Employee Motivation is Critical to Creating an Innovative Economy and Jobs

If Korean companies are able to exceed, or at a minimum match the world-wide average of an engaged workforce, government efforts to foster a creative...

Korea Moves Towards Joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership

While Korea's announcement is only the first step in the process, Korea's eventual membership in the TPP would be a natural outgrowth of the current...

Learning about People 6,500 Miles Apart: Comparing Cuisines from the State of Iowa and Jeolla Province

Recent news out of South Korea is the excitement over having “kimchi” likely placed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritages.

Korea and Asian Markets Look to Enhance Trade in Currencies Other than the Dollar

In recent weeks some of Asia’s biggest economies, including Korea, have concluded a series of currency swap agreements to facilitate trade without U.S. dollars.

Comparing Skill Sets Among Korean and American Adults

Last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a report on the level of skills among adults in 24 developed countries, including...

Impact of the U.S. Government Shutdown and Debt Default on Foreign Policy and Trade in Asia

Bridges of Understanding: The Peace Corps & The U.S. – Korea Alliance

From 1966 to 1981, nearly 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers and staff members shared their lives with their Korean counterparts and were witness to the tremendous...

Laying the Foundation for Innovation and Economic Growth in Korea and the United States

Korea and the United States both enjoy a number of competitive advantages – high innovation capabilities, educated and sophisticated workforces, and cutting-edge technologies in key...

CJK Economic Trilateralism: The Prospects and Perils of a New FTA

After more than a decade of energetic pursuit of FTAs, a moment of decision has arrived in 2013. Three far-reaching, multilateral initiatives are simultaneously under...

The South Korean Perspective

During the early days of Northeast Asian economic cooperation immediately following the end of the Cold War, the China-Japan-Korea FTA (CJK FTA) was considered impossible,...

The Japanese Perspective

On November 20, 2012, at the Japan-China-ROK Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,1 Ministers Edano Yukio, Chen Deming, and Bark Tae Ho,...

The U.S. Perspective

The proposed China-Japan-Korea (CJK) FTA, if it comes to fruition, will be a major economic accomplishment in its own right; but it will also constitute...

South Korea’s National Assembly and the Issue of Household Debt

The rising household debt in Korea is a critical issue and a clear symbol of its importance was the high level of government officials testifying...

The Impact of Household Debt on Korea’s Economy and Society

The topic of household debt has not only economic implications for consumers and the country as a whole, but it is also a significant factor...

The Impact of Kaesong’s Suspension on Korean Companies & South Korea-India Economic Connections

The fear that North Korea’s suspension of activities at the Kaesong Industrial Complex would have broader implications began to materialize last week when Daewha Fuel...