2021 in Review: North Korea’s Handling of the Pandemic
The North Korean border continues to be closed since extensive quarantine conditions were imposed following the disclosure of COVID-19 in China.
Academic Desires Conflict with Public Health Priorities
Value placed on education complicates enforcement of measures restricting people’s access to public places based on their vaccine status.
Public Health Policy Accommodate Foreign Relations
Seoul’s focus on managing relations with its principal partners can be seen in its response to demands from foreign nationals living in the country.
North Korea Facing “Acute Food Insecurity” but United Nations Plans No Aid
Despite the acknowledged food insecurity in North Korea, the UN’s humanitarian response plan does not include an appeal for assistance to the North.
Anti-feminism Endangers the Korean Wave
Suffocation of the creative arts represents one potential fallout of the increasingly vocal anti-feminist ideology in South Korea.
Fragmented Public Policy Response to Low Fertility
While the focus on child subsidies is not misplaced, the government may be missing the larger picture in its attempts to reverse the demographic decline.
Increasingly Gendered Framing of the Labor Market
The public response to the stabbing in Incheon highlights that the public increasingly sees social issues through the narrow lens of gender.
Will the Next President Climb the Mount of Distrust Between Korea and Japan?
Regardless of who the next Korean president is, he will have an opportunity to refocus the very critical relationship between Seoul and Tokyo.