South Korea

List of South Korea articles

People pass a television showing footage of an attempted North Korean satellite launch during a news report at a train station in Seoul on May 28.
People pass a television showing footage of an attempted North Korean satellite launch during a news report at a train station in Seoul on May 28.

Tensions Flare Between North and South Korea

It started with dung-filled balloons and spiraled from there.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the 104th Independence Movement Day ceremony in Seoul on March 1, 2023.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the 104th Independence Movement Day ceremony in Seoul on March 1, 2023.

Everyone Is on Edge for South Korea’s Legislative Elections

Conservatives fear extinction, but the opposition is deeply divided.

Analysis
S. Nathan Park
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on March 18.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on March 18.

South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader

As Seoul hosts the Summit for Democracy, it can show that the Korean model is one to emulate.

Argument
Damon Wilson, Lynn Lee
A worker walks past a poster on the fence of a new microchip manufacturing facility on Intel’s Leixlip campus in County Kildare, Ireland.
A worker walks past a poster on the fence of a new microchip manufacturing facility on Intel’s Leixlip campus in County Kildare, Ireland.

Everyone Wants a Chip Factory

How the world is future-proofing (and China-proofing) its semiconductor supply chains.

Analysis
Rishi Iyengar
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Korean Ambassador You Chan Yang sit next to each other at a table as they sign a treaty. Both wear suits in a historical photo.
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Korean Ambassador You Chan Yang sit next to each other at a table as they sign a treaty. Both wear suits in a historical photo.

Why Middle Powers Can’t Pursue Grand Strategy

The U.S.-South Korea alliance perfectly illustrates the limits of independent action in an unstable world.

Review
Jo Inge Bekkevold
A collage illustration showing U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders from Australia, India, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, walking along a bright red landscape in front of a textural map of the Indo-Pacific region
A collage illustration showing U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders from Australia, India, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, walking along a bright red landscape in front of a textural map of the Indo-Pacific region

America’s Indo-Pacific Alliances Are Astonishingly Strong

Countries are balancing against China—just like a student of international relations would predict.

Analysis
Derek Grossman
A row of South Korean soldiers marches in formation across a field in Seoul. They are dressed in formal uniforms and hats, and each has one leg raised as they take a step in unison. Each soldier also carries the flag of one of the member states of the United Nations Command.
A row of South Korean soldiers marches in formation across a field in Seoul. They are dressed in formal uniforms and hats, and each has one leg raised as they take a step in unison. Each soldier also carries the flag of one of the member states of the United Nations Command.

South Korea Offers a Chance to Modernize Old Alliances

An often-overlooked command group can revitalize Asian defense.

Argument
Clint Work, Hanbyeol Sohn
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talk before a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea on June 30, 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talk before a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea on June 30, 2019.

North Korean Talks Collapsed but Didn’t Fail

I helped negotiate the Trump-Kim meeting. Real peace is still possible.

Excerpt
Jong Kun Choi
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can be seen from behind as they walk away from the camera down a shaded, tree-lined path. All three men wear dark suits, and Biden is resting his hand on Kishida's shoulder as they walk together.
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can be seen from behind as they walk away from the camera down a shaded, tree-lined path. All three men wear dark suits, and Biden is resting his hand on Kishida's shoulder as they walk together.

Domestic Politics Threaten Hard-Won Success in East Asia

The Camp David trilateral summit produced results—but they might not last.

Argument
Duyeon Kim
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive for a news conference following talks at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive for a news conference following talks at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.

Separate U.S. Alliances in East Asia Are Obsolete

Even if a formal U.S.-Japan-South Korea pact is unlikely, tighter coordination is unavoidable.

Analysis
Christopher B. Johnstone, Jeffrey W. Hornung
An illustration of the profile of a white-haired politician surrounded by a wheel of zodiac signs against a starry setting
An illustration of the profile of a white-haired politician surrounded by a wheel of zodiac signs against a starry setting

Astrology Won’t Liberate Anyone

Attempts to build a left-wing occultism are fundamentally unserious.

Argument
Lucian Staiano-Daniels
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L), U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) arrive for a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David in Maryland.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L), U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) arrive for a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David in Maryland.

Biden’s Trilateral Summit Was Aimed More at Pyongyang Than Beijing

China gets the headlines, but Kim Jong Un is the threat.

Argument
Robert A. Manning
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol greet each other ahead of a meeting during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 21.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol greet each other ahead of a meeting during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 21.

Biden’s Big Bet on Japan and South Korea

Can rising enemies bring old frenemies together?

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg , and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all men wearing dark suits, stand behind a table and look to the side at other participants at the NATO summit. Small Australian and Japanese flags sit on the table.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg , and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all men wearing dark suits, stand behind a table and look to the side at other participants at the NATO summit. Small Australian and Japanese flags sit on the table.

NATO Is on the Back Foot in the Indo-Pacific

By exploiting an information vacuum about its intentions, China is setting the region against the Western alliance.

Argument
Lynn Kuok
A collage photo illustration shows examples of soft power around the world including a smoking NAFO shiba inu in a beret and fatigues, a dancing woman from the Bollywood movie "Monsoon Wedding," Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, K-pop band BTS, and a panda.
A collage photo illustration shows examples of soft power around the world including a smoking NAFO shiba inu in a beret and fatigues, a dancing woman from the Bollywood movie "Monsoon Wedding," Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, K-pop band BTS, and a panda.

Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return

Leaders are reaching for fellas and films as much as bullets and blockades. 

Essay
J. Alex Tarquinio
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