Asia

This paper argues that the impact of Hallyu (the Korean Wave) on the Korean economy has only been effective in boosting related sectors, such as cosmetics, fashion, and tourism. Interestingly,…

This paper proposes a framework for conceptualizing middle powerism in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, using South Korea as an example. The paper argues that the systemic transformation…

In the context of growing US-China tensions, South Korean administrations have opted for degrees of strategic ambiguity, refraining from overt actions that suggest South Korea is taking sides. While strategic…

KEI’s 2021 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula summarizes results from a survey commissioned by KEI and conducted by YouGov on August 30th to September 7th, 2021. The…

    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…