April 20, 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Fretwell

James Fretwell

James Fretwell is a writer based in Seoul, South Korea. He was an analyst at NK News, and he has often discussed the two Koreas in interviews on the BBC, ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and elsewhere.

Analysis

Prestige and money: Why South Korea hopes to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan

Second-largest Korean city could see major economic windfall, some claim, but faces steep competition from Riyadh

James FretwellJames FretwellApril 20, 2023
Analysis

‘Servant of Japan’: South Korea’s opposition challenges Yoon’s rapprochement

The Democratic Party has pushed Yoon on Fukushima, called for an official ‘Dokdo Day’ to celebrate disputed islets

James FretwellJames FretwellApril 7, 2023
Analysis

Video games are the latest cultural battleground between South Korea and China

Resentment over cultural ownership runs deep between the two countries, and video games are the latest iteration of it

James FretwellJames FretwellMarch 3, 2023
Analysis

Historic court ruling forces South Korea to face its dark past in Vietnam War

Seoul court rules ROK must pay survivor of massacre, but case unlikely to affect growing ties with Vietnam

James FretwellJames FretwellFebruary 10, 2023
Analysis

South Korea’s big bet on domestic tourism may struggle without China

New COVID restrictions on Chinese nationals risk alienating the most important country for South Korea’s tour industry

James FretwellJames FretwellJanuary 17, 2023
Analysis

Seoul’s cautious Indo-Pacific strategy maintains balance between US and China

Despite outward similarities with its U.S. ally, Seoul’s Indo-Pacific strategy stresses cooperation with Beijing

James FretwellJames FretwellDecember 30, 2022
Analysis

South Korea scraps traditional age system as society becomes more international

A frequent source of confusion, traditional system reflects how South Koreans establish hierarchies in social settings

James FretwellJames FretwellDecember 15, 2022
Analysis

One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules

Officials have been reluctant to ease measures that won praise early in pandemic but may do so in the coming weeks

James FretwellJames FretwellDecember 8, 2022
Analysis

South Korea faces growing pressure at home and abroad to act on climate change

South Korea is a big polluter with a large economy, but it pledged little to developing countries at recent COP27 summit

James FretwellJames FretwellNovember 25, 2022
Analysis

Great power rivalry limits the extent to which Yoon and Xi can work together

South Korea and China appeared at odds on North Korea and economic issues at first bilateral summit since pandemic

James FretwellJames FretwellNovember 17, 2022
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