Economics

In this special episode, Korean Kontext had the opportunity to speak to South Korean Minister for Trade, Bark Taeho, during his latest visit to Washington DC. KEI’s Vice President, Dr.…

By the time you read this, the KORUS FTA will have entered the implementation stage. To celebrate, Korean Kontext caught up with two of the main movers-and-shakers behind the deal…

In this episode, Korea Economic Institute’s Director of Communications Chad 0Carroll speaks with Scott Snyder of the Council on Foreign Relations. Having written a number of publications on U.S. relations…

This episode takes us directly into the office of Ambassador Han Duk-Soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, who shares his thoughts on the much-anticipated G-20…

On August 9th, President Biden signed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act to boost U.S. investment in the semiconductor industry and incentivize domestic manufacturers. Some of its major provisions incentivize investment in the United States by major foreign chip manufacturers, namely those from Taiwan and South Korea. Framed as a…

On July 4, the foreign ministers of South Korea and Mexico agreed to expand economic cooperation. Building on the resumption of free trade agreement negotiations earlier this year, the two nations emphasized economic security and supply chains as areas for increased collaboration. In addition to directly responding to global concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing…

*Since the below article was published, KakaoTalk decided to drop its challenge against Google's control over in-app payments. However, Korea's revised Telecommunications Business Act still sets the stage for future challenges with global ramifications. Google suspended software updates for KakaoTalk, South Korea’s most popular mobile messaging app, after the latter refused the U.S. tech giant’s demand…

On June 20, 2022, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) began recruiting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for a new program designed to bolster SMEs’ preparation against international patent disputes. This reflected Korea’s recognition of SMEs as a leader in the country’s technological advancement. According to the KIPO, the total number of patent applications in…

As disruptions in supply chains continue, what practical steps can the U.S. and Korea take to strengthen supply chains against future crises?