Politically, South Korea is experiencing some eventful years: last April saw parliamentary elections with a loss of the ruling party; next year will see presidential elections. We spoke to Steven Denney about the past three years under President Park, the peculiarities of South Korea’s democratic process, and what we can expect for the near future.
China has become a land of economic opportunity for Koreans. Today, over 70.000 South Koreans reside in Wangjing, a district of Beijing known as the city’s Koreatown. To learn about how South Koreans interact with the Chinese citizens of Korean descent also living there, we spoke with Professor Sharon Yoon.
Just like South Korea is one of America’s most important partners in Asia, so is the United States a key ally for South Korea. An important role in the day-to-day management of this relationship is played by America’s diplomatic staff on site. We had the opportunity to meet Mark Lippert, the current Ambassador of the United States to South Korea.
Relations between Japan and South Korea are perplexing: the two countries are major trade partners and tourist destinations for each other’s people as well as alliance partners of the United States. Yet their relations are troubled by territorial and historical issues. To learn more about these disputes and their sources, we met with Scott Snyder.