Heritage Expert

Bruce Klingner

  • Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia
Bruce Klingner is the Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center.

Klingner joined Heritage in 2007 after 20 years in the intelligence community working at the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency. In 1993, he was the selected as Chief of CIA's Korea Branch which provided analytic reports on military developments during the nuclear crisis with North Korea. From 1996-2001, Klingner was the Deputy Chief for Korea in the CIA's Directorate of Intelligence where he was responsible for analyzing Korean political, military, economic and leadership issues for the president and other senior policymakers.

His articles have appeared in The Financial Times, The Washington Times, USA Today, Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, Korea Herald, Korea Times, Seoul Shinmun, Kukmin Daily, Far Eastern Economic Review, Nikkei Weekly, The Asia Times, the Korea and World Affairs journal, International Journal of Korean Studies, the Korea Policy Review journal, and Yale Politic. His comments and analysis have appeared in CNN, CNN International, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox News TV, C-Span TV, BBC TV, SBS (Korea) TV, KBS (Korea) TV, NHK (Japan) TV, Arirang (Japan) TV, Al Jazeerra TV, The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Fortune, Newsweek, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, National Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, Defense News, Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan Times, Mainichi Shimbun, Kyodo News, Sekai Nippo, Sankei Daily.

Before coming to Heritage, Klingner spent several years at the Eurasia Group, a global political risk assessment firm. As the firm's primary Korea analyst, he wrote articles and analyses for most major Asian and American newspapers. He also was a frequent panelist in policy forums around Washington. Before working at Eurasia, he worked as the Director of Analysis and Senior Asia Analyst at the Intellibridge Corp., which provided intelligence and analysis to government and business decision-makers.

Klingner is a distinguished graduate of the National War College where he earned a master's degree in national security strategy in 2002. He also earned a master's in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College and has a bachelor's degree in political science from Middlebury College in Vermont. He is active in Korean martial arts and has attained third degree black belt in tae kwon do and first degree black belt in hapkido and teuk kong moo sool.
All Publications by Bruce Klingner
  • WebMemo posted March 11, 2010 by Bruce Klingner New North Korean Missile Unit Reflects Growing Missile Threat

    North Korea has established an independent military division responsible for controlling and deploying its intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs).[1] Known as the Musudan,[2] these IRBMs are a strategic-level asset controlled by the senior leadership. Little is known about the missile, but U.S. assessments… Read more

  • Commentary posted January 22, 2010 by Bruce Klingner The Audacity of Hype

    When Barack Obama was inaugurated a year ago, supporters made euphoric predictions of sweeping foreign-policy successes. He advocated dialogue with even the most despotic leaders, making the restoration of America's global image his administration's predominant international objective. The world has proved to be a tougher place than Obama's team expected,… Read more

  • WebMemo posted January 20, 2010 by Bruce Klingner Military Base Dispute Casts Shadow over U.S.–Japan Alliance

    On January 19, U.S. and Japanese leaders issued laudatory remarks commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.S.–Japan bilateral defense treaty. These remarks were made partly to deflect attention from an ongoing dispute that has caused tensions in the military partnership between the two nations. At the heart of… Read more

  • Backgrounder posted December 16, 2009 by Bruce Klingner U.S. Should Stay Firm on Implementation of Okinawa Force Realignment

    Abstract: Attempts by the new Japanese government to renegotiate terms of the Guam Agreement, which would realign U.S. military forces in Japan, have seriously strained U.S.-Japan relations, harming the bilateral military alliance. The situation has not yet become a crisis, but continued… Read more

  • WebMemo posted November 17, 2009 by Bruce Klingner Trade Dispute Undercuts Obama's Korea Trip

    Little drama is expected during President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea. Such relative calm is, in itself, quite significant, particularly in light of the expansive and violent anti-U.S. beef demonstrations that transfixed Seoul last year as well as the strained bilateral relations during the Roh Moo-hyun administration (2003-08). The… Read more

  • Backgrounder posted November 9, 2009 by Bruce Klingner Japan's Security Policy: Navigating the Troubled Waters Ahead

    Abstract: The U.S. relationship with Japan has just become more complicated. The recent election victory of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has resulted in more resistance to a truly shared U.S.-Japanese mission. Refusing to provide troops to aid the coalition in… Read more

  • Commentary posted September 2, 2009 by Bruce Klingner America's New Japan Challenge

    The rumbling you heard across the Pacific Ocean over the weekend was Japan moving further from the United States -- and closer to China. Japan's left-of-center opposition party, which has long spouted anti-capitalist and anti-US rhetoric, won a landslide victory in Sunday's election. The Democratic Party of… Read more

  • Commentary posted September 2, 2009 by Bruce Klingner DPJ victory poses challenges for U.S. alliance

    Japan's opposition Democratic Party of Japan fulfilled predictions by winning a landslide victory over the moribund ruling party. The change in government is historic: It is only the second time in 50 years that the Liberal Democratic Party has been out of power. A disgruntled and angry… Read more

  • WebMemo posted August 31, 2009 by Bruce Klingner Japanese Election Poses Challenges for U.S. Alliance

    Japan's opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) fulfilled predictions by winning a landslide victory over the moribund ruling party. The change in government is historic: It is only the second time in 50 years that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been out of power. A disgruntled and angry electorate threw the LDP… Read more

  • Backgrounder posted August 26, 2009 by Bruce Klingner How to Save the U.S.-Japan Alliance

    Countless official statements by the U.S. and Japan have highlighted the two countries' bilateral alliance as the linchpin or cornerstone of stability in Asia and indispensable to achieving the strategic objectives of both countries. Although true, such assertions are faulty on two counts: (1) they overlook the parallel criticality of the U.S.-South Korean… Read more