Global Scans · South Korea · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: South Korea may go nuclear if Trump cancels the missile deployment and leaves the country alone facing the North's threats. With the President facing an impeachment vote and mass demonstrations on the streets political and economic turmoil may follow. Chinese markets has already shaken South Korea, where central bankers downgraded their forecasts for economic growth.

• [New] Any re-ignition of the Korean War will immediately involve the United States because Washington maintains a robust mutual defence treaty with Seoul and over 28,000 U.S. forces continue to be stationed in South Korea. United States Institute of Peace
• [New] South Korea, which plans to launch a total of five military spy satellites by 2025, is in a race with North Korea to expand its surveillance capabilities amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula. Al Jazeera
• [New] South Korea's efforts in cyberspace not only protect its own democratic institutions but also contribute to the broader defence of democracy worldwide against the rising tide of cyber and informational threats. The Diplomat
• [New] The World Bank's Board of Directors must approve the creation of a Trust Fund for North Korea as a nonmember state, which will need the support of at least the United States and Japan as the two largest shareholders as well as South Korea as a key stakeholder. United States Institute of Peace
• China will use content generated through artificial intelligence to try and disrupt Lok Sabha polls in India, along with polls in US and South Korea. StratNews Global
• With major elections taking place around the world in 2024, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests. Microsoft on the Issues
• As South Korea pursues de-risking measures and assumes heightened risks of Chinese retaliation, the South Korean government will need to prevent domestic backlash if U.S. policies are perceived as detrimental to South Korean interests. Council on Foreign Relations
• Israel is a technologically advanced nation with the potential to emulate the economic successes of South Korea or Taiwan and develop its tourism sector akin to that of Qatar. Modern Diplomacy
• There are growing worries North Korea could carry out a surprise attack or launch some other provocation against South Korea over the course of in 2024, even if it falls short of war. Time
• Kazakhstan's continued economic vulnerability toward Russia gives the Kremlin a leg up over other competitors, including South Korea, in gaining access to its lithium reserves. Eurasia Review
• North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile arsenals pose a major security threat to Japan as well as South Korea and the United States. AP News
• By 2025, South Korea plans to send four more satellites into space to better monitor North Korea, including the second, synthetic aperture radar satellite, scheduled to be launched in April from an air force base in Florida. the korea herald
• South Korea's LG Chem disclosed plans to maximize the utilization of LPG at its steam crackers from the second half of February, with similar strategies anticipated from fellow South Korean petrochemical player Lotte Chemical. ThePrint
• In some countries like Japan and South Korea, they are so far below replacement rate that their population is going to rapidly shrink generation by generation. The New York Times
• The North's artillery drills come at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual Freedom Shield exercise, which the South Korean military said will focus on deterring North Korea's nuclear threats. CNN
• North Korea is expected to further raise tensions with more provocative weapons tests as both the US and South Korea go for elections. India TV News
• South Korea will maintain readiness to repel any provocation by North Korea, based on its solid military alliance with the United States. CBS News
• Companies from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, which have lagged behind China in traditional lithium batteries, have pinned their hopes on next-generation battery technology, including solid-state batteries, to pull ahead. South China Morning Post
• While THAAD aimed to reassure South Korea against North Korean threats, China perceived it as a direct challenge, heightening the perceived utility of the U.S. nuclear arsenal in East Asia. Oxford Political Review
• Not only does Seoul have a strong record on reforestation itself, but at COP26 South Korea included cooperation on reforestation in third countries, including North Korea, as one of the means through which it expected to achieve 5% of its emissions reductions by 2030. United States Institute of Peace
• North Korea could increase its weapons tests and dial up warlike rhetoric in 2024 as the United States and South Korea hold major elections. AP News
• North Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement that it strongly denounces the reckless military drills of the U.S. and (South Korea) for getting more undisguised in their military threat to a sovereign state and attempt for invading it. Just Security
• The U.S. economy is performing better than expected but the International Monetary Fund may further downgrade the outlook on consumer inflation, which poses uncertainty for countries including South Korea. MarketScreener

Last updated: 17 April 2024