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…

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…

What Happened There is speculation in South Korea that the Biden administration will strengthen ties between democratic countries to affect U.S. engagement with China. While Seoul has been hesitant to make any moves that might provoke China, former ROK ambassador to the United States Yang Sung-chul noted that the forum can be a means to advance South Korea’s own…

What Happened A record number of retail investors - over 2 million - are expected to attend Samsung Electronics’ virtual shareholder meeting in March. A growing number of domestic retail investors have been purchasing Samsung stocks, leading to its value doubling since March 2020. Retail investors make up 99.6% of Samsung Electronics’ shareholders but they only control 6.48% of the company’s…

What Happened On February 12, a member of the National Assembly noted that 23.5 percent of all North Korean defectors who received medical attention were treated for mental health issues in 2019. Although the South Korean public-at-large is likely underreporting their mental health needs, the defector community showed significantly higher rates than the societal average (4.6 percent) in…

In recent months, western media reporting has emphasized Kim Jong Un’s emotion-laden comments admitting both North Korea’s failure to meet economic goals and the severe hardships being experienced by its people. These statements have been characterized by some western observers as apologies, contrition and personal admissions of “his” failure. Such characterizations should not lead to…