Korea, South

In May 2016, Park Geun Hye became the first South Korean president to visit the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia. This trip, which also included stops in Uganda and Kenya,…

This week, we have a very special guest who flew in from Paris to talk about Korea's economy. Dr. Randall Jones is head of the Japan/Korea Desk at the Organization…

As Seoul has grown, it has become more and more international. The city has been making an effort to attract more foreign visitors, whether as tourists, students or workers. This…

Over the last 50 years, Myanmar has oscillated between periods of friendship with South Korea and partnership with North Korea. As Myanmar opens to the international community, however, investment and…

The number of defectors fleeing North Korea and resettling in South Korea remains at very low levels. The number had begun to decline before 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic led Pyongyang to enforce harsher border controls to prevent North Koreans (and others) from entering the country from abroad and potentially bringing the virus with them.…

South Korea’s defense industry, known domestically as “K-Bangsan,” is emerging as a major global player. Defense exports (in terms of orders) have skyrocketed in recent years, having exported a total of $38 billion from 2021 to 2023 ($7.3 billion in 2021, $17.3 billion in 2022, and $13.5 billion last year). That comes to an annual…

While South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is in Washington, DC this week for the NATO Summit, another landmark trans-Pacific visit has been made with Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s arrival in Seoul. Coming as part of a ten-day trip to Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, Governor Abbott’s visit highlights the many ways Korean companies are partnering…

Korea stands out for its long life expectancy of 83.6 years as of 2021, the second longest among the 38 countries that are members of the OECD. In addition, its avoidable mortality rate (premature death from preventable and treatable causes) was 142 per 100,000 persons, well below the OECD average. Expanded access to healthcare has…

Please join KEI and KIEP for a discussion about the first 10 years of KORUS and the future of the U.S.-Korea economic relationship.