As we look back at the events that helped to shape the Korean peninsula in 2015, it is also an opportunity to review the events we highlighted on The Peninsula in our annual 10 Issues to Watch For on The Korean Peninsula in 2015 blog and the key events that we did not predict.
As recent events between China and Taiwan demonstrate, the conditions and circumstances of a meeting matter as much as the substance.
Still in the nascent stage of planning, a Northeast Asia Development Bank would serve as a multilateral development bank (MDB) to attract investment in Northeast Asia, specifically intending to incentivize the DPRK to denuclearize through access to external capital for development.
Although short of being a treaty, potential new new norms being negotiated by China and the United States could have longer-term implications, including for addressing cyber threats from North Korea.
With China now South Korea’s most significant export market, how responsible is the economic slowdown in China for the sharp decline in South Korean exports?
On September 1 new trade figures for the month of August indicated that South Korea’s exports had dropped 14.7 year-on-year continuing a trend since January that has seen year-on-year monthly declines.
When discussing what to do about North Korea, it is often suggested that China should do more to pressure North Korea to suspend its nuclear weapons program, stop military provocations, create a more constructive relationship with South Korea, and improve the lives of North Koreans.
There is a significant story behind the headlines about Korea applying to be one of the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), but it is not about whether South Korea likes the United States or China best.
While the process of internationalizing Kaesong may be slow, production seems to be bouncing back to normal levels.
The issues that will be shaping events on the Korean Peninsula in 2015.