North America

In this episode, Korean Kontext spoke to Korean-American actor Steven Yeun.  Having acted in several high profile TV shows, Yeun’s interest in acting originated during his freshman year at Kalamazoo College after watching…

On Friday January 13, the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) celebrated Korean American day at the Newseum, in Washington, DC.  As part of the celebration, KEI recognized three Korean-American pioneers in…

This episode features a conversation with Sam Yoon, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA). Prior to his work with NACEDA, Sam served on the…

In this episode we hear from Korean-American filmmaker Michael Kang, who made his directorial debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival with The Motel, which was awarded the Humanitas Prize…

In the past decade, the US and South Korea faced a relatively narrow set of challenges in cyberspace, notably North Korea’s cyber crime facilitating sanctions evasion. In the next decade,…

Defense industrial cooperation between the United States and South Korea is deeply rooted in the bilateral security alliance and has evolved over time. The United States has prioritized allied cooperation…

On September 15, 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced the formation of AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership intended to support Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. A…

KEI’s 2024 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula summarizes results from a survey commissioned by KEI and conducted by YouGov from September 3rd to September 10th, 2024. The…

Policy uncertainty in the United States has increased, which is influencing the long-term outlook for South Korean multinationals’ investment decisions. I use recent data to quantify the magnitude and drivers of this uncertainty, including trade, monetary, and fiscal policies. Then, I examine how firms may respond, such as aligning with U.S. policy initiatives, adopting a…

Amid all the talk of tariffs and investments in the United States, numerous reports and analyses have pointed to the benefits of deep socioeconomic linkages between the United States and South Korea. As President Donald Trump noted as early as 2019, “Hyundai, Samsung, CJ, Doosan, and SK Group… have created more than 50,000 brand new…

South Korean officials proposed “support[ing] the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuilding industry” as an avenue for cooperation during the two-plus-two tariff negotiations between the United States and South Korea on April 24, 2025. Moving forward, future negotiations by the United States on trade will continue to involve partnerships in areas where allied countries such as…

On May 8, President Donald Trump announced the first bilateral trade deal since unveiling the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2. The agreement with the United Kingdom, labeled as an “Economic Prosperity Deal” rather than a free trade agreement (FTA), portends what future trade deals may look like, particularly for close allies and trading…