19 Nov 2021
Time for South Korea to abandon the “middle power” moniker
In the end, it’s not a term that helps people to understand policy and policy choices.
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12 Oct 2021
Australia-Korea minilateral: A potential win-win
Middle powers can reap the rewards of cooperation on security, cyber and democratic systems. -
6 Oct 2021
With Biden’s lukewarm diplomacy, North Korea runs hot and cold
The vague North Korea policy from the White House has left all parties unsure what the United States hopes to achieve. -
16 Sep 2021
North Korea’s calculated restraint
Pyongyang is giving Washington a taste of its own “strategic patience” medicine. -
13 Sep 2021
Small hints of a bigger opportunity in Australia-South Korea ties
Defence industry engagement can be the bridge to span different strategic visions of challenges to the region. -
19 Aug 2021
North Korea calling
The hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul is operational again despite irritation at joint US military ops in the region. -
3 Jun 2021
Moon’s last, best chance after Biden summit
The South Korean president came to Washington for vaccine supplies and to shore up a legacy for North Korea engagement. -
25 May 2021
South Korea’s green goals
A little-heralded summit this month will test how governments – and big private companies – match promises with action. -
24 May 2021
“Flexible” is the new North Korea policy buzzword
A responsive approach has clear benefits, but Washington and Seoul must be careful not to fall out of line. -
11 May 2021
Biden’s North Korea review is a diplomatic victory for Moon Jae-in
South Korea’s president has won the new administration in Washington over to his way of thinking. -
16 Apr 2021
South Korea on North Korea: Keep on keeping on
Moon Jae-in wants diplomacy to work with Kim Jong-un and is determined to push ahead. -
23 Mar 2021
When a middle power is not caught in the middle
Different understandings of the world where a middle power sits has led South Korea down a different path to Australia. -
16 Mar 2021
Troubles ahead for the US–South Korea alliance
Biden’s efforts to nudge Seoul into the Quad may be self-defeating unless Moon Jae-in’s North Korea hopes are engaged. -
4 Feb 2021
History haunts Japan–South Korea ties
Geopolitical expediency has previously pushed South Korea and Japan closer together, but a painful past keeps intruding. -
13 Jan 2021
Why North Korea wants an arms control deal with the United States
Arms control might sound more appealing than tried-and-failed denuclearisation agreements – but it carries costs, too. -
17 Dec 2020
When China lashed out
Lessons of the past are too readily overlooked. But Australia has walked a tightrope between clashing giants before. -
19 Nov 2020
Beijing’s bad books: Australia can learn from Norway and South Korea
China’s coercive diplomacy is not new. Other countries have managed to repair ties after a perceived slight. -
11 Nov 2020
Leading by example: Two different responses to China’s rise
South Korea and Australia share many traits but differ in one important respect – their responses to a rising China. -
4 Nov 2020
Coming soon: A neutral South Korea?
South Korea has transformed drastically over the last 20 years, and strategic change on the peninsula will be via Seoul. -
28 Oct 2020
How South Koreans view the prospect of a Trump re-election
An unpopular President hasn’t dented support for the American alliance. -
3 Sep 2020
A Biden presidency and the US–South Korea alliance
Can Joe Biden, if elected, heal the rift between the two countries, or will he make it worse? -
26 Aug 2020
Where next for MIKTA?
Tacking the problems created by Covid-19 appear to be beyond this particular example of middle-power activism. -
31 Jul 2020
US–South Korea: Working group blues
Has Washington effectively set up a veto over Moon Jae-in’s efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang? -
20 Jul 2020
Moon’s North Korea vision up in smoke? Not so fast …
Undeterred by criticism, South Korea’s president may have set his sights on a smaller deal. -
23 Jun 2020
Can inter-Korean peace be salvaged from the latest wreckage?
Mismatched expectations pose a big problem on the peninsula. -
21 May 2020
South Korea’s foreign ministry: Just a few bad eggs?
Recent scandals have raised questions about the culture within the country’s diplomatic corps. There are ways to fix it. -
27 Apr 2020
Kim is dead? Hang on, many South Koreans don’t trust their own press
A legacy of beat-ups and cover-ups, plus lingering authoritarian vestiges, make for little faith in local reporters. -
27 Apr 2020
Islands of ire: The South Korea–Japan dispute
The Dokdo/Takeshima islands are a flashpoint for memories of exploitation – a hostility that won’t soon be resolved. -
20 Apr 2020
The Nth Room case and modern slavery in the digital space
South Korea is again confronted by an example of women being exploited – and the global challenge of misused technology. -
14 Apr 2020
Why Covid-19 only accelerates South Korea’s AI ambitions
Moon Jae-in wants his country to be a technology powerhouse – yet for social reasons as much as military or economic. -
13 Apr 2020
Coronavirus will not dominate elections in South Korea this week
If only the US could also control its outbreak, the virus need not take over the agenda or make the vote treacherous. -
27 Mar 2020
The public judgment of South Korea’s Covid-19 response
Moon Jae-in has won international acclaim for his crisis response, but at home, party allegiance still determines views. -
12 Mar 2020
Covid-19 will kill Moon Jae-in’s Korea détente
Fears of the virus’s spread have ruined hopes tourism could bind North and South Korea – with a mounting political cost. -
27 Feb 2020
South Korea’s struggle with coronavirus
A better health system and open press put the country in a stronger position – but will personal freedoms be curtailed? -
17 Feb 2020
Japan–South Korea tensions show little sign of easing
After last year’s steady decline over a spate of issues, reconciliation remains a long way off. -
4 Feb 2020
Tokyo Olympics are a chance for diplomatic reset with North Korea
The 2018 PyeongChang games eased engagement between South Korea and Kim Jong-un. Japan has a similar opportunity now. -
2 Dec 2019
Moon Jae-in’s foreign policy reorientation
He has spoken so favourably of Kim Jong-un that Moon has been criticised for acting as North Korea’s foreign minister. -
11 Oct 2019
Why does North Korea keep dragging its feet?
Pyongyang is taking a high-risk, high-reward approach to its engagement with the US. -
18 Sep 2019
Korea-Japan tensions, as seen in the suburbs of Brisbane
When Toowong briefly hit the headlines in South Korea, it signalled another test for Australia’s regional engagement. -
13 Aug 2019
Japan and South Korea’s diplomatic dispute doesn’t need US mediation
If history is a guide, the interests of Korean victims, not US strategic goals, must be put first. -
29 Jul 2019
The trouble in the air on a tense Tuesday in Northeast Asia
The ruckus after South Korea fired warning shots at a nosy Russian spy plane marks a significant rise in tensions. -
11 Jul 2019
The pitfalls of North Korea’s summitry spectacle
It is easy to mistake process for progress in talking to North Korea. -
7 Jun 2019
The Burning Sun scandal that torched South Korea’s elites
Systemic corruption has allowed the country’s ruling class to act above the law and women are paying the price. -
6 Jun 2019
Just why is the North Korean status quo so persistent?
Maybe it’s Trump’s personality, maybe it’s domestic politics in Seoul, or perhaps North Korea simply loves the bomb. -
3 May 2019
The persistent status quo with North Korea
For all the bluster, threats, reversals and extremes in recent times, very little “on the ground” has altered. -
5 Apr 2019
South Korea: has a female leader’s fall cost women candidates?
In a country already renowned for misogyny, the fall of Park Geun-Hye led to speculation about future female candidates. -
4 Apr 2019
The limits of Moon Jae‑in’s shuttle diplomacy
The South Korean President is mediating between North Korea and the US yet can only do so much for a reluctant couple. -
1 Apr 2019
As South Korea and Japan pick a fight, don’t expect Trump to care
Washington often been an informal umpire for the depressingly regular spats between Seoul and Tokyo – not this time. -
20 Mar 2019
The K-Pop sex and drugs scandal sweeping South Korea
It started with Big Bang and has spiralled into an ever-widening controversy, with privilege and misogyny at the heart. -
8 Mar 2019
Women of influence in South Korea
Spycams, #metoo, the corset movement – the women of South Korea have been campaigning to bring about a wave of change.