This joint communiqué Between the U.S. and South Korea was affirmed by delegations led by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim, at the 44th Security Consultative Meeting in Washington DC on October 24, 2012.

South Korea has emerged as a major contributor to international security, participating in a wide range of activities far from the Korean peninsula. CFR scholars outline several steps that will ensure that South Korea can sustain this broadened role.

There are high entry costs for South Korea to pursue space activity, but it will provide important contributions to national security and offer benefits that come with the associated prestige.

Sheila Smith argues that while recent tensions between Japan and South Korea over territorial issues are deeply worrisome for the U.S. government and for regional stability, the reality is that a stronger bilateral relationship can only come about if it is the Japanese and Korean people that lead the effort on reconciliation.

South Korea is on track to set a double precedent: creating the first nationwide greenhouse gas emission trading scheme in a developing country and being the first in Asia. To be successful, however, the scheme will have to overcome political and private-sector hurdles.

Hyun In-taek and Kim Tae-young discuss their experiences managing crises on the Korean peninsula in 2010 and their policy recommendations for future U.S.-ROK cooperation.

Experts provide an update on North Korea, including its relationships with South Korea, China, and the United States.

Ma Sang-yoon of the Catholic University of Korea discusses the April 11 Republic of Korea national assembly elections, explains their relationship to the December South Korean presidential elections, and highlights issues relevant to the future of U.S.-ROK relations.

Joshua Kurlantzick and Elizabeth Leader discuss how the newest threats to expression and access on the Internet are not coming from authoritarian states, but instead from somewhere more surprising: electoral democracies like Thailand, Turkey, and South Korea.

Leslie H. Gelb argues that the world is distracted, and North Korea, South Korea, and the United States are stumbling, once again, toward a nuclear confrontation.

The Seoul summit advances global efforts on securing nuclear materials in dozens of countries, but the challenge will be to sustain the focus on the universal elimination of weapons-usable material, writes CFR's Micah Zenko.

President Obama gave these remarks at Hankuk University in South Korea on March 26, 2012.

In addition to hosting the successful 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, South Korea is pursuing several nuclear-related national interests not directly associated with the conference.

Secretary of State Clinton gave these remarks with South Korean foreign minister Kim on March 9, 2012 in Washington, DC.

The United States and Republic of Korea should build on their nascent cooperation in international development to advance a host of common interests.

The United States will "increasingly seek partnerships with other like-minded countries [in the region] to ensure global stability, security, and prosperity." In a new volume of collected essays, CFR Senior Fellow Scott Snyder writes that one of the strongest partners for the United States is South Korea.

Scott A. Snyder asks, "What are the prospects for a unified, nuclear-free Korea?"

Development specialist Sohn Hyuk-sang analyzes the Busan-High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, arguing for a new future for poverty reduction.

As the leaders of eighteen countries gather in Bali, Indonesia, this week for the East Asia Summit, Korea University professor Lee Shin-wha argues that there is a deep disconnect between East Asian summitry and Northeast Asian security needs that is likely to remain.

Despite public support, South Korea's National Assembly has not yet ratified its free trade agreement with the United States.