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North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, stated that new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was no different from his predecessor, citing as evidence continued U.S.-South Korea joint drills, and noted that Pyongyang had no interest in Seoul's plans for greater inter-Korean dialogue, Bloomberg reported on July 28.

Korean Peninsula: North Korea Rejects South Korea’s Dialogue Efforts

The government of new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said it would respect universities' decision to allow striking medical students to return to classes in the fall, Yonhap News Agency reported on July 25.

South Korea: Striking Medical Students Allowed To Return to School

Economics

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent canceled the July 25 economic and trade talks with South Korea in Washington, citing "urgent circumstances," according to South Korea’s finance ministry on July 24.

South Korea, U.S.: Bessent Cancels Trade Talk, May Be Leveraging Time and Japan Deal

South Korea's defense minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said President Lee Myung's administration aimed to complete the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the United States to South Korea's military before the end of Lee's term in 2030, Nikkei Asia reported on July 15.

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

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Australia launched U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as part of the 2025 Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest iteration of the biennial multinational drills to date, AP reported on July 14.

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

South Africa

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On July 7, U.S. President Donald Trump published on Truth Social seven letters addressed to the leaders of South Korea, South Africa, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan and Laos informing them that the United States would begin implementing 25%-40% tariffs on their goods on Aug. 1, adding that the rate would double if the countries increased tariffs on U.S. goods in retaliation.

U.S.: Trump Announces 25% to 40% Tariffs From Aug. 1 on Seven Trading Partners

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on July 1 said that liquidity being pumped into the housing sector was fueling speculation and causing instability in the sector, Yonhap reported the same day. 

South Korea: President Lee Seeks To Rein In Investment in Housing

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba canceled his planned attendance at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, after an accompanying meeting between the Indo-Pacific Four (Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) was scrapped, The Asahi Shimbun reported on June 23.

Japan, South Korea, Australia: Leaders To Skip NATO Summit

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A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

A photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025, shows Subaru vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan. 

The deal is a win for Japan's economy and its ruling party, but it may hasten Prime Minister Ishiba's exit. It will also help South Korea and Taiwan secure their own U.S. trade deals.

U.S. Trade Deal Is a Mixed Victory for Japan, a Template for Regional Partners

Lee Jae-myung and his wife celebrate his projected victory in South Korea's presidential election on June 4, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea.

Global Elections

Lee Jae-myung and his progressive party will pursue pro-labor domestic policies, along with U.S. tariff relief and improved ties with China and North Korea.

After Months of Political Tumult, South Korea Elects a New President

Poland

Ukraine

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Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian delegates meet for peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 16, 2025. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine-Russia Talks, Mexico's First-Ever Judicial Elections

Snapshots

A U.S. courthouse facade with columns in lower Manhattan, New York.

The court ruling nullifies most -- though not all -- of the Trump administration's tariffs, giving U.S. trading partners temporary breathing room in negotiations while the White House searches for alternative trade measures.

The White House's Tariff Ambitions Bend -- But Do Not Break -- Under the Weight of a Court Ruling

Supporters of Kim Moon Soo, the opposition candidate running in South Korea's June 3 presidential election, react during a campaign event in Seoul on May 19, 2025.

Energy

A ruling party victory would portend a continuation of Yoon's pro-business, pro-U.S. policies, while an opposition victory would see Seoul focus more on improving domestic economic equity and increasing engagement with North Korea and China.

South Korea's Presidential Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

The Geopolitics of Trade

U.S. reciprocal tariffs will have major economic and political impacts on Japan and South Korea, particularly as both East Asian countries prepare for summer elections.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Impact of U.S. Tariffs on South Korea and Japan

Turkey

People wave flags and chant slogans during a protest in front of the municipality headquarters in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. To Announce Tariffs, Protests in Turkey Rage On

Saudi Arabia

Canadian flags are seen outside a building in Ottawa. 

The Weekly Rundown: Canada's Ruling Liberals Pick a New Leader, India and the EU Hold Trade Talks 

The Reichstag on Jan. 22 in Berlin. The center-right alliance between the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, is widely expected to emerge as the largest bloc in the Bundestag after the Feb. 23 general election and lead the next coalition government.

The Weekly Rundown: German Elections, Macron and Starmer Meet Trump

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (second from right) attends the fifth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb. 4, 2025.

South Korea’s top court will likely uphold Yoon’s impeachment, clearing the way for a more progressive government. But the alternate scenario in which Yoon remains in office and fuels more protests and political instability cannot be ruled out. 

In South Korea, Yoon's Ouster Will Resolve Political Instability -- For Now

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Essential Geopolitics: Key Events in South Korean Politics, Part I

The Republic of Korea, also called South Korea, occupies the southern half of a peninsula that juts out of the Asian mainland toward Japan. The country shares its only land border with North Korea, which it also borders in the Yellow and East seas. It shares maritime borders with Japan to the east and China to the west. South Koreas primary geographic challenges are overcoming internal fractures to maintain cohesion, and securing its maritime sphere and its southwest lowland pockets from its more powerful neighbors.    The ancient kingdoms of Baekje and Silla occupied the distinct geographic pockets of the southern peninsula, standing in contrast to a more unified space where North Korea now sits. The Taebaek mountains run along much of South Korea's eastern coast, largely protecting the country from invasion by sea from this direction. These mountain ranges provide a level of protection to the peninsula's most vulnerable feature: a north-south corridor of lowlands and hills along the west coast. This coast (as well as much of South Korea's southern coastline) is protected from easy landing by countless islands, mudflats and tidal rips.     However, the Nakdong River valley at Pusan offers a point of incursion to would-be invaders. From here, they can pass over the lower elevations of the Sobaek Mountains and onward to the western core. This has been the gateway for those seeking to control the peninsula, from the failed 16th century invasions of Japanese Daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the Japanese empire's later efforts in the 19th century. A North Korean invasion in 1950 (repelled by U.N. forces defending the Pusan Perimeter) highlights another key vulnerability for South Korea: the potential for incursions from the north via the western coastal strip. To hedge against aggression from all directions, South Korea is focused on securing its maritime space, particularly in the south and west. The country has prioritized its possession of Jeju Island in the Jeju Strait and has in the past held claims to Tsushima Island. Disputes with China over the Socotra Rock in the Yellow Sea and with Japan over Dokdo in the East Sea are also important elements of South Korea's overall maritime strategy.     The Korean Peninsula's historic policy of isolation was one way of remaining out of the crosshairs of its neighbors, but it has also aligned itself with rival powers throughout its history. Most recently, South Korea has used a third party — the United States — to maintain balance against neighbors that threaten it from sea and land. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Korean Peninsula: North Korea Rejects South Korea’s Dialogue Efforts

South Korea: Striking Medical Students Allowed To Return to School

South Korea, U.S.: Bessent Cancels Trade Talk, May Be Leveraging Time and Japan Deal

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

U.S.: Trump Announces 25% to 40% Tariffs From Aug. 1 on Seven Trading Partners

South Korea: President Lee Seeks To Rein In Investment in Housing

Japan, South Korea, Australia: Leaders To Skip NATO Summit

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