This week on the Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin Kim and John Lee sit down with Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss how U.S. alliances are changing and what that means for South Korea.

The episode begins with a look at why U.S. allies should not be treated as a single category, and how South Korea’s alliance with Washington differs from those involving NATO, Japan, Canada and Australia.

The conversation then turns to South Korea’s growing defense autonomy, extended deterrence and the debate over whether Seoul could eventually seek its own nuclear weapons.

The episode also looks at how U.S. policy uncertainty, regional contingencies and the Strait of Hormuz crisis are shaping South Korea’s strategic choices — from energy security to Taiwan and OPCON transfer.

About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly conversation hosted by Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim, Managing Editor John Lee and correspondent Joon Ha Park, delivering deep, clear analysis of South Korean politics, diplomacy, security, society and technology for professionals who need more than headlines. Uploaded every Friday.

This episode was recorded on Thursday May 21, 2026

Audio edited by Alannah Hill