South Korea is carrying out one of the most far-reaching reforms of its modern legal history. It is abolishing the powerful 78-year-old Prosecutors’ Office and separating the roles of investigator and prosecutor in an effort to curb abuses and restore public trust. Jaewoong Yoon analyzes why the shakeup is deemed necessary, why it has been so long in coming, and the challenges ahead.
The standoff between the two governments on either side of the Taiwan Strait has now lasted for 76 years. Elizabeth Chien-Hale, a daughter of Taiwan, writes that this is longer than her own lifetime and asks: why isn’t anyone working toward a peace agreement?
The US retreat from its longstanding role as a champion of free trade has created new vulnerabilities for its longtime partners. But for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN, there may be silver linings. Tan Hsien-Li writes that ASEAN is doubling down on its commitment to a rules-based international order, pursuing new trade agreements and taking steps to fulfill its vision of a resilient single market and production base.
November 9 - November 15
China reins in offshore debt by regional-level state-owned enterprises; Hong Kong suspends former lawmaker and democracy activist Albert Ho from practicing as a notary public; Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declines to retract her comment that a Chinese use of force against Taiwan “could constitute a survival-threatening situation” for Japan; a real estate development scandal linked to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung triggers the first major political crisis of his five-month-old administration; Taiwan’s Cabinet seeks to raise the penalties for fraud crimes.
November 2 - November 8
The Chinese government reportedly takes steps to rein in police abuses; Hong Kong police freeze assets linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Group as part of a multi-nation probe of its alleged transnational crimes; Japan’s government plans further revisions to its foreign investment screening law; South Korean universities begin rejecting applicants with records of school violence; Taiwan’s government continues to review legislation with an eye to strengthening legal protections against Chinese disinformation, infiltration, and security threats.
Program on International Law & Relations in Asia
