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…

Volcanologist Dr. Kayla Iacovino traveled to North Korea in 2013 as part of a team that was collaborating with North Korean scientists to study Mt. Baekdu, one of Korea's most…

Nicholas Hamisevicz has been KEI's director of research and academic affairs for four years. Now, he is leaving KEI to pursue his Ph.D at Catholic University. But before he goes,…

Within China, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is a principle stakeholder in Beijing’s policy decision-making. In recent years, PLA officials have penned some of the more interesting, and forceful, articles…

Over the past few years, North Korea has been holding press conferences starring so-called re-defectors – people who fled to the South and chose to return. Researchers Steven Denney and…

KEI’s Chad 0'Carroll recently interviewed Dr. Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University on the prospects for economic reform in North Korea and reunification. Dr. Lankov is scholar of Asia and a specialist in North Korea. Part 1 of the interview focuses on the likelihood that the new regime in Pyongyang will undertake economic reforms. Part 2,…

By Sarah K. Yun June 17, 2012 marks the six month anniversary of Kim Jong-un’s leadership in North Korea.  Some analysts predicted that the new Kim regime was unlikely to survive the first six months, but it has been surprisingly smooth sailing despite several major challenges.  The past half year can be seen as part…

By Sarah K. Yun Relations between China and North Korea have not always been monolithic.  The relationship has been tested and evolved in recent years with the 2006 missile launch and nuclear test, a 2009 missile launch which was also followed by the second nuclear test, and the recent missile launch in April 2012.  Additionally,…

By Chad 0'Carroll As South Korea evaluates a range of advanced fighter jets in preparation for an October decision on upgrading part of its air force, North Korean air force commanders are likely getting increasingly worried about their capacity to defend the skies of the DPRK. Although Pyongyang has long possessed a much larger air…