South Korea’s foreign policy has long been shaped by a structural tension that no administration has fully resolved. The tension is known as the imperative of maintaining the US-ROK alliance as the foundation of national security, and the equally pressing
IntroductionOn 6 July 2026, at HMC Dockyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) had been named the preferred bidder for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), a program valued at up
North Korea’s withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons in 2003 and its first nuclear test in 2006 fundamentally changed the security environment on the Korean Peninsula. Since then, diplomatic negotiations, international sanctions and political pressure have
Ambassador Karl-Olof Andersson has served as Sweden’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since August 2024. He holds degrees in business and languages from Lund University and in international studies and political science from Johns Hopkins University. He also served
Ambassador Eva Marie Russek has served as Austria’s Ambassador to Korea since September 2025. She studied law in Graz, worked as a research assistant at Rutgers University Law School (USA), and graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. She began
For years, Europe’s energy security debate focused on Russia’s ability to weaponise supply, pricing, and dependence. This debate is still valid, yet the war in Ukraine has added another dimension: energy is no longer only a source of leverage used
In a globalized world with ever-increasing economic interdependence, economic ties have rapidly become yet another tool for states to further their agendas. They have become a source of geopolitical leverage, with states increasingly using trade, investment and access to critical
Over the past decade, Azerbaijan has turned its geography into a serious strategic asset. Sitting at the crossroads of Asia, the Caspian and the South Caucasus, it has steadily built itself into the central transit point of the Trans-Caspian International
Korea’s Arctic engagement has become increasingly visible in recent years. The passage of the Special Act on the Promotion of Arctic Shipping Routes and Related Industries in May 2026, together with the government’s plan to conduct a pilot container voyage
From Checkpoints to Code: The Transformation of the European BorderFor much of modern history, borders have been tangible sites of encounter. Travelers presented documents to human officials, whose decisions-however imperfect-were grounded in discretion, context, and accountability. This traditional image of