Chung Mong-joon, founder and honorary chair of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, called for the creation of an Asian NATO, a regional collective security system for the Indo-Pacific region, and the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula.
Chung delivered his speech while attending a donation ceremony on Monday in Washington to commemorate the establishment of the MJ Chung Distinguished Chair in Security Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Chung, who earned his Ph.D. in international relations from the SAIS in 1993, donated $7.5 million to establish the endowed professorship named in his honor, Seoul-based think tank said Tuesday.
In his remarks, Chung outlined two key reasons for establishing the chair: to express gratitude to the US for its steadfast commitment to its treaty ally and to align with the alliance’s growing significance as it navigates major security challenges and emerging opportunities.
On the security side, Chung further stressed the “need to contemplate collective security measures for Asia.”
“The United States and its allies and partners also need to show credible resolve to deter North Korean, Chinese and Russian military adventurism,” Chung said. “We need an Asian version of NATO. We may call it the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization (IPTO).”
Chung further explained that the US serves as the hub of the"hub-and-spokes" alliance framework, while its treaty allies — South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand — act as the spokes. Chung emphasized the necessity to enhance cooperation among these allies, referred to as "spoke-to-spoke" cooperation.
Chung also highlighted the salience of enhancing partnerships with India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam for regional stability and security.
“Let me reiterate that this is not about containment or regime change of a sovereign state. It is about ensuring that the sovereignty of all countries in the Indo-Pacific is respected so that we can live free from coercion,” Chung said.
Chung also advocated the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in 1991 with the end of the Cold War, pointing out that the US continues to station around 100 of them in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
“The logic of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Europe but not in the Korean Peninsula, where the security situation is more severe, is not convincing,” Chung said. “Now, the redeployment of some of these weapons to the bases in South Korea needs to be considered.”
On the defense front, Chung spoke of the potential for naval shipbuilding cooperation among the allies, welcoming US President Donald Trump's expressed interest in the sector.
"This will help keep the US naval fleet stronger. South Korea has much to contribute to these collective efforts."
Monday's event was attended by representatives from the Embassy of South Korea, Director Lee Su-yeon of the Korea Foundation USA, SAIS Dean James Steinberg, Professors Hal Brands and Francis Gavin, faculty members and graduate students, and other invitees.
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