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What forces are at play in shaping South Korea's strategic geopolitical relationships?

Applied Geopolitics: South Korea's Response to Shifting Geopolitical Balances 

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Taiwan

Then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (center left) walks alongside Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after arriving at the president's office in Taipei on Aug. 3, 2022. 

Military & Security

The U.S., Japan and Europe's growing political support for Taiwan has the potential to accelerate China's military and economic coercive efforts and further decouple global supply chains.

The Evolving Taiwan-China Relationship, Part 4: Diplomatic Relations

Turkey

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Supporters of AKP and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 12, 2023, in Istanbul.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A G-7 Summit in Japan, Significant Elections in Turkey

Chile

Saudi Arabia

Russian soldiers march in Moscow on May 4, 2023, during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade on May 9.

The Weekly Rundown: Russia Marks Victory Day, Japan's Leader Visits South Korea

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On Geopolitics

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers remarks during a U.S.-Korea Business Forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on April 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. 

President Yoon is trying to move his country to a more active foreign policy role, driven by fears of getting caught in the crosshairs of U.S.-China tensions and being usurped by Japan as a strategic regional power.

Shifting Geopolitics Prompt South Korea to Mull Reasserting Its Place in the World

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their Feb. 4, 2022, meeting in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive March 20, 2023, in Moscow for a three-day trip to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking Russian officials. 

The Weekly Rundown: Nigeria Elects Governors, Xi Visits Russia

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) attend a joint news conference at the prime minister's official residence on March 16, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. 

The recent thaw in relations could see Seoul and Tokyo deepen their economic and security cooperation in the coming months, but wartime grievances will impose an upper limit on cooperation.

A Historic Summit Bodes Well for Japan-South Korea Rapprochement -- For Now

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Workers at an ASML factory move parts of a chipmaking machine before shipment in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, in 2018.

Environment, Science & Technology

The latest potential export controls indicate the U.S. and its allies’ intent to wage an increasingly disruptive assault against China’s semiconductor industry.

The U.S., Japan and the Netherlands Mull New Restrictions on China's Tech Sector

South Korean opposition lawmakers and supporters of the victims of Japan's wartime forced labor hold up placards during a protest against a public hearing on the issue at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 12, 2023. 

Social Issues

Seoul's push to compensate victims of Japanese labor violations will help facilitate bilateral cooperation on shared regional threats like North Korea.

To Mend Ties with Japan, South Korea Mulls a Deal on Wartime Grievances

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Two Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks of the German armed forces participate in the NATO Iron Wolf military exercises on Oct. 27, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. On Jan. 20, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of military equipment donors to Ukraine will meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where a breakthrough is expected regarding the supply of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. 

The Weekly Rundown: Germany Discusses Tanks for Ukraine, the Lunar New Year Approaches

Members of Japan's Self-Defense Force stand in formation during the defense minister's speech following a joint military exercise with U.S., U.K. and Australian troops in Funabashi, Japan, on Jan. 8, 2023. 

The spending spree will see Japan return to the normal state activities that its post-war constitution has long restricted, driven by the need to defend against mounting regional threats. 

A Record Defense Budget Begins the Next Phase of Japan's Military 'Normalization'

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International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas speaks during a media interview at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2022, after the institution downgraded its outlook for the global economy this year and next. 

Economics

As the effects of post-COVID reopenings wane, rising interest rates and slower economic growth may prove particularly problematic for highly indebted countries like Italy.

After a Brief Reprieve, Debt Levels in Many Advanced Economies Are Set to Rise

North Korea

North Korea's attempt to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite, the Chollima-1, failed, Yonhap News Agency reported on May 30.

North Korea: Failed Satellite Launch Prompts Evacuation Scare

The Japanese government formally announced that it would add 23 semiconductor-related products to its export control list in March and require exports of those goods to receive a special license in July, Nikkei Asia reported on May 23.

Japan: Semiconductor Export Restrictions to Come Into Force in July

Around 30 South Korean experts from May 22-25 will inspect facilities that are set to release more than one million tons of nuclear wastewater from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean in the coming months, Reuters reported on May 19.

Japan, South Korea: Seoul Sending Expert Scientists to Fukushima Nuclear Plant

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed an economic, security and technological collaboration agreement, the Financial Times reported on May 18.

U.K., Japan: Semiconductor Partnership Will Strengthen Domestic Production, Supply Chain Resilience

Japan and South Korea will agree at the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 2-4 to link their radar systems through the U.S. radar system to share real-time intelligence on North Korea's ballistic missiles, Reuters reported on May 9.

Japan, South Korea, U.S.: Tokyo and Seoul to Link Radar Systems Through Washington

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to cooperate on securing supply chains, including semiconductors, and deepen military-to-military and parliament-to-parliament ties during Kishida's two-day visit to Seoul, Nikkei Asia reported on May 7.

Japan, South Korea: Rapprochement Continues Under Kishida and Yoon

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won four of five by-election National Diet seats, but by tight margins, Kyodo News reported on April 23.

Japan: Close Calls for LDP in By-Elections Make Snap Elections Less Likely

The primary suspect of the failed assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on April 15 reportedly held grievances about the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) ties to the controversial Unification Church, The Mainichi Shimbun reported on April 18.

Japan: Likely Assassination Attempt on Prime Minister Has Potential Political, Economic Implications

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

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<p>Japan is a mountainous, volcanic island chain located in the western Pacific Ocean. The islands arc from Russia in the north toward the Korean Peninsula in the south. The country has four main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, plus thousands of minor ones extending through the Ryukyu island chain framing the East China Sea. Japan&#39;s rugged terrain and lack of interregional connecting rivers isolated its population into separate, densely populated coastal plains. The Yamato plain, which dominates the &quot;Inland Sea,&quot; the birthplace of Japanese civilization. The Inland Sea saw the rise of early Japanese maritime culture and facilitated communication and political control. As Japanese culture expanded over the island chain, the seat of power moved to the more productive and strategically located Kanto plain, Japan&#39;s core region and home to Tokyo, the world&#39;s largest metropolitan area. The country&#39;s primary geographic challenge is sustaining its large population on an island with little arable land and few natural resources. Japan&#39;s geography has prompted the country to alternate between periods of isolationism and expansion. When Japan unifies under strong centralized control, it is often drawn toward the continent for resources and land. This happened in the late 1500s and again in the early 1900s, leading to World War II. Given its location, the Korean Peninsula has been the corridor of invasion between Japan and China, and its status remains of strategic importance to Tokyo. The lack of natural resources in Japan continues to force the country to seek them abroad, leaving the country to balance between U.S. naval dominance and China&#39;s expanding maritime interests.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

North Korea: Failed Satellite Launch Prompts Evacuation Scare

Japan: Semiconductor Export Restrictions to Come Into Force in July

Japan, South Korea: Seoul Sending Expert Scientists to Fukushima Nuclear Plant

U.K., Japan: Semiconductor Partnership Will Strengthen Domestic Production, Supply Chain Resilience

Japan, South Korea, U.S.: Tokyo and Seoul to Link Radar Systems Through Washington

Japan, South Korea: Rapprochement Continues Under Kishida and Yoon

Japan: Close Calls for LDP in By-Elections Make Snap Elections Less Likely

Japan: Likely Assassination Attempt on Prime Minister Has Potential Political, Economic Implications

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