Politics

Though previous Korean governments have taken steps to support Korea’s transition to an advanced innovation-driven economy, the Park administration has significantly heightened the level of priority of these efforts in…

Security and political issues over the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula remain as flashpoints in East Asia since WWII. The authors argue that economic interdependence, together with negotiations and…

Since the end of the Korean War, the United States has been the largest supplier of defense systems to the Republic of Korea (ROK). The imperative of maintaining military interoperability…

This PDF is the full publication and contains all of the following sections: KEI Board of Directors KEI Advisory Council Preface Bilateral Competition and Cooperation Under New Leadership Introduction by…

This briefing comes from Korea View, a weekly newsletter published by the Korea Economic Institute. Korea View aims to cover developments that reveal trends on the Korean Peninsula but receive little attention in the United States. If you would like to sign up, please find the online form here. What Happened 66.2% voter turnout in the recent National Assembly…

By Robert R. King Two prominent North Korean defectors were elected to membership in South Korea’s National Assembly in elections held on April 15th.  This is the first time that two defectors will sit in the South Korean legislature.  Thae Yong-ho was elected to represent the Gangnam District of Seoul, and Ji Seong Ho was…

By Ingyeong Park In the midst of a global pandemic, South Korea is set to hold a general election today.  This a major undertaking as South Korea attempts to thread the needle between ensuring suffrage to all eligible voters (including people who may be infected with COVID-19) and keeping uninfected voters safe from exposure. Measures…

By Soo Jin Hwang Last year, South Korea adopted a new mixed-member proportional representation (PR) system. The revision aimed to improve representation by making it easier for previously underrepresented political parties to win a larger share of seats in the National Assembly. Simultaneously, it was a politically advantageous move for the ruling Democratic Party (DP),…