United States

North Korea

South Korea

Military & Security

Politics

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stated at a press conference on Dec. 18 that South Korea was setting up a "roadmap" to manage the potential resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks under incoming President Donald Trump, according to Yonhap on Dec. 18.

South Korea: Foreign Minister Planning for Revival of U.S.-North Korea Talks

South Korea's National Assembly on Dec. 14 voted 204-85 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his abortive Dec. 3-4 martial law bid.

South Korea: Yoon Impeached, but Political Instability Will Persist

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stood by his Dec. 3-4 declaration of martial law in a nationwide address, prompting the head of the ruling People Power Party to urge PPP lawmakers to support Yoon's impeachment, but PPP lawmakers elected a pro-Yoon party floor leader who stated the party's position was to oppose impeachment, Reuters reported on Dec. 12. 

South Korea: President's Speech, Opposition Criminal Charges Threaten Party Rifts

Lee Yang-soo, the head of a task force launched by South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Dec. 9 to plan President Yoon Suk Yeol's early departure, said the task force had proposed that Yoon resign in February or March, the South China Morning Post reported on Dec. 10. 

South Korea: Ruling Party Proposes February-March Timeline for President Yoon’s Resignation

South Korea's opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his short-lived Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, Yonhap News Agency reported on Dec. 4.

South Korea: Ruling Party May Save Yoon From Impeachment, for Now

Malaysia

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol signed a strategic partnership emphasizing cooperation in defense and critical minerals with a roadmap to complete a free trade agreement by 2025, Yonhap News Agency reported on Nov. 25.

South Korea, Malaysia: Countries Upgrade Ties to Strategic Partnership

On Nov. 15, the Seoul Central District Court charged the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, with violating the Public Official Election Act by lying in media interviews and in a parliamentary audit about corruption allegations against him ahead of the 2022 presidential elections, Yonhap News Agency reported Nov. 15.

South Korea: Charges Against Opposition Leader Risk Party Split, Policy Lag

A joint statement from the annual U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting did not mention as a goal the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the first such omission since 2015, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 31.

South Korea, U.S.: Defense Meeting Drops North Korea Denuclearization Goal 

Assessments

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a news broadcast on a television at a train station in Seoul on Dec. 3, 2024, after Yoon declared emergency martial law.

Despite lawmakers voting to impeach the president, there is still ample room for more political tumult in the months ahead, keeping South Korea's economic and foreign policy trajectory in limbo.

Yoon's Impeachment Opens a New Chapter in South Korea's Saga of Political Instability

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Germany

Russia

A sign reading ''leader of insurgents'' on a photo of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's face is held up during a protest calling for Yoon's ouster in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 8, 2024. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin's Annual Press Conference, Another Impeachment Vote in South Korea

Snapshots

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol declares martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. 

Legal, social and political pressures will likely still force Yoon out of office in the coming months, bringing a liberal president to power who would pursue pro-labor policies and reorient South Korea's foreign relations.

South Korea's President Yoon Not Impeached, but His End Is Nigh

Ghana

Iran

Syria

Turkey

France

Protesters call for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 6, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Vote in South Korea, Syria's Government Wavers

People gather in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 4, 2024, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law. 

The president's brief gambit will likely stall his agenda and eventually lead to his departure, giving rise to an opposition more skeptical of U.S. and Japanese defense ties.

South Korea's Yoon Quickly Scraps Martial Law Order, but the Political Damage Has Been Done

Columns

On Geopolitics

Japan

South Korean marines participate in joint exercises with U.S. forces Sept. 2 in Pohang, South Korea. Japan and South Korea set the blueprint for how militaries must contend with stiff competition for human resources.

Japan and South Korea set the blueprint for how militaries must contend with stiff competition for human resources.

Demographic Decline and Military Manpower: Understanding the Shifting Role of People in Conflict

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the third session of the G-20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024.

Multiple political disputes could see Yoon start stretching the limits of his power as his term winds down, pushing anti-union activity and arms exports.

In South Korea, Political Clashes Limit the President's Room To Maneuver

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2024.

With both sides threatening overwhelming retaliation and having greater capabilities to make good on those threats, provocations along the North-South border now carry a greater risk of erupting into military clashes.

The Rising Risk of Military Clashes on the Korean Peninsula

Ethiopia

Kenya

Malawi

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

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

China

(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

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

Israel

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

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's General Election, Israel Resumes Hostage Talks With Hamas

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: Foreign Minister Planning for Revival of U.S.-North Korea Talks

South Korea: Yoon Impeached, but Political Instability Will Persist

South Korea: President's Speech, Opposition Criminal Charges Threaten Party Rifts

South Korea: Ruling Party Proposes February-March Timeline for President Yoon’s Resignation

South Korea: Ruling Party May Save Yoon From Impeachment, for Now

South Korea, Malaysia: Countries Upgrade Ties to Strategic Partnership

South Korea: Charges Against Opposition Leader Risk Party Split, Policy Lag

South Korea, U.S.: Defense Meeting Drops North Korea Denuclearization Goal

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