Katharine H.S. Moon
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies
Katharine (Kathy) H.S. Moon is nonresident senior fellow and the inaugural holder of the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution. She also is a professor of Political Science and Wasserman Chair of Asian Studies at Wellesley College. She received her bachelor's magna cum laude from Smith College and a doctorate from Princeton University in the Department of Politics. She was born in San Francisco.
Kathy Moon’s analytical approach is to bridge domestic politics and foreign policy. Moon is the author of "Protesting America: Democracy and the U.S.-Korea Alliance," which illustrates 1) how democracy has given rise to Korean civil society activism relating to the U.S.-Korea alliance; 2) the comparative politics of U.S. overseas basing; and 3) the institutional and procedural changes needed to improve the management of the alliance. Kathy Moon also authored "Sex Among Allies: Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations," which explains how foreign policy decisions affect local communities and the lives of poor and marginalized women. Moon’s research encompasses the U.S.-Korea alliance, East Asian politics, inter-Korean relations, socio-political changes in North Korea, and the role of Korean-Americans in U.S. foreign policy. She also studies democratization, nationalisms, women and gender politics, migration and identity, and comparative social movements in East Asia, including human rights. Her publications include:
“Influencing South Korea's Democracy: China, North Korea, and Defectors”
“Challenging U.S. Hegemony: Asian Nationalism and Anti-Americanism in East Asia”
“Beyond Demonization: A New Strategy for Human Rights in North Korea”
“Resurrecting Prostitutes and Overturning Treaties: Gender Politics in the South Korean ‘Anti-American’ Movement”
“Ethnicity and U.S. Foreign Policy: Korean Americans”
Moon is currently working on a book that analyzes the impact of demographic change in South Korea on Korean democracy and foreign policy. She is also editing a volume on Korean-Americans as new actors in American politics and in U.S.-Korea relations.
Research support from organizations such as the Henry Luce Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, The George Washington University, The Fulbright Program, the American Association of University Women, the National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Social Science Research Council have facilitated Moon’s research. Moon also served in the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues in the U.S. Department of State and as a trustee of Smith College.
Affiliations:
Korea Working Group, Harvard Kennedy School
Asia Society, New York, associate fellow
The National Committee on North Korea, Steering Committee member
Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, Advisory Board
Katharine (Kathy) H.S. Moon is nonresident senior fellow and the inaugural holder of the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution. She also is a professor of Political Science and Wasserman Chair of Asian Studies at Wellesley College. She received her bachelor’s magna cum laude from Smith College and a doctorate from Princeton University in the Department of Politics. She was born in San Francisco.
Kathy Moon’s analytical approach is to bridge domestic politics and foreign policy. Moon is the author of “Protesting America: Democracy and the U.S.-Korea Alliance,” which illustrates 1) how democracy has given rise to Korean civil society activism relating to the U.S.-Korea alliance; 2) the comparative politics of U.S. overseas basing; and 3) the institutional and procedural changes needed to improve the management of the alliance. Kathy Moon also authored “Sex Among Allies: Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations,” which explains how foreign policy decisions affect local communities and the lives of poor and marginalized women. Moon’s research encompasses the U.S.-Korea alliance, East Asian politics, inter-Korean relations, socio-political changes in North Korea, and the role of Korean-Americans in U.S. foreign policy. She also studies democratization, nationalisms, women and gender politics, migration and identity, and comparative social movements in East Asia, including human rights. Her publications include:
“Influencing South Korea’s Democracy: China, North Korea, and Defectors”
“Challenging U.S. Hegemony: Asian Nationalism and Anti-Americanism in East Asia”
“Beyond Demonization: A New Strategy for Human Rights in North Korea”
“Resurrecting Prostitutes and Overturning Treaties: Gender Politics in the South Korean ‘Anti-American’ Movement”
“Ethnicity and U.S. Foreign Policy: Korean Americans”
Moon is currently working on a book that analyzes the impact of demographic change in South Korea on Korean democracy and foreign policy. She is also editing a volume on Korean-Americans as new actors in American politics and in U.S.-Korea relations.
Research support from organizations such as the Henry Luce Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, The George Washington University, The Fulbright Program, the American Association of University Women, the National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Social Science Research Council have facilitated Moon’s research. Moon also served in the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues in the U.S. Department of State and as a trustee of Smith College.
Affiliations:
Korea Working Group, Harvard Kennedy School
Asia Society, New York, associate fellow
The National Committee on North Korea, Steering Committee member
Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, Advisory Board
[North Korea wants to participate in the Olympic games in South Korea as] another way to show the world North Korea's muscle - literally. [The regime] wants to present and show off their athletes. The amount of resources they put into this as a poor country is quite high. It's serious that they made that initiative and are actually showing up and trying to cooperate, at least in terms of Olympic participation.
[South Korean President Moon Jae-in]’s been pursuing a parallel diplomatic policy. Basically, it’s like having two partners, and you have to constantly dance with both of them, while at the same time not losing your own stance and your own posture.
I don’t want to say [we should have] low expectations [for North Koera-South Korea talks], but we should have small-step expectations. We need to encourage both North Korea and South Korea to take baby steps. They’re not going to go for nuclear issues first. They’re going to go for the traditional issues they have worked on. I doubt that President Moon will be on a highway course to change the dynamics with North Korea.
North Korea wants many things including economic access, so the price tag to negotiate with North Korea on anything is much higher than it ever was because of its nuclear capability now. People should not assume that because these overtures have been made that it’s going to be follow the yellow brick road, a little bit of fun and that’s that. It’s going to come with a high cost.
[The 1960s and 70s was a] time when the U.S. dollar was almighty. It was very fast and loose … lots of irresponsible behavior by men and women [leading to] hundreds of thousands of stateless children. The family members of the women with these children often rejected both the women and the children.