South Korea's 2025: from martial law to majoritarian rule. Joon Ha Park's year-end analysis covers 15 defining events that transformed crisis management into governing logic. Read all 15 moments: koreapro.org/2025/12/from...

BOK expands emergency lending to include corporate loan collateral. The shift strengthens liquidity support but raises questions about valuation under stress and moral hazard. What this means for South Korea's financial stability framework: koreapro.org/2025/12/bok-...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, a $901 billion defense policy bill that legally restricts the executive branch from reducing USFK below its current level of 28,500. Read why it matters: koreapro.org/2025/12/trum...

South Korea's Q3 growth hit 2.1%, but conglomerates expanded margins to 6.6% while SME profitability collapsed to 4%. The headline recovery masks a domestic business ecosystem deteriorating beneath export-driven success—and why does this matter for South Korea? koreapro.org/2025/12/sout...

South Korea's special counsel concluded martial law discussions began before Oct. 2023—with personnel appointments aligning military leadership, informal command channels bypassing oversight, and election facilities occupied with fabrication tools. koreapro.org/2025/12/sout...

Hanwha's 19.9% Austal stake deputizes South Korea for AUKUS and the US nuclear supply chain. The deal bypasses diplomatic barriers that kept non-Five Eyes nations excluded from sensitive American defense programs—but at what cost to Seoul's sovereignty? koreapro.org/2025/12/hanw...

South Korea's labor demand hit 0.43—the lowest since the 1998 crisis. Manufacturing shed 31,000 domestic jobs (masked by foreign workers) while youth employment collapsed by 92,000, and why does this matter for South Korea and its economic future? Korea Pro explains: koreapro.org/2025/12/sout...

"Everyone knew they had one job to do, which was to report." Correspondent Joon Ha Park on covering South Korea's martial law crisis—from the gym treadmill to the newsroom in minutes. Do you have a question about Korea? Comment below or message us directly.

Hours before meeting Lee, Trump posted about Korea "purges" and "church raids." The specific claims had received little mainstream US media coverage. But they matched themes a conservative commentator wrote about 10 days earlier. koreapro.org/2025/12/how-...

What defined South Korea in 2025? Korea Pro's John Lee shares his take as we launch Ask Korea Pro Anything. Got Korea questions? Reply or message us — we're collecting them for our experts: forms.gle/FjJbKnSqXLT3...

34 million Coupang accounts were breached for five months before anyone noticed. Meanwhile, Seoul is actively promoting AI infrastructure and digital-identity systems as national strategy. How do these two things fit together? Today's briefing: koreapro.org/2025/12/sout...

Japan blocked refueling for South Korea's Black Eagles aerobatics team over Dokdo. Seoul responded by cancelling a bilateral naval drill that's been conducted 10 times since 1999. koreapro.org/2025/11/defe...

South Korea agreed to invest $350B in the US in exchange for lower tariffs on cars. But moving that much money abroad could destabilize Korea's currency. And if their currency becomes too unstable, the tariff deal pauses. How does Seoul solve this? koreapro.org/2025/11/curr...

Every month, Korea Pro delivers comprehensive analysis across politics, economy, business, foreign relations, defense, and society. Not just what happened—how developments interact, what the ambiguities mean, and what to watch next. koreapro.org/2025/11/sout...

Won now prices capital outflows, not growth fundamentals. BOK's 4th hold reflects how Korean portfolio diversification has become a structural FX constraint, with direct implications for the $350B US commitment and alliance credibility. Why it matters: koreapro.org/2025/11/bok-...

Seoul began demolishing Miari Texas on Monday, with one brothel still refusing to relocate. Korea Pro spoke with the women inside last month about the eviction process and limited support. Full feature by @ifangbremer.bsky.social: koreapro.org/2025/10/sex-...

US-ROK fact sheet highlights expanded defense cooperation and rising costs koreapro.org/2025/11/us-r...

@nknewsorg.bsky.social @koreapro.bsky.social are reporting from Gyeongju as world leaders gather for APEC 2025. Follow for continuing updates.

South Korea’s arms-export boom is meeting its limits in Europe. Price and delivery speed no longer outweigh politics and trust. As Europe links defense contracts to Ukraine alignment, Seoul’s access to key markets is narrowing. Read Joon Ha Park's full analysis: koreapro.org/2025/10/sout...

We were blown away by your support for our 100th episode! Review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or comment on YouTube. Screenshot and email [email protected]. Each screenshot is an entry. Prizes include a voucher, YouTube Premium, and Korea Pro Standard. Extended until Oct 17!

Trump’s new 100% tariff threat deepens the U.S.–China split just weeks before Seoul hosts the APEC summit. At Korea Pro, we go beyond headlines — every morning, our Executive Morning Briefing explains why it matters for South Korea’s economy, politics, and diplomacy. cstu.io/892357

I was pleased to contribute an interview to Ifang Bremer (@koreapro.bsky.social )s article examining sex workers’ resistance to the demolition of red-light districts in Korea. We need more journalists committed to centering workers’ voices. koreapro.org/2025/10/sex-...

The women working in Miari have few options. Meanwhile, the landlords and brothel owners have received cash payouts. Read my full story at @koreapro.bsky.social koreapro.org/2025/10/sex-...

Miari Texas — Seoul’s last red-light district — faces forced demolition. Sex workers resisting eviction say state aid requires them to register as trafficking victims. Ifang Bremer examines the policy gap behind the standoff: cstu.io/b1593e

The U.S. is weighing a tariff on goods by their semiconductor content. For South Korea, that could render its $350B trade deal meaningless. What this signals for Seoul’s economy:

Lee Jae-myung denounces ‘submissive mindset’ in bid to reframe ROK defense koreapro.org/2025/09/lee-...

US Fed cuts rates, opening policy window for South Korea’s central bank koreapro.org/2025/09/us-f...

South Korea faces rising labor costs as government pushes shorter workweek koreapro.org/2025/09/sout...