Domestic

With North Korea announcing to the world that it will be attempting to launch a second satellite for 2012, many analysts have been speculating as to why Pyongyang is so…

In this episode we spoke to The Economist’s South Korea correspondent, Daniel Tudor. Having been based in Korea for over a decade, Tudor has just finished writing one of the…

With worldwide familiarity of Korean pop culture increasing through the viral exposure of Korean musician Psy’s hit record “Gangnam Style”, this episode Korean Kontext speaks to Mark James Russell, author…

Korean Kontext caught up with Man Asian literary prize winner Shin Kyung-sook for a chat about her latest novel, “Please Look After Mom”.  Shin became the first woman and South…

A video on the social media platform TikTok went viral after a popular vlogger was accosted while attempting to film a South Korean club’s anti-foreigner entry sign. The incident spurred conversations on the racism and xenophobia faced by the international community living within Korea, particularly in Seoul. Such occurrences are common, and several similar happenings…

North Korean officials confirmed the first deaths in the country from COVID-19 on May 13, and the latest North Korean news media reports state that well over a million North Koreans are suffering “fever symptoms.” (See reports in The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Guardian, BBC, CNN, Voice of America.) Kim Jong-un appeared…

On May 4th, Agricultural Minister nominee Chung Hwang-keun announced that he will push to end dog meat consumption. This culinary practice has been in place for centuries in Korea, creating a widespread discussion on whether the possible ban would be appropriate. While older generations and traditionalists oppose the ban, younger generations and animal rights activists…

The landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the United States, protecting women’s rights to choose without government restriction. Just as reproductive rights are under threat in the United States, they are just beginning to find footing in South Korea. South Korea instated a blanket ban in 1953, with a 1973 revision allowing…

The conversation will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Please join KEI and KIEP for a discussion about the first 10 years of KORUS and the future of the U.S.-Korea economic relationship.

Please join KEI for a discussion on American attitudes towards the Korean Peninsula after the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Please join KEI for a discussion on how COVID-19 has affected the growing rivalry between the United States and China.