2004 Posts located
The roller coaster of relations between Japan and South Korea has taken a sudden jolt with the December 28, 2015 agreement on “comfort women.” Some anticipate a turning point, stabilizing…
While Tokyo and Seoul are often paired as key U.S. allies in Asia, and both alliances are now more solid than ever, their individual alliance dynamics have varied in important…
On December 28, 2015, the Japanese and South Korean governments announced their agreement on the “comfort women” issue. This sudden breakthrough 70 years after the end of WWII and 24…
Most analysis of the extended nuclear crisis that first broke in 2002 has focused, quite legitimately, on the realm of high politics: the diplomatic and military strategies of the contending…
In this episode, Korea Economic Institute’s Director of Communications Chad 0Carroll speaks with Scott Snyder of the Council on Foreign Relations. Having written a number of publications on U.S. relations…
In this episode, Korea Economic Institute’s Director of Public Affairs and Regional Issues Sarah Yun speaks with Dr. Andrei Lankov of Kookimin University. Having written a number of books on…
In this episode, new Korean Kontext presenter speaks with Curtis Melvin, the man behind the NK Econ Watch blog and developer of “North Korea Uncovered”, a Google Map overlay that…
In this episode, we speak with Kevin O’Donnell, who, after decades on a private sector career path, became the first-ever Peace Corps country director for South Korea, followed by a…
By Mark Tokola On Wednesday, January 21, four Korean workers were crushed to death at the Geochung Shipbuilding Company in Busan when the operator’s cabin broke away from a 40-ton crane. A police officer told the press, “It appears that they were trying to disconnect the cabin without proper safety equipment.” The police will now…
By Andrew Haggard The casual observer may be perplexed by the recent headlines of supposed North Korean hackers effectively bringing Sony Pictures Entertainment’s computer systems to its knees. How does one reconcile NASA photos and satellite images showing the near-entirety of the northern part of the Korean peninsula in utter darkness with the picture of…
By Mark Tokola One thing everyone knows about North Korea is that it is isolated. Visits to the DPRK are controlled and monitored. Few North Koreans are allowed to travel abroad and then only for specific purposes. Because it is heavily sanctioned by the international community, international trade and investment is minimal. North Koreans are…
By Nicholas Hamisevicz During the last week of December, India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj visited Korea to co-chair with her counterpart, Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, the 8th India-Korea Joint Commission meeting, while one month prior South Korean President Park Geun-hye was able to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first…