Korea, South

In this episode of Korean Kontext, I have the opportunity to speak with Richard V. Allen, who, in the weeks preceding his official instatement as National Security Advisor to President-elect…

We bring the Korean Kontext studio to the U.S. Department of State to speak with Kathleen Stephens, current U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Ambassador Stephens shares with us her personal…

Hello again after the holiday break! Just before the holidays I spoke with Hawon Lee, who was just wrapping up his nearly four years as Washington D.C. Bureau Chief of…

In this episode, we are joined by Balbina Hwang, currently a visiting professor at Georgetown University and the National Defense University here in D.C. Ms. Hwang is here to speak…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz April is often a contentious month for inter-Korean relations. With joint and combined military exercises, along with anniversaries and holidays, there are plenty of opportunities for provocations and hateful rhetoric. April 2014 was no different. An inter-Korean understanding earlier in the year toward ceasing hostile rhetoric has collapsed and North Korea again…

By Phil Eskeland Just prior to President Obama’s recent trip to Asia, critics of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) blamed the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) for the “exploding” U.S. trade deficit with South Korea.  Thus, opponents of FTAs use this specific bilateral trade statistic to argue against TPP and providing Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz Reassure, reaffirm, reengage, and rebalance are all going to be key words used during President Obama’s trip to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. This is a very important trip for President Obama. During this visit to Asia, President Obama has to try to make up for the cancellation of a…

By Clare Hubbard  The official statement regarding President Obama’s April trip to Korea indicates that the main discussion points will be the ongoing implementation of the KORUS FTA, recent developments in North Korea, and reaffirming the U.S.-Korea alliance. However, one main reason for Obama’s trip to the peninsula is missing from the itinerary released by…

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.