This is the 11th and last installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s economic issues. -- Ed.　If the Trans-Pacific Partnership is ratified, it will spur the movement of the world’s manufacturing center from China to countries in Southeast Asia where the labor cost is cheaper and investments will flow in, China expert Jee Man-soo said. Jee Man-sooJee, a research fellow

Foreign Affairs Dec. 24, 2015

The Constitutional Court refused Wednesday to review a petition by a Korean woman who challenged the constitutionality of a 1965 treaty to normalize ties between Seoul and Tokyo on the grounds that the treaty limited individual rights to seek compensation for colonial-era forced labor. The Constitutional Court delivers a ruling over the constitutionality of a 1965 treaty to normalize relations between Seoul and Tokyo on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Under the treaty, Tokyo offered Seoul $5 million in free

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2015

President Park Geun-hye tapped Saenuri Party Rep. Yoo Il-ho to lead the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and double as deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs, in a Cabinet reshuffle that affected six high-level posts, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.Park also named Lee Joon-sik, former vice president of Seoul National University, as the education minister and deputy prime minister in charge of social affairs.Yoo Il-ho, Lee Joon-sik (Yonhap)For the post of the interior minister, the presid

Foreign Affairs Dec. 21, 2015

This is the 10th installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s industrial innovations. -- Ed.　China’s economy is transitioning toward a knowledge-based one through its constant pursuit of technological innovations, mitigating its notoriety for churning out low-quality and fake products, China expert Eun Jong-hak said.The transition has been substantiated by China’s massi

Foreign Affairs Dec. 17, 2015

 Seoul and Tokyo failed to bridge their differences Tuesday over the issue of Japan’s colonial-era sexual enslavement of Korean women during their 11th round of director-general-level talks in Tokyo, dashing hopes of settling it by the end of the year. Lee Sang-deok, director general of Northeast Asian affairs at Seoul`s Foreign Ministry speaks to the press in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Yonhap)The two sides agreed to hold an additional round of consultations at the “earliest date,” Lee Sang-deok, direct

Foreign Affairs Dec. 15, 2015

The top U.S. general on Monday voiced concerns about the potential “transregional” ramifications of North Korea’s military threats that have evolved with its development of ballistic missiles and capabilities in the cyber and space realms.  Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 1. (AP-Yonhap)Speaking at a defense forum, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford stressed that a conflict on the Korean Peninsula would not be li

Defense Dec. 15, 2015

The defection of Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo and the looming split of the party is a heavy blow to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, with only four months remaining until the next parliamentary elections. NPAD floor leader Rep. Lee Jong-kul (front) and a few other lawmakers wait for the party`s sgeneral assembly to open at the National Assembly on Monday. (Yonhap)But it is also a repetition of history for a party that has experienced countless divisions and mergers over the past six decades.All th

Politics Dec. 14, 2015

North Korea is keen on resuming the long-stalled tours to Mount Geumgangsan as they would offer a stable source of hard currency, spur efforts to develop tourism on its east coast and eventually enhance the regime’s political legitimacy, analysts said Monday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun inspects a fish farm in Pyongyang last week. (Yonhap)Restarting the tour program was one of the thorniest issues at the rare cross-border talks that broke down Saturday as Pyongyang insisted it should be addr

North Korea Dec. 14, 2015

Much-anticipated performances in China by a North Korean female propaganda troupe were canceled abruptly Saturday, sparking many rumors including one related to a possible friction between Beijing and Pyongyang over the latter’s nuclear program. The performances by the Moranbong Band were supposed to begin at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing at 7:30 p.m., but they were called off just three hours before. They were scheduled to continue three days from Saturday.Following the

North Korea Dec. 13, 2015