The East-West Center announces the 2018 Korea-United States Journalists Exchange, scheduled for July 8–17, 2018. This 13th Exchange will take journalists to explore how the stress of the North Korea nuclear crisis affects US-South Korea relations. A major anticipated event is the unprecedented meeting between North Korea’s President Kim Jong Un and President Donald J. Trump in May. There will likely be other relevant but as yet unknown developments between now and July.

This is a crucial year for the crisis. North Korea might be within a year of perfecting a nuclear missile. The Trump Administration seems to be saying the United States will take military action if necessary to prevent that from happening. Economic sanctions on North Korea have not prevented continual technological progress. If Washington decides to implement its policy of last resort and launch a preventive military strike on North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons facilities, the result could be a crisis in the US-South Korea Alliance.

US and South Korean interests are not identical. Already accustomed to living within range of North Korean missiles and strikes from a variety of North Korean ordnance, South Koreans have a different view of the North Korean threat than Americans. Seoul understandably fears being excluded from direct talks between the United States and North Korea. Seoul would likely oppose a US plan for a preventive strike, because South Korea would bear most of the risk of North Korean retaliation.

During their travel to South Korea, six US journalists will gain a deeper understanding of the security challenges posed by North Korea. They will visit the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that divides North and South Korea. They will also observe Korea’s cutting-edge information technology and social media. Six Korean journalists will travel to Washington, D.C. and Honolulu for meetings that will discuss the Korea-US military alliance, and the danger from North Korea, bilateral trade and Korea-US relations under the Trump administration.

Following these study tours, all of the journalists will convene via web/video conferencing for a final dialogue at the East-West Center in Honolulu and at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul to report on their travel experiences and to exchange opinions on how media coverage of US-Korea issues can be improved.

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The East-West Center announces the 2018 Korea-United States Journalists Exchange, scheduled for July 8–17, 2018. This 13th Exchange will take journalists to explore how the stress of the North Korea nuclear crisis affects US-South Korea relations. A major anticipated event is the unprecedented meeting between North Korea’s President Kim Jong Un and President Donald J. Trump in May. There will likely be other relevant but as yet unknown developments between now and July.

This is a crucial year for the crisis. North Korea might be within a year of perfecting a nuclear missile. The Trump Administration seems to be saying the United States will take military action if necessary to prevent that from happening. Economic sanctions on North Korea have not prevented continual technological progress. If Washington decides to implement its policy of last resort and launch a preventive military strike on North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons facilities, the result could be a crisis in the US-South Korea Alliance.

US and South Korean interests are not identical. Already accustomed to living within range of North Korean missiles and strikes from a variety of North Korean ordnance, South Koreans have a different view of the North Korean threat than Americans. Seoul understandably fears being excluded from direct talks between the United States and North Korea. Seoul would likely oppose a US plan for a preventive strike, because South Korea would bear most of the risk of North Korean retaliation.

During their travel to South Korea, six US journalists will gain a deeper understanding of the security challenges posed by North Korea. They will visit the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that divides North and South Korea. They will also observe Korea’s cutting-edge information technology and social media. Six Korean journalists will travel to Washington, D.C. and Honolulu for meetings that will discuss the Korea-US military alliance, and the danger from North Korea, bilateral trade and Korea-US relations under the Trump administration.

Following these study tours, all of the journalists will convene via web/video conferencing for a final dialogue at the East-West Center in Honolulu and at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul to report on their travel experiences and to exchange opinions on how media coverage of US-Korea issues can be improved.

Click here for more information