Gyeonggi Province: The Engine That Leads U.S.-Korea Partnership

On October 29, 2025, the Center for the National Interest, the Gyeonggi Research Institute, the Korean Association for Policy Studies, and the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) held an international conference on the evolving dimensions of U.S.–Korea relations.

The conference highlighted the vital importance of the U.S.–Republic of Korea (ROK) relationship, with two-way trade exceeding $240 billion annually. Much of this exchange connects directly to Gyeonggi Province, Korea’s hub for advanced technology and manufacturing. Beyond its economic significance, Gyeonggi plays a central role in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The province hosts U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military installation outside the continental United States, and it borders North Korea.

Governor Dong Yeon Kim, former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, delivered the keynote address.

The program featured four sessions on:
—Renewable energy
—U.S. tariff policy
—Peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula
—Cooperation in advanced technology and biotechnology

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Welcoming Remarks:

Welcoming Remarks:
—Paul Saunders, President, the Center for the National Interest
—Sung Cheon Kang, President, Gyeonggi Research Institute
—Hyung Jun Park, President, Korean Association for Policy Studies
—Kent Calder, Director, the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

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Session 1 | Renewable Energy: Innovation, Competition, and Cooperation

Chair:
—Paul Saunders, President, the Center for the National Interest

Speakers:
—Rob Atkinson, President of Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
—Taek Goo Kang, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Environment Institute

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Keynote Speech: Governor Dong Yeon Kim of Gyeonggi Province

Speaker:
—Governor Dong Yeon Kim, former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

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Session 2 | Economic Security in the Era of Deglobalization: Understanding U.S. Tariff Policies and Overcoming Challenges

Chair:
—Hyung Jun Park, President of Korean Association for Policy Studies and Professor of Public Administration, Sungkyunkwan University

Speakers:
—Byung Won Woo, Professor of International Relations, Yonsei University
—Jill Homan, Deputy Director of Trade & Economy Policy, America First Policy Institute
—Jason Chung, Senior Adviser, the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Session 3 | Pursuing Peace on the Korean Peninsula: Will Presidents Trump and Lee’s Korea Policy Diverge or Merge?

Chair:
—Yun Young Cho, Professor of Political Science, Chung Ang University

Speakers:
—Sydney Seiler, Senior Adviser, the Center for Strategic and International Studies
—Sang Kyu Kim, Senior Fellow, Gyeonggi Research Institute
—Robert Gallucci, Distinguished Professor in Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service
—Scott Snyder, President & CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America

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Session 4 | Biotechnology and Bioindustry: Trends, Challenges, and Cooperation

Chair:
—Seok Hwan Lee, Professor of Public Administration, Kookmin University

Speakers:
—Mark Esser, President of Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, the University of Virginia; and former Vice President of AstraZeneca
—Joseph Kim, President of Agenta; and former CEO and President of Inovio