Seminar about North to be held in Washington

The Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), which is under the Ministry of Unification, will hold a workshop today with the National Bureau of Asian Research at which renowned Korean and U.S. analysts will discuss whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will stabilize his power with the ouster of his once-powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek.

The workshop, to be held at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., is called “Trustpolitik and U.S.-ROK Relations.”

It aims to evaluate the internal stability of North Korean politics, the effectiveness of President Park Geun-hye’s so-called trust-building process, and bilateral cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

Running from 9:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., the workshop will feature reports by several renowned U.S. analysts, followed by a panel discussion with Korean analysts including: Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Joel Wit, a visiting fellow with the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Sydney Seiler, Korea policy chief at the National Security Council; and John Park, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

At the end of the workshop, James Zumwalt, deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs for the U.S. Department of State, will give a special speech, and a closing commentary will be given by Cheon Seong-Whun, president of the KINU.

BY KIM HEE-JIN [heejin@joongang.co.kr]