The 2011 Congress of the Korean Political Science Association: Incheon Songdo, Korea

The Catholic University Delegation: Jam, Mark, China, Eli, Anj and Hani

The Korean Political Science Association (KPSA) is a nation-wide academic organization of scholars interested in political science, international relations, and related disciplines. Founded in 1953, it has grown into the largest academic organization in Korea with active membership of over 2,000 individual scholars and institutions. KPSA seeks to encourage academic activities and intellectual dialogue among scholars and to promote academic exchanges and mutual understanding between Korean and foreign scholars. KPSA is free from any ideological inclination as well as political prejudice. Furthermore, it does not identify with any political parties or the government. With a view to broaden the scope of its activity, KPSA was registered in January 1995 as an incorporated body of the Korean National Assembly.

 With Prof. Stephen Haggard, IR Scholar

WIth Incheon City Mayor, Song Young Gil

The Korean Political Science Association will host the World Congress for Korean Politics and Society 2011 on August 23-25, 2011 in Incheon Songdo. Following the tradition formed by the two World Congresses in 2007 and 2009, this biennial conference will mark the third round of innovative and insightful discussions on Korean politics, society, and international relations, and will bring those discussions into the global context. The main theme for the World Congress 2011 is Korean Politics in Global Contexts: Theories and Practices.

Under the sub-theme: “The Dynamics of International Politics in East Asia”, We presented our paper entitled: The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Issues and Implications on US-Korea Relations.

SUMMARY

The geopolitical and economic architectures of Asia are fast changing as greatly exhibited by various bilateral and multilateral negotiations in the form of Free Trade Agreements being ratified and implemented in the last two decades. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was initially conceived in 2003 by Singapore, New Zealand and Chile and envisioned to open the doors of trade liberalization in the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to phase out all tariffs on traded goods among member countries by 2015 and addresses standards including: sanitary and phytosanitary measures, rules of origin, intellectual property rights, government procurement policy, technical barriers to trade, labor rights, and environmental protections. The Obama Adminisration recognizes TPP as “the strongest vehicle for achieving economic integration across the Asia Pacific region and advancing U.S. economic interests with the fastest growing economies in the world.” As a major ally in East Asia, the Republic of Korea is now considering whether to participate on this multilateral trade agreement, to strengthen its bilateral relations with TPP members or to promote both bilateralism and multilateralism as its core priority in foreign policy.

Chapter I will evaluate the implications of the Trans-Pacific Partnership on U.S –Korea Relations, particularly on the pending ratification of the Korea-U.S. FTA.  It analyzes the costs and benefits of joining the TPP.  As one of the early entrants in the East Asian region, Korea has the great potential of shaping the trade arrangements and secure advantages for its own export industries and Korean firms. However, TPP can only pose minor incremental benefits as Korea had already existing FTAs with Chile and Singapore. After presenting the pros and cons of joining the TPP, Chapter II discusses the geopolitical imperatives for a US – Korea FTA directed towards Trans-Pacific cooperation. 

Administrative members (2008 to present):
President: Lee Chong Hee, Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
President-elect : Nam Young Lee, Sejong University

For the full list of administrative members, visit: www.kpsa.or.kr/eng/the%20Board.htm.

Journal:
The Korean Political Science Review

Contact information:
1001 Daechi-Dong
Gangnam-Gu, Seoul, Korea
Tel: 02-3452-9555
Fax: 02-3452-9557
kspa@chollian.net

Also visit the official website at: http://www.kpsa.or.kr/eng/main.htm