Yang Gyu Kim (South Korea)

Dr. Yang Gyu Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of National Security at the Korea National Defense University, where he specializes in deterrence theory, nuclear strategy, coercive diplomacy, and the strategic implications of emerging technologies. His research examines the credibility of threats, the feasibility of punishment, and policy choices following deterrence failure. His recent work focuses on the changing strategic environment on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear strategy, South Korean public support for nuclear armament, and the implications of the AI–nuclear nexus for crisis stability and future deterrence. He also studies U.S.-China strategic competition, the changing military balance in East Asia, and the geopolitical and policy consequences of sovereign AI and strategic alignment in the Indo-Pacific. 

Dr. Kim received his Ph.D. in International Relations from Florida International University and his B.A. and M.A. from Seoul National University. He is a recipient of the Fulbright Graduate Study Award and the Smith Richardson Foundation’s World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship.