The Asan Plenum 2026: “Modernizing Alliances"

The Asan Institute for Policy Studies (Chairman Yoon Young-kwan) will host the Asan Plenum 2026 on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Marking its 13th edition, this year’s Plenum will be held under the theme “Modernizing Alliances,” examining the future direction of the U.S.-led alliance system that has underpinned the liberal international order for over 80 years since the end of World War II.

The international security environment is undergoing rapid transformation. Shifts in U.S. foreign and alliance policy, the rise of authoritarian alignment among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (CRINK), and the continued conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East—including tensions involving Iran—are reshaping the global order. Against this backdrop, the Plenum will explore the current state of the U.S.-led alliance network and discuss pathways for alliance modernization. Key topics will include strengthening trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic cooperation, the prospects for an “Asian NATO”-like framework, expanding military, economic, and technological dimensions of alliances, and enhancing deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threat.

The Plenum will open with welcoming remarks by Dr. Chung Mong Joon, Founder and Honorary Chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Ishiba Shigeru, former Prime Minister of Japan, will deliver the keynote address. Congratulatory remarks will be given by Roger Wicker, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

The program will begin with Plenary Session 1, “Why Alliance Modernization?” This will be followed by Concurrent Session 2, addressing “Responding to the Rise of CRINK (China–Russia–Iran–North Korea)” and “Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic Alliances.” Concurrent Session 3 will examine “An Asian NATO?” and “New Alliance Frontiers.” The Plenum will conclude with Plenary Session 4 on “North Korea’s Nuclear Threat.”

The event will convene approximately 50 leading experts in foreign policy and security from across the globe. Notable participants include Nakatani Gen, former Minister of Defense of Japan; Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea; Arthur Sinodinos, former Australian Ambassador to the United States; Paul Wolfowitz, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense; Fred Fleitz, former Executive Secretary of the U.S. National Security Council; Karen House, former Publisher of The Wall Street Journal; Randall Schriver, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs; Steve Yates, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the U.S. Vice President; Mira Rapp-Hooper, former Senior Director for East Asia at the U.S. National Security Council; Michael Schiffer, former Assistant Administrator at USAID; Okano Masataka, former Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat; Jonathan Malaya, Assistant Director General of the Philippine National Security Council; Rachel Ellehuus, Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI); and Victor Cha, Korea Chair at CSIS.

* Due to space constraints, attendance will be primarily limited to accredited journalists assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Unification press corps.

* The conference will be conducted in English with simultaneous Korean interpretation provided. Depending on the speaker, portions of the conference may be conducted in Japanese. In such cases, Japanese–English simultaneous interpretation will be provided.

* Attachment: Agenda(english)