Redrawing America’s Security Bargains in Northeast Asia
The Trump administration’s attempts to redraw the security bargains with South Korea and Japan are creating growing tension and uncertainty.
Diverging Interest Rates Compound Risks for South Korea
Contrasting interest rate directions by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan complicate South Korea’s economy.
Q4 2025 U.S.-Korea Trade, Investment, and Diplomacy Ledger
A must-read look at the trade deals and diplomacy that reshaped U.S.-Korea relations in Q4 2025.
2025 Year in Review: The Trump Tariff Strategy From IEEPA to Section 338
The Trump administration’s tariffs, partly functioning as a revenue stream for the government, faced numerous legal challenges in 2025.
North Korean Refugees Are Increasingly Finding Success in South Korea
Despite significant barriers, a new survey found that satisfaction among North Korean refugees in South Korea reached its highest level.
How APEC 2025 Laid the Path for Addressing South Korea’s Demographic Challenge
The real significance of South Korea’s successful 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit lies in the Lee administration’s decision to make demographics a major part of its policy agenda.
U.S.-South Korea Relations in 2026: Key Issues to Watch
From alliance recalibration to the “Korea Discount,” KEI experts analyze the critical issues shaping U.S.–South Korea relations in 2026.
Where Korea-China Ties Are Heading Following the Lee-Xi Summit
“China for economy, U.S. for security” is no longer tenable; time will tell just how this new Korea-China relationship will take shape.
What May Be Driving Trump’s Latest Tariff Threat Against South Korea
Investment commitments, tariff deals, and bilateral MOUs may now have to be completed with the caveat in mind that anything can change at a moment’s notice.
Lee Jae Myung Tests South Korea’s Pragmatic Diplomacy Between China and Japan
Seoul signaled commitment to a regional policy of pragmatic diplomacy, economic security, and broader regional stabilization.