Asia

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (henceforth North Korea) certainly seems to like being different from other countries. Whereas governments of virtually all the world’s countries regularly publish data on…

Recent developments on the Korean peninsula are raising expectations that the DPRK may finally be ready for a new era of political rapprochement and economic opening. This possibility is reflected…

The United States and Korea finished the eighth round of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in mid-March 2007, and the agreement is likely to be concluded eventually.1…

The U.S.-ROK bilateral economic relationship entered a new era 1 April 2007 when President George W. Bush notified the U.S. Congress of his intent to enter into a free trade…

When Kim Jong-il died in 2011, the world held its breath as North Korea entered uncharted waters. No other communist dictatorship in the last century – for that matter no…

On June 25, 1950, North Korea launched a surprise invasion of South Korea and started a war that is still technically ongoing. But it was – as North Korea’s Kim…

The North Korean economy is changing – we know this because of widely reported growth of private markets since the famine of 1990s. But black markets and illicit activities are…

In May, The Korean-born Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin was named The National League Pitcher of the Month. When you think of Asians and baseball, you might think first…

In a recent report by Radio Free Asia, sources in Sinuiju, near the Chinese border, say residents have been told to expect food shortages until 2025. “Some of the residents are saying that the situation right now is so serious they don’t know if they can even survive the coming winter,” said the source, according…

Why are Korean cultural products going global when many other countries around the world also have a robust and dynamic domestic TV, music, and cinema scene? Some observers point to the Korean government’s direct support as the differentiating variable. But Sciences Po Paris lecturer Jimmyn Parc argues in a recent paper for KEI that the…

What Happened The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that it will begin a pilot service that allows people to search where sex offenders live using the map app provided by Korea’s largest online platform Naver. The service was created because the current system is updated less frequently than the Naver map. This follows a wave…

What Happened South Korea plans to deliver more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam, representing Seoul’s first direct vaccine commitment to a foreign nation. South Korean venture firms continue to expand in Southeast Asia with the government promising support for their outreach to ASEAN countries. South Korean President Moon Jae-in will participate in a series of ASEAN summits…