The rapid expansion of the Korean Wave has significantly increased global demand for Korean food products. Indonesia, as the world’s...
Read MoreKorean Affairs
SIGA’s Korean Affairs program examines political, economic, and security developments of Korea and it's role in global governance. The program also explores internal political transformations and their external implications.
Through policy-relevant research, SIGA aims to contribute to understanding Korea's evolving position in international affairs.
South Korea’s Rise as a Global Defence
South Korea has become one of the world’s leading arms exporters. During 2021–25, it accounted for around 3 per cent...
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How K-Beauty Became a Global Export Power
In 2025, South Korea’s cosmetics exports reached a record $11.4 billion, making the country the world’s second-largest cosmetics exporter after...
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How South Korea Turned K-Pop into Economic
K-pop, once a niche domestic entertainment industry, has become one of South Korea’s most prominent cultural exports. Its economic impact...
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Beyond the Bloc: South Korea, France, and
South Korea’s foreign policy has long been shaped by a structural tension that no administration has fully resolved. The tension...
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K-Defense 2.0: Recasting Korea’s Arms-Export Strategy –
IntroductionOn 6 July 2026, at HMC Dockyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine...
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Interview Series with Ambassadors to the Republic
Ambassador Eva Marie Russek has served as Austria’s Ambassador to Korea since September 2025. She studied law in Graz, worked...
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Managing Risk, Building Resilience: Korea-EU Cooperation in
In a globalized world with ever-increasing economic interdependence, economic ties have rapidly become yet another tool for states to further...
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Pragmatism over Pivot: How South Korea’s New
The political crisis of December 2024 and the subsequent inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung in June 2025 constitute an inflection...
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Beyond Access and Security: Policy Acceptability in
Korea’s Arctic engagement has become increasingly visible in recent years. The passage of the Special Act on the Promotion of...
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South Korea and Arctic Shipping Routes: Energy
Introduction The rapid melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change is creating new possibilities for maritime transportation across...
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Between Staying and Leaving: The Unfinished Journey
Beyond Recruitment: Korea’s Ambition to Attract and Retain Global TalentOver the past two decades, Korea has undergone a quiet but...
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Institutionalized Interdependence and Korea–Mongolia Cooperation in a
Geopolitical Transformation and the Emergence of Korea–Mongolia Strategic ConvergenceThe contemporary international order is increasingly characterized by intensified geopolitical competition, deepening...
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International Law as Strategic Infrastructure: Korea and
Middle Power Constraints and Korea’s Strategic Turn to South AsiaThe contemporary international order is increasingly shaped by intensifying geopolitical competition,...
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The Evolution of Azerbaijan–South Korea Energy Partnership
IntroductionAs global energy systems undergo rapid transformation driven by decarbonization pressures, technological innovation, and shifting geopolitical alignments, energy-producing states are...
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The Upcoming 11th Korea–EU Summit: Strategic Significance
The Strategic Significance of the Korea–EU SummitThe reality that yesterday’s allies are turning into today’s adversarial partners is emerging due...
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From Exports to Allied Industrial Capacity: The
Introduction: Beyond the Arms Export StoryKorea’s defense industry has spent the past three years moving from being a notable arms...
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Constructive U.S.–China Engagement with North Korea as
Beyond the Denuclearization–Engagement BinarySouth Korea’s diplomacy toward North Korea has long been trapped between two familiar but insufficient choices. One...
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Rethinking Social Security Cooperation in Italy–South Korea
IntroductionBilateral social security agreements are essential in today’s globalized world to guarantee expatriates’ welfare, facilitate international labor mobility, and promote...
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Beyond the Factory Model: Korea, Vietnam, and
President Lee Jae-myung’s April 2026 state visit to Vietnam was framed by a rare symmetry of diplomatic timing. General Secretary...
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South Korea as an Arctic Enabler: A
The Strategic Weight of Diplomatic DiscourseIn international relations (IR), the language states use to describe their role — the frames,...
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Deepening the Korea–Bulgaria Strategic Value Alliance amid
IntroductionAs Korea and Bulgaria mark the 36th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026, their bilateral ties are entering a new...
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Digital Regulation Between Allies: South Korea– EU
Introduction: The Geopolitics of Digital RegulationThe politics of digital regulation has become one of the clearest examples of how economics,...
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President Trump’s Squid Game: The Korean Nuclear
IntroductionThe Korean nuclear debate has been among the hidden political taboos in the Korean political agenda and inter-Korean relations for...
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Beyond Deadlock: Environmental Cooperation as a Pragmatic
Cooperation in an Age of TensionThe Korean Peninsula today is defined by a paradox. Political and military tensions remain deeply...
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