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South Korea's health ministry announced that the government was withdrawing all administrative moves -- including license suspensions -- against the more than 12,000 trainee doctors who have been on strike since February, Yonhap News Agency reported July 8.

South Korea: Doctors' Strike Concession Risks Future Strikes, Industry Disruptions

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South Korea's marine corps conducted live-fire exercises on the ​​Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands, which lie west of the Korean Peninsula near the Northern Limit Line maritime border with North Korea, or NLL, Yonhap News Agency reported on June 26.

South Korea: Live-Fire Drills Around NLL Risk Escalation

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New Vietnamese President To Lam told U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper that Hanoi wants to deepen security and defense ties with Washington, state-run Tuoi Tre reported on June 14. 

Vietnam, U.S.: New President Lam Aims To Expand Security, Defense Ties With U.S.

Uzbekistan

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and they signed various agreements on critical minerals, transportation infrastructure and development cooperation, partly under the banner of what Yoon has deemed the "K-Silk Road," Yonhap News Agency reported on June 14.

South Korea, Uzbekistan: Yoon Seeks His Own Belt and Road Initiative

South Korea's military activated propaganda loudspeakers near the North Korean border on June 9 but ceased broadcasting the next day, with the Joint Chiefs of Staff stating that broadcasts could continue depending on Pyongyang's actions, Yonhap News Agency reported on June 10.

South Korea: War of Words and Garbage Intensifies at the Border

South Korea's deputy defense minister for policy stated in a press briefing that the country will restore military activities at the border with North Korea, including immediately deploying propaganda loudspeakers, Yonhap News Agency reported on June 4. 

South Korea: Seoul To Resume Military Activities at North Korean Border

Ethiopia

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South Korea is holding the inaugural South Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul from June 4-5, with Seoul's June 4 joint statement outlining areas of prospective cooperation, including critical minerals development, especially of cobalt, chrome, manganese and critical minerals for electric vehicles, batteries and new energy technology, Yonhap News Agency reported the same day.

South Korea, Africa: Summit Targets Minerals, New Markets, Presages Security and Financial Risks

North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles, or SRBMs, from Sunan (just north of Pyongyang) 217 miles (350 kilometers) east into the East Sea, Yonhap News Agency reported on May 30.

North Korea: SRBM Test Practices Saturation Strikes, Advertises Arms for Russia

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), chair of the African Union, listens during a joint press conference following the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on June 4, 2024.

Energy

A recent summit highlights South Korea's commitment to expanding its role in Africa as Yoon looks to strengthen his country's technological future and geopolitical influence.

In South Korea, Yoon's Desire for Supply Chains and Prestige Points to Africa

(From left to right) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang attend a joint press conference during a trilateral summit on May 27, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. 

Barring major economic and political shifts, cooperation between the three countries is unlikely to notably improve, as Seoul and Tokyo's strategic interests will remain largely at odds with Beijing's.

Reviewing the China-Japan-South Korea Summit: A Long Shot Effort To Ease Tensions

Assessments

Taiwan

Global Elections

While President Biden would be expected to continue to build and strengthen alliances with America's key allies in the northern Asian region, the reelection of President Trump could spur those same allies to look beyond the U.S. for their physical and economic security.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, Northern Asia and Geopolitical Risk: What to Expect

South Africa

Palestinian Territories

United Kingdom

Supporters of the African National Congress (ANC) party dance, sing and chant slogans during a campaign march on May 24, 2024, in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Israel-Hamas 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: South Africa's General Election, Israel Resumes Hostage Talks With Hamas

Natsumi Sakai (C) of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses with others after receiving news that she won the by-election for the Tokyo No. 15 district seat for the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, 2024.

Recent by-elections reveal that a slush fund scandal is continuing to take its toll on Japan's ruling party, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to remain in power, for now.

By-Election Losses Shake Japan's Ruling Party, but Kishida Stays the Course

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A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S.-China Relations

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands following a joint press conference in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Greater U.S.-Japan defense cooperation will exacerbate China's sense of entrapment, furthering Beijing's partnerships with authoritarian regimes and its long-term preparations for a Taiwan conflict.

Japan-U.S. Relationship Serves as a Model for Indo-Pacific Security, a Bad Omen for China

Iran

Poland

People attend an April 5, 2024, funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in an Israeli strike in Syria.

The Weekly Rundown: The Threat of Iranian Retaliation Against Israel, Polish Local Elections

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol gives a speech on the government budget at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 31, 2023.

A conservative victory in the April 10 ballot would accelerate pro-business policies and boost the country's arms industry, while a liberal victory would perpetuate pro-labor and green transition policies.

Legislative Elections Will Prove Pivotal for South Korea's Lame Duck President

Venezuela

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 14, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Dueling U.S. and Chinese Diplomacy, a European Council Summit

Doctors shout slogans during a rally to protest against the government's plan to raise the annual enrollment quota at medical schools, near the Presidential Office in Seoul on Feb. 25, 2024.

The president will try to capitalize on voters' frustration with the ongoing strike to secure a conservative majority in the National Assembly, which would enable him to more avidly pursue his pro-business agenda and deterrence strategy against North Korea.

In South Korea, a Doctors' Strike Could Play in Yoon's Favor Ahead of Legislative Elections

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In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

The Republic of Korea, also called South Korea, occupies the southern half of a peninsula that juts out of the Asian mainland toward Japan. The country shares its only land border with North Korea, which it also borders in the Yellow and East seas. It shares maritime borders with Japan to the east and China to the west. South Koreas primary geographic challenges are overcoming internal fractures to maintain cohesion, and securing its maritime sphere and its southwest lowland pockets from its more powerful neighbors.    The ancient kingdoms of Baekje and Silla occupied the distinct geographic pockets of the southern peninsula, standing in contrast to a more unified space where North Korea now sits. The Taebaek mountains run along much of South Korea's eastern coast, largely protecting the country from invasion by sea from this direction. These mountain ranges provide a level of protection to the peninsula's most vulnerable feature: a north-south corridor of lowlands and hills along the west coast. This coast (as well as much of South Korea's southern coastline) is protected from easy landing by countless islands, mudflats and tidal rips.     However, the Nakdong River valley at Pusan offers a point of incursion to would-be invaders. From here, they can pass over the lower elevations of the Sobaek Mountains and onward to the western core. This has been the gateway for those seeking to control the peninsula, from the failed 16th century invasions of Japanese Daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the Japanese empire's later efforts in the 19th century. A North Korean invasion in 1950 (repelled by U.N. forces defending the Pusan Perimeter) highlights another key vulnerability for South Korea: the potential for incursions from the north via the western coastal strip. To hedge against aggression from all directions, South Korea is focused on securing its maritime space, particularly in the south and west. The country has prioritized its possession of Jeju Island in the Jeju Strait and has in the past held claims to Tsushima Island. Disputes with China over the Socotra Rock in the Yellow Sea and with Japan over Dokdo in the East Sea are also important elements of South Korea's overall maritime strategy.     The Korean Peninsula's historic policy of isolation was one way of remaining out of the crosshairs of its neighbors, but it has also aligned itself with rival powers throughout its history. Most recently, South Korea has used a third party — the United States — to maintain balance against neighbors that threaten it from sea and land. 

SITUATION REPORTS

South Korea: Doctors' Strike Concession Risks Future Strikes, Industry Disruptions

South Korea: Live-Fire Drills Around NLL Risk Escalation

Vietnam, U.S.: New President Lam Aims To Expand Security, Defense Ties With U.S.

South Korea, Uzbekistan: Yoon Seeks His Own Belt and Road Initiative

South Korea: War of Words and Garbage Intensifies at the Border

South Korea: Seoul To Resume Military Activities at North Korean Border

South Korea, Africa: Summit Targets Minerals, New Markets, Presages Security and Financial Risks

North Korea: SRBM Test Practices Saturation Strikes, Advertises Arms for Russia

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