Economics

With relations between Korea and Japan improving over the last year the leaders of the United States, Korea, and Japan met in Washington on August 18 to discuss a common…

On May 1, 2023, KEI hosted a conversation between Ambassador Marc Knapper and Ambassador (ret.) Kathleen Stephens on potential new and expanded areas of trilateral cooperation between the United States,…

30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, people’s aspiration to establish a pluralistic liberal democracy appears to be under scrutiny around the world – anti-immigration policies dominate political…

Strategically located at the crossroads of Central Asia, China, and Russia, Mongolia has long attracted the attention of regional powers – including the Koreas. How is this traditionally-nomadic, but resource-rich,…

South Korea’s rapprochement with Japan and North Korea’s embrace of Russia significantly shaped events on the Korean Peninsula in 2023. Both promise to have a substantial impact on events in the coming year. After years of declining relations, South Korea took the initiative to mend ties with Japan by proposing a path for resolving the…

Investment Announcements December 20, 2023 ­­– LG Chem begins construction on its cathode plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, set to begin production in 2026. The $1.4 billion injection as part of the construction is the first phase of its $3.2 billion investment plan delineated in an MOU LG Chem signed with the State of Tennessee in…

North Korea was the first country to severely restrict travel and trade across its borders when the pandemic began in 2020. While the rest of the world has since largely returned to normal, many of North Korea’s COVID restrictions remained in place at the beginning of 2023. However, Pyongyang began to ease these constraints in…

In April 2023, provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) went into effect regarding standards for battery components and critical mineral materials. This had been the source of significant uncertainty for Korean electric vehicle (EV) makers and their suppliers as Korean companies were subsequently left off the list of eligible vehicles for the Section 30D…

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