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…

A recent arson attack on a lawyer’s office revived concerns that violent crimes motivated by anger are on the rise in South Korea. The national police reported that around 40% of domestic arson attacks over the past decade have been “impulsive” and that this share has been steadily increasing over the years. While there is…

Billionaire Elon Musk recently drew attention to the falling number of births in South Korea, using it as a warning to other advanced economies. The country’s fertility rate in 2020 was 0.84 and the total population had begun to decline that year. However, the underlying problem is not, as Musk implies, people’s failure to “celebrate…

Seoul has hosted a Queer Festival annually since 2000, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in Korea that faces persistent social reprisals. But this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government refused to extend a permit for the event, which the organizers see as motivated by discrimination. The most vocal opponents of the festival, and gay rights overall, are…

In May, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a plaintiff who sought back pay from his former employer who had capped his wage on the basis of his age. Korean firms practice a “peak wage” system, which gradually cuts the salary of older workers as they approach retirement. The policy is intended to…

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.