Terrorism on the Peninsula

By Michelle Kwon

 

The terrorist attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya shocked the world, as innocent civilians became the unfortunate targets of the radicalized arm of a Somali terrorist group, al-Shabab. Terrorist activity has, quite unfortunately, been one of the foremost foreign policy challenges in the 21^st century facing the international community. In this vein, South Korea experienced a terrorist attack closer to home. Most recently, 3 South Korean tourists were killed in a deadly bus explosion in Egypt orchestrated by the militant group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis.

South Korea’s Energy Experiment: Nuclear Energy and Green Tech

By Andrew Ju

Korea’s bet on clean energy

Nuclear energy and green technology (solar, wind, hydro) are among the most exciting technologies today that, if perfected, could revolutionize the world and hail a major landmark for human progress. This tantalizing possibility is, of course, a devilishly difficult and arduous task that has thwarted most efforts thus far. South Korea, however, has nonetheless boldly strayed from the path of older, fossil-fuel based energy sources and is doggedly pursuing the dream of abundant, cheap, clean energy. My Fulbright research topic and blog posts focus on the political economy of the nuclear and green technology industries in South Korea; or in layman’s terms, how the government and these industries interact and influence each other as they strive towards this collective goal. This initial blog post will be an overview of the scope of my research and a chance to start a dialogue that I hope will engage and inform.