Category: South Korea

Going Nuclear in Asia: More Than Just Building a Bomb

Commentary Could America’s Asian allies go nuclear? This is a recurring scenario, given continuing concerns in Tokyo, Seoul, and even Canberra that Washington’s security commitment to Asia—and particularly its promise of extended nuclear deterrence—may be less than dependable. In articles (found here, here, and here), the argument is made that countries like Japan, South Korea,…


South Korea to Cull Cattle After Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease

South Korean authorities have ordered the culling of several hundred cattle and put in place biosecurity measures after confirming cases of foot and mouth disease in farms in a central province, the ministry of agriculture said. The cases mark the first confirmed outbreak since January 2019, according to media reports. The current contagion occurred in three farms in Cheongju in North…


The South Korea Imperatives

Commentary Callista and I recently visited South Korea to participate in Peace Summit 2023, an event hosted by the Universal Peace Federation. The federation is a remarkable organization with activities in nearly 140 countries, and the summit was an amazing experience. Visiting Seoul is always fascinating, and this year it was especially educational. We joined…


Asian Countries Phasing Out COVID Curbs, Inching Closer to Normality

Several countries in Asia have begun removing all COVID-19 curbs and treating the virus like a seasonal flu, signifying a shift into the endemic phase three years after its initial outbreak in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency on May 5, citing a downward trend of…


Japan’s PM Vows Stronger Cooperation in Landmark Visit to South Korea

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Sunday to deepen cooperation with South Korea to tackle escalating global security challenges in the region as he became the first Japanese leader to visit the country in over a decade. Kishida met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for a second time since their meeting in Tokyo…


South Korean President Yoon Responds to Beijing’s Outcry Against the Washington Declaration

The outcome of the U.S.-South Korea summit and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s recent remarks has drawn criticism and threat from Chinese state-run media. For several days following the U.S.-Korea summit, Chinese state media collectively denounced the signing of the Washington Declaration, a set of U.S. deterrence measures against potential North Korean aggressions. The state-run…


Speaker McCarthy’s Amazing Week

Commentary When it took Kevin McCarthy 15 votes to become Speaker of the House, the Washington establishment concluded that he was pleasant but would be unable to get much done. The fate of the last two Republican speakers, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, seemed to hang over his head. They had not been able to…


Barbara Kay: ‘Doomography’: The Trend of Plunging Fertility Rates Is Eroding Societal Well-Being

Commentary With an estimated 1.4 billion people, India’s population has drawn even with China’s, and will soon surpass it, as China’s population is in decline and aging, while India’s is growing and young. A startling 20 percent of people worldwide under the age of 25 live in India. Environmental alarmists will see nothing in this…


Japan, South Korea Resume Economic Talks After 7 Years as Relations Improve

Japan and South Korea agreed on May 2 to resume finance ministers’ talks that had been stalled for seven years, in the latest sign of thawing ties between the two nations strained by wartime disputes. South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and his Japanese counterpart, Shunichi Suzuki, met on the sidelines of the annual Asian…


Biden Says ‘Ironclad’ US-South Korea Alliance Founded on Shared Beliefs

The United States and South Korea have maintained an “ironclad alliance” for more than seven decades due to their shared beliefs in democracy and freedom, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday. His remarks came after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s six-day visit to the United States ending Saturday. The two leaders met on April…