Junotane Korea

Junotane Korea

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South Korea and Trump’s five percent defense spending in the Indo-Pacific
The end result of a five percent increase will be competitive insecurity—an unstable regional buildup that feeds mistrust and accelerates arms races.
South Korean nukes and "more may be better"
Waltz’s “The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better” has passed from academic to popular reading in South Korea. But is it relevant?
South Korea's turn from NATO
South Korea’s NATO moment was not the beginning of a new global role. It was the final stage of an export strategy.
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U.S. Iran strike raises concerns in Korea
The days of assuming strategic alignment and democratic solidarity are over. What remains is risk calculation. America is now a variable, not a…
Call for speculative fiction on Korea
Call for contributions! Imagine and create a different Korea!
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Trump, Iran, and Korea’s steady silent turn to greater self-reliance
U.S. soft power is disappearing faster than a bouffant comb-over on a windy day - and in Seoul the winds are blowing hard.
The liberal-democratic ephemera that was South Korea
The illusion of South Korea as a liberal-democratic beacon justified decades of alliance investment. Clinging to it (or even democracy in America) is…
Strategic flexibility and South Korea’s return to the frontlines of conflict
The frontline is shifting again—and South Korea was walking toward it with its eyes wide shut. Some in the Lee Administration are not.
Analysis: Broadcast suspension reveals early lack of diplomatic acumen
Had Lee Jae‑myung first informed Trump, and timed it to follow their meeting, he would have played to Trump’s well-documented need for personal credit.
Will geography determine South Korea’s future?
While the voice that prevails at any moment may be political, geography shapes the questions and may ultimately hold the long-term answers.
South Korea's social media problem
The line between protecting democracy and controlling speech is thin — and will be easily crossed in South Korea. How far will the Lee Administration…
The pointlessness of North Korea policy
For the next three years, briefs on North Korea policy will be a testament to the fecklessness of the field and the glaring chasm between scholars and…
© 2025 Jeffrey Robertson
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