Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Name	Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Native name	아산정책연구원
Established	2008
Type	Think tank
Location	Seoul, South Korea
Founder	Asan Foundation

Contents

Asan Institute for Policy Studies is an independent Seoul-based think tank founded in 2008 by the Asan Foundation to analyze and influence policy debates in Northeast Asia, engage with institutions across Washington, D.C., Beijing, Tokyo, London, and Brussels, and publish research on security, diplomacy, and regional integration. The institute convenes experts from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and Yale University while maintaining ties with policy bodies like United States Department of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea), Ministry of National Defense (South Korea), and international organizations including the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and NATO. Its activities intersect with academic centers such as the Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and German Marshall Fund of the United States.

History

The institute was established by the Asan Foundation, an organization created by the Hyundai Group heiress Chung Ju-yung's family legacy and philanthropic network including the Samsung Group and connections to business houses like LG Group and SK Group. In its early years the institute built partnerships with universities such as Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University as well as overseas research entities like the Asia Society and Council on Foreign Relations. It hosted delegations involving policymakers from United States Congress, European Commission, Japanese Diet, and the National People's Congress (China), and organized forums featuring figures associated with the Six-Party Talks, the Sunshine Policy, and inter-Korean summits like the 2000 Inter-Korean Summit and 2018 Inter-Korean Summit. The institute expanded during the 2010s alongside regional responses to events including the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, and the 2016–17 South Korean political scandal, convening experts on crises linked to actors such as Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe, and Moon Jae-in.

The institute's mission emphasizes policy-relevant research on Northeast Asian security, foreign policy, and domestic governance, collaborating with entities like the Ministry of Unification (South Korea), Korean National Diplomatic Academy, and international think tanks such as Rand Corporation and Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada. Its organizational structure includes divisions comparable to centers at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, London School of Economics, and University of Tokyo, and it coordinates with networks like the Trilateral Commission, ASEAN Regional Forum, and East Asia Summit. Leadership has engaged figures who previously served at institutions like the National Intelligence Service (South Korea), Blue House (South Korea), and diplomatic postings in capitals including Washington, D.C., Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, and Brussels.

Research programs encompass regional security, diplomatic strategy, economic statecraft, and energy policy, aligning with analyses produced at Peterson Institute for International Economics, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and International Crisis Group. The institute operates centers for Korean studies, Northeast Asian cooperation, and global governance, facilitating projects on issues involving actors such as United States Armed Forces, People's Liberation Army, Japan Self-Defense Forces, and organizations like ASEAN, APEC, and the World Trade Organization. Collaborative research has engaged scholars from Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, National Chengchi University, and Australian National University on topics including sanctions toward Democratic People's Republic of Korea, maritime disputes involving the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, and economic initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and Free Trade Agreement (Korea–US).

The institute publishes policy briefs, working papers, and periodicals akin to outlets from Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, and The Diplomat, and organizes conferences, workshops, and public lectures featuring speakers from United States Institute of Peace, Heritage Foundation, Hoover Institution, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the G20. Regular events include symposia on inter-Korean relations, panels with ambassadors accredited to Seoul, roundtables with scholars from Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and forums addressing cybersecurity alongside participants from Cyber Command (South Korea), ENISA, and multinational firms such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Its publications have cited and cross-referenced research by academics affiliated with Peter Davidson (historian), Andrew Scobell, Victor Cha, and policy practitioners from Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger, and Condoleezza Rice.

Funding stems primarily from the Asan Foundation endowment, supplemented by grants and contracts with entities including the Korea Foundation, National Research Foundation of Korea, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and international sponsors like the Japan Foundation and United States Agency for International Development. Governance involves a board composed of business leaders with ties to Hyundai Motor Company, SK Group, and Samsung Life Insurance, former diplomats who served at missions to United Nations, United States, and China, and academics from institutions such as Sejong Institute, Korea Development Institute, and Ewha Womans University. The institute adheres to reporting norms similar to those of Transparency International and engages in collaborative funding models used by think tanks like Atlantic Council and Asia Foundation.

Notable fellows and alumni include former diplomats who served at embassies in Washington, D.C., Beijing, Tokyo, and Moscow, academics who taught at Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University, and analysts who previously worked at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan), US Department of Defense, and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Prominent affiliated figures have engaged with multilateral diplomacy alongside envoys connected to the United Nations Security Council, strategists linked to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and scholars who contributed to studies at Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford Hoover Institution, and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. The institute's network includes visitors and collaborators such as former foreign ministers from South Korea, retired generals from Republic of Korea Army, and researchers associated with Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and Korea Economic Research Institute.

Category:Think tanks in South Korea