Call for Papers

Joint International Conference

Organized by the SSK-funded Center for Glocal AI Network Research (DAU) in cooperation with The East Asian Association of International Studies (EAAIS) and East Asia Centre of University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Germany (WHZ)

Supported by the BK21 Gerontechnology Education and Research Team (DAU)

South Korea Between China and the United States:

Geopolitical and Economic Resilience Strategies

Date:                     7 – 8 October 2026

Venue:                   Dong-A University, Busan - South Korea

Participation:            both in person and online

South Korea finds itself at the centre of intensifying strategic competition between China and the United States. As geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, technological rivalry, and security dilemmas deepen, South Korea faces growing pressure to balance alliance commitments, economic interdependence, and national autonomy. Additionally, South Korea suffers from a permanent North Korean threat as well as current domestic political instability. This conference seeks to explore how South Korea navigates these challenges and develops resilience strategies in an increasingly polarized international order. We invite scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to submit paper proposals that examine South Korea’s geopolitical, economic, and security positioning between China and the United States. Contributions may address theoretical, empirical, comparative, or policy-oriented perspectives. Participation is possible both in person and online.

Possible Topics Include (but are not limited to):

• South Korea’s strategic autonomy and alliance politics
• US–China rivalry and its implications for the Korean Peninsula
• Economic security, supply chains, and technological competition
• Trade, investment, and industrial policy under geopolitical pressure
• South Korea’s role in Indo-Pacific strategies
• North Korea, regional security, and great power competition
• Domestic political debates on foreign and security policy
• Energy security, climate policy, and economic resilience
• Comparative perspectives: South Korea and other middle powers
• Economic Risks of Low Fertility, Population Aging and the Role of Gerontechnology

Submission Guidelines:

Scholars, policymakers, and practitioners are invited to submit original research papers, policy analyses, or case studies addressing any of the above themes. Submissions should include a title, abstract (max. 300 words), and author information.

Selected papers will be made available online through the German discussion paper series 'Ordnungspolitische Diskurse' (http://ordnungspolitisches-portal.com/diskurse/). High-quality papers may be submitted for peer review and potential publication in a special issue of "The Journal of International Relations," the academic journal of The East Asian Association of International Studies (EAAIS). Additionally, we are exploring the possibility of compiling selected conference papers into an edited volume by an international publishing house.

Important Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 May 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: 15 June 2026
• Full Paper Submission Deadline: 30 September 2026
• Conference Dates: 7 – 8 October 2026

All submissions should please be sent to  psh2975@dau.ac.kr OR  ralph.wrobel@whz.de   

Conference fee, travel costs and accommodation:

There is NO registration fee for this conference. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Online participation is available for international participants who prefer to join remotely.

Join us for a critical discussion on shaping South Korea’s future role in the global political and economic order.

Prof. Dr. Kangbae Lee, Dong-A University, Busan

Prof. Dr. Dr. Ralph Wrobel, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau

Preliminary Programme

7 October 2026

10:00 – 10:30 Arrival of participants

10:30 – 10:45  Welcome by the organizers (Prof. Dr. Kangbae Lee & Prof. Dr. Dr. Ralph Wrobel)

10:45 – 11:00  Greetings by Prof. H.J. Kim (EAAIS) and by Prof. Minho Ryu (MIS department, BK21)

11:00 – 12:30  Keynote Session: “South Korea Between China and the United States”

• Suk-Jun Lim - Crossroads of History: South Korea's Resilience in a Fractured World
• 
  
• Ralph Wrobel – Northeast Asia between China and the US: Current Geopolitical Challenges and Lessons from European Experience in Managing Great Power Rivalry

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:30 Parallel Sessions I

Room A – Session I-A

Geopolitics, Alliances, and Regional Security

This session focuses on South Korea’s strategic autonomy and evolving alliance politics in an era of renewed great power rivalry. It welcomes papers on US–China competition, the security dynamics of the Korean Peninsula including North Korea, and domestic political debates that shape foreign and security policy choices.  (3 – 4 speakers)

Room B – Session I-B

Economic Security, Supply Chains, and Industrial Policy

This session addresses the ways in which economic security concerns, supply chain disruptions, and technological competition are reshaping South Korea’s economic strategy. We invite contributions on trade and investment under geopolitical pressure, industrial policy in strategic sectors, and South Korea’s role in Indo‑Pacific economic and security architectures. (3 – 4 speakers)

Room C – Session I-C (EAAIS 1 Korean Scholars)

East Asian Perspectives on Geopolitics and Economic Security

This session brings together Korean scholars to examine East Asia’s evolving geopolitical landscape and economic security challenges in the context of intensifying US–China rivalry. The panel explores strategic autonomy, supply-chain resilience, technological competition, and domestic political dynamics shaping regional foreign policy choices. Through comparative and policy-oriented analyses, the session aims to provide broader East Asian perspectives beyond a Korea-centric policy focus. (3 speakers)

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00 – 17:30  Parallel Sessions II

Room A – Session II-A

Demographic Change, Gerontechnology, and Social Resilience

This session explores the socio‑economic and policy implications of low fertility, population aging, and demographic decline in South Korea. Papers may analyze economic risks, labor market and welfare challenges, as well as the role of gerontechnology and social policy innovations in enhancing resilience and well‑being in aging societies. (3 – 4 speakers)

Room B – Session II-B

Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Technologies, and Economic Resilience

This session investigates how artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies influence economic resilience, competitiveness, and governance. We encourage submissions on AI‑driven technological competition, digital transformation and productivity, and regulatory or institutional frameworks for managing technological change under geopolitical and market uncertainty. (3 – 4 speakers)

Room C – Session II-C (EAAIS 2 Chinese Scholars)

China’s Strategic Assessment of Regional Order and Economic Security

This session features Chinese scholars offering analytical perspectives on regional order, economic security, and great-power competition in Northeast Asia. The panel addresses China’s strategic thinking on regional stability, technological rivalry, and economic governance, while also discussing how China interprets evolving security architectures and external pressures in East Asia. The session seeks to deepen mutual understanding through academically grounded Chinese viewpoints. (3 speakers)

19:00 – 21:00  Conference Dinner

8 October 2026

09:00 – 10:30  Session III (Plenary)

Chinese Perspectives on South Korea’s Economic Security and Regional Order

This session explores how Chinese scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders perceive South Korea’s role in regional economic security and geopolitical competition. It welcomes papers on China’s views of South Korea’s alliance politics and strategic autonomy, supply chains and technological competition involving Korean firms, and the impact of Chinese regional initiatives on the Korean Peninsula and Indo‑Pacific order. (3 – 4 speakers)

10:30 – 11:00  Coffee Break

11:00 –12:30  Session IV (Plenary)

European and American Perspectives on South Korea’s Technology, Supply Chains, and Indo‑Pacific Strategy

This session brings together European and American analyses of South Korea’s position in global technology governance, supply chains, and Indo‑Pacific strategies. We invite contributions on EU and US policies toward South Korea, trans‑Atlantic and trans‑Pacific cooperation on economic security and advanced technologies, and how Western strategic choices shape South Korea’s resilience and its role as a middle power. (3 – 4 speakers)

12:30 – 13:00 Wrap-Up and Farewell