A Balancing Crisis: Managing Foreign and Domestic Policy Ahead of the South Korean Election

A Balancing Crisis: Managing Foreign and Domestic Policy Ahead of the South Korean Election

Ahead of the 2024 South Korean legislative election, the battle for public opinion rages, fierce and fractured, as new political parties are formed and dismantled seemingly overnight.  Amid the political chaos, South Korean citizens will take to the polls on April 10 to elect the next National Assembly, South Korea’s legislative body. The upcoming legislative … Read more

What the Return of Trump Would Mean for South Korea

What the Return of Trump Would Mean for South Korea

Nowadays conversations with South Korean counterparts begin and end with concerns about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House. Questions abound regarding tariffs and trade, industrial policies and export controls, unilateral attempts at accommodation with North Korea, and the issue of cost-sharing and U.S. forces in South Korea. This array of … Read more

Is South Korea Prepared for Election Disinformation, Deepfakes, and Cyberattacks?

Is South Korea Prepared for Election Disinformation, Deepfakes, and Cyberattacks?

The third iteration of the Summit for Democracy was hosted in Seoul on March 20, providing a crucial platform for global leaders to address challenges in strengthening democratic institutions, both at home and abroad. The event was particularly significant as it focused on the impact of disinformation, fake news, and digital threats to democratic practices, especially … Read more

South Korea’s New Ambassador to Australia Is a Scourge for the Ruling Party

South Korea’s New Ambassador to Australia Is a Scourge for the Ruling Party

On March 10, South Korea’s new ambassador to Australia, Lee Jong-sup, hightailed it past airport security hours before journalists arrived. He was naturally all the more perplexed when accosted by a reporter right at the boarding gate.  “Why do you have to do this?” Lee asked as the reporter trailed behind him on the walk … Read more

South Korea’s JoongAng Hires Japanese Reporter as Tokyo Correspondent 

South Korea’s JoongAng Hires Japanese Reporter as Tokyo Correspondent 

In an epoch-making move, South Korea’s major daily newspaper The JoongAng announced on March 27 that it has hired a former Japanese Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reporter, Onuki Tomoko, 48, as its Tokyo correspondent. It said it’s the first time that any South Korean newspaper has employed a Japanese reporter as a staff writer. It has … Read more

Battling the Numbers: South Korea’s Military Downsizes Amid Challenging Demographic Landscape

Battling the Numbers: South Korea’s Military Downsizes Amid Challenging Demographic Landscape

As society navigates an era of rapid change and uncertainty, the Republic of Korea (ROK), also known as South Korea, faces a demographic crisis that could impact its national security.  The root of this crisis can be traced back to previous policy decisions. In the late 20th century, faced with a rapidly growing population that … Read more

South Korea Will Take Final Steps to Suspend Licenses of Striking Junior Doctors Starting Next Week

South Korean Government Warns Striking Doctors to Return to Work or Face Legal Action

South Korea’s government will take final steps to suspend the licenses of striking junior doctors next week as they refuse to end their weekslong walkouts that have burdened the country’s medical services, officials said Thursday. More than 90 percent of the country’s 13,000 medical interns and residents have been on strike for about a month … Read more

Blinken’s Visit to South Korea: Democracy, North Korea, and Beyond

Blinken’s Visit to South Korea: Democracy, North Korea, and Beyond

On March 18, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his South Korean counterpart met for the second time in under a month. This time, Blinken is on a three-stop trip to Vienna, Seoul, and Manila from March 14 to 20.  In Seoul, he led the U.S. delegation to attend the ministerial segment of the … Read more

North Korea Resumes Missile Tests, Raising Tensions With Rivals After Military Drills End

North Korea Resumes Missile Tests, Raising Tensions With Rivals After Military Drills End

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Monday morning, its neighbors said, days after the end of the South Korean-U.S. military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. The launches — North Korea’s first known missile testing activities in about a month — came as U.S. Secretary of State … Read more

South Korea’s Press Freedom Under Fire

The Paradox of South Korea’s Presidential Approval Rating 

If you think the notion of news manipulation and censorship is relegated to the dark annals of authoritarian regimes, it’s time to reconsider. A closer look at the unfolding narrative in South Korea paints a disconcertingly different picture.  The actions of the current administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol have cast a long shadow over press … Read more