Foreign Relations

North Korea is a country easy to approach emotionally. For anyone with even a little twinge of conscience toward human rights, it evokes disgust. For many in South Korea, who…

“We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies.” The words of the 19thcentury British statesman Lord Palmerstone seem to resonate in 21st-century Asia. For example, China and…

Since Kevin Rudd and the Australian Labor Party ended Prime Minister John Howard’s 11 1/2 years in office in late 2007, each new government in Canberra has faced a very…

China and India together account for one-third of humanity. Both were advanced civilizations when Europe was in the Dark Ages. Until the 19th century, they constituted the world’s largest economies.…

On July 18, 2023, U.S. Army soldier Pvt Travis King, who was on a civilian tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone that marks the boundary between South Korea and North Korea) bolted from the tour group and sprinted onto the North Korean side of the boundary.  He was chased by soldiers guarding the south side…

Recent remarks by China’s ambassador to Seoul have prompted strong and diverse reactions from media and politicians in the region. During a press spray prior to having dinner with South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung at the Chinese ambassador’s residence on June 8, China’s Ambassador Xing Haiming in prepared remarks cautioned South Korea…

In mid-May, President Yoon Suk Yeol became the fourth Korean president to participate in a Group of Seven summit. Korea was among the eight states invited to observe the gathering hosted by Japan in the city of Hiroshima. Over the course of three days, President Yoon met with both other world leaders as well as…

A remarkably detailed joint statement emerged from the May 22, 2023, summit meeting in Seoul between President Yoon Suk Yeol and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel--the twin leadership of the EU.  The statement noted the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and ROK; described common…