Asia

Digitalization could open a new era of growth for Korea. Previous expansion waves, based on traditional industries, have fostered export-led growth and placed Korea among the world’s top ten economies.…

After an initial surge in cases, Korea was less seriously affected by the COVID-19 virus than other countries, but the subsequent recovery was relatively mild. The negative effect was concentrated…

This paper deals with one of the most critical issues in contemporary international relations: how China’s rise challenges foreign policies of U.S. allies, with a focus on the Republic of…

The rivalry between the United States and China is affecting countries in its midst. This particularly applies to South Korea. The country is a strong economic player with a successful…

    In the mid-1990s, North Korea experienced a famine that by some estimates wiped out 10 percent of the population. Though many at the time thought the regime would…

      Over the last decade, China has become an increasingly important country for South Korea has it has emerged as Seoul’s largest trading partner and a leading player…

    On April 8, North Korea withdrew all of its workers from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, temporarily placing on hold the last form of cooperation between North and South…

South Korea’s nuclear energy industry has for decades been facilitated through close cooperation with counterparts in the United States under what is known as a “123 Agreement”.  Today South Korea’s…

What Happened South Korea will ease entry restrictions for migrant workers as long as they have been vaccinated and have negative COVID test results. Small and medium-sized businesses in rural Korea have complained about labor shortages due to the sharp drop in the number of migrant workers during the pandemic. In 2020, the death of a Cambodian migrant worker on a…

Heads of government of the world’s 20 largest economies met in Rome for their annual G20 economic summit last week.  The G20 member countries together account for more than 80% of the world GDP, 75% of global trade, and 60% of the world’s population.  Although the organization’s 2020 summit was held virtually because of the…

According to the statistics from Korean Customs Service, Korean food product exports reached a record high with USD 4.3 billion shipments in 2020. This largest-ever increase in food exports (14.6%) came despite an overall decrease in total Korean export goods. In particular, the export of rice products and ramen soared by 53.3% to USD 37 million…

What Happened In March, the municipal government of Seoul ended its mandate for all foreign workers to be tested for COVID-19 after drawing criticism from lawmakers, activists, and foreign embassies. Observers commented that local health policies targeting Korea’s international community may harm the country’s engagements abroad. Ahead of Halloween, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to make special inspections…