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 Sarah K. Yun Both the United States and China went through leadership transitions in November. In the United States  President Barack Obama was reelected, while China announced a new era under General Secretary Xi Jiping.  With both countries future leadership now decided, what are the implications for Korea as the U.S. and China consolidate…

By Chad O'Carroll With North Korea having conducted two long range rocket launches in a year, many analysts have been speculating as to why Pyongyang was so keen to try another launch just months after the last one ended in catastrophic failure. One straightforward theory suggests Pyongyang wants an inter-continental ballistic missile capability and that…

North Korea's announcement that it would be launching a satellite between December 10 and 22 means that it coincides with the timing of South Korea's Presidential election, scheduled to take place on December 19. Will the DPRK rocket launch affect the outcome of the election? Only time will tell.  But according to the latest Asan…

By Clare Hubbard The global sensation of “Gangnam Style” depicts Korea as a society of superfluous spenders fueling an accelerating economy. Currently, that economy is showing the same signs of downturn that occurred before the 2008 global economic crisis. While South Korea was able to avoid most of the global economic crisis in 2008, its…

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.