South Korea

Yonhap | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Supply Chain Issues

Senior diplomats from South Korea and the United States held the 10th Senior Economic Dialogue in Washington on December 10, focusing on enhancing economic security and securing "trusted" supply chains. The talks followed a bilateral trade and investment agreement finalized during President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump's summit in late October. Both parties emphasized the need for joint economic security measures and discussed strengthening economic and national security alignment to maintain collective competitiveness and secure supply chains.

The two countries explored cooperation to address unfair trade practices and non-market policies, with particular attention on collaboration regarding critical minerals. U.S. official Jacob Helberg praised South Korea's leadership on resilient supply chains in regional and multilateral forums. The dialogue reaffirmed commitments made during summits in August and October, which have contributed to modernizing the U.S.-ROK Alliance.

Under the trade and investment deal, South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in the U.S., including $150 billion in shipbuilding and another $200 billion in other sectors. In exchange, Washington agreed to reduce reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent. The State Department described the agreement as central to progress in reciprocal trade, energy security, shipbuilding, and emerging technologies. Discussions also covered South Korean investments in American manufacturing and efforts to facilitate Korean business travel to the U.S.

경영공백 5개월 못 참아…KAI 노조 "수출입은행장, 즉각 사장 임명하라"

Digital Daily | Local Language | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Strikes and Work Stoppages

The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) labor union held a rally on December 10 in front of the Export-Import Bank of Korea headquarters in Seoul, demanding the immediate appointment of a KAI president after more than five months of vacancy. Around 100 senior executives participated in the protest, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the leadership gap. The Export-Import Bank of Korea, which holds a 26.41% stake in KAI and is majority government-owned (76.38%), plays a key role in appointing KAI’s president, a role heavily influenced by government personnel decisions despite KAI not being a public enterprise.

Former KAI president Kang Gu-young, who resigned in July, was closely associated with the Yoon Suk-yeol government. Kang stepped down following the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, signaling a shift in leadership aligned with administrative changes. The union criticized the repeated upheaval in KAI leadership linked to presidential administrations and called for a consistent, professional, and non-politicized selection process to safeguard national strategic projects and industry competitiveness.

Kim Seung-gu, chairman of the KAI labor union, urged the Export-Import Bank to disclose clear criteria for selecting the president and to make the appointment procedures transparent. The process involves a nominating committee, board resolution, and shareholders’ meeting approval. With Hwang Ki-yeon appointed president of the Export-Import Bank in November, the union stressed that the KAI presidential appointment process should no longer be delayed. The union warned that unless the Export-Import Bank assumes responsibility and acts promptly, their protest actions will continue.

38 North | English | AcademicThink | Dec. 12, 2025 | North Korea

An analysis of a North Korean pharmaceutical app dataset reveals that Koryo medicines, North Korea’s traditional medical system, constitute 7.1 percent of the app’s 3,319 medical items. Of these, 234 domestically produced Koryo medicines were identified, manufactured across 69 factories, with key producers including the Pyongcheon and Sokam factories. The medicines are primarily sold as powders, pills, or capsules, favoring solid forms due to the country's limited cold-chain infrastructure. Some products, like Uhwangch’ŏngsimhwan, are produced by multiple factories, indicating strong domestic demand. The dataset also shows hybrid medicines combining Western pharmaceuticals and Koryo ingredients, and formulations such as injectable versions of traditionally oral medicines suggest efforts to modernize and integrate Koryo medicine into hospital use.

Pricing analysis indicates that Koryo medicines are generally affordable, with prices displayed in two categories linked to different exchange rates. Prices vary widely even among the same medicine types, with some products costing as little as $0.06 per pill and others up to $132 per unit. This variance may reflect differing production methods or quality. The app provides information on composition, usage, and precautions, implying that users can self-manage treatments with some guidance, although the prescription and diagnostic process remains unclear.

The North Korean government actively promotes Koryo medicine as a cost-effective approach to public health amid limited resources. This includes mandated medicinal herb collection, establishment of herb cultivation areas, and initiatives to develop new medicines and modernize production. State control of herb resources and factories helps keep prices low. However, significant concerns persist regarding the standardization, quality control, and regulatory oversight of Koryo medicines. There is limited information on safety and efficacy verification processes, and some medicines make broad or exaggerated therapeutic claims without mention of side effects.

In conclusion, while Koryo medicines are widely produced and accessible at low cost in North Korea, their true impact on public health remains uncertain due to gaps in data on quality and effectiveness. Further transparent information will be necessary to accurately assess the role these traditional medicines play within North Korea’s healthcare system.