The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region from December 5 - December 18, 2013.

U.S.-KOREA RELATIONS | ROK Vice Foreign Minister Visits the United States
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun of the...

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and U.S. are again discussing whether to transition wartime Operational Control (OPCON) to the ROK on 1 Dec 2015. This is the third such discussion (previous...

On December 12, North Korea’s official state news agency, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), announced that Jang Song Thaek, uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, was executed shortly after a special military trial. The announcement came only four days after Jang...

The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region from November 21 - December 5, 2013.

TRADE AND ECONOMICS | Deputy Prime Minister Announces ROK’s Interest in TPP
On November 29, Deputy Prime...

On December 3, the Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported in closed-door parliamentary sessions  that Jang Sung-taek, uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been removed from his positions and his closest two confidants had been executed last month....

The Republic of Korea appropriately protested China’s November 23 announcement of the creation of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) through foreign ministry and defense ministry channels last week. But there was some disturbing information that...

Who is he?
Kim Kye-gwan is the first vice foreign minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In that capacity, he has served as the chief nuclear envoy for North Korea in the Six-Party Talks (SPT), and, therefore, as the main...

Q1: Merrill Newman: Who is he?

A1: Merrill Newman is an 85-year-old American citizen from Palo Alto, CA. A retired financial executive and Korean War veteran, he was visiting North Korea on a tourist visa as a participant of an...

* A version of this op-ed appears in print on November 15, 2013, in The International New York Times. © 2013 The New York Times Company

Last month Japanese officials once again visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which many Asians deplore as a symbol of...

Two years after the Obama administration announced its “pivot” to Asia, Fellow Zack Cooper sat down with Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair, Christopher K. Johnson, Freeman Chair in China Studies, and Victor Cha, Korea Chair, to...

The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul and the region from October 24 - November 6, 2013.

GLOBAL RELATIONS | ROK-European State Summits
On November 4, President Park...