1983 Posts located
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…
What Happened On March 24th, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted its 19th resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses. South Korea is not a co-sponsor of the resolution, though it will allow the resolution to be passed through consensus. This is the third year in a row that South Korea has not co-sponsored the resolution based on…
In his first remarks to the western press ahead of his second meeting with then President Donald Trump, Chairman Kim Jong-un said: “I won’t make predictions. But I instinctively feel that a good outcome will be produced.” He has not interacted with foreign journalists since then, but that long silence may soon come to an…
What Happened On March 23, the South Korean Defense Minister met with his UAE counterpart to discuss bilateral defense relations. South Korea’s Akh special forces unit first deployed to the UAE in 2011. In November of 2020, the National Assembly approved extending the Akh unit's deployment until the end of 2021. Implications: South Korea is willing to leverage military deployment to…
What Happened Criticizing the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises, Kim Jong-un’s sister threatened to withdraw from a 2018 agreement to reduce the military presence along the DMZ. The ROK Ministry of Unification noted that military drills should not be used to heighten tensions. The comments came just as the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense arrived in…