Posts from the ‘Politics’ Category
The recently released Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2011-12 shows South Korea is ranked 44th in press freedom, falling below Botswana, South Africa and Ghana.
It was expected that Korea would fall in the rankings. In March 2011, the Reporters Without Borders country file on Korea was was less than positive:
On 18 January 2012, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (International Relations Program) at the University of Pennsylvania released the United Nations University Edition of the Global Think Tanks Report 2011. According to the report’s preface:
“The 2011 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings marks the fifth edition of the annual report. As in previous years, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s International Relations Program has relied on the indexing criteria and process developed by James G. McGann for ranking think tanks around the world.
New OECD study Doing Better for Families Korea country summary available on the OECD website.
“At 1.15 children per woman, Korea’s total fertility rate in 2009 was the lowest in the OECD. The decline in the fertility rate is mainly explained by married women having fewer children – families with three or more children have become rare in Korea – and a rise in the number of single women. Korean women who are more educated, have jobs, and live in cities are likely to put off marriage…
On 2 January 2012, the Wall Street Journal ’Korea Now‘ blog carried a short post on key Republican presidential candidates’ views regarding Korea.
It noted that there was a degree of disinterest in Korean affairs in the lead-up to the 2008 and suggests that it is again unlikely to be a major issue unless tension once increases substantially.
Preparations are currently underway for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held during 26-27 March 2012.
The summit is the largest in the security field focusing on international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups.
On 19 December 2011 North Korean media announced Kim Jong-Il passed away. It reported the death occurred on 17 December 2011 and that physical fatigue was the cause of death. Resources on North Korea after Kim Jong-Il:
Jeffrey Robertson, Political change in North Korea, Parliament of Australia, http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2007-08/08rp19.pdf
A new article in the journal International Security by Bruce W. Bennett (Rand Corporation) and Jennifer Lind (Dartmouth College) entitled “The Collapse of North Korea: Military Missions and Requirement” (may require login) adds to the debate on the lack of preparation for the sudden collapse of North Korea.
The article focuses on military preparedness and the potential missions required. Importantly, it also highlights the lack of preparation in several key areas, including the lack of multilateral planning; the limited consideration of potential collapse in contemporary South Korean defence planning and the need to reform the South Korean reserve structure; and the need to establish more links with North Korean military and government officials. The article is the result of a comprehensive consultation process involving some of the best contingency planning resources.
As anticipated, on 22 November 2011, the National Assembly passed legislation to implement the Korea-United States (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The relatively peaceful passage of the legislation marks a significant step towards defusing the potential political impact of the FTA on the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) in the lead up to key elections in 2012. However, there remain several potential challenges.
President Lee Myung-Bak’s visit to Hawaii for the APEC Leaders’ Summit 2011 will involve some awkward moments. However, these moments may also reflect a sign that South Korea is about to lose the momentum it has gained in trade liberalisation.
On 8 November 2011, Yonhap News reported that South Korean authorities confirmed they hold no intelligence that North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, has died. Rumors of the death of Kim Jong-Il are thought to have affected South Korean financial markets throughout the day.
