Asia-Pacific

In the Trump and China era, South Korea must move beyond export-led growth. Scaling up small firms and boosting productivity in services must be national imperatives.

Japan is facing a demographic crisis, with a population aging faster than any other in the world. 3D printing offers a solution, enabling Japan to modernize its aging infrastructure and build new developments despite its shrinking labor force.

In this episode of the Trade War Podcast, host Stan McCoy is joined by notable guests Yeo Han-koo, former trade minister of South Korea, and Wendy Cutler, former United States trade negotiator and vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Sejin Kim speaks on how generative AI is unlocking new business models, why the U.S. ecosystem moves so quickly, and how Korea can position itself as a world-class builder of AI-native applications.

South Korea faces a strategic decision: Address persistent trade asymmetries, or risk straining its long-standing alliance with the United States and lose autonomy vis-à-vis China. What’s needed is a genuine reset—one grounded in open trade and closer coordination with Washington to counter mercantilist practices.

While the Interim Report of the Market Review on the Digital Economy Ecosystem under the Competition Act 2010 reflects a valuable step toward understanding market trends, it does not present clear evidence of systemic market failure that would warrant prescriptive regulatory intervention.

Lilla Nóra Kiss speaks on policy measures and incentives that could further strengthen Korea’s strengths as a premier destination for U.S. investment.

Hodan Omaar briefs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on US-ROK collaboration for quantum technologies.

Decades of investment and world-class research have put the U.S. at the forefront, particularly in quantum computing, but a fragmented approach and limited focus on sensing and communication create strategic gaps. Collaboration with the ROK could help strengthen supply chains, accelerate commercialization, and bolster U.S. leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

South Korea risks harming its consumers, economy, and relationship with the United States by adopting Europe's flawed digital competition regulations.