Mar 15,2021 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (March 2021)

Relations with the United States took center stage as South Koreans eyed the formation of the Biden administration, while phone conversations with President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the arrival of a new South Korean ambassador in Tokyo widened the scope of foreign policy concern. The focus of ROK-US relations shifted from […]

Sanghwa Hong
COVID-19 , GSOMIA , Quad , Special Measures Agreement , THAAD , wartime operational control
Nov 04,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (November 2020)

The fall of 2020 left South Korea in limbo. Who would win the US presidential elections? Would there be an October or post-election surprise from North Korea? How would US ties to China change after the election? Would the replacement of Abe by Suga result in new hope for the troubled ROK-Japan relationship? At the […]

Sanghwa Hong
Donald Trump , Joe Biden , New Cold War , OPCON transfer , Suga Yoshihide , US presidential election , US-China rivalry , US-ROK alliance
Sep 02,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (September 2020)

In the summer of 2020 foreign policy was largely on hold. The pandemic effect, the wait for US elections, and the relative caution shown by North Korea unwilling to alienate Donald Trump even if it could lash out at Moon Jae-in’s inaction, all left policy choices in limbo. Ties to Japan remained deeply troubled, although […]

Sanghwa Hong
OPCON transfer , Paik Sun-yup , Special Measures Agreement , US-China rivalry , Yang Jiechi