Asia

South Korea is currently engaged, once again, in a large-scale, expensive modernization of its military that aims to provide the country with a more robust and self-sufficient defense. The timing…

Globalization is a hallmark of the twenty first-century world. As transportation and telecommunications grow in both efficiency and level of performance and as the ambit of the Internet expands, it…

The penetration of the Internet in Korean society is usually seen as a positive development, perhaps even a model for other countries; more efficient bureaucracy, more political figures making use…

In the field of international security, few connections have been made between the Korean peninsula with the Middle East. Traditional regional studies literature focuses on Korean issues within the Asia…

Strategically located at the crossroads of Central Asia, China, and Russia, Mongolia has long attracted the attention of regional powers – including the Koreas. How is this traditionally-nomadic, but resource-rich,…

Though hesitant to officially join the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, South Korea is seeking to promote many of the same values through the Moon administration’s “New Southern Policy.” Central to this…

The U.S. Peace Corps was active in South Korea between 1961 and 1981. One of the many volunteers who served in South Korea was KEI president and CEO Kathleen Stephens.…

This month, the world was reminded once again that the relationship between the Republic of Korea and Japan is deeply fractious. Japan has imposed restrictions on the export of chemical…

By Patrick Niceforo  Since the end of the Korean War, more than 200,000 children from South Korea have been adopted around the world. A crowdsourced map shows Korean adoptees in the United States, Norway, and Australia, among other countries. With the peak of overseas Korean adoption in the 1980s, it is unsurprising that Korean adoptees have…

By Troy Stangarone In late June, President Donald Trump signaled a shift in the administration’s North Korea policy when he tweeted that “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried.” Little more than a week later…

By Mark Tokola, Jenna Gibson, and Kyle Ferrier With summer already well underway, KEI staff members wanted to share a few books that are on our personal reading lists before autumn is on our doorstep! All books are in English and available in bookstores or online. Make sure to share your summer reading recommendations in…

By Seung Hwan Chung The U.S. Eighth Army, the main symbol of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), transferred its headquarters from Yongsan base in central Seoul to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek on July 11. Located 40 miles south of Seoul, Camp Humphreys is the center of the largest construction and transformation project in the U.S. Department…