KOREA PRO Podcast

In this episode, the team breaks down the ongoing conflict involving the U.S. and Iran, focusing on remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that suggest military objectives may be nearing completion while also raising questions about escalation and strategy.  They also examine what these developments could mean for South Korea, including pressure from Washington to take on a greater role in securin...

This week’s episode of the Korea Pro Podcast begins with the ongoing global oil shock and its ripple effects on South Korea’s economy, policy decisions and public sentiment. The conversation also explores the government’s response, including efforts to stabilize public concern and a forthcoming supplementary budget aimed at easing the burden of rising energy prices and minimizing industrial damage...

The episode focuses on the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict and its ripple effects on global alliances, particularly in Asia. President Donald Trump’s shifting stance on allied contribution to the Strait of Hormuz has created uncertainty among partners and South Korea finds itself in a difficult spot, closely watching U.S.-Japan discussions while weighing its own legal, political and military constra...

This week’s episode begins with the economic and political ripple effects of escalating conflict in the Middle East. For South Korea, which imports nearly all of its energy, the spike has triggered emergency discussions in Seoul with President Lee Jae Myung proposing temporary price ceilings on energy to shield consumers, though the policy could shift costs onto industry.  The hosts also examine s...

On this week’s episode, the team unpacks how the sudden escalation in the Middle East is reverberating in Seoul. They break down the U.S. and Israel’s strikes on Iran and the ensuing missile and drone attacks across the Gulf, then turn to the immediate questions for South Korea: energy security, shipping risk and market volatility tied to the Strait of Hormuz.  They also discuss President Lee Jae...

NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins this week’s episode to discuss the recent controversy around the Russian Embassy in Seoul displaying a large “Victory will be Ours” banner as the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine war approached.  The episode then pivots to a bigger question: how much Russia actually cares about South Korea. Anton explains how Korea has long held importance in Russian...

In this week’s episode, the team unpacks the landmark court ruling that sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison for his role in the Dec. 2024 martial law decree. They also examine the broader political implications, reactions from the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party and what risks may lie ahead for South Korea’s conservative bloc. The conversat...

In this week’s episode, NK News’ Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins John Lee. They  discuss Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory, delivering a two-thirds parliamentary supermajority that could pave the way for long-sought constitutional revisions. They delve into how uncertainty surrounding U.S. foreign policy and alliance commitments is influen...

In this week’s episode, the Korea Pro team unpacks the Washington meeting between ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which they describe as productive on alliance priorities like civil nuclear cooperation, shipbuilding and broader strategic coordination. But they contrast that with far tougher parallel meetings on trade, where South Korean officials reportedly c...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha unpack a turbulent week dominated by renewed tariff tensions between the U.S. and South Korea. After President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs back to 25% over the South Korean National Assembly’s failure to ratify a previously announced agreement, they discuss the fallout in Seoul, confusion within the Blue House...

At Korea Pro’s first Seoul Circuit dinner of the year this month, Peck Cho joined Managing Editor John Lee for a wide-ranging conversation on South Korea’s “happiness paradox” — why life satisfaction has stagnated despite rising wealth, safety and global influence. The discussion examined how purpose, independence and social trust have eroded amid job precarity, hyper-connectivity and changing fam...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha begin with South Korean prosecutors’ request for the death sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 2024 martial law decree. The hosts assess why, despite the severity of the charge, the likelihood of an actual death penalty ruling remains low and what the case signals about prosecutorial strategy, judicia...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, John and Joon Ha open with a breakdown of the Lee-Xi summit in Beijing. The hosts assess Lee’s request for China to act as a mediator in stalled inter-Korean nuclear talks, the different narratives that have emerged about the summit and examine Seoul’s claim that Beijing agreed to remove a controversial steel structure from the Yellow Sea. The conve...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha examine how leadership changes, security signaling and headline economic data are reshaping South Korea’s policy narrative at the start of 2026. The episode opens with an internal milestone at Korea Pro, as Jeongmin announces John’s promotion to managing editor. John invites listeners to submit new pitch ideas as Korea Pro...

In this year-end episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha reflect on how political volatility, external trade pressure and strategic industrial cooperation shaped South Korea’s risk environment in 2025. They begin with the Jan. 18 storming of a Seoul court by pro-Yoon protesters, discussing why the episode marked a rare breach of assumptions around judicial security and highlig...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha examine how economic security, domestic politics and supply-chain strategy are increasingly colliding for South Korea. They begin with the special counsel investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law preparations, discussing why prosecutors concluded the episode was the result of prolonged institutional...

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, John and Joon Ha begin by discussing South Korea’s deepening domestic downturn, beginning with South Korea’s job-to-applicant ratio collapsing to the lowest level since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis. They assess how the labor freeze intersects with the chaebol capital strike, as nearly 60% of major firms halt 2026 investment plans amid tax, labor...

In this episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, John and Joon Ha reflect on South Korea’s political and social landscape one year after the failed martial law declaration, tracking how public anger, institutional distrust and competing protest movements continue to shape the country’s trajectory. The hosts recount Korea Pro’s on-the-ground reporting at both anti-Yoon and pro-Yoon demonstrations, explori...

In this episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, John and Joon Ha assess South Korea’s strategic leap in space technology after the successful early-morning launch of the Nuri rocket, exploring the implications for sovereign satellite capability, dual-use defense competitiveness and regional positioning against Japan’s H3 program. The hosts analyze Poland’s decision to choose Sweden’s Saab over Hanwha Oc...

In this episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, John and Joon Ha unpack the sweeping implications of the U.S.-ROK joint fact sheet released after the Security Consultative Meeting — including Seoul’s $33 billion commitment to support U.S. Forces Korea, $25 billion in U.S. weapons purchases and the formalization of approval for South Korean nuclear-powered attack submarines. The hosts analyze Washington’...