Thought Leadership
BTS Announces Free Comeback Concert at Gwanghwamun Square
BTS will holda free comeback concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on March 20, coinciding with the release of their fifth full album, ARIRANG. The performance will mark BTS’s first full-group stage in three years and nine months following the group’s military service hiatus, and is reportedlythe first solo concert by a specific K-pop group at Gwanghwamun Square.
Image Credit: Yonhap
CIO Raids Special Counsel Office as Police Search National Assembly Secretariat
South Korea’s political landscape saw a fresh wave of high-profile scrutiny this week, as two separate investigations highlighted rising tensions over ethics enforcement, institutional credibility, and the politicization of oversight.
Image Credit: News1 Korea
ROK Asserts Sovereignty Over Dokdo in Response to Japan PM Claims Over the Islands
Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reopened one of Northeast Asia’s most sensitive territorial disputes this week after formally asserting that Dokdo, or Takeshima in Japan, is Japanese territory in her opening policy address. The statement mirrored the long-standing position of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which maintains the claim on its official “Takeshima” page. But the timing and political tone carried particular weight as President Lee Jae Myung has made stabilizing relations with Japan a pillar of his early foreign policy, and this symbolic move risks disrupting that trajectory.
Image Credit: North Gyeongsang Provincial Council
South Korea Holds First Official Memorial for Itaewon Crowd Crush Tragedy as Audit Exposes More Details
South Korea held the first official memorial service for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy on October 29, 2025, marking the third anniversary of the disaster that claimed 159 lives. The government invited the families of foreign and Korean victims to join government officials, civic groups, and members of the public at Gwanghwamun Square for the occasion, with roughly 800 people in attendance.
Image Credit: Yonhap
NVIDIA CEO’s October Visit to South Korea Sparked a Surge of AI Tech Partnerships
NVIDIA chief executive Jensen Huang arrived in Seoul in late October, and his visit quickly became one of the most closely watched moments of the APEC week. Between a keynote at the APEC CEO Summit, meetings with Korea’s most powerful business leaders, and a surprise fried chicken-and-soju moment that delighted Korean media, Huang’s trip carried significance far beyond simple corporate outreach.
Image Credit: Yonhap News Agency via Reuters
Key Takeaways from President Trump’s 2025 Asia-Pacific Tour
Trump’s 2025 Asia tour revealed a sharper Indo-Pacific strategy: leverage through bilateral deals, technology alliances with Japan and Korea, and critical-minerals corridors in Southeast Asia built ahead of talks with China. Here’s what happened and what it means for the future of regional strategy and global supply chains.
Image Credit: Haiyun Jiang, The New York Times
President Lee Formally Inaugurates the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange
At the inauguration of South Korea’s Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, President Lee Jae Myung declared that culture is no longer a soft afterthought but a matter of statecraft. Standing alongside J.Y. Park of JYP Entertainment, Lee called for “fan sovereignty”, a vision where fans are not bystanders but co-owners of Korea’s cultural power. The new committee, composed of government and industry leaders, aims to bridge public policy and private creativity, transforming K-culture into a central engine of national growth. In doing so, Lee signaled a paradigm shift: popular culture as diplomacy, fandom as democracy.
Image Credit: Kim Ho-young, Presidential Office Photography Group
After the Rain, the Ground Hardens: U.S.–ROK Relations at a Crossroads
At the Asia Society during UNGA80, ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun shared an optimistic vision for the U.S.–Korea alliance, highlighting new areas of cooperation in technology, energy, and security. He also addressed the Hyundai plant raid in Georgia, framing it as a challenge that could ultimately strengthen bilateral ties. This article reflects on his remarks and what they reveal about the future of U.S.–ROK relations.
Image Credit: Asia Society
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Shapes South Korea’s Next Wave of Cultural Policy and Economic Growth
From the Sejong Digest 2.0 of the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C. - KPop Demon Hunters, now Netflix’s most watched movie ever, has made waves in economic growth and cultural policy.
Image Credit: NEWS1
Lessons in Global Collaboration
International collaboration can be powerful, but it’s often harder than it looks. At NOAA, I saw projects thrive when trust and communication were strong, and stall when cultural gaps got in the way. Those lessons pushed me to start Basanese Global Consulting, where I can help organizations bridge divides, avoid common pitfalls, and make global partnerships truly work.
Image Credit: Hunter Scott, Unsplash
South Korea Confronts Demographic Decline as Aging Workforce, Shrinking Military, and Rising Health Costs Reshape the Nation
From the Sejong Digest 2.0 of the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C. - South Korea is facing a demographic shift that is projected to cause many issues for the future of the Korean workforce.
Image Credit: Getty Images Bank
Yoon Faces New Indictment as Special Counsel Investigations Continue
From the Sejong Digest 2.0 of the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C. - The investigation into former ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol continues.
Image Credit: Kim Hong-Ji, AP
BTS Members Return From the Military Amid HYBE’s Corporate Scandal
From the Sejong Digest 2.0 of the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C. - Members of the popular K-pop group BTS reunited after completing their military service. This reunion came as the HYBE chairman was under fire for a corruption probe.
Image Credit: Lee Jin-man, AP