18 Jan 2023
“If the problem becomes more serious”: South Korea talks going nuclear
The high stakes on Korean Peninsula have quickly become even more acute in 2023.
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11 Nov 2022
North Korea: unpredictably predictable
The rationale behind Pyongyang’s provocative missile launches may not be as menacing as it appears. -
4 Nov 2022
Solutions to the North Korea issue no longer include denuclearisation
A minimalist approach based on arms control, risk reduction and deterrence is what’s needed right now on the Peninsula. -
25 Oct 2022
The Korean Peninsula still poses major risks
Escalating tensions and vicious cycles. We’ve heard this story before. That doesn’t make the situation less dangerous. -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
8 Sep 2022
Can Seoul and Tokyo mend ties?
Defence talks this week are a good sign. But a lot of history stands in the way of cooperation, even over North Korea. -
29 Aug 2022
The merits of transactionalism
Seeking deeper relationships doesn’t always best serve the national interest. -
5 Aug 2022
Koreas: The hidden risk of the “kill chain”
South Korea's threat to pre-emptively decapitate the leadership in Pyongyang may drag the United States into a conflict. -
28 Jun 2022
Contingency plans: South Korea and cross-Strait security
Seoul’s new administration faces critical choices over Taiwan and its relationships with Washington and Beijing. -
13 Apr 2022
Bellicose or bluster? How South Koreans see the North’s nuclear threat
The policy of a new president in Seoul depends not only on Pyongyang but also South Korean public perceptions. -
30 Mar 2022
Why now? The timing of North Korea’s ICBM test
History has an alarming habit of repeating on the Korean peninsula. -
22 Mar 2022
Waiting for North Korea to escalate
With Pyongyang ramping up its missile testing, it’s unclear whether they’re looking for a deal or a provocation. -
11 Mar 2022
From Moon to Yoon: will the Korean peninsula see fire and fury return?
South Korea’s election result again proves the adage that governments lose more than oppositions win. -
9 Feb 2022
A foreign policy cheat sheet for South Korea’s presidential election
Liberal and conservative candidates bring distinct traits to office. But after polling day, the shackles could come off. -
17 Jan 2022
South Korea’s embrace of Australia goes beyond China
Seoul confronts a panoply of regional challenges – not least that from the other big trading partner in Asia. -
10 Jan 2022
Koreas: A tale of two Olympics
Moon Jae-in won’t finish his presidency with the podium finish he’d dreamed of four years ago. -
16 Dec 2021
Australia’s “China” blinders on South Korea
By focusing on the elephant, Australia risks misunderstanding the room. -
2 Dec 2021
Honouring the dead on the path to Korean peace
Recovering troop remains and negotiating denuclearisation are vital to end-of-war declarations on the Korean peninsula. -
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. -
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.