Asia

Recent developments on the Korean peninsula are raising expectations that the DPRK may finally be ready for a new era of political rapprochement and economic opening. This possibility is reflected…

The United States and Korea finished the eighth round of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in mid-March 2007, and the agreement is likely to be concluded eventually.1…

The U.S.-ROK bilateral economic relationship entered a new era 1 April 2007 when President George W. Bush notified the U.S. Congress of his intent to enter into a free trade…

Economic relations between Korea and the United States reached new heights in the year 2006 with the launch of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement. While the negotiations were…

Spanning nearly a century and multiple generations, Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel Pachinko tells the story of a Korean family struggling to find their place in Japan before, during, and after…

A woman in hanbok joyfully rises above Mt. Baekdu, arms raised, in a art piece entitled Umma Rises: Towards Global Peace. This is just one of many recent art pieces…

A group of women gossiping about the new neighbor. A feisty middle schooler using a homemade drone to prank his classmates. A young military officer seeking information from his past.…

With President Donald Trump finishing up his first official trip to Asia, including a stop in South Korea last week, this week's episode of Korean Kontext asks: what do South…

What Happened With increased financial digitization, Korean banks are shutting down their brick and mortar stores around the country. Throughout the pandemic, the elderly have struggled to access basic items such as masks using digital tools. More recently, their inability to quickly claim leftover vaccines through an online system left them at a disadvantage compared to the younger, tech-savvy population. Implications:…

Earlier this week, the North Korean Foreign Ministry released an article entitled “‘Humanitarian Aid’ Should Not Be Abused For Sinister Political Purpose.”  The article was given wide circulation—released by the Foreign Ministry and also the official press agency KCNA.  In a country where the media is rigidly controlled by the regime, the release of such…

With so many South Koreans adopting information and communication technology, the South Korean government used the data collected from its citizens to provide better public services. However, its success and other developments may be weakening the political support behind data privacy. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, public health officials have adopted technologies like quick response (QR)…

What Happened Last year, a revised law required public school teachers to undergo mandatory drug testing. Lawmakers revised the law in response to the rise of drug abuse in Korea in recent years. The Gyeonggi Province Teacher’s Union demanded education authorities re-examine the “unreasonable’ measure. Implications: Seeking to address growing societal problems, the South Korean government often overlooks communicating its…