Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations
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
Trump’s Alaska LNG threat tests South Korea’s US investment safeguards
Trump left the threatened penalty vague, but Seoul now faces an early test of how usable its safeguards really are
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
North Korean mine dispute, new Lee advisers and US investment pressure — Ep. 151
Seoul navigates a sensitive DMZ incident while pushing engagement and resisting premature claims over Alaska LNG
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
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
South Korea in September 2026: A month in review and what’s ahead
An analytical look at the main developments from September 1 to 28, 2026, and key outlook for October 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
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
South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics
Washington and Mexico City want more regional content, raising costs for Korean suppliers tied to factories in Mexico














