Korea, South

Public opinion can help to both shape and inform public policy. A president with strong approval numbers across ideological divides has significant scope to make policy decisions. While a national…

      Over the last decade, China has become an increasingly important country for South Korea has it has emerged as Seoul’s largest trading partner and a leading player…

    On April 8, North Korea withdrew all of its workers from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, temporarily placing on hold the last form of cooperation between North and South…

South Korea’s nuclear energy industry has for decades been facilitated through close cooperation with counterparts in the United States under what is known as a “123 Agreement”.  Today South Korea’s…

By Seongjin James Ahn Recently, South Korean music artist PSY projected himself into international fame with “Gangnam Style”, a song and music video that went viral online and parodies the opulent lifestyles of Seoul’s upper class – and of those who try to imitate it.  While both humorous and entertaining, PSY’s song ultimately points to…

By Chad 0’Carroll South Korea seems to have a branding problem when it comes to European perceptions of the country.  That’s according to a new poll which suggests European citizens view South Korea less favorably than do citizens from the United States. The study, “International Trends: Korea”, suggests that a striking 52 percent of Italians…

By Seongjin James Ahn Last week, state-owned Korea Gas Co. (KOGAS) beat out eight other bidders to secure a new $127 million pipeline deal in Iraq.  The contract, to be signed later this month, heralds yet another lucrative investment project for South Korea which, in recent years, has been very assertive in winning investment contracts…

The latest polling data from the Asan Institute for Public Policy includes the Institute's first results since Ahn Cheol-soo officially declared for the presidency. While Park Geun-hye has opened up a 10 point lead against Ahn and Moon Jae-in, she trails Ahn in a head-to-head race and is essentially tied with Moon.  

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.