The Korean Odyssey

  *A K2 Black Panther, the pride of Korea, practicing shooting. @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University Expectations for the K-defense industry have been rising recently. In July, 2022, the Korean government signed an export contract worth about $12.4 billion with Poland including K2 Black Panther tanks, K9 Thunder howitzers, FA-50 aircraft, and K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery systems. This contract alone amounted to more than Korea’s total defense industry exports in 2021. The K-defense industry has continued to gather praise both domestically and overseas. In addition to looking at expectations the K-defense industry’s future growth, this article will ask the uncomfortable question that need to be addressed when we think about the future of the industry.   The Opportunities presented by the Age of Peace for K-Defense Since the Korean War, Korea has been striving to realize its dream of ‘independent national defens...

*The Rising Sun Flag flying above a Japanese warship. @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University On December 16th, 2022, the Kishida Cabinet revised Japan’s national security strategy and effectively neutralized Japan’s long-standing ‘defense-only’ policy to act only in response to an attack by an enemy, a principle that has been maintained since World War II. Rather than revising Japan’s Peace Constitution, the Japanese government played a trick. Yet, the Korean government’s response to this maneuver has been vague at best. This article investigates and criticizes the Korean government's lukewarm response to Japan’s tricky switch away from its defense-only policy.   How Revising Three Security Documents Rocked the Foundation of Japan's Peace Constitution? On December 16, the Japanese government called an extraordinary cabinet meeting during which it revised and approved three major security documents, including a documen...

  *the upcoming summit between Korea and the United States is likely to be a turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula.  ⓒ Office of the president republic of Korea   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University At present, confrontation between the US-ROK alliance and North Korean continues to escalate without any diplomatic dialogue. North Korea is threatening the United States by advancing its nuclear weapons program and continuing to openly test intercontinental ballistic missiles. With tensions on the Korean Peninsula intensifying, the upcoming summit between Korea and the United States is likely to be a turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula. In this article I submit my own question for President Biden: “What is the United States’ proposal for fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula?” Dear President Biden, I am a Korean researcher who has long been studying affairs on the Korean Peninsula. The US-ROK summit to be he...