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…

For many people who visit Korea for the first time, one of the things that stands out the most is the country's clean, reliable, and efficient public transportation. This was…

More than 100 million Americans cast their ballots on November 8, and we have a new president-elect. The Trump victory came as a surprise to most, with polls and pundits…

In this episode, which originally aired in 2011, we hear from author Mike Kim, who speaks with Korean Kontext about his experiences living and working with North Korean refugees on…

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 woes have hit a crescendo in recent weeks, with the company officially halting production and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officially banning the devices from all…

This is the second in a two part series looking at the entry of South and North Korea into the United Nations. The first part can be found here.  Since their admission to the UN, the two Koreas have played quite different roles in the organization.  In the thirty years since it became a UN…

This week, the winner of the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election will take the premiership, because the party controls the National Diet. But no matter who wins the election, experts say the deep freeze in Korea-Japan relations are unlikely to change. Based on statements made by the candidates, it seems that there is a dearth…

This is the first in a two part series looking at the entry of South and North Korea into the United Nations. The second part can be found here. September 17 marked the 30th anniversary of the entry of North Korea and South Korea into full membership in the United Nations.  In recommending admission of…

What Happened In early September 2021, a human rights group brought public attention to the suicide of a verbal and physical bullying victim in the South Korean navy. This comes on the heels of several recent highly-publicized suicides and abuse incidents within the Korean military. In response to years of public pressure, the government has steadily advanced changes, including civilian court trials for military personnel…