Showing 1 - 10 of 49
Recasting Korea–Asean relations
Oped, Suh Jeong-in, Published on 03/12/2025
» At the Asean–Republic of Korea (ROK) Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October, President Lee Jae-myung presented a five-year vision for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
Bangkok for the next Trump-Kim talks?
Oped, Suthichai Yoon, Published on 06/08/2025
» Some might call it improbable. Others might say it's unrealistic. But proposing Bangkok as the host city for the next summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is neither fantasy nor wishful thinking -- it's a logical, geopolitically sound proposal rooted in history and diplomacy.
South Korea is facing a triple challenge
Oped, Lee Jong-wha, Published on 30/05/2025
» Few countries have transformed themselves as dramatically as South Korea has over the last half-century. A poor, authoritarian country with annual per capita income of less than US$400 (13,000 baht) has become a vibrant and prosperous democracy, with direct presidential elections, peaceful transfers of power, and a per capita income of more than $33,000.
East Asia braces for Trump's second term
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 08/02/2025
» The first two weeks of US President Donald Trump's second term were marked by a flurry of directives and executive orders.
Beware of rogue presidents (this time in Korea)
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 07/01/2025
» Turning yourself from a democratically elected president into a dictator is a tricky operation, and most people who try it fail. It's called a "self-coup", from the Spanish auto-golpe, and to try it without first gaining the support of the armed forces is sheer lunacy. Yet, from time to time, an elected president tries to do exactly that.
Here's looking forward to a calmer 2025
News, John J. Metzler, Published on 06/01/2025
» In the swirling whirligig of world events, the past year 2024 was nearly like no other. Extraordinary but often jarring occurrences mixed in a hodgepodge of hope, joy and despair as crucial elections were won and lost, regional conflicts exploded and humanitarian crises boiled over with sickening predictability.
Beyond the world's favourite hippo
Oped, Curtis S Chin & Jose B Collazo, Published on 02/01/2025
» The news from Asia at year-end 2024 that dominated headlines here in the United States included the tragic crash landing of Jeju Air flight 2216 flying from Thailand. As hundreds of millions took to roads and to the air for the holidays, the news seemed especially close to home, even thousands of miles away.
South Korea's charter needs fixing
News, Yoon Young-kwan, Published on 30/12/2024
» The events that have unfolded in South Korea this month, beginning with President Yoon Suk-yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3, have underscored both the remarkable resilience and underlying fragility of the country's democracy. The system survived this time, but no democracy is safe if it constantly faces severe stress tests.
The high cost of Yoon's martial law
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 20/12/2024
» When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly declared martial law late on Dec 3, claiming that it was necessary to enable him to eliminate "anti-state" forces, street protests erupted almost immediately.
Don't expect the 'Korea discount' to disappear
News, Manishi Raychaudhuri, Published on 19/12/2024
» South Korea has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with a brief spell of martial law, continuing political uncertainty and market ructions. But the sharp underperformance of the country's equity market long predates the turmoil involving recently impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. The deep-rooted problems suggest the so-called "Korea discount" is unlikely to budge even after political calm has been restored.