KPF: Trade and Immigration Policy in US-ROK Relations in 2025

Event Description:

The evolving U.S.–ROK alliance faces new complexities as President Donald Trump’s second administration pursues a policy agenda centered on immigration control, trade protectionism, and investment realignment. These policies have revived debates over economic nationalism, supply-chain security, and the delicate balance between domestic priorities and alliance commitments.

This panel will examine how the intersections of immigration, tariff policy, and foreign investment are reshaping the political and economic dynamics of the U.S.–Korea relationship. By analyzing the domestic underpinnings and global repercussions of Trump’s economic and immigration strategies, the discussion will explore their impact on bilateral trade, labor mobility, and industrial cooperation with South Korea.

The event will be co-hosted by the George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS), the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C., and the Korean American Institute, and will bring together leading experts to assess how the Trump administration’s policies are reshaping the contours of U.S.–ROK cooperation in an era of renewed economic nationalism and strategic competition.