Korea, South

In March, a curious protest took place in Seoul. Private kindergartens were going on strike. Protests by industry groups or workers are not uncommon in South Korea, but something about…

Although it is happening more rapidly in South Korea, an aging society is a common feature in post-industrial societies around the world. With the number of retirees growing and the…

In March, Seoul suffered from the worst air pollution on record. Enough that the South Korean government has officially designated the problem as a "social disaster." But what is causing…

Over the past few years, Korea and Koreans have experienced incredible political, social, and diplomatic shifts. It is hard keeping up with all these new developments as a Korea Watcher,…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz On December 26, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial Shinto shrine that honors Japanese war dead, including fourteen Class-A war criminals. The visit is unlikely to do much harm to Abe domestically, but foreign policy in the region will be a casualty. The visit confirms South Korean and Chinese perceptions…

By Troy Stangarone On November 29, Korea took the first step towards joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by announcing an expression of interest in taking part in the agreement. Over the next few weeks it will consult with current 12 members of the TPP, including the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia about its prospects…

By Jake Braunger and Da Seul Moon Award Winning Foods from Hard Working People Recent news out of South Korea is the excitement over having “kimchi” likely placed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritages. When one is asked to describe where they come from there is a myriad of topics they may choose to…

By Phil Eskeland Last month, the U.S. Department of Education released the results from the latest study on math and science scores of 8th grade students (ages 13-14) in all 50 U.S. states, comparing them to more than 40 countries and sub-national entities around the world.[1]  While more than two-thirds of all U.S. states exceeded the…

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.