Kyuri Park

Insightful conversation with @curiouskyuri.bsky.social on her book manuscript that we workshopped this year at @global-wm.bsky.social. Thanks for this Kyuri.

Thanks, Ed! Yes, I’m looking forward to visiting — and to reconnecting with colleagues and friends in Australia, since I’ll be nearby!

Thank you for taking a moment to celebrate this milestone in my academic journey! I’m a happy APARCer - looking forward to sharing my research and achievements ahead🤗

감사합니다, 교수님! Thank you for your unwavering support, guidance, and trust over nearly a decade of this journey together. I’m excited about our continued collaboration 🥳😎🙌

Thank you :)

I’d also like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who has helped me grow as a scholar and a person – especially my mentors, colleagues, students, and friends at Georgetown University, @usc.edu, @aparc.stanford.edu, and @global-wm.bsky.social. I look forward to continuing to learn from you all☺️

As I begin preparing for the next chapter of my academic journey in New Zealand – back in the Asia-Pacific region🌏, after 11 incredible years in the US 🇺🇸 – I’m thankful to my colleagues at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social for the warm welcome and support. Looking forward to building the community together! 🙌🏻

I’m thrilled to share that I will be joining Victoria University of Wellington🇳🇿 as a Lecturer in International Relations & International Security (equivalent to an Assistant Professor, tenure) at the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science & IR, starting February 2026!

Thanks for sharing my recent public engagement work, including the op-ed and podcast. I’m grateful for the continued support 💐

YouTube video by John Quincy Adams Society Security Dilemma: East Asia: Balancing or Bandwagoning? with Kyuri Park

You can check this out on multiple platforms using the link below:
🔗 Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQr8...
🔗 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0b6V...
🔗 Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/e...
🔗 iHeartRadio: www.iheart.com/podcast/269-...

Big thanks to A.J. Manuzzi at the John Quincy Adams Society (JQAS) and Michelle Anne Newby at Defense Priorities for the great conversation!

South Korea Will Not Choose Between the US and China South Korea under President Lee Jae-myung is returning to pragmatic diplomacy, maintaining its US alliance while rejecting confrontation with China, reflecting public sentiment and prioritizing peace,...

In the later half, we also discussed the future of the U.S.-South Korea alliance in the wake of the election of new President Lee Jae-myung and whether nuclear diplomacy with North Korea is viable! Here, I’ve expanded on a few key points from my National Interest piece with @daveckang.bsky.social

Check out my podcast episode with Security Dilemma 🎙️hosted by JQAS! I talked about my book project on security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific amid US–China rivalry, using joint military exercises to understand the strategic behavior of small/middle powers and its implications for US foreign policy📚

On South Korea's balancing act – by @curiouskyuri.bsky.social, our 2022–23 postdoctoral fellow, and @daveckang.bsky.social 👇

Delighted to write with @curiouskyuri.bsky.social about Sino-Korean relations! This is based on a longer research project we are doing -- keep an eye out for more in the future from us! The bottom line: Korea wants good relations with the US, but shows few signs that it will balance China.

Latest from my colleague, @curiouskyuri.bsky.social, who explains South Korean foreign policy amidst great power competition in the Pacific. Kudos Kyuri.

As a democracy, S. Korea’s foreign policy must also reflect public sentiment. Polling data suggests that S. Korean citizens do not view China’s rise as inherently threatening. Instead, they see the intensifying US-China rivalry, as an immediate & multifaceted source of threat.

Unlike his predecessor, who adopted “peace through strength” approach, President Lee pursues “peace through dialogue,” saying “peace and economy go hand in hand.” While not discarding deterrence, Lee places greater emphasis on reassurance, inter-Korean dialogue, & pragmatism.

Even now disgraced President Yoon Suk-yeol, “arguably the most conservative South Korean leader in decades, did not abandon relations with Beijing in favor of an exclusive alignment with Washington."

“In that sense, Yoon was the aberration. If his presidency served as a litmus test for how far to the right South Korea is willing to go, the results were telling: As a general rule, Seoul prefers to maintain cooperative ties with China.”

A closer look at government documents shows “Every 🇰🇷 president, whether liberal or conservative…all have recognized the necessity of living with China. None have embraced a policy of containment or economic decoupling; the enduring orientation has been pragmatic coexistence.”

🧵 Thread on key takeaways:
What is often overlooked in Washington🇺🇸 is that S. Korea shares some, but not all, American priorities. This is not new and shows no signs of changing.

South Korea Will Not Choose Between the US and China South Korea under President Lee Jae-myung is returning to pragmatic diplomacy, maintaining its US alliance while rejecting confrontation with China, reflecting public sentiment and prioritizing peace,...

S. Korea rejects confrontation with China while maintaining the US alliance as its security pillar. 🇰🇷 New President Lee Jae-myung promotes “peace through dialogue,” emphasizing, “No matter how expensive, peace is better than war.” My op-ed at the National Interest w/ @daveckang.bsky.social
More🧵👇

Yeah, I believe the core ideas that underpin democracy are fine (though not without flaws). The real problem today is that these principles are either not upheld at all or are reduced to procedural formalities, rather than being practiced as substantive democracy imho :/

It’s hard to see any upside in this grave situation, but if there is one, it’s that many more people are now rapidly recognizing how deeply international law has been distorted and are seeing the unmasked face of exceptionalism and hypocrisy.

Taken together, we are witnessing the unfolding of events around the world on a tectonic scale that challenge the foundational principles of the international order.

We are also seeing attempts at commercialized conquest, extreme weaponization of tariffs, and erosion of good faith in international treaty. At the same time, there is growing uncertainty over who qualifies as an ally, a friend, or an adversary.

Later in the history and future IR textbooks, the year 2025 will be remembered as a critical juncture in international relations, where long-standing norms governing the use of force, especially, the non-proliferation regime unraveled. I hope still we find ways to solve this as a global community.

Still a long road ahead, but South Korea 🇰🇷 finally has a head of state again. Marking the moment with a movie-style trailer made by a high schooler using real “Dec 3 Night” footage 🍿🎬
youtu.be/iafoIDERV2U?fe…

By far my favorite part of South Korean elections: election night graphics. SBS television station kills it EVERY. TIME. They play these clips all night and they get more and more unhinged and creative as the night goes on.