A particular narrative has taken hold in Washington policy circles: that Korea’s current government and the ruling party represents an ideological departure from the U.S.-Korea alliance, one that is more sympathetic to Beijing than to its treaty ally across the Pacific. A recent Wall Street Journal article criticizing the Lee Jae Myung administration as acting “far-left.” At a recent congressional hearing in which Rep. Darrell Issa called out the Korean government for “oppressing” American companies operating in the country. These are examples of this worrisome trend. Understanding what is actually happening in Seoul matters because misdiagnosis leads to bad policies — such as threatening to withdraw American troops from the Korean Peninsula or restricting tech cooperation — that undermine alliance credibility. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s history is complicated. It is true that many of its leading figures came of age in the student protest movements during the 1980s, which were critical of American military presence and its passivity in condemning the country
Seoul isn’t drifting away from Washington
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- Seoul isn’t drifting away from Washington
A particular narrative has taken hold in Washington policy circles: that Korea’s current government and the ruling party represents an ideological departure from the U.S.-Korea alliance, one that is more sympathetic to Beijing than to its treaty ally across the Pacific. A recent Wall Street Journal article criticizing the Lee Jae Myung administration as acting “far-left.” At a recent congressional… Read more: Seoul isn’t drifting away from Washington - Why Korea’s weather agency forecast 50 mm of rain when just 3.5 mm fell — and why it keeps missing the markWhen 57-year-old construction day laborer Kwon Jae-hyuk tuned in to the weather forecast last Monday evening, the report warned that a powerful rainstorm would sweep across Seoul the following morning, bringing 30 to 50 millimeters of rain per hour. Knowing that construction sites shut down in such severe weather, Kwon decided not to work. But the next morning brought only… Read more: Why Korea’s weather agency forecast 50 mm of rain when just 3.5 mm fell — and why it keeps missing the mark
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