As China’s trade war with the United States casts a pall over the global economy, a separate dispute between two of China’s neighbors—and two American allies—is adding to the gloomy outlook. Earlier this month, Japan curbed exports to South Korea of three materials that are necessary for the production of semiconductors and display screens, threatening to upend South Korea’s technology industry and throw a wrench into complex global supply chains for smartphones, televisions and other popular consumer devices. The move is only the latest escalation in an ongoing standoff, rooted in deep historical grievances, that has regional observers and officials [...]
SEOUL—Most of the time, the existential issue of North Korea dominates dialogue between South Korea and its major allies and neighbors. But as I found out on a recent trip to Seoul, this fast-changing and dynamic society is beginning to see climate and environmental hazards as real priorities, too. As South Korea establishes its place as a G-20 developed economy and looks for ways to take on more responsibility in global governance, the tough tradeoffs between its economic growth and its adaptation to climate realities are becoming clearer. South Korean leaders are beginning to recognize that they need to do [...]
As South Korean President Moon Jae-in heads into his third year in office this week, he faces a familiar political burden. Ever since South Korea’s transition to democracy in the late 1980s, its presidents have been limited to a single five-year term. That stipulation in the constitution, which otherwise grants substantial political power to the presidency, was intended as a constraint on the executive branch following decades of authoritarian rule. It also tends to cause the rapid onset of lame-duck syndrome, as most modern-day South Korean presidents see an average decline in both approval ratings and political capital over the [...]
