The two Koreas are moving fast to improve bilateral relations. The reunion of separated families is planned to be resumed for the first time in three years. Both Koreas had a meeting on August 23 at Panmunjom to discuss the reunion and agreed with each other to hold the event at Mt. Kumgang during t

Elvin Toffler wrote in his book Third Wave that the information revolution defies any prediction about the future, yet the pressure for the change is on the rise. As a result of the development of information and communication technology, information is now handled and processed by a greater number

The QE tapering has been a buzzword for markets around the world since late May.As debates heat up, the Korean stock market pulled back below the 1,800 level last month. But stocks are now extending a sustained rebound as related fears recede.Was the Fed QE tapering something that markets have not e

Now the ball is in the court of the prosecution after the 38 days of controversy that jolted the entire nation. The Democratic United Party, in strong opposition to the prosecution investigation, is demanding that independent special prosecutors be appointed. The entire political community is immers

The yield on three-year Korean government bonds, which fell to 2.44% in early May, has risen to back above 3%. The yield on 10-year US Treasuries surged from 1.62% in early May to 2.54% in June. Is this upswing of interest rates positive for the economy and financial markets?The answer is “It depend

North Korea, who shelled Yeonpyeong Island and sank the Navy corvette Cheonan last year, has now shifted its attitude; the communist regime has been asking to resume the dialogue with South Korea in a series of statements including a New Year’s editorial in its state-run media urging the resolution

It has indeed been a hectic summer. Our hot summer days were filled with the joys of the World Cup, excitement yet nervousness about the local elections, and most recently, worries over those affected by Typhoon Kompasu. Drastic switches from scorching sunlight to pouring rain seem to have left us d

May, the season of verdure and family reunions, is the most active and liveliest month of the year. Frankly speaking, I said to myself this time again, “I could have worked harder to provide our readers with something better...”This year’s May had many twists and turns, including our frustration and

The quality and quantity of research within the public research organizations (PROs) does not seem sufficient for many of the PROs. In 2009, only 169 PROs, which is 61.9% of total PROs, perform technology transfer activities. Among them, 150 PROs have established a technology licensing organization

In March, a Korean Navy frigate sank in waters near the border with North Korea in the West Sea. The news shocked Korean people and their hearts were broken as they watched the bodies of the missing sailors being recovered from the stern of the sunken frigate Cheonan three weeks later. Although the

In 2009, the global financial market environment showed speedy improvement following efforts to overcome the global financial crisis and the recovery of the global economy. However, misgivings still remain regarding global financial markets as seen by Dubai World's debt moratorium and Greece's fisc

Korea finished fifth in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February, with 14 medals. We hope the great performances of the Korean athletes will help Pyeongchang, Korea be selected as the venue for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The Lee Myung-bak government recently marked the second anniversary of it

On January 7, 2010, China’s Central Bank, the People’s Bank of China, took measures to tighten China’s money policy. The interbank interest rate was raised by setting the 3-month monetary stabilization bond at 1.3684%, 0.04%p up from the previous week; and on January 13, the bank raised the reserve

According to a survey conducted by a Korean daily newspaper, nine of ten experts on Korean affairs in the U.S. felt it is unlikely that the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement would be ratified by the U.S. Congress this year, with some even predicting that it had little chance next year either. Since t

The uproar over Sejong City reached its peak after the government recently overturned the original plan and announced a blueprint for replacing it, focusing on business, science and education rather than public administration. The project to transform Sejong City into a second administrative capita

The New Year of the Tiger is upon us. We hope the New Year will be filled with happy and productive events and activities for Korea and the world. We also hope Korea will successfully host the G20 Meeting later this year and that all those participating will find effective solutions to global probl

TIME really flies. It is early December already and we have only one month left before the start of a new year.For the cover story of our December issue, we report on the international trade of Corporate Korea and Korean trade-related organizations, such as the Korea Export Insurance Corporation as

PRESIDENT Barack Obama emphasized a deeper and broader U.S. relationship with Asian countries during his recent Asian tour, promising a strengthened and sustained commitment to Asia’s rising powers.During his four-day visit, Obama stressed that China is an important and strategic partner of the U.S.

2009 has been a really interesting year for Dynamic Korea. In the first half of 2009, Korea’s FX market as well as its overall economy pitched and rolled due to the short-term USD liquidity problem. Korea’s CDS premium skyrocketed to over 300 bp. Major foreign press, including the Financial Times, w

THE Korean Railway Workers’ Union ended its physical confrontations and decided to return to work. This seemed due to the government’s determined stance to go with the law and the public’s opinion that their behavior was unjustified. Like other workers in the trade unions of large businesses, worker