Asia

After the collapse of the Six-Party Talks in 2008 and the confrontational setting of 2009-12 when Sino-South Korean relations were mostly troubled, a new dynamic has emerged in the China-South…

Korea traditionally occupies an important place in Russia’s foreign policy directed at Asia. That was the case at the turn of the twentieth century and in the Soviet period. In…

On December 26 China’s leadership commemorated the 120th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s birth by bowing before his statue at the mausoleum in his honor on Tiananmen Square. On December 27…

South Korea has traditionally valued ethnic homogeneity. While that mentality remains, the emergence of a demographic shift is challenging the way South Koreans view national identity, or “Koreanness.” The immigration…

Hello again after the holiday break! Just before the holidays I spoke with Hawon Lee, who was just wrapping up his nearly four years as Washington D.C. Bureau Chief of…

In this episode we speak with Mr. Ken E. Gause, currently a senior research analyst with the International Affairs Group and Iranian Studies Program at CNA Strategic Studies in Alexandria,…

In this episode, we are joined by Balbina Hwang, currently a visiting professor at Georgetown University and the National Defense University here in D.C. Ms. Hwang is here to speak…

This episode takes us directly into the office of Ambassador Han Duk-Soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, who shares his thoughts on the much-anticipated G-20…

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…

By Chad 0'Carroll As the economic crisis continues to lead governments into austerity programs worldwide, South Korea is preparing to sign off on defense contracts totaling over $12 billion this year.  The biggest allocation of the budget is being reserved for the purchases of some $7.2 billion worth of next generation fighter jets, representing the…

Ben Hancock: 김연정과의 인터뷰 1. 김연정 선생님: 대학교 때 우연히 외국인에게 한국어를 가르쳤던 적이 있었는데 그 때 다른 문화와 언어를 사용하는 사람에게 우리 말과 글을 가르치는 것에 재미를 느껴서 막연히 이 일을 직업으로 하면 좋겠다고 생각했습니다. 하지만 제가 일을 시작할 당시에는 한국어를 가르치는 기관이 대학교 어학당을 제외하면 거의 없어서 일을 찾는 것이 생각보다 쉽지 않아서…