Asia

Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy predates that of the U.S. In fact, Abe Shinzo gets credit for envisioning it as early as 2007, during his first brief tenure as prime minister. When…

Over the past decade, the “Indo-Pacific” concept has replaced the late 20th century “Asia-Pacific” as a central frame of reference for strategy and external policy. Definitions vary. Some cast the…

KEI’s 2023 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula summarizes results from a survey commissioned by KEI and conducted by YouGov from August 22nd to August 29th, 2023. The…

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…

What Happened On May 13, the South Korean government announced it will provide tax incentives and subsidies to encourage growth and investment in the domestic chip market. On May 25, the government announced additional plans to provide financial incentives and support to domestic makers of automotive chips and other key car components. The government also sent requests to foreign automotive chip…

Despite differences in political ideology, South Korea’s relationship with Vietnam has deepened and evolved since formal diplomatic relations were established in 1992. Trade and economic investment have grown substantially, and the two countries have upgraded their bilateral relationship from a “dialogue partnership” to a “strategic partnership.” Next year’s 30th anniversary of South Korea’s diplomatic relations…

At the end of May, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea held his first in-person meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. The joint statement released by the U.S. indicates that the leaders discussed a wide range of areas to deepen cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea, from climate change and COVID-19,…

What Happened On May 21, Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden met to discuss the US-ROK alliance, vaccine partnerships, supply chains, and North Korea. Shortly after the summit, Moon announced a joint agreement on removing guidelines that limit the distance South Korean missiles can travel. The move is seen as a path for South Korea to develop greater sovereignty over its domestic…