Extended deterrence: South Korean workshop

On 23 November, a Lowy Institute team led by International Security Program Director Rory Medcalf co-hosted a major consultative workshop in Seoul with South Korean, Japanese, Australian and American experts, looking at the future of extended deterrence in North Asia. This was the Institute's first major event in South Korea, and was held in partnership with the South Korean Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security as well as the Japan Institute of International Affairs, with support from the Nuclear Security Project. These closed-door discussions examined the fundamental security challenges in the region and considered the mix of nuclear and non-nuclear capabilities that the United States and its allies require to deter large-scale conflict. Views on the feasability of nuclear disarmament were tested. Fresh tensions on the Korean Peninsula - over uranium enrichment and the 23 November North Korean artillery attack - underscored the relevance of this dialogue.