Asia

Tensions between South Korea and Japan are frustratingly persistent. Despite the shared interests of both countries, such as economic development in Southeast Asia, and keeping a robust alliance with the…

While North Korea has developed Special Economic Zones for several decades now, these zones have attracted little attention from foreign investors, due to a mix of lack of economic reforms…

A coherent North Korea strategy must proceed from a theory of North Korean politics, strategy, and decision-making. Structured analytic techniques, particularly the analysis of competing hypotheses (ACH), are instrumental in…

During 2017-18, international attention turned to the Korean Peninsula as the threat of conflict reached new heights. This led to an explosion in the growth of “North Korea watchers”— the…

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…

In early February, advancing cooperation in space was one of the topics discussed between Korea and the United States. “We agreed that space is the next frontier in our expanding partnership,” said Foreign Minister Park Jin after meeting with his counterpart on February 3rd in DC. His remarks built on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s vision…

The announcement by South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin of a plan to resolve the issue of Korean wartime forced laborers on Monday marked a triumph of leadership and strategic decisiveness. But it was a triumph almost entirely due to Korea and the government of President Yoon Suk-yeol, in contrast to the timidity and political…

Spending on long-term care is increasing rapidly in many countries in line with population aging. Long-term care is defined as nursing care and assistance that enables elderly persons to live independently. Elderly care in Korea has traditionally been a family responsibility. A 2006 government survey reported that 67.3% of Koreans believed that caring for older…

This piece is one of 12 contributions to KEI’s special project on South Korea’s nuclear armament debate that will run on The Peninsula blog over the next month. The project’s contributors include young, emerging, and mid-career voices, examining the debate from a historical, a domestic, and an international perspective. On Wednesday, March 15, KEI will host…