United States of America

Strengthening economic ties among South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the United States would contribute to shared goals and facilitate growth in the wider Asia-Pacific community. After reviewing Korea-Southeast Asia ties,…

South Korea (Republic of Korea – ROK) is well recognizedfor achieving remarkable success: transforming itself from an impoverished, war-torn society into a modern, developed, and democratic nation within the span…

Southeast Asia/ASEAN is enormously important to the “rebalancing” and “pivot” of American policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, in recent years, there has been considerable scholarly and analytical debate…

China’s ideal outcome for North Korea is a Goldilocks state—one that is not so strong to challenge China or so weak that its implosion threatens Chinese interests. China’s multifaceted approach…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz October started off well for inter-Korean relations, but ended in disappointment. North Korea surprisingly sent three of its top leaders to Incheon, South Korea for the closing of the Asian Games and to meet with South Korean officials. Following the meetings, the two Koreas announced their desire to have another high level…

By Adam Cathcart As the rest of the world gets accustomed to seeing Kim Jong-un walk with a cane, we might do well to figure out what, if anything, is changing about the way that the broader North Korean state engages with the economic powerhouses that engulf its southern and northern peripheries. KEI's Director of…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz From the Hack North Korea contest to smuggling in USBs and launching balloons over the DMZ, there have been many ways people have tried to get outside information to the North Korean people. Recently, an effective strategy was simply to have a powerful wireless Internet signal that anyone can access. This move,…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz & Phil Eskeland With the expectation of the confirmation of Mark Lippert to be the United States’ next Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (South Korea), he will face a series of challenges and opportunities in his new role. In his prepared testimony and at his nomination hearing, Mr. Lippert rightly discussed…

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.