Welcome to Korea On The Record, a podcast series where we talk to key decision-makers about Korean foreign policy and their role in shaping it.

In the first episode, KF-VUB Korea Chair invites Bark Taeho, Trade Minister of the Republic of Korea (2011-13), to share his experiences in government while negotiating or implementing three key FTA’s (KORUS, EU-Korea FTA, China-Korea FTA) and his role at the WTO. (33 minutes)

Highlights:
– One of the main features of Korean trade policies is the multi-track approach of participating in multilateral, bilateral and regional trade discussions with the goal of securing export markets in both advanced and developing countries.

– Since the 1990’s, South Korea has succeeded in tremendously opening up its market, with the initial push coming from businesses. The trade agreements with the US, the EU and China were as much about enhancing exports as opening up the Korean market.

– Trade policies concerning high technology are becoming more regulated out of security concerns. US may be sensitive to do business with a South Korean investor if they are already doing business with a Chinese company. Likewise, Japan is also becoming more sensitive to how South Korea sources its technology. South Korean companies are approaching the EU as it has a more neutral policy stance.

Featuring: Bark Taeho (Trade Minister of the Republic of Korea, 2011-1, and current President of Lee&Ko Global Commerce Institute), Ramon Pacheco Pardo (KF-VUB Korea Chair at Institute for European Studies)

In this episode, Ramon Pacheco Pardo (Twitter @rpachecopardo) invites Kim Hyun-wook and Rachel Minyoung Lee (Twitter @rachelminyoung1) to discuss the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula. Over the past months, following the unsuccessful summit in Hanoi, US-North Korea relations reached an impasse. After the historic meeting of President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the DMZ on June 30, there is a realistic chance that negotiations between the United States and North Korea towards denuclearisation and the lifting of sanctions can resume. This is also an opportunity for the South Korean government and President Moon to revive the inter-Korean peace process and to move forward with the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration.

Featuring: Ramon Pacheco Pardo (KF-VUB Korea Chair), Kim Hyun-wook (Professor at the Korean National Diplomatic Academy) and Rachel Minyoung Lee (NK News Senior Analyst)

Running time: 27 minutes

In this episode, Ramon Pacheco Pardo (Twitter @rpachecopardo) invites Tongfi Kim (Twitter @tongfi_kim) and Linde Desmaele (Twitter @dsm_ld) to assess the historical visit of US President Donald Trump to North Korea. They discuss how this was a win for the US and both Koreas, and whether there might be a deal before the 2020 US elections.

Featuring: Ramon Pacheco Pardo (KF-VUB Korea Chair, Reader in International Relations at King’s College London), Tongfi Kim (Senior Researcher at the KF-VUB Korea Chair, Assistant Professor in International Relations at Vesalius College) & Linde Desmaele (Phd Researcher at the KF-VUB Korea Chair)

Running time: 26 minutes