This is the first installment of a three-part series looking into South Korea‘s official development aid policies and projects. -- Ed. Armed with development know-how and a technological edge, Korea is striving to carve out a niche as nations vie to secure a greater presence in emerging markets through more effective assistance.Albeit relatively small in financial firepower, Seoul offers its experiences from its transformation within a few generations from an aid recipient to a member of the Org

Foreign Affairs Nov. 28, 2016

The fate of President Park Geun-hye appears to be hanging in the balance as the opposition parties are poised to introduce a motion for her impeachment to be put to a vote as early as Friday.  The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition People’s Party are also due to recommend two candidates Tuesday to steer an independent special investigation into a political corruption scandal involving Park and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil. Hit by a demonstration Saturday that bro

Politics Nov. 27, 2016

SINGAPORE -- Though North Korea remains one of the world’s most isolated economies, Pyongyang officials have apparently been seeking to nourish an unlikely entrepreneurial domain: startups. Four officials from the North’s National Academy of Sciences received a four months of training from September last year at a startup space run by Singapore’s state-run venture capital firm, Infocomm Investments, company officials said Wednesday. Dubbed Build Amazing Startups Here, or BASH, the Southeast Asia

Politics Nov. 23, 2016

Despite its failure to question President Park Geun-hye this week, the prosecution Friday hinted at addressing her possible “criminal charges” in an indictment against her old friend Choi Soon-sil, based on existing evidence. The prosecution has been calling for a face-to-face interview with Park before prosecuting Choi -- the deadline for which is Sunday -- to build grounds that the president had allowed or assisted her longtime civilian confidante in creating slush funds and meddling in state

Politics Nov. 18, 2016

The National Assembly on Thursday approved a bill calling for the inception of an independent special investigation tasked with untangling the web of allegations of irregularities surrounding President Park Geun-hye’s old friend. The bill was passed 196 to 10 with 14 abstentions. It is designed to enable the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition People’s Party to recommend two candidates to lead the probe, with one among them to be chosen by the president. The vote came

Politics Nov. 17, 2016

Though the US maintains an edge in global military force, it continues to face threats from not only member states of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, like China and Russi, but also non-members such as North Korea which is developing its own arsenal. In its latest index of US military strength, the Heritage Foundation assessed threats to US interests.While Russia and China remain “most worrisome” given their ongoing modernization of their respective arsenals and defiant beh

Foreign Affairs Nov. 17, 2016

President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings continue to plunge in the face of a scandal involving her longtime confidante, the latest poll showed Thursday. In a poll by Realmeter of 1,525 Koreans from Nov. 14 to 16, a mere 9.9 percent of respondents gave a positive view over Park’s state governance, marking a 1.6 percentage point drop from a week ago. The figure marks the first-ever single-digit approval rating from the Seoul-based pollster since its initial survey following the president’s swear

Politics Nov. 17, 2016

The Choi Soon-sil scandal is increasingly putting foreign and security policymakers in the spotlight, amid a growing trail of allegations she may have meddled in key diplomatic initiatives, the selection of high-level posts and major defense procurement projects. Evidence has been found that Choi, President Park Geun-hye’s longtime friend, was given classified records, such as a preview of Park’s 2014 speech in Dresden, Germany, and chose clothes and accessories to be worn by her during her over

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2016

Two of President Park Geun-hye’s former closest aides appeared before prosecutors Monday, as the investigation into a scandal involving her friend zeroed in on the embattled leader. Ahn Bong-geun and Lee Jae-man arrived the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at about 9:25 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., respectively, to be questioned over their possible involvement. They are alleged to have assisted Choi Soon-sil, Park’s longtime confidante, in meddling in state affairs and bullying major conglomer

Politics Nov. 14, 2016

In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory, Seoul officials are setting out to build a communication channel with the president-elect to promote policy understanding and coordination. The Foreign Ministry has since last June been running a task force under Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hyoung-zhin, with two teams responsible for monitoring and making contact with the campaigns of Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The election results pose new challenges for the team

Foreign Affairs Nov. 10, 2016

Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election casts uncertainties over Washington’s Asia policy and its joint defense posture with Seoul, as he has hinted at a sweeping departure from the Democratic administration’s approach. The billionaire real estate mogul has yet to offer a clear foreign and security policy vision, other than an isolationist concept with the “America First” motto. Throughout the campaign trail, however, he was adamant that South Korea should pay greater defense costs, l

Foreign Affairs Nov. 9, 2016

With American voters poised to cast ballots to pick their next president Tuesday, Seoul officials are gauging the election’s potential impact on high-stake issues such as bilateral alliance, the US policy on North Korea, regional security and trade.Throughout the campaign trail, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has in general maintained a slight edge over Republican nominee Donald Trump. In the final NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, Clinton garnered 44 percent of likely voters and Trump 40

Foreign Affairs Nov. 7, 2016

As President Park Geun-hye on Friday expressed willingness to be investigated over the Choi Soon-sil scandal, debate is moving toward the formalities and methods on what will be the first-ever investigation into a sitting leader. The special prosecutors’ team in charge of the scandal is expected to examine possible scenarios and coordinate the procedure with Cheong Wa Dae, the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.  Officials of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea watch

Politics Nov. 4, 2016

Cheong Wa Dae and its inner workings are mostly veiled, apart from a museum about the history of former presidents and video clips of high-profile meetings aired on TV. So to many South Koreans, the allegations that Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye’s civilian friend, had been freely coming and going into the presidential palace are beyond comprehension, not to mention her suspected meddling in state affairs and alleged pocketing of taxpayers’ money. Located at the foot of Bugaksan in centr

Politics Nov. 4, 2016

President Park Geun-hye can be investigated over the Choi Soon-sil scandal despite conflicting constitutional interpretations, Prime Minister nominee Kim Byung-joon said Thursday, adding that all people are “equal before the law.”At a news conference, the public policy professor at Kookmin University pledged to exert “100 percent” the constitutionally assured prime minister’s right to recommend the appointment and dismissal of Cabinet members, if approved by the National Assembly. Mindful of cri

Politics Nov. 3, 2016