Asia-Pacific

Watch the high-level discussion presented by ITIF’s Center for Korean Innovation and Competitiveness featuring trade experts, regulatory analysts, and U.S.–Korea watchers from both sides of the Pacific.

South Korea’s export restrictions on mapping data act as a protectionist measure that unfairly limits competition from foreign firms. Korean policymakers should reform these rules not only to remove this non-tariff trade barrier but also to ensure that they do not hold back the use of geospatial data by emerging AI tools.

For Trump, it’s a new world and Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his administration needs to treat it as such by negotiating a new deal that preserves Korean market access to America in exchange for real concessions on what at the end of the day are relatively minor things for Korean economic competitiveness.

Although the Draft Guidelines provide guidance for stakeholders as to how the Act will be enforced, they do not adequately ensure that harms to mobile innovation and Japanese consumers will be minimized.

At the ITIF-KAIST Joint Forum, a distinguished group of experts confronted the turbulence stemming from the Trump administration’s strategic direction and explore critical questions surrounding technology sovereignty. The discussions also focused on practical pathways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

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.