Asia

Seoul has gradually adopted a more outspoken position regarding the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and framed it in increasingly expansive terms—as a regional and global…

The development of the concept of the Indo-Pacific strategy, since its adoption by the United States in 2017, has primarily been driven by the emergence of China as an object…

While the use of the term “Indo-Pacific” is relatively new, debates about its use echo longstanding arguments about how the region should be defined: who is in, who is out,…

Although it is happening more rapidly in South Korea, an aging society is a common feature in post-industrial societies around the world. With the number of retirees growing and the…

In March, Seoul suffered from the worst air pollution on record. Enough that the South Korean government has officially designated the problem as a "social disaster." But what is causing…

Over the past few years, Korea and Koreans have experienced incredible political, social, and diplomatic shifts. It is hard keeping up with all these new developments as a Korea Watcher,…

Even before the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, foreign policy practitioners and observers were talking about the difficulties of sequencing international sanctions relief for North Korea…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz The recent ruling by India’s Supreme Court requiring Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-Hee to come to India to face criminal charges connected to the alleged failure of a Samsung subsidiary to pay one of its Indian suppliers is yet another example of how India continues to turn away potential Korean and international…

By Kristen Lee During the 1960’s under President Park Chung-hee’s economic stewardship, the founders of today’s chaebol facilitated South Korea’s recovery after the war. These huge family-led business conglomerates became the foundation of the Korean economy and an integral part of Korea’s export-oriented growth. This rapid economic development, known as the “Miracle on the Han…

By Troy Stangarone In the aftermath of last spring’s shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the Park administration has sought international investment to serve as a bulwark against future actions by North Korea that would endanger Kaesong’s operations. While finding ways to raise the cost of a future shutdown for North Korea is a sensible…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz South Korean President Park Geun-hye travelled to India this week for her first overseas trip in 2014. After meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 16, the two sides issued a “Joint Statement for Expansion of the Strategic Partnership.” Expansion is an accurate way to describe current relations between South…