Asia

The relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea is unique; the challenges it faces are not. Next-generation views of the ties between Seoul and Washington do not…

The three major economies in Northeast Asia have not escaped damage from the Atlantic-centered financial crisis and Great Recession. Japan has suffered the most in terms of employment and economic…

North Korean questions can be examined from both traditional and nontraditional security perspectives. North Korea’s use of resources to maintain a large conventional military force continues to pose a traditional…

Security relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, like those of any other two closely entwined neighbors, glisten with the multiple facets of complexity. A number of structural conditions…

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 Troy Stangarone As Park Geun-hye takes office as South Korea’s first female president, she comes into power at a time of contradictions and challenges. The lives of South Koreans have perhaps never been better. The nation is wealthier than it has ever been. Unemployment is low despite continuing troubles in many of South Korea’s…

By Troy Stangarone With North Korea having successfully conducted a third nuclear test, questions are once again being raised about the Obama administration’s policy of “strategic patience” towards North Korea. However, have critics of strategic patience hit on a fundamental flaw of the policy or are they merely expressing their policy preferences? One of the…

By Troy Stangarone Sleek. Trendy. Cutting edge. Creative. Elegant. And at times bold. All describe fashion in Korea. For Korea, fashion is very much a part of the culture. From a Korean-American colleague of mine who could go toe-to-toe with any of the world’s fashionistas to the trendy and hip fashions of the recent Yeosu…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz North Korea conducted a third nuclear test, and initial reports indicate a potentially larger explosion. North Korea’s media stated the test used a “miniaturized and lighter nuclear device.” If true, and combined with its successful rocket launch in December, these recent actions suggest North Korea’s ability to increase its direct military threat…