South Korea

This article was published in The Korea Times on April 10, 2024. In March, Russia vetoed a routine resolution to extend the mandate of the U.N. Panel of Experts. Moscow’s…

KEI President Scott Snyder was interviewed by the Voice of America Korean Service for the “Washington Talk” show. This video was published in Voice of America on March 30, 2024.  …

This article was published in The Diplomat on March 30, 2024. Nowadays conversations with South Korean counterparts begin and end with concerns about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible return…

This article was published in The Korea Times on March 13, 2024. With Donald Trump set to be the Republican presidential nominee after a string of primary wins on March…

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 a battery factory, reportedly near Kokomo, IN where its gigafactory…

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…