Korea, South

  With the recent retirement by Yi So-yeon, South Korea’s remaining astronaut, many have turned attention to Korea, wondering whether there is a future for its space program. According to Daniel Pinkston of the…

    In this episode, we talk with Dr. Yiagadeesen Samy of Carleton University on income inequality in South Korea and its affect on Korea’s economy. Dr. Samy is an economist…

      President Obama wasn’t the only leader who had to make important visits to multiple Asian countries this past April. Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, had to make an important…

  The Francis Effect is everywhere. Time Magazine named Pope Francis their 2013 Person of the Year, another magazine dedicated specifically to covering Pope Francis has been started in Italy,…

By Phil Eskeland Last November, after many months of consideration, South Korea expressed its interest in joining the 12 other Pacific Rim nations in participating in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.  Almost immediately, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) welcomed Korea’s decision.  The aim of the talks is to conclude “an ambitious, comprehensive, and high-standard…

By Troy Stangarone In the ongoing debate over granting President Barack Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), previously known as Fast Track, three Democratic members of Congress pointed to increased merchandise trade deficits with Korea after the implementation of the KORUS FTA as a reason to oppose a new grant of TPA. However, while the merchandise…

By Kristen Lee During the 1960’s under President Park Chung-hee’s economic stewardship, the founders of today’s chaebol facilitated South Korea’s recovery after the war. These huge family-led business conglomerates became the foundation of the Korean economy and an integral part of Korea’s export-oriented growth. This rapid economic development, known as the “Miracle on the Han…

By Troy Stangarone In the aftermath of last spring’s shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the Park administration has sought international investment to serve as a bulwark against future actions by North Korea that would endanger Kaesong’s operations. While finding ways to raise the cost of a future shutdown for North Korea is a sensible…

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.