North America

Long before BTS and Psy made their debut, a handful of entrepreneurs were laying the foundations for what would become the Korean Wave in the United States. With Korean pop culture…

Korea today leads the world in autos and electronics, but newly emerging manufacturers and protectionism threaten the country's position as a leading exporter. In search of innovative industries that will…

K-pop had an explosive year in 2018, but it didn't arise from a vacuum. Since 1998, one web community – Soompi – has been sharing the latest information about Korea's…

For the latest episode, Korean Kontext spoke to Korean-American actor James Kyson. Having made waves for his performance as Japanese character Ando Masahashi on hit NBC television series “Heroes”, Korean Kontext…

KEI’s 2020 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula focuses on U.S. views on relations with South Korea, U.S. awareness of South Korean brands and cultural products, and views…

The 2012 electi on saw the rising prominence of Korean Americans as an increasingly visible force in U.S. politi cs. This paper discusses key features of the Korean American vote,…

The Secretary of State has the responsibility to designate countries as state sponsors of terrorism. This document outlines the legal framework, background, and applications of the State Sponsor of Terrorism…

KEI has bid farewell to 6 of its 9 family members this year. The faces and personalities are changing, but KEI’s commitment to excellence remains. We have a basic philosophy…

I recently traveled to Dallas, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma to give talks on my new book on the US-South Korea alliance. It is increasingly difficult for me to travel around the United States without discovering new aspects of American interactions with the Korean Peninsula. As KEI fulfills our mission of promoting knowledge and understanding about…

The world is in a technology revolution surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). Companies are competing to scoop up the best AI talent, and each is looking to be the first to shore up partnerships with the top firms. Among others, Meta with Dell to cooperate on Llama 2; Apple with Google to incorporate their Gemini AI;…

On April 15, the US Department of Commerce awarded $6.4 billion in direct CHIPS Act funding to Samsung Electronics for its operations in Texas. This helps to contribute to the more than $45 billion in total Samsung is injecting across all projects in its new Taylor, Texas chip manufacturing facility and existing facility in Austin.…

With a possible second Trump Administration less than a year away, it is worth reviewing the roots of Donald Trump’s foreign policy and seeing what lessons might be learned from his Presidency.  President Trump’s approach to foreign affairs was neither unprecedented nor incomprehensible.  Its roots are in American history, and its principles are discernible.  The…