The Longest Forever War: The Korean War at 70

June 2020 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, a conflict which claimed over 35,000 American lives and which remains unresolved to this day. The legacy of the Korean War continues to profoundly shape both politics on the Korean Peninsula and the security calculations of all players in the East Asian theatre.

On June 30, the Center for the National Interest hosted a webinar focusing on the war’s impact on the Korean Peninsula and the larger Asia-Pacific region, as well as contemporary Inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea relations and where they could be headed in the months and years to come.

The proceedings began with a message from National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien, who spoke on the sacrifice made by American veterans of the Korean War and on the enduring importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance.

The remainder of the event featured a conversation moderated by Harry J. Kazianis (Senior Director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest and Executive Editor of The National Interest) and featured an impressive panel of experts:

• LT. General Wallace Gregson (US Marines, Retired), Senior Director, China and the Pacific Program at the Center for the National Interest; former Assistant Secretary of Defense; and former Commander of U.S. Marines in the Pacific.

• LT. Colonel Daniel Davis (US Army, Retired), Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and former adviser to South Korean government while on active duty in South Korea.

• Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute, former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, and author of the book Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World.