South Korea

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,…

This article was published on The Korea Times on August 16, 2023. For much of the past year there has been a focus on how the CHIPS and Science Act…

This article was published on The Diplomat on August 7, 2013. On the July 27 anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, there were numerous tributes to the ultimate sacrifice so…

This article was published on The Korea Times on July 19, 2023. Dating back to last year’s presidential election, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has sought to transform Korea’s foreign…

Words and labels have power. They can frame the way we think, fortify assumptions, and build expectations. They also obfuscate and mislead. In academic, diplomatic and media settings, the routine descriptor to contextualize South Korea’s role in the world is “middle power.” We rarely think deeply about the term and are prone to ignore its…

Investment Announcements July 24, 2023: Samsung SDI announced plans to establish a second EV battery manufacturing “Gigafactory” facility as part of their StarPlus Energy joint venture with Stellantis. September 27, 2023: Samsung SDI announced it will inject $1.98 billion as part of its investment into the factory. The announced EV battery plant has an expected…

In his speech at a non-union auto workers' facility last week in lieu of a Republican debate performance, former President Donald Trump again made U.S.-Korea trade the focus of his protectionist rhetoric.  In outlining what he called his vision for the “revival of economic nationalism,” he boasted over what he believed was “saving American auto…

Two decades ago, South Korea was rarely called a middle power. Today, it invites ridicule to suggest South Korea is anything but a middle power. Given the concept’s ambiguity and lackluster academic credentials, why did the definition become so widely applied? The immediate answer is obvious. South Korea started to be labeled a middle power…