U.S. Election Outcomes and the Future of U.S.-ROK Relations
Please join us for a moderated panel discussion following opening remarks from the Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Sangpyo Suh. The panel will discuss how the recent U.S. election results will affect U.S.-ROK relations going forward, amidst growing Russia-DPRK ties and increasing U.S.-China competition. Topics will include implications for security on the Korean peninsula and beyond, as well as U.S. industrial policy given significant ROK investments in Georgia. This event is co-hosted by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the ROK Consulate General in Atlanta.
Panelists and Moderator
Darcie Draudt-Véjares – Panelist
Darcie Draudt-Véjares is a fellow for Korean Studies in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. A political scientist and policy analyst, she publishes regular commentary on Northeast Asian relations and U.S. foreign policy. Draudt-Véjares also holds nonresident fellowships at the National Bureau of Asian Research and the European Centre for North Korea Studies at the University of Vienna. She has been named a member of the National Committee on North Korea (USA) and one of the Next Generation Korea Peninsula Specialists at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. She has previously held research positions at the George Washington University Institute of Korean Studies, Yonsei University Department of Political Science, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Forum (formerly Pacific Forum CSIS), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Research and Training Center in South Korea. Draudt-Véjares holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University, an MA in Korean Studies from the Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies, and a B.A. with Honors in Anthropology from Davidson College.
Jae Kim – Panelist
Jae Kim has served as the president of the Southeast U.S. Korean Chamber of Commerce, a pivotal organization fostering economic ties between the Southeast United States and the Republic of Korea since 1991. With over 15 years of experience, he is a key member of Aprio, a CPA-led advisory firm, where he specializes in foreign direct investment advisory. His expertise spans from supporting pre-revenue startups to advising multinational corporations. Prior to joining Aprio, Kim worked at Deloitte in Audit & Enterprise Risk Assurance and held significant roles at Roche Diagnostics USA and Johnson & Johnson, focusing on intercompany consolidation accounting and internal controls. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Butler University’s Lacy School of Business and a Master of Science in Accounting from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Kim is actively engaged in serving on various boards focused on U.S.–Korea relations, international trade, and economic development, and he is the leader and founder of Aprio’s Korea Desk.
Jenny Jun – Moderator
Jenny Jun is an assistant professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. She also serves as a non-resident fellow on the CyberAI Project at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, where she was previously a Research Fellow. Jun's research focuses on international security, cyber conflict, emerging technologies, and Korean peninsula security issues. She has testified before Congress on the implications of North Korea’s cyber threat and is a co-author of the 2015 Center for Strategic and International Studies report North Korea’s Cyber Operations: Strategy and Responses. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University and received her M.A. and B.S. from the Security Studies Program and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.