For the past decade, the main drivers of regional risk have been North Korea’s nuclear provocations and tensions around the status of Taiwan. These issues were well-defined, and risks were offset by regional commercial integration and shared economic growth. The good news is that North Korea and Taiwan no longer loom as major sources of tension. North Korea has been somewhat less provocative, but at least as importantly, cooperation among other regional actors--along with the United States--on how to manage Pyongyang has actually deepened considerably, lowering the risk of an escalation scenario.
REUTERS
7) East Asian geopolitics: For the past decade, the main risks in this region have been North Korea’s nuclear provocations and tensions around the status of Taiwan. Now new risks have taken their place. China has veered away from its “charm offensive” approach to Southeast Asia, and the United States is stepping into the void. Tensions between the two powers could put decades of economic growth at risk, as I’ve written about in past columns.
Global Post
SEOUL, South Korea — We've heard a lot of talk in recent weeks about the military side of the North Korea threat. Today, the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency is reporting that North Korea could have the capabilities to build a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on a missile — even though there's a lot of disagreement over that part.
But how does the threat of military action play for foreign investors in South Korea?
Today, President Park Geun-hye met with foreign investors from Google, Citibank and Siemens — to name a few corporations — in her administration's Blue House, reported the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper. She tried to assure them that her administration would create a stable investment environment despite North Korea's bluster.
South Korea is home to the 12th largest economy in the world, but consultancies frequently cite the geopolitical risks of instability in the North and