Eastern Asia

South Korea’s government has decided to terminate cooperation with the North at the Kaesong Industrial Complex as of February 10. South Korea’s Minister for Unification, Hong Yong-pyo, made this announcement, indicating that this decision had been taken as part of countermeasures toward North Korea. Hong noted that the South Korean government did everything possible in Kaesong for the industrial complex according to international standards.

Usually, when talking about hoaxes fabricated about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, we have to deal with the products of either the Japanese mass media or the South Korean The Chosun Ilbo, but it turns out that a nonprofit broadcaster, Radio Free Asia, which also serves as a source of Internet news, makes a noticeable contribution to the demonization of this country as well.

A lot has been written about the “Korean Kaspersky”, or rather, the head of anti-virus lab AhnLab Co., entering into politics. Coming from a very prestigious and wealthy family, Ahn has positioned himself as a new man, without ties to the politicians of the past, and relatively free of past blunders in comparison with other candidates for the presidency.

The results of the presidential and legislative elections held in Taiwan on January 16, 2016, where the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a sweeping victory, were assessed differently by the three leading regional players, i.e., Japan, China and the US.

In 2016, South Koreans will vote in the parliamentary election, which some see as a “dress rehearsal” for the 2017 presidential race. To put readers in the picture, it would be reasonable to look at the political balance of power in the Republic of Korea and prospective candidates for senior positions.

More than two years have passed since the leadership of the People’s Republic of China announced its decision to revive the Silk Road and establish trade routes connecting the countries of the Pacific Rim to the Middle East and Europe. The Republic of Belarus is expected to be one of the significant hubs of the new Silk Road.

According to the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Browne, individuals convicted of serious crimes in China are currently giving televised confessions in exchange for leniency. Browne’s column describes how individuals like British corporate investigator Peter Humphrey and the owners of fast-food meat supplier OSI have been subjected to harsh, humiliating treatment by the Chinese government.

The launch of a North Korean carrier rocket, which certain agenda-driven groups equate with combat missile testing, has significantly boosted the development of the US and KR “defense” programs.

For decades the US has sought to stitch together a united front stretching from Central Asia, across Southeast Asia, and even into East Asia itself to encircle and contain China.

The changing face of Japan’s foreign policy—a many-year process—has been marked by several notable messages sent to the outside world in 2016 that has just begun.