Policy Forum 

# Thawing a Frozen Conflict: The Korean War Armistice at 70 Years 

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Date and Time 

July 19, 2023 1:10 - 4:30 PM EDT 

Location 

Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 

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On July 27, 1953, an armistice took effect, pausing the Korean War. Although much has changed over the last 70 years—North Korea becoming a nuclear state, South Korea becoming a democracy and major economic power, and China becoming Asia’s dominant force—the war remains frozen. Today, escalating tensions, including a shift in the U.S.-South Korea alliance toward competition with China, are creating new challenges to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. As the Korean War armistice turns 70, how can the United States best prevent conflict and preserve peace?

Our first panel examines pressing topics in the U.S.-South Korea relationship. How is the rise of China affecting alliance management? Will growing protectionism in the United States hurt both countries’ economies? Do recent South Korean calls for nuclear weapons undermine the U.S. defense commitment? Is extended deterrence in America’s interest?

Our second panel focuses on North Korea and how the United States can move beyond the armistice to a more durable peace regime. How can the United States advance this worthy goal given the current nuclear impasse? What can the United States do to revive diplomacy with North Korea? Does a focus on denuclearization blind Washington to other opportunities, including arms control, and if so, how should the United States proceed?

**Representative Brad Sherman** (D‑CA) will begin the event with a keynote address via live teleconference on legislative efforts to replace the armistice with a peace treaty.

## Schedule

1:10 - 1:15 PM 

**Welcoming Remarks**

1:15 - 1:30 PM 

**Keynote: From Armistice to Peace Treaty**

**Rep. Brad Sherman** (D‑CA)

1:30 - 1:40 PM 

**Break**

1:40 - 2:50 PM 

**Panel 1: Where Is the U.S.-South Korea Relationship Heading?**

**[Doug Bandow](https://www.cato.org/people/doug-bandow)**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 
**Adam Mount**, Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Posture Project, Federation of American Scientists 
**Tami Overby**, Senior Adviser, Albright Stonebridge Group 
**James Park**, Junior Research Fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft 

Moderated by [**Eric Gomez**](https://www.cato.org/people/eric-gomez), Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

2:50 - 3:00 PM 

**Break**

3:00 - 4:30 PM 

**Panel 2: Can the United States and North Korea Get to a Peace Regime?**

**[Eric Gomez](https://www.cato.org/people/eric-gomez)**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 
**Frank Aum**, Senior Expert on Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace 
**Suzanne DiMaggio**, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 
**Jenny Town**, Senior Fellow and Director, 38 North Program, Stimson Center 

Moderated by **[Doug Bandow](https://www.cato.org/people/doug-bandow)**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

**Reception to follow**

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