Asia May 24, 2021 SOUTH KOREA/US: Biden-Moon summit produces deliverables Politics, South Korea Victor Cha The US-South Korea summit between presidents Biden and Moon on 21 May produced a series of agreements that invest in new dimensions of the alliance, including vaccine production. South Korean conglomerates announced major investment plans (semiconductor chips, lithium batteries and... Read More...
Asia April 7, 2021 SOUTH KOREA: Parties look to next year as Moon suffers by-election defeats Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris, Victor Cha The opposition People Power Party (PPP) won landslide victories in mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan, as well as other local races, on Wednesday, 7 April. These results mark the first major victories by conservative forces after a wilderness... Read More...
Asia March 25, 2021 KOREAN PENINSULA: New administration works to strengthen cooperation with Seoul North Korea, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris, Victor Cha North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles – possibly its solid-fueled KN-23, which it tested multiple times in 2019 – on Thursday, 25 March. The test launches, the first since US President Joe Biden... Read More...
Asia March 18, 2021 KOREAN PENINSULA: New administration works to strengthen cooperation with Seoul North Korea, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris, Victor Cha US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, 17 March for meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook, including a 2+2 meeting with all... Read More...
Asia February 4, 2021 KOREAN PENINSULA: North Korea’s domestic woes could mean opportunity for Biden North Korea, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris, Victor Cha North Korea’s economy continues to struggle due to border closures even as the country remains highly vulnerable to Covid-19. Domestic conditions could mean Pyongyang refrains from missile or nuclear tests in the near term, creating an... Read More...
Asia January 20, 2021 KOREAN PENINSULA: Biden will likely face early challenge from North Korea North Korea, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris, Victor Cha Kim Jong Un, speaking on the final day of the eighth congress of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party on 12 January, warned, “We must further strengthen the nuclear war deterrent while doing our best to build up... Read More...
Asia January 11, 2021 JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA: Comfort women ruling drives new wedge in relationship Japan, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris The Japanese government swiftly rejected an 8 January ruling by the Seoul Central District Court that it must pay compensation to a group of surviving wartime sexual slaves known as “comfort women,” citing sovereign immunity and the terms of... Read More...
Asia December 14, 2020 ASIA: Suga and Moon face rising disapproval as case numbers surge Japan, Politics, South Korea Suga, editorial, Moon Tobias Harris Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are both struggling with eroding political support as their countries face their most significant increases in Covid-19 cases thus far. While in recent weeks Moon has recorded some of... Read More...
November 24, 2020 SOUTH KOREA/JAPAN: Moon seeks forced labor truce in Olympic diplomacy bid Japan, Politics, South Korea Olympics Tobias Harris South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration has continued its diplomatic overtures to the Japanese government after sending National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Park Jie-won to Tokyo for talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other senior leaders <a href="https://teneointel.bluematrix.com/sellside/EmailDocViewer?encrypt=ade95dec-70f3-4ece-8f47-683813d83d58&mime=pdf&co=teneointel&[email protected]&source=libraryView&htmlToPdf=true" target="_blank"... Read More...
Asia November 10, 2020 JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA: Asset seizures remain sticking point as talks resume Japan, Politics, South Korea Tobias Harris Park Jie-won, director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), traveled to Tokyo this week for meetings with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, and other senior Japanese officials. Park’s visit is the first... Read More...
