Foreign Relations

China’s ideal outcome for North Korea is a Goldilocks state—one that is not so strong to challenge China or so weak that its implosion threatens Chinese interests. China’s multifaceted approach…

The six-party talks have been hindered by political shifts in the states involved, and especially by changing levels of support for the talks in Washington and Seoul. But the talks…

China, Japan, and South Korea are dependent on fossil fuels. This reliance perpetuates vulnerabilities to energy supply, incites resource competition, and exposes each country to fossil energy market volatility. Although…

The upcoming G-20 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Seoul on 11–12 November is of critical importance to the global economy as the world looks for guidance amid continued…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz The past few weeks have not been a good for India’s relations with the Korean peninsula as it recently went through a minor diplomatic rough patch with both North and South Korea. Though relatively undamaging, these situations indicated some of the difficulties in dealing with India. For South Korea, its embassy in…

By Troy Stangarone With sanctions by the United States and the European Union continuing to tighten on Iran, Korea has announced that it will halt imports of Iranian oil as of July 1. Korea’s decision makes it the first of Iran’s major export markets, and a key Asian consumer of Iranian oil, to fully cut…

By Sarah K. Yun Relations between China and North Korea have not always been monolithic.  The relationship has been tested and evolved in recent years with the 2006 missile launch and nuclear test, a 2009 missile launch which was also followed by the second nuclear test, and the recent missile launch in April 2012.  Additionally,…

By Ben Hancock Going to Korea to learn Korean has become significantly more popular in recent years. But despite the growth in numbers, interest among U.S. citizens still appears to be relatively weak, according to statistics from the Korean Ministry of Justice. In 2010, nearly 18,000 people -- 17,880 to be exact -- were in…