Korea's dependence on semiconductor exports

The Korea Joongang Daily has published a timely report on semiconductor exports that warns about the dangers of a nation being overly dependent on one product.  Semiconductor exports are expected to exceed $100 billion this year, while total exports are estimated to reach $605 billion. The newspaper article notes that "In a report released on June 22, the Hyundai Research Institute, a private think tank, said Korean exports, while on the rise, has a number of weaknesses including a heavy dependence on one product.
The report pointed out that the proportion of semiconductors to total exports in Korean has risen from 12.6 percent in 2016 to 17.1 percent in 2017 and over 20 percent this year."

Korea's changing patterns of social media use

As reported by the Korea Joongang Daily, Koreans have decreased their use of Facebook over the past several years, while increasing use of Instagram. (click on the graphic for a full size version)

North Korea is not Crazy: The U.S.-North Korea Singapore Summit

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has just published two very different videos that provide essential context for understanding the recent summit meeting of President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un.  The first is an interview with University of Chicago history professor Bruce Cumings.   Like me, he first encountered Korea as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer.

North Korea is not crazy from www.thebulletin.org on Vimeo.

The second video was produced for the White House and shown at the summit meeting in Singapore.

"Destiny Pictures" — Singapore Summit video from www.thebulletin.org on Vimeo.