Eastern Asia

On Olena Zelenska’s visit to South Korea

On May 16, 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, who arrived in Seoul as a special envoy for her husband, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. According to diplomatic sources, Ukraine’s first lady arrived in Seoul on May 15 and stayed for several days. The visit of the […]
Сообщение On Olena Zelenska’s visit to South Korea появились сначала на New Eastern Outlook.

Thae Yong-ho – is this the end of his career?

Readers of previous articles by the present writer will know that the present author has a special interest in defectors from North Korea. As a result of their efforts a number of extravagant myths have been spread for propaganda purposes, largely because they tend to be from an upper middle-class background in North Korea, and […]
Сообщение Thae Yong-ho – is this the end of his career? появились сначала на New Eastern Outlook.

Fumio Kishida’s visit to South Korea

As the readers recall, Yoon Suk-yeol, the new President of the Republic of Korea, advocated right from the start for enhancing ties with Japan and shifting attention from the issues of the bygone past to building a better tomorrow. His speech on March 1, 2023 and his visit to Japan on April 16-17, during which, […]
Сообщение Fumio Kishida’s visit to South Korea появились сначала на New Eastern Outlook.

The PRC-Japan rivalry extends to Europe

Together with India, China and Japan form today the strategic triangle on which the political and economic situation in Asia will increasingly depend. The latter however is the continent where the focus of the current stage of the “Great Game” is shifting more and more definitely. Leaving the territory of another continent, which for centuries, […]
Сообщение The PRC-Japan rivalry extends to Europe появились сначала на New Eastern Outlook.

The Gangneung self-immolation: a sign of the acute confrontation between the government and the unions, in which there is no clear right or wrong

On May 1, 2023, 50-year-old Yang Hoe-dong doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire around 9:35 a.m. in front of the district courthouse in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, 163 kilometers east of Seoul. Yang suffered serious burns and was taken first to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to a specialized hospital […]

The PRC is becoming increasingly active in the region of Central and South Asia

At this point in the “Great World Game,” everything that is happening in Central and South Asia (CSA) is playing an increasingly important role. CSA here will mean a vast territory, with at least a dozen countries located on it today. From Kazakhstan in the north to Sri Lanka in the south and from Nepal […]

Concerning Signs of Chill in Relations Between China and South Korea

Given recent diplomatic advancements between the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as the President of the Republic of Korea’s visit to the United States, this article investigates issues that may indicate a chill in relations with China. On April 19, 2023, President Yoon Suk-yeol gave an interview to Reuters. Yoon frequently spoke cautiously […]

The President of the Republic of Korea’s Visit to the United States: An Analysis of Key Documents and Statements. Part 3. Russian (and Chinese) Issues at the US and ROK Presidents’ Summit

The context in which Russia was mentioned deserves its own section because, prior to the visit and following Yoon Suk-yeol’s interview with Reuters, many people anticipated or feared that, as a holiday present, the ROK president would solemnly cross the red line and declare that South Korea would change its position on the Ukraine issue […]

The President of the Republic of Korea’s Visit to the United States: An Analysis of Key Documents and Statements. Part 2. Joint Statement by the Presidents

Yoon and Biden’s opening monologue was theatrical, just like the Washington Declaration. “The United States and the ROK are constructing an Alliance that will provide future generations with a firm foundation upon which to build prosperity and security.” The first part of the statement positioned the US-ROK alliance as a “Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance” that […]

The President of the Republic of Korea’s Visit to the United States: An Analysis of Key Documents and Statements Part 1. The Washington Declaration

Having described the course of the visit, let’s move on to a more in-depth analysis of the main statements, which include the joint statement of the two presidents on the results of the summit, speech by Yoon Suk-yeol in Congress, and partly his speech at Harvard, where he developed some of the theses expressed earlier. […]