Join us for a rapid reaction analysis of The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) 2025 summit, held in Gyeongju, South Korea from October 31 to November 1. Our discussion examines all the most significant outcomes in terms of trade and geopolitics, with special emphasis on the US, Korea, and the US-Korea relationship. The priorities for this year’s forum are: “Connect, Innovate, Prosper.” In a preparatory meeting, senior officials from APEC members discussed “strategies for digital economy integration, public health cooperation, and strengthening APEC’s role as an incubator of practical, consensus-driven solutions.” As host nation, Korea’s initiatives include: “addressing demographic change and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology.”
We are joined by Kate Kalutkiewicz, Senior Managing Director of the Trade Practice & McLarty Inbound at McLarty Associates, and Professor Jaemin Lee, Professor of Law at Seoul National University and Director of the Asia Pacific Law Institute of Seoul National University. The conversation will be moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado and policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.
APEC originated as a ministerial meeting of 12 Asian Pacific countries in 1989. The idea for the forum was proposed by Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke during a trip to Seoul in January 1989. A leaders’ summit was introduced in 1993 and a series of expansions increased the number of members to 21. South Korea previously hosted the ministerial meeting in Seoul 1991 and the leaders’ meeting in Busan 2005. APEC’s mission is to “support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.”
This program is co-hosted by The APEC Study Center at Columbia University.
This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.
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Rapid Reaction: APEC South Korea 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025 | 8 AM (EST)
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
About the Speakers:
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Jaemin Lee is currently Professor of Law at School of Law, Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. He obtained his LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D. from Seoul National University; LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center; and J.D. from Boston College Law School. His major areas of teaching and research are public international law, international economic law and international dispute settlement. He has published articles and books (including book chapters) on various topics of public international law, international trade law, international investment law, and trade policy. Upon graduation from College of Law, Seoul National University in 1992, he joined the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a foreign service officer. Between 2000 and 2004, he practiced law with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (Washington, D.C.) as an associate attorney of the firm’s international trade group. From 2004 to 2013 he taught international law and international economic law at School of Law, Hanyang University in Seoul. He served as President of the Korean Society of International Economic Law (2020-2021), and Vice President of the Korean Society of International Law (2021). He is currently serving as the Director of the Asia Pacific Law Institute of Seoul National University. He recently published: Artificial Intelligence and International Law (Springer, 2022) and East Asia in a New Legal Landscape: FTAs and Dispute Settlement (Seoul National Univ. Press, 2022).
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Kate Kalutkiewicz is Senior Managing Director and leads the McLarty trade practice and contributes to the firm’s Europe practice and McLarty Inbound. Kate has managed complex challenges around global trade, industrial, and investment policy for nearly two decades. Her experience spans roles in government, particularly in Europe and South America, where she honed her skills in negotiating complex international agreements and navigating the nuance around public-private sector interactions. Kate most recently served as Head of US Trade Policy for Amazon, where she advocated a broad range of international trade and economic issues with the US Government, touching several sectors, including retail, creative content production and distribution, cloud services, sustainable fleet, autos, and hardline manufacturing. Prior to that, Kate served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Trade at the National Economic Council, where she developed and led US trade policy initiatives. During her White House tenure, she led interagency teams responsible for the US G7 Presidency and US positions on supply chain resiliency and support for the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before serving in the White House, Kate was the Senior Trade Representative at the US Mission to the European Union from 2016-2020. While in Brussels, she was the USTR’s primary interlocutor with the European Commission and Member State authorities responsible for trade. Before her time in Brussels, Kate held the role of USTR’s Director for European Affairs (2011-2016) and served as Associate Chief Negotiator for the US in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. She began her career at USTR as its Director for Brazil and the Southern Cone (2007-2011), where she was the principal agency representative for implementing and managing US trade policy in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Prior to USTR, Kate was a legislative assistant in the office of Senator James Talent (R-MO), where she supported the Senator on issues related to trade, foreign policy, homeland security, immigration, and the judiciary. |