Los Angeles Times (August 17)
“More than seven decades later, the dispute over who should pay for the suffering…is at the heart of a downward spiral in relations between South Korea and Japan that has spawned a trade war and ignited massive protests and boycotts in South Korea,” putting much at risk. “An $80-billion bilateral trade relationship is in jeopardy, as is a military information-sharing agreement between the two countries that has been valuable for the U.S. and its allies against the North Korean threat.”
Tags: Bilateral trade, Boycotts, Dispute, Downward spiral, Japan, Jeopardy, North Korea, Protests, South Korea, Suffering, Threat, Trade war, U.S.
New York Times (August 12)
“In a purely rational world, Japan would lead a democratic alliance with South Korea, Taiwan and much of Southeast Asia to balance the might of China. In a world fueled by historical passions, America’s retreat will almost certainly drive South Korea even closer to China, while Japan… might pull back behind its sea walls, hoping to be left alone by untrustworthy alien powers.”
Tags: China, Democratic alliance, Japan, Might, Passions, Rational, Retreat, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, U.S.
New York Times (August 5)
“North Korea had launched its third barrage of short-range missiles in just over a week, parading its growing ability to strike its neighbors with devastating firepower. But instead of banding together against a common adversary last week, the two American allies in the path of the missiles—Japan and South Korea—were locked in their own bitter battle, whose roots stretch back over 100 years.”
Tags: Adversary, Allies, Devastating, Firepower, Japan, Launch, Missiles, North Korea, Short range, South Korea, U.S.
The Economist (July 20)
“A brawl now under way in Asia, between Japan and South Korea, has the potential to be as damaging as much of what Mr Trump has stirred up. It is also a sign that his model of abusing economic partners is spreading.”
Tags: Abusing, Asia, Brawl, Damaging, Economic partners, Japan, South Korea, Trump
Wall Street Journal (July 19)
“What began as an obscure, tech-supply trade fight between Tokyo and Seoul has now erupted into a boycott mushrooming across South Korea, a backlash targeting Japanese apparel, travel and electronics.” According to a recent poll, “most South Koreans are avoiding Japan-made products.”
Tags: Apparel, Backlash, Boycott, Obscure, South Korea, Tech-supply, Tokyo, Trade fight, Travel
Bloomberg (July 16)
“South Korea is headed for a demographic crash,” with a fertility rate roughly half the replacement rate of 2.1. In 2018, it “fell to a record low of 0.98—much lower even than in countries such as Japan, whose rate is above 1.4.” By 2080, South Korea’s current “population of 51 million could fall by a third.”
The Korea Times (July 1)
There are clearly “concerns that the one-time meeting may end up as an anticlimax. Trump probably needed such global grandstanding…to boost his re-election bid. For his part, Kim might have wanted to use his DMZ meeting with Trump as propaganda to raise his international standing and tighten his grip on power.” Still, one must hope that “Trump and Kim will reach a grand deal to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Their ‘handshake of peace’ should be translated into complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the peninsula.”
Tags: Anticlimax, DMZ, Grand deal, Grandstanding, Handshake, Kim, North Korea, Nuclear issue, Peace, Propaganda, Re-election, South Korea, Trump, U.S.
Washington Post (May 9)
“It’s anyone guess what will come of the current meetings” to resolve the U.S./China trade dispute. “What should not be in doubt, however, is that throughout the entire bargaining process with Beijing, the administration has undercut its position by attempting to wage simultaneous tariff battles with other countries.” In addition to China, Mr. Trump’s tariffs now cover…7.3 percent of imports from Canada, 2.5 percent of imports from the European Union, 9.6 percent of imports from South Korea and 3.8 percent of imports from Japan,” undercutting support from natural allies in his dispute with China.
Tags: Allies, Canada, China, EU, Imports, Japan, South Korea, Tariffs, Trade dispute, Trump, U.S., Undercut
Pensions & Investments (March 22)
“For decades, South Korea’s most powerful tycoons ran their companies with little regard for minority shareholders. Then came Paul Singer. The hedge fund titan’s activist campaigns…have trained a spotlight on the corporate governance failures and complex ownership structures that saddle South Korean stocks with some of the world’s lowest valuations.” His defeat at Hyundai Motor “is unlikely to derail the nascent shift toward more accountability at the business groups that dominate Asia’s fourth-largest economy.”
Tags: Accountability, Activist, Corporate governance, Hedge-fund, Hyundai Motor, Minority shareholders, Paul Singer, South Korea, Valuations
The Economist (February 16)
“Ageing and robots are more closely related than you might think. Young countries with many children have few robots. Ageing nations have lots.” South Korea, Singapore, Germany and Japan top the list, but there needs to be a shift in focus. “An ageing world needs more resourceful robots” that can help care for seniors “rather than take people’s jobs.”
