UH Hilo political scientist Su-Mi Lee featured panelist at national forum in Seoul
The panel featured experts on South Korea’s critical relations with China, Japan, and the global economy, with Professor Lee focused on modernization of the ROK–U.S. alliance.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
A political scientist from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo served as a featured panelist at a prestigious national forum held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on May 21, 2026.
Professor Su-Mi Lee, based at UH Hilo’s Department of Political Science, was invited by The Korean Association of International Studies to attend the high-profile event, marking the first anniversary of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s administration, drawing an audience of dozens of journalists, prominent politicians, and leading foreign relations scholars.
“I was honored to join a panel alongside some of the most influential figures and scholars in Korean politics to evaluate the administration’s achievements and navigate its upcoming geopolitical tasks,” says Lee. “The panel featured diverse expertise spanning South Korea’s (ROK) critical relations with China, Japan, and the global economy, and my discussion focused specifically on the modernization of the ROK–U.S. alliance.”
On the panel, framed on the theme “Evaluation of the Lee Jae-myung Administration’s Foreign Policy and Security and Strategic Autonomy,” Lee addressed the misaligned objectives that have surfaced between the two countries since the end of the Cold War, and argued for a fundamental revamping of the alliance.
“I highlighted emerging, advanced technical cooperation, such as nuclear submarines, space defense, and the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul frontier for U.S. naval vessels, as the precise catalysts needed for this modernization,” Lee explains. “Furthermore, amid intense U.S.–China competition, I outlined proactive strategies for South Korea to bypass the pressure of choosing sides, advocating instead for a posture of strategic flexibility that optimizes relations with both superpowers.”
Lee, co-editor of the book Negotiation Dynamics to Denuclearize North Korea: Cohesion and Disarray (SUNY Press, May 2023), says the dynamic nature of the May 21 forum perfectly reflects why the fields of foreign policy and international relations are more critical and exciting than ever.
“The international relations field is never boring; we are constantly witnessing the shifting dynamics of global power,” she says. “As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, these complex interactions necessitate collaborative, forward-thinking action plans and policies.”
Interconnected reality
This political dynamic, what Lee describes as “interconnected reality,” is her area of expertise, and where she focuses her current research and community outreach. She notes modern foreign policy is interdisciplinary by nature, citing her collaborative work with space scientists to explore the frontiers of space security. She also works alongside an environmental group that leads sustainable development workshops for senior public and private sector decision-makers through a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-organized initiative.
- Learn more about Professor Lee’s research (Keaohou)
This international perspective also dovetails into Lee’s fascination and scholarly work with former Peace Corps volunteers. She’s deeply involved in a years’ long project working closely with local community organizations to collect the histories of former Peace Corps volunteers with connections to Hawaiʻi Island. Her annual output of new stories on former volunteers (in both written and film media) is significant to UH Hilo because Hawaiʻi Island was chosen as a primary training location for thousands of Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s and the university’s precursor — UH-Hilo Branch — contributed greatly to the training program. Many of those Peace Corps volunteers, who spent years forming connections abroad during their Peace Corps work, returned to Hawaiʻi Island as professors, teachers, community leaders and more, all enriching local communities with their professional lives and service.
- See a selection of Professor Lee’s biographies of former Peace Corps volunteers (UH Hilo Stories)
By the global nature of the Peace Corps, Lee’s biographical work on former volunteers has also been noticed outside the state. “My work in this area extends far beyond Hawaiʻi,” she says. “Just last week, a leader of a returned Peace Corps volunteer group on the East Coast reached out to share their upcoming publication, filled with narrative histories and photos, for our archival records.”
Strengthening UH Hilo course on U.S. Foreign Policy
Lee says the timing of the Korean forum was personally perfect as she prepares to teach an upcoming course on U.S. Foreign Policy.
“While that curriculum traditionally examines global relations from the U.S. perspective, participating in this event allowed me to analyze the ROK–U.S. military alliance deeply from the South Korean perspective,” says Lee. “Bringing these real-time, bilateral insights directly back to the course provides our students with a much richer, more nuanced understanding of how foreign policy operates in practice.”
Lee says that because foreign policy fundamentally relies on utilizing critical thinking to solve real-world problems and improve human well-being, the demand for skilled professionals in this sector continues to soar. She cites a Kiplinger industry report that ranks foreign policy among the top ten most lucrative career paths.
“Ultimately, I view international relations as an open door for the next generation of leadership,” Lee says. “This field truly has a place for everyone. If you thrive on challenges, enjoy creative problem-solving, and want to see the tangible differences you can make in people’s lives, this is exactly where you want to be.”
By Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
