Worsening Relationship Since President Lee Myung-bak took office, virtually all official channels of inter-Korean dialogue have been shut down, and it seems that the strained relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are likely to continue for an indefinite period of time. I..
Four Power Diplomacy The timing of President Lee Myung-bak's recent visit to Moscow where he ``upgraded" South Korea's relations with Russia to the level of a ``strategic partnership" may not have been appropriate from the perspective of Seoul's ``strategic allia..
Kim Jong-il on Spotlight Last Friday's pronouncement by North Korea that it has begun reassembling plutonium production facilities and no longer wishes to be removed from the U.S. list of terrorism sponsors has created a new setback to the prospect of denuclearization. It ..
Anatomy of Leadership Having stumbled through the first six months of his presidency, President Lee Myung-bak is still undergoing a litmus test of leadership. His scheduled ``dialogue with the people'' on television tomorrow night (Tuesday) will be an opportunity to res..
Ideological Divide President Lee Myung-bak's approval rate has rebounded to the 30 percent range from a low of in the teens at the height of the massive candlelight protests only weeks ago. President Lee seems to have recovered his confidence to carry out his flagshi..
Bush, Lee and Kim Jong-il The current state of inter-Korean relations seems to be at its lowest ebb in a decade. Last week in Beijing, athletes from the two Koreas marched separately in the Olympics opening ceremony. It broke the symbolic tradition of participating in Olymp..
Problems With North Korea The suspended inter-Korean dialogue that began with the start of the Lee Myung-bak administration is causing serious concern. No breakthrough to the inter-Korean incommunicado is in sight. Further deterioration in North-South relations, if un..
Good News, Bad News Bad news first: The tragic accident in which a female South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean solider at the Mt. Geumgang resort last Friday may dampen rising hopes for inter-Korean dialogue following President Lee Myung-bak's shift in..
Crisis of Democracy in Korea The relentless candlelit demonstration is on its 52nd day in a row at this writing, and unfortunately it is turning violent. We have seen dangerous clashes between angry demonstrators and the police, yet nobody seems to have a good solution to end..
Beyond Phase II Disablement Given the slow albeit important progress that has been made in the process of North Korean denuclearization, it is clear by now that the task of finding a final verifiable resolution will inevitably be handed over to the next U.S. administrat..
Lee Myung-bak in Trouble It's hard nowadays to find any good news for President Lee Myung-bak. Having just returned from a summit visit to China he now faces a political crisis at home. Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday following week long nightly candlelit vigi..
Former Presidents Of the five living former presidents of Korea including Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo Kim Yong-sam and Roh Moo-hyun Kim Dae-jung (DJ), is still actively advocating his ``sunshine policy." It is DJ's lifetime commitment to ``conflict resolution t..
Advice to President Lee An unexpected outburst of public discontent with the fresh government of President Lee Myung-bak over the threatening impact of soaring prices, the impropriety of some presidential aids in their pursuit of wealth and the most recent controversy ..
Success Before Start WASHINGTON I am writing this column before President Lee Myung-bak leaves for Camp David on the afternoon of April 19, Washington time. His visit is already a huge success. His priority on strengthening and expanding Korea's ties with the Unite..
Rhetoric and Tension We witness a repeat of history in the Korean Peninsula with the emergence of renewed confrontation. Tension is escalating again between the two Koreas. Following a series of gratuitous statements from some of the key officials of the new governmen..
Red Flags for Lee Myung-bak Only one hundred days after the election of Lee Myung-bak and only one month after the inauguration of his ambitious government, there have emerged some early warning signs for President Lee. We all know the president is diligent and dedicated to ..
Alliance and North Korea Despite the appearance of a stumbling start suffering a moral damage from the impropriety of some cabinet nominees, the new government of President Lee Myung-bak is getting settled to undertake its promised challenge of ``serving the people" and..
