SOUTH KOREA/JAPAN: Moon seeks forced labor truce in Olympic diplomacy bid
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 earlier t… Become a member to read the rest of this article Username or E-mail Password Remember Me […]
JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA: Asset seizures remain sticking point as talks resume
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 fi… Become a member to read the rest of this article
KOREAN PENINSULA: Pyongyang Parades New Weapons but Will Still Exercise Caution
North Korea, at a dawn parade on Saturday, 10 October celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), unveiled two new ballistic missiles, highlighting the extent to which Pyongyang has upgraded its arsenal despite the long-range ba… Become a member to read the rest of this article
KOREAN PENINSULA: Flooding exacerbates already severe economic crisis in north
North Korea may be reeling from its worst economic shock in decades, as heavy rains have inflicted widespread devastation on a country already suffering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The domestic crisis may be so severe as to force Pyongyang to direct its attention in… Become a member to read the rest […]
JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA: Japan threatens retaliation if seized assets sold off
A South Korean court is preparing to sell assets seized from Nippon Steel in order to compensate former forced laborers and their descendants. While the sale could take time, Japan has promised dramatic retaliation if the assets are sold. The dispute stems from a fundament… Become a member to read the rest of this […]
KOREAN PENINSULA: Border crossing shows Pyongyang’s insecurity in Covid-19 era
After months of denying that it had any cases of Covid-19 in the country, the North Korean government convened an emergency meeting on Saturday, 28 July to announce that it would introduce an elevated state of emergency, claiming that a former defector to South Korea had returned… Become a member to read the rest […]
KOREAN PENINSULA: Kim calls off threats but tense conditions will likely remain
South Korean President Moon Jae-in marked the seventieth anniversary of the start of the Korean War on Thursday, 25 June, by calling for peace with North Korea but warning that the South Korean military would respond firmly to threats from the North. Moon’s remarks come as his ad… Become a member to read the […]
KOREAN PENINSULA: Pyongyang returns to form with new provocations
North Korea has cut off communication with South Korea and has threatened to break the 2018 inter-Korean agreements that once promised a new era of cooperation on the Korean Peninsula. This pattern of provocation in a US election year is familiar, although the timing may als… Become a member to read the rest of […]
SOUTH KOREA: Moon looks to long-term growth in new stimulus package
The Moon Jae-in administration unveiled South Korea’s largest-ever supplemental budget, a KRW 35.3tn (USD 29bn) package that is more than its first two emergency budgets combined. Although the total spending is less than meets the eye, since it includes the budget includes KRW 1… Become a member to read the rest of this article
ASIA: The politics of coronavirus – Weekly update
Below is the latest edition of our weekly Asia coronavirus update. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss any of the countries mentioned in more detail. China After six new cases were discovered in Wuhan last weekend, authorities announced a plan to test th… Become a member to read […]