Tri-Forum, a South Korea-US-Japan public-private economic security network, will hold the "Korea-US Strategic Industry and Security Forum" in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to review key economic security issues facing the two countries. The event will cover domestic and international political developments, the transfer of wartime operational control between South Korea and the United States, and infrastructure investment in the US.
The forum was organized to discuss critical issues confronting both countries following the June 3 local elections. Senior US policymakers and representatives from South Korean business and academia will gather to explore concrete avenues for bilateral cooperation.
Attendees include former White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, Assistant Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce Erin Walsh, and David Wyrezowski, deputy assistant secretary of state for Northeast Asia. They are expected to assess geopolitical risks on the Korean Peninsula and hold in-depth discussions on economic security across trade, energy and advanced industries.
The forum will be divided into two sessions. The first, "Defining the Next-Generation Alliance," will address the transfer of wartime operational control, expansion of investment in the US, trade issues and response strategies to the shifting security environment on the Korean Peninsula — with a particular focus on exchanging views on major economic and security challenges facing both countries. The second session, "Economic Security Grid," will tackle strategic priorities directly tied to the industrial competitiveness of South Korea and the United States, including securing critical minerals, stabilizing supply chains and cooperating on nuclear power — all issues of growing global concern.
Park Dae-sung, chief executive of Tri-Forum, said the forum comes at a moment when South Korea must listen closely to what Washington is asking of it amid an America-first climate ahead of the US midterm elections in November. "Tri-Forum will serve as a reliable channel through which Korean businesses and political circles can seek effective solutions as equal partners with key figures in the US administration," he said.
Founded in January 2024, Tri-Forum is a policy platform connecting private-sector experts in security and economics from South Korea, the United States and Japan, sharing information and knowledge through online exchanges as well as in-person forums. The organization conducts a range of activities — including forums, policy advisory work and research — in support of the rule of law, liberal democracy and entrepreneurship.
terry@heraldcorp.com
