South Korea

This article was published in East Asia Form on February 24, 2024. After expanding by 2.6 per cent in 2022, South Korea’s economy cooled in 2023. Waning global demand for South…

This article was published in The National Interest on January 30, 2024. The trends driving the U.S.-ROK alliance to enhance cooperation around extended deterrence and establish the Nuclear Consultative Group…

This article was published on The  Diplomat on October 2, 2023 On October 1, the United States and South Korea marked the 70th anniversary of their security alliance. For much…

This article was published on The Asan Forum on September 4, 2023. The first ever stand-alone leader-level summit at Camp David between President Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan,…

After months of political uncertainty, South Korea has a new president. Lee Jae-myung, the former mayor of a wealthy Seoul satellite city who leveraged that experience into a governorship of the country’s most populous province and chairmanship of the Democratic Party (DP), won a decisive 49.4-percent victory over the ruling party’s leading candidate. Lee’s victory…

South Korea’s political vacuum has been filled by a politician with a mandate to lead but who faces innumerable simultaneous and overlapping domestic and international challenges. Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung won South Korea’s snap election on June 3, 2025, in a race that was never seriously in doubt. Buoyed by a sizable majority in…

South Korea’s Nextrade exchange—the country’s first alternative trading system to the long-dominant Korea Exchange (KRX)—debuted in March 2025. Nextrade extends trading hours, introduces lower transaction fees and increases product variation within capital markets. The persistent undervaluation of South Korean stocks compared to their Asia-Pacific counterparts is a phenomenon known as the ‘Korea discount’. By increasing…

On May 29, 2025, in what will likely be his last public speech as a government official, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul reviewed the accomplishments of and challenges faced by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Cho noted the challenges of navigating deepening international conflict and geopolitical rivalry. In addition, as a cabinet member in…