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Strengthening U.S. Alliances in the Indo-Pacific March 27, 2025

American allies in the Indo-Pacific are the cornerstone of the US strategy to maintain regional stability, deter aggression, and uphold a free and open international order. Through access, interoperability, and shared capabilities, these alliances ex...

Japan, China, South Korea Meet; ‘Turning Point in History’ March 24, 2025

A New Asian Bloc in the Making? March 24, 2025

Senior officials from China, South Korea and Japan will soon meet in Tokyo to try to establish a more formal relationship, replete with security and economic benefits. Informal talks had already been held between China and Japan, so it appears the tw...

America Is Easily Our Best, Most Influential Export March 24, 2025

On January 26, 2023, popular U.S. hamburger chain Five Guys opened in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city. The weather was rainy and humid, but South Koreans braved up to twelve hours in line to get a taste of Americana. ...

Voice of America

Tactical Nuclear Weapons for Poland and South Korea? March 21, 2025

Recently, voices in both South Korea and Poland have seriously suggested arming their countries with tactical nuclear weapons as a means of enhancing national deterrence. The compulsion is understandable. During the Cold War, enemies and allies hande...

South Korea Constitutional Court To Rule on PM Impeachment on 3/24 March 20, 2025

South Korea Showing Tell-Tale Signs of Terminal Decline March 20, 2025

Sandwiched between China’s tech juggernaut and Trump’s tariffs, Korea’s political paralysis couldn’t come at a worse economic time ...

South Korea Delays Yoon Impeachment Ruling March 17, 2025

Rallies Across South Korea March 15, 2025

Yoon Impeachment; South Korea’s Acting President Calls for Calm March 14, 2025

South Korea: Court Cancels Yoon Arrest Warrant March 07, 2025

America Needs Taiwan To Win the Semiconductor Race March 07, 2025

Any successful coach will tell you that if you have a winning playbook, don’t throw it out. Stick with what works. And that principle applies not just in sports, but in other fields too.Take the United States and China. They’re locked in a battle for...

South Korea, Japan Interested in U.S. Gas Pipeline, Trump Says March 05, 2025

Seoul’s Crisis: A Test of U.S. Resolve in the Indo-Pacific February 13, 2025

South Korea’s political upheaval, marked by the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol, has plunged a critical United States ally into turmoil at a pivotal moment for the Indo-Pacific. With the Biden administration leaving office, the incoming Trump admin...

The Roots of South Korea’s Political Crisis February 12, 2025

With democracies around the world under duress, South Korea seems to stand out as an example of resilience. President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attempt in December to seize undue power was knocked back by lawmakers’ swift action and a surge of popular outrage....

The Real Insurrectionists in South Korea January 22, 2025

Leftist opposition has launched de facto coup by seeking to overwhelm executive office with judicial power applied in entirely dubious ways ...

The U.S., South Korea and Japan Should Work Together January 21, 2025

With Donald Trump’s return to the presidency now a reality, the Indo-Pacific faces an era of heightened uncertainty driven by North Korea’s growing military capabilities and China’s expanding regional influence. In this environment, trilateral securi...

South Korea’s Crisis Is a Warning January 18, 2025

When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared on TV on Dec. 3, 2024, to declare “emergency martial law,” one might have thought it was part of a second-rate Netflix production....

South Korea: Yoon Refuses To Attend Questioning January 16, 2025

President’s Arrest Shows South Korea in Peril as Trump Returns January 15, 2025

The Arrest of South Korea’s President Won’t End This Saga January 15, 2025

South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested after police officers scaled fences and cut through barbed wire to detain him in his luxury Seoul residence. Suk-yeol, the first ever sitting South Korean leader to be taken into custody, was hel...

Chechen Leader Threatens Komil Allamjonov, Uzbekistan's Democratic Reformer January 09, 2025

Two months after surviving an assassination attempt, Komil Allamjonov, the former press secretary to Uzbekistan’s president, finds himself embroiled in dangerous international intrigue. Last October, gunmen attempted to assassinate Allamjonov, riddli...

South Korea’s Impeached Leader Down in Seoul’s ‘Beverly Hills’ January 07, 2025

North Korea’s Russia Alliance and the Incoming Trump Admin January 07, 2025

North Korea fired a shot across the stern of the outgoing Biden administration by launching a missile during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to South Korea. Blinken was in Seoul to affirm U.S. support for its ally despite ongoing political ...

A Dawn Stand-Off, a Human Wall and a Failed Arrest: South Korea January 03, 2025

South Korea: Yoon Pledges to ‘Fight Until End’ Facing Arrest January 02, 2025

For South Korea, 2024 Was Bad & 2025 Could Be Worse December 31, 2024

2024 was bad but 2025 could be worse as Seoul’s dysfunctional politics collide with the Trumpian storm to come ...

South Korea Devastated by Deadly Crash December 30, 2024

10 Elections To Watch in 2025 December 27, 2024

This time last year, we had you buckle up for the world’s most intense year of democracy in action, with more than 65 countries holding elections involving at least 4.2 billion people — roughly half of the world’s adult population. As we now know, ma...

Another Day, Another President Impeached in S. Korea December 27, 2024

Acting President Han Duck-soo falls in controversial parliamentary vote, further roiling South Korea’s turbulent politics ...

South Korea To Set Roadmap in Case Trump Reopens North Korea Talks December 18, 2024

Crisis in Seoul Has Upset East Asia’s Status Quo December 18, 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s misuse of his authority to declare martial law earlier this month has placed his nation in a constitutional crisis....

South Korea’s Top Court Begins Yoon Impeachment Review December 16, 2024

A Troubling Trend for Democracy in Asia December 16, 2024

In 2024, the highest number of people voted in recorded history. But in Asia, where democracy has been on a decade-plus-long regression, elections did not mean progress. ...

South Korean Parliament Impeaches President Yoon December 14, 2024

The Constitutional Court now has 180 days to decide whether to uphold the motion ...

Martial Law Turmoil in South Korea December 13, 2024

South Korea Plunging Toward an Even Deeper Crisis December 12, 2024

Ruling People Power Party bids to buy time by promising Yoon’s early resignation but threatens to spark a constitutional crisis in the process ...

Leveraging Competitive Strategies to Pivot North Korea in the Contest with China December 11, 2024

It is time for the US to shift from its long-standing position demanding North Korean denuclearization and embrace diplomacy underpinned by the framework of competitive strategies pioneered by Andrew Marshall, the founder and long-time leader of the ...

United States Senate

The Unlikelihood of an Asian NATO December 10, 2024

Neither the alliance’s expansion into Asia nor an Asian NATO is really in the cards. But that’s not to say further cooperation isn’t imminent or that deterrence is impossible....

South Korea Bans President Yoon Suk Yeol From Foreign Travel December 09, 2024

What Was South Korean President Thinking? December 06, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol, a former top prosecutor and political novice who won the closest South Korean presidential election in the country's history, was never a particularly popular man. ...

Yoon’s Blunder Is a Step Toward Political Oblivion December 06, 2024

Saturday’ impeachment vote hinges on whether ruling party lawmakers defect, but in any case he’s damaged goods ...

South Korea: Push To Impeach Yoon, Defense Minister Resigns December 05, 2024

South Korea Survived a Democracy Stress Test December 05, 2024

South Korean Democracy Just Survived a Stress Test: Late Monday night, South Korean President Yoon Seok-Yeol declared martial law. ...

The ‘Axis of Upheaval’ Is on the March December 05, 2024

If it feels like the world is on fire right now, that’s because it is. From Ukraine to Syria to the Korean Peninsula, a widening array of conflicts is raising questions among defense experts: Is it 1914 again? 1939? Has World War III already started ...

An Abortive Coup in South Korea December 05, 2024

This rash attempt to impose martial law will have global repercussions....

South Korea: Upheaval at Home and Risk Abroad December 04, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to rescind his declaration of martial law, in the face of embattled opposition from South Korea’s parliament, has at least spared the country a disastrous return to military rule. Yoon’s ignominious move is likely t...

South Korea’s Sloppy Coup Attempt December 04, 2024

Journalists going after a story traditionally focus on answering the “five Ws” but that has often been difficult in South Korea. ...

South Korea’s Political Chaos Is Far From Over December 04, 2024

Had you have taken a direct flight from London to Seoul yesterday afternoon, by the time you would have landed you might have been none the wiser that anything had happened at all. At near midnight South Korean time, President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed m...

Why Did South Korea’s President Declare Martial Law? December 03, 2024

In a dramatic and unnanounced move, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday in a live broadcast on YTN television. Yoon did not specify exactly what measures would be taken but justified the decision as necessary to ‘saf...

The 2024 U.S. Elections and the Pax Americana November 01, 2024

Under a new US president, will the United States stand by Ukraine, potentially risking war with Russia? Will it stand by its NATO treaty obligations? Will it support Israel to properly defend itself, potentially risking war with Iran? Will it prevent...

South Korea Cannot Afford To Sit out on Taiwan November 01, 2024

Despite Taiwan’s critical importance to South Korea, Seoul remains reluctant, if not resistant, to defining the role it would play if China were to invade Taiwan....

How East Asian Powers Are Influencing Europe’s Security September 28, 2024

Europeans should work to understand the threats from the North Korea-Russia relationship – and deepen their security partnership with South Korea...

Japan Leadership Scramble a Risk for Korea Relations September 20, 2024

The visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to South Korea earlier this month created a few ripples. No major announcements were made and the two leaders pledged to continue efforts to bolster ties. ...

The Diminished Worldwide Respect and Fear of America September 11, 2024

After the U.S. presidential campaign concludes, either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will need to confront hard truths and tough choices to address an international geopolitical landscape marked by competitors, rivals, and enemies who, sensing a supe...

Industrial base

If South Korea Goes Nuclear, so Will the World September 03, 2024

Nuclear nonproliferation is one of America’s greatest, and most underrated, strategic achievements. Almost 80 years after Hiroshima, fewer than 10 countries possess the world’s deadliest weapons — a testament to international cooperation and US power...

South Korea Wants U.S. ‘Carrots’ for Embracing China Chip Curbs September 02, 2024

South Korea’s New Plan for North Korea’s ‘Freedom’ August 23, 2024

Yoon revises call from ‘peaceful unification’ to ‘freedom’ in formula that ultimately aims at regime change in the North ...

South Korea’s Growing Role as Arms Exporter August 21, 2024

The last few years have seen a surge in defense spending, particularly in regard to conventional defense technologies. “We’ve had a huge increase in demand from our European allies and partners over the last few years since the … invasion by the Russ...

U.S. and South Korea Hold Joint Air Drills to Counter North Korea August 20, 2024

South Korea and U.S. Will Start Summer Military Drills Next Week August 13, 2024

South Korea Question Individual Who Crossed the Border From the North August 09, 2024

South Korea Must Grow Up and Defend Itself July 18, 2024

The South Korean nation began as an American appendage 76 years ago. Washington created the new state out of a military occupation zone, defending the Republic of Korea in war, financing it in peace, and garrisoning it today. ...

Asian Alliances and American Interests July 17, 2024

America’s strong alliance with Japan and South Korea and its large military presence in the Asia-Pacific region have kept the peace and promoted stability in this region since the end of World War II. Out of the ashes of that terrible war, Japan has ...

A North Korean Diplomat in Cuba Defected to South Korea in November July 16, 2024

Geography Is a Dealbreaker for Coalitions in Asia July 16, 2024

At the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin touted a “new convergence” between the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies and partners that is “defining a new era of security in the Indo-Pacific.” Austin came wi...

Let Seoul Hit back Against North Korea July 16, 2024

North Korea is counting on the United States to restrain South Korea if it conducts a military escalation resulting in the loss of South Korean lives. ...

U.S. and South Korea Sign Joint Nuclear Deterrence Guidelines July 12, 2024

New Horizons in Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Cooperation July 01, 2024

Increasing threats and leadership are the two main factors that have propelled trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan in recent years. ...

South Korea Hits Back Against Putin-Xi June 22, 2024

The move may prompt Seoul to give Ukraine more military aid — not less ...

Putin Warns South Korea Against Arming Ukraine June 21, 2024

South Korea Summons Russian Ambassador as Tensions Rise June 21, 2024

South Korea Will Consider Supplying Arms to Ukraine June 20, 2024

Poland Likely to Sign Another Arms Deal with South Korea June 20, 2024

South Korea Suspends a Military Deal with North Korea Over Trash Balloons June 05, 2024

Kenya in Haiti Opens New Chapter for U.S. Security June 05, 2024

President Joe Biden recently hosted Kenyan President William Ruto for a state visit at the White House. The administration has held such events for leaders from only six other countries: France, South Korea, Australia, India, and Japan—all crucial al...

North Korea Is Sending More Trash-Carrying Balloons to South Korea June 01, 2024

Can China, Japan, and South Korea Just Get Along? May 31, 2024

In their first trilateral summit since 2019, the three nation's leaders did not address North Korea or Taiwan. But both were in the room. ...

North Korea Flies Balloons Carrying Trash and Manure Toward South Korea May 30, 2024

China Urges South Korea To Maintain Stable, Smooth Supply Chains May 27, 2024

South Korea, China and Japan Leaders, Meet First Time Since 2019 May 23, 2024

Pope Francis’s China Gamble May 14, 2024

No pope has ever set foot in China, but 10 years ago, Francis came the closest. On a flight to South Korea in August 2014, he became the first Vicar of Christ to enter Chinese airspace. Apparently that wasn’t enough....

South Korea’s Ambitious Plan to Rescue Its Population May 14, 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is preparing to elevate the nation's demographic decline to a top-tier political priority, in the hope of reversing a trend that threatens the long-term health of Asia's fourth-largest economy. ...

Top China, South Korea Diplomats Hold Rare Talks in Beijing May 13, 2024

More Money for Ukraine Won’t Fix an Aimless Strategy May 11, 2024

Congress recently approved a $60.8 billion package to address the war in Ukraine. While President Joe Biden has expressed that the United States will stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” a specific strategy and end state for the war in Ukrai...

Defense Minister: South Korea Mulls Participation in AUKUS May 01, 2024

The Shortsighted U.S.-Japan-South Korea Military Pact April 30, 2024

The nations are demonstrating their commitment to security against China and North Korea, but maybe too much ...

South Korea Is Running Out of Kids. America’s Future? April 18, 2024

In countries where men and women don’t trust each other, nobody wants to have babies. ...

U.S., Japan and South Korea Hold Drills in Disputed Sea April 12, 2024

South Korea’s Grand Strategy April 12, 2024

South Korea’s 2024 General Election: Results and Implications April 12, 2024

Japan Has Become America’s Most Important Ally April 10, 2024

When Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida heads to the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Biden, he comes as the leader of a nation that has quietly become America’s most important ally.  But Japan has become America’s most important al...

China, Japan, South Korea Looking to Hold Summit in May, Reports Say April 05, 2024

The Crisis in East Asia: Korea or Taiwan? April 04, 2024

During his New Year’s Eve address, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that “China will surely be reunified” and that “all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common purpose.” In stark contrast, North Korean leader Kim Jong...

South Korea’s Upcoming Election April 03, 2024