Asia

South Korea is currently engaged, once again, in a large-scale, expensive modernization of its military that aims to provide the country with a more robust and self-sufficient defense. The timing…

Globalization is a hallmark of the twenty first-century world. As transportation and telecommunications grow in both efficiency and level of performance and as the ambit of the Internet expands, it…

The penetration of the Internet in Korean society is usually seen as a positive development, perhaps even a model for other countries; more efficient bureaucracy, more political figures making use…

In the field of international security, few connections have been made between the Korean peninsula with the Middle East. Traditional regional studies literature focuses on Korean issues within the Asia…

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…

Heads of government of the world’s 20 largest economies met in Rome for their annual G20 economic summit last week.  The G20 member countries together account for more than 80% of the world GDP, 75% of global trade, and 60% of the world’s population.  Although the organization’s 2020 summit was held virtually because of the…

According to the statistics from Korean Customs Service, Korean food product exports reached a record high with USD 4.3 billion shipments in 2020. This largest-ever increase in food exports (14.6%) came despite an overall decrease in total Korean export goods. In particular, the export of rice products and ramen soared by 53.3% to USD 37 million…

What Happened In March, the municipal government of Seoul ended its mandate for all foreign workers to be tested for COVID-19 after drawing criticism from lawmakers, activists, and foreign embassies. Observers commented that local health policies targeting Korea’s international community may harm the country’s engagements abroad. Ahead of Halloween, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to make special inspections…

What Happened The South Korean government shared biometric data collected at Incheon Airport with private sector artificial intelligence (AI) developers. Although the project was publicly disclosed in 2019, the government had not revealed to the public that the information would be shared with private sector companies. A privacy advocacy group plans to launch a class-action lawsuit in response to…