Regional Briefs
Indo-Pacific
07 Signs of Instability Amid South Korea's Macroeconomic Stability
As international oil prices surged due to the geopolitical shock originating from the Strait of Hormuz, energy and fuel prices in major countries demonstrated an immediate upward response. In the United States, inflationary pressure in the energy and gasoline sectors was prominent, and the Eurozone also saw energy prices shift to an increase, and in the... June 8, 2026 06 Samsung's Labor Dispute and the Precedent Vacuum
The labor-management conflict at Samsung Electronics is intensifying amid stalled negotiations, intertwined with the union side's notice of a general strike and the possibility of the government exercising its emergency adjustment authority, and a comprehensive analysis of the current situation leads to the following interpretation. May 18, 2026 05 Reciprocal Trade Structure Embedded in the US-Bangladesh MoU
On May 14 (local time), Bangladesh and the United States signed a Strategic Energy Cooperation MoU in Washington, D.C. The MoU reflects a trade structure in which Bangladesh's apparel surplus with the United States, U.S. tariff pressure, and Bangladesh's reciprocal commitments to purchase American agricultural products, energy, and aircraft operate as... May 16, 2026 04 Managed Stability After the May 14 US-China Summit
The U.S.-China summit held on May 14 functioned as a buffer path to prevent the deterioration of relations while confirming the core conflicts between the two countries. Examining the key issues, The Taiwan issue is an uncompromising core issue on which China cannot make concessions, and as a matter of sovereignty, there is little room for negotiation. May 14, 2026 03 ASEAN Power Grid Faces the Test of Cost, Supply, and Security
The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) initiative is regaining momentum amid energy supply chain shocks driven by geopolitical risks in the Middle East and rising regional power demand. The core operating case is the Lao PDR, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP), which serves as a meaningful reference point demonstrating the operational... May 12, 2026 02 AI Expansion and Semiconductor Demand Reclassification
Rising memory prices, HBM demand, data center investment, and storage requirements currently represent physical bottlenecks within the supply chain. Indicators such as the KOSPI breaking above the 7000 level and continuing to rise reflect strong market expectations for a semiconductor boom driven by AI expansion. May 6, 2026 01 The Strategic Utility China Derives from the Unresolved Status of Taiwan
As military and diplomatic signals related to Taiwan were again raised in succession in mid-April, it has become necessary to re-examine the strategic utility that the unresolved status of the Taiwan issue provides to China. April 19, 2026