https://www.scmp.com/rss/517619/feed Gagan Hitkari is a PhD candidate at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, India. He is also a non-resident James A. Kelly Korea fellow at Pacific Forum, Hawaii, US. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Gagan Hitkari Gagan Hitkari In his first Liberation Day address, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung spoke optimistically and promised timely action in inter-Korean affairs. As he addressed the nation on August 15, Lee laid emphasis on peace as the foundation of his administration’s policy towards North Korea, stressing that reconciliation and stability must form the future of inter-Korean relations. However, Pyongyang’s reaction to Lee’s overtures so far has been less than reconciliatory. North Korea has not wavered from... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323225/how-lee-jae-myungs-outreach-north-korea-could-fall-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323225/how-lee-jae-myungs-outreach-north-korea-could-fall-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Gagan Hitkari Gagan Hitkari Around six months after president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ousting, Liberal Party candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected as South Korea’s new president following a snap election on June 3. Lee’s victory marks a significant political shift, not just in domestic governance, but also in how South Korea may seek to navigate its ever-worsening relations with North Korea. In his inaugural address at the National Assembly, Lee stated his intention to deter military provocations from the North and also “open a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313531/south-koreas-president-faces-tough-balancing-act-between-allies-adversaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313531/south-koreas-president-faces-tough-balancing-act-between-allies-adversaries?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jun 2025 21:30:07 +0000 In his first address to a joint session of Congress after returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump left nothing to the imagination regarding his policy going forward. Criticising “friend and foe”, Trump suggested that South Korea imposes an average tariff on the US four times higher than vice versa, although Washington has helped Seoul “militarily and in so many other ways”. While the basis for his complaint is shaky as South Korea has actually eliminated most tariffs on the US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3301808/what-can-south-korea-do-about-strategic-threats-trump-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3301808/what-can-south-korea-do-about-strategic-threats-trump-era?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:30:08 +0000 With Donald Trump assuming office for a second term, the Korean peninsula once again finds itself at the crossroads of diplomacy and confrontation. Marred by growing uncertainties and tensions, recent US-North Korea relations can be best defined as at a cul-de-sac. The Biden administration’s strategy of pressuring Pyongyang into negotiations has failed. If the significant breakthroughs and agonising stalemates reached in Trump’s first term were to serve as an indication, a move away from Biden’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3297363/trumps-us-must-go-beyond-grand-bargain-engage-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3297363/trumps-us-must-go-beyond-grand-bargain-engage-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:30:07 +0000 In a dramatic turn of events last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed and withdrew martial law, all within a span of six hours. Yoon’s unprecedented move – the first time martial law has been imposed since 1979 – has been widely condemned as an abuse of presidential power and a gamble to fight the rising calls for impeachment among the opposition. However, what has been widely termed an erratic decision has exposed deep fault lines in the country’s political landscape and provoked... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3289943/yoons-dangerous-political-gamble-was-no-aberration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3289943/yoons-dangerous-political-gamble-was-no-aberration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2024 21:30:07 +0000 Reports of North Korean troops on Russian soil have caused anxieties in some quarters to soar. While the United States and its Nato allies are alarmed, it is South Korea that has much more at stake. Seoul is increasingly concerned about Russia sharing technology with North Korea, which could lead to Pyongyang getting its hands on advanced surveillance and missile technology. Pyongyang’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Moscow includes Article 4 which binds them in case of war due to an... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3285856/why-south-korea-needs-reassess-its-hardline-stance-against-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3285856/why-south-korea-needs-reassess-its-hardline-stance-against-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:30:10 +0000 Addressing the nation on the 79th National Liberation Day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled a new unification plan to establish “a unified, free and democratic nation … across the entire Korean peninsula”. Arguing for “complete liberation” through unification, Yoon called for extending freedom and democracy to the “frozen kingdom” of North Korea. In line with his “audacious” initiative, Yoon said Seoul would begin political and economic cooperation immediately if Pyongyang showed... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3275580/south-koreas-unification-plan-ignores-domestic-and-regional-realities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3275580/south-koreas-unification-plan-ignores-domestic-and-regional-realities?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Aug 2024 21:30:10 +0000 Amid an array of Russian flags and flattering portraits, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in North Korea for the first time in 24 years last week, highlighting changing security dynamics in East Asia which could have deep implications. The visit took place against the backdrop of the suspension of the Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed by North and South Korea in 2018. The treaty formalised the suspension of live-fire drills, removal of some guard posts and implementation of a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3267849/why-warmer-north-korea-russia-ties-could-be-trouble-northeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3267849/why-warmer-north-korea-russia-ties-could-be-trouble-northeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Amid growing tensions on the Korean peninsula, China yet again finds itself at the centre of geopolitical uncertainties, this time as both a bridge and a moat between North Korea and the international community. After a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 16, there was a sense that both countries were increasing their cooperation in mitigating the Korean peninsula crisis. However,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3254043/china-and-north-koreas-friendship-year-need-not-be-bad-news-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3254043/china-and-north-koreas-friendship-year-need-not-be-bad-news-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:30:09 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol left nothing to the imagination regarding the country’s stance on nuclear proliferation earlier this month. In an interview with KBS, he called nuclear proliferation “not realistic” and said developing nuclear weapons at the moment might result in economic woes for South Korea. However, Yoon hinted at the country’s high level of nuclear latency, saying that “it would not take long to develop nuclear weapons if the country put its mind to it”. In doing so, he... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251809/why-south-korea-must-see-going-nuclear-non-starter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251809/why-south-korea-must-see-going-nuclear-non-starter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 11:30:16 +0000