Research Interests

Dr. Lee’s research interests include international relations theory, East Asian security and foreign policy (the Korean peninsula, China and Japan), the nexus between international political economy and security and international institutions. She is currently working on a manuscript that examines the concept of hierarchy and the power of symbols in international politics. Her other policy-relevant research focuses on exploring the question of Korean unification from an East Asian International Relations perspective.

Selected Publications

•  “The U.S.-ROK Alliance and China: Beyond the Sinking of the Cheonan,” Asia-Pacific Bulletin, no. 62 (May 28, 2010).
• “The New Cold War in Asia?,” CSIS Comparative Connections, v. 12, n. 4 (January 2011) (with David Kang).
• “Japan’s New Government: Hope and Optimism,” CSIS Comparative Connections, v. 11, n. 3 (October 2009) (with David Kang).
• “Lost in the Six Party Talks,” CSIS Comparative Connections, v. 9, n. 4 (January 2008) (with David Kang).

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

• Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Politics and East Asian Studies, Oberlin College, 2009-11.
• The East-West Center POSCO Visiting Fellowship, 2009.
• The Jill Hopper Memorial Fellowship, Georgetown University, 2008-09.
• James A. Kelly Korean Studies Fellowship (Nonresident), Pacific Forum CSIS, 2010- present.

Professional Presentations

• "In the News Roundtable: North Korea," Mortara Center for International Studies, Georgetown University, 18 January 2012.
• “Japan and South Korea: the Role of US Alliances in Northeast Asia” & “China, the United States and Solving the Security Challenges on the Korean Peninsula,” The Geneva Center for Security Policy, 17-18 May 2011.
• “Unpacking Hierarchy of the Chinese World Order,” Was There an Historical East Asian International System?, University of Southern California and American University, 4-5 March 2011.
• “Serving Korean Interests by Serving the Great,” Roundtable on the Nature of Political and Spiritual Relations among Asian Leaders and Polities from the 14th to the 18th Centuries, University of British Columbia, 19-21 April 2010.
• “Back to the Future? The “Chinese World Order” and the rise of China today,” the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, 3-6 September 2009, Toronto.
• “The Chinese System of International Relations in Pre-modern East Asia: China at the Center in the Eyes of the Periphery,” the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, 28-31 August 2008, Boston.
• “Comparative Analysis of International Order under Chinese Empire,” the annual convention of the International Studies Association, 26-29 March 2008, San Francisco.
• “Why No NATO in Asia? The Case of SEATO,” the annual convention of the International Studies Association, 28 February- 3 March 2007, Chicago.