Jan 21,2021 Country Reports Country Report: South Korea (January 2021) Attention drifted in November 2020 to January 2021 from the election of Joe Biden in the US to the visit of Chinese foreign Minister Wang Yi to action against the spreading of leaflets into North Korea to the handling of court decisions central to the dispute with Japan over the legacy of its occupation of […] Sanghwa Hong Anti-leaflet law , comfort women , COVID-19 , GSOMIA , Joe Biden , THAAD
Jan 11,2021 Open Forum Perceptions and Misperceptions between China and South Korea amid the COVID-19 Pandemic China and South Korea have each done a relatively good job in COVID-19 prevention and control. Active cooperation between the two governments in communications and medical materials improved bilateral relations. Opening a "fast track" for businessmen after the epidemic was brought under control shows that each recognized the effectiveness of the other’s efforts at preventing […] Dong Xiangrong , Zhang Jiawei anti-Communism , COVID-19 , Fang Fang , Mask diplomacy , THAAD , Wuhan
Dec 30,2020 Special Forum Challenges to Biden’s pursuit of trilateralism Trilateralism is the term used for US-Japan-ROK close strategic cooperation and understanding. For Tokyo and Seoul, trilateralism requires a fundamental reconceptualization of both national interests and national identities in the region closest to home—Northeast Asia. For Tokyo, the narrative toward this region has been driven by three symbols of identity: 1) slighting the 1990s Kono […] Gilbert Rozman ASEAN centrality , free and open Indo-Pacific , THAAD , the Quad , trilateralism , US-China rivalry , Wolf Warrior Diplomacy
Dec 30,2020 Special Forum US-DPRK relations and China’s response in the Biden era Whether Washington and Beijing cooperate under the Biden administration depends heavily on whether they reach an understanding on how to approach the DPRK. This was a touchstone for prospects of cooperation under George W. Bush and Barack Obama as well as during the first year of the Trump administration. China is watching to see what […] Cheng Xiaohe* COVID-19 , Denuclearization , Economic sanctions , THAAD , US-China rivalry , US-DPRK diplomacy
Aug 27,2020 Special Forum Double Allegiance: Moon Jae-in’s Strategy amid US-China Rivalry Can a state be a credibly ally and still partner closely with its rival? During the Cold War, no country was allied to one side and strategically tied to the other; it may have accommodated the rival to a degree, but this fell short of any actual aligning behavior. Today, in what is now frequently […] Eun A Jo COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , OPCON , THAAD , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-ROK alliance
Mar 23,2020 Country Reports Country Report: South Korea (March 2020) In February 2020, the South Korean government tackled the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19. Following the diagnosis of “patient 31” in Daegu, the virus spread rapidly, and Korea raised its alert to the highest level. South Korean media focused on 1) ROK-China diplomatic relations; 2) South Korea’s supply chain disruptions and economic dependence on […] Yumi Ko Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Korea-phobia , Special Measures Agreement , THAAD , Three nos
Mar 19,2020 Special Forum Sino-ROK Relations on the 75th Anniversary of the End of WWII Beijing and Seoul have experienced ups and downs in their relationship over the thirty years since the end of the Cold War. At times, such as when President Park Geun-hye stood beside General Secretary Xi Jinping on the Beijing review stand at the parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, […] Gilbert Rozman Cheonan Incident , Cold War , COVID-19 , Kim Jong-un , Koguryo dispute , Moon Jae-in , THAAD , US-ROK alliance , WWII , Xi Jinping
Mar 02,2020 Open Forum Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 1 The coronavirus originating in Wuhan cast a dark shadow on efforts to look ahead in East Asia. It kept China at the center of attention, while only reinforcing the tendency to analyze events through the prism of Sino-US relations. While some kept their sights on Russia and India in this context—embracing a forward-looking great power […] Editorial Staff "Belt and Road" Initiative , Coronavirus , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , THAAD , Tokyo Olympics
Dec 28,2019 Open Forum Chinese Economic Coercion during the THAAD Dispute While the US-China trade war has dominated geoeconomic discussions in 2019, great power rivalry is far from the only domain in which economic instruments are being used in the pursuit of political or strategic objectives. Barely a week seems to go by now without reporting of Chinese economic coercion—the threat or imposition of economic costs […] Darren J. Lim economic coercion , Economic Interdependence , exit costs , geoeconomics , Lotte , Made in China 2025 , THAAD , Three noes
Dec 20,2019 Country Reports Country Report: China (December 2019) In late 2019, Chinese analysts advocated for a Chinese conception of global governance to replace that previously put forward by the United States and the West. They urged China and South Korea to seize the opportunity created by reduced tensions on the Korean peninsula to strengthen their bilateral security cooperation. They also tried to make […] Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin) "Belt and Road" Initiative , community of common destiny , New Southern Policy , Socialism with Chinese Characteristics , THAAD , US-North Korean talks