Asia

An old Korean proverb says that when two whales fight it is the shrimps whose backs are crushed. Maybe that proverb best describes Korea’s situation on the trade front these…

The Domestic and International Politics of Spent Nuclear Fuel in South Korea: Are We Approaching Meltdown?

Geography alone would give Russia a prominent role in the Korean peninsula. The Russian Federation currently shares a recently demarcated 17-kilometer common border along the Tumen River with the Democratic…

The purpose of this research is to identify an exchange rate regime that would be suitable for North Korea to achieve its goal of economic reform. To do so, we…

Growing up in Tennessee and Alabama, Dr. David Oh never imagined he would one day be leading a mission to explore a metallic asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. But…

In 2017, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will complete the move of nearly all troops and support staff from Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to Camp Humphreys, 50 miles south of the…

For the first Korean Kontext podcast of 2017, five members of the KEI staff sat down with host Jenna Gibson for a chat about the volitility of 2016 and what…

The last several rounds of UN sanctions against the DPRK have been called the "strongest ever," and the new sanctions passed on November 30 are no different. There are some…

By Matthew Nitkoski According to former National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong, the United States will soon turn away from its North Korea denuclearization strategy and focus on nuclear non-proliferation issues. His comments come at a time when North Korean advancements in warheads and delivery mechanisms are forcing regional states to reassess their capabilities and reconsider…

By Mark Tokola One March 26th newspaper headline read: “South Korea Seeks Membership in Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.”  Another newspaper’s headline read: “Decision to Join China-Led Bank Tests South Korea’s Ties to U.S.”  The latter probably drew more readers because, face it, stories about multilateral lending institutions rarely stir excitement.  Stories about potential rifts between…

This is the third in a three part series on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The first part can be found here and the second part here. By Daniel P. Malone March 15, 2015 marks the third anniversary of the Korea - U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). July 1, 2015 will be the fourth anniversary…

This is the second part in a three part series on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The first part can be found here and the third part here. By Peter Allgeier Free trade agreements such as the KORUS FTA certainly aim to expand bilateral trade flows, and that usually is where the public and politicians…