Asia

Korea’s regulatory environment is often cited as being one of the most difficult aspects of doing business in Korea. Among the various regulations that foreign invested companies and foreign investors…

Well-functioning capital markets should encourage private saving and investment by channeling surplus funds to reach their most productive uses. In the process, well-functioning capital markets create a diverse menu of…

During the 1972 U.S. presidential campaign, “Deep Throat,” later revealed to be Associate Director Mark Felt of the FBI, counseled Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to “follow…

After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the Korean government geared up to carry out financial restructuring. As a result, the number of domestic financial institutions stood at almost half…

This spring, Han Kang became the first Korean author to win the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for her novel, "The Vegetarian." And, for the first time in the prize's…

North Korea recently experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history, as flood waters swept through towns in the northeast part of the country. Up to 600,000 people…

Middlebury College, famous for its immersive language programs, added Korean as its 11th language in 2015. Now, after two summers, the School of Korean is helping students from a variety…

With the goal of supporting the next generation of scholars interested in Korea and Northeast Asia, the U.S.-Korea Next Gen Scholars Program brings together young professionals from various backgrounds to…

By Troy Stangarone As the only Northeast Asian nation not involved in the nuclear talks with North Korea, Mongolia is often left out of discussions about resolving the region’s most intractable security issue – the North Korean nuclear crisis. However, when Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj becomes the first head of state to meet with Kim…

By Troy Stangarone At a recent international conference in Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for a “Eurasia Initiative” to link Europe and Asia via trade, transit, and energy.  However, achieving President Park’s vision will require developing a means of integrating North Korea into the broader Eurasian framework and mitigating the risk of Pyongyang…

By Troy Stangarone Every three years, the World Energy Congress brings together business and government leaders in the energy sector to discuss the challenges an economically vibrant and growing global economy faces as it works to meet increasing energy demands. This year’s conference in Daegu recently wrapped up and focused on the theme of “Securing…

By Linda Butcher Named as the most wired place on earth, it is no surprise that South Korea has faced many cybersecurity challenges with 2013 being one of its worst years. Unfortunately, at this time all that South Korea can do when dealing with cyberwarfare is play defense. Earlier this year, numerous South Korean websites…