Chung, KEEI
Speaker Biographies
Woongtae Chung is a Senior Research Fellow for the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) and has served as Director and Head at KEEI. Dr. Chung was a visiting scholar of the Global Energy Management Program at the University of Colorado, Denver, and was an advisor council member for the overseas resource development group for the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. His areas of interest include the role of energy sectors in Korea’s northern and southern policies, the impact of foreign policy on international trade and investment, and international cooperation to enhance energy security. Dr. Chung has published numerous research papers on topics such as the implications of South Korea’s New Southern Policy on the energy sector, the effect of the U.S. energy industry on the U.S.-China trade conflict, and the competitiveness of U.S. energy products in the Asian energy market. Dr. Chung has a B.A. from Chonnam National University, Korea, and received his MA and PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Se Hyun Ahn is a Senior Advisor to the National Bureau of Asian Research. He also serves as the Vice President for International Affairs and Director of the Center for Energy Security Strategic Studies at the University of Seoul. Dr. Ahn is a Professor in the Department of International Relations at Seoul University and is an Advisor to the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance and Strategy and the Korea Electric Power Corporation. Additionally, he is a member of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific–Korea, the Republic of Korea National Unification Advisory Council, the Policy Evaluation Committee of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, and the World Ocean Conference. Prior to his current position, Dr. Ahn was a visiting professor at the China Institute for International Studies and the Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University, as well as a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Clara Gillispie is a Senior Advisor to the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). She also serves as the official U.S. delegate to the Energy Research Institute Network, an East Asia Summit-linked network whose inputs are designed to inform the formal East Asia Summit process. Ms. Gillispie is the author of numerous policy essays and reports, including “How Can South Korea Teach, Lead, and Help in Asia’s Quest for Smart Cities” (forthcoming) and “How Asia’s Auto Boom Shapes Its Energy Security Strategies” (co-authored with Laura Schwartz, 2019). Ms. Gillispie is regularly called on to directly brief her research and analysis to U.S. and Asian government officials, senior industry representatives, and the media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR’s Marketplace.
About the 2021 Pacific Energy Summit Series
The 2021 Pacific Energy Summit Series explores regional energy and climate cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on U.S. relationships with key partners in the region. Indonesia has long been a leader in Southeast Asia and an important economic and political partner of the United States. Ongoing shifts in energy trade dynamics, climate mitigation ambitions, and policy priorities, particularly in the United States, present an opportune moment to examine and revitalize this bilateral relationship.
This Pacific Energy Summit discussion will convene 25-30 senior stakeholders in government, industry, and academia from across the Indo-Pacific to discuss the priorities, opportunities, and examine new avenues for cooperation amid ongoing changes in policies and strategies between the U.S. and Indonesia. Learn more.
