Analysis
Trump’s Russian diesel deal may leave South Korea’s refining boom intact
Damaged Russian refineries and tight Asian fuel supplies may keep Korean export margins high despite Trump’s pledge
October 12, 2026
Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance
With no one below the president owning the file, Seoul’s nuclear and submarine goals now wait on Trump’s investment wins
October 8, 2026
South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks
New systems improve interception, but Seoul has not shown that stocks and factories could sustain repeated large salvos
October 7, 2026
South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems
Regulators widen checks as attackers target employee, contractor and loan systems outside banks’ protected cores
October 6, 2026
Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma
Kyiv’s refinery strikes are colliding with Seoul’s approach to energy security, North Korea and Central Asia
October 5, 2026
Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump
South Korea seeks influence over renewed US-North Korea diplomacy as Pyongyang shuts Seoul out of direct talks
October 2, 2026
Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls
Texas is approved, nuclear remains conditional and Alaska LNG will show how costly Seoul’s right to walk away may be
October 1, 2026
North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
Conflicting accounts of the transfer deal raise questions over aid, intelligence sharing and future POW cooperation
October 1, 2026
South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus
Lee wants exporters to help fund the losers from trade, but legal hurdles and foreign demands complicate the bargain
September 29, 2026
AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline
LGES, Samsung SDI and SK On can repurpose US plants, but LFP costs and China exposure could sharply limit the payoff
September 28, 2026
