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 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…

By Troy Stangarone As the only Northeast Asian nation not involved in the nuclear talks with North Korea, Mongolia is often left out of discussions about resolving the region’s most intractable security issue – the North Korean nuclear crisis. However, when Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj becomes the first head of state to meet with Kim…

By Troy Stangarone Every three years, the World Energy Congress brings together business and government leaders in the energy sector to discuss the challenges an economically vibrant and growing global economy faces as it works to meet increasing energy demands. This year’s conference in Daegu recently wrapped up and focused on the theme of “Securing…

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.