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North Korea's Kim Jong Un walks away from what state media report is a "new type" of ICBM.

KCNA via REUTERS

Will standing up to North Korea work?

North Korea has engaged in an aggressive spate of missile testing this year. In response, the US and South Korea are changing tack and pushing back against Pyongyang with a more muscular show of force. Washington and Seoul’s robust replies are designed to push Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table, furthering their quest to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

But it’s a risky gamble. The fresh approach could convince an isolated and broke North Korea to talk shop, or Kim could double down and conduct his first nuclear test since 2017.

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Annie Gugliotta

South Korea’s presidential election slugfest

South Korean pop culture has taken the world by storm in recent years. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of K-pop sensation BTS, the Oscar-winning film Parasite and the dystopian Netflix series Squid Game.

But the biggest show in South Korea these days is the presidential election campaign, which has featured so many gaffes, insults and scandals that it seems made for reality TV.

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Why North Korea isn’t happy about South Korea’s pop culture soft power
Why North Korea Isn’t Happy About South Korea’s Pop-culture Soft Power | GZERO World

Why North Korea isn’t happy about South Korea’s pop culture soft power

South Korea is having a global pop culture moment. Right now Squid Game is top show on Netflix. Parasite was the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. And then there's BTS, breaking records with their songs and even making a splash at the UN, further proof of K-pop's influence beyond music along with online fans ruining a Trump rally in Oklahoma. As South Korea expands its soft power, Kim Jong Un sees it as a growing threat to his rule over North Korea, and says K-pop is a "vicious cancer."

Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: The Korean Peninsula from K-Pop to Kim Jong-un

Subscribe to GZERO on YouTube to be the first to see new episodes of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: https://bit.ly/2TxCVnY

Why did the 2018 summits with North Korea fail?
Why Did the 2018 Summits With North Korea Fail? | GZERO World

Why did the 2018 summits with North Korea fail?

In 2018, Donald Trump thought he could bring peace between the Koreas, and denuclearize the North, all by himself. He failed, and now the North Koreans have more and better nukes. Veteran Korea correspondent Jean Lee is not surprised because she knew that "behind all the theater and drama of the summits," the North Koreans would not hit the pause button. What's more, she was concerned they were fooling everyone into believing we would all be safer. Watch a clip from her interview with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: The Korean Peninsula from K-Pop to Kim Jong-un

Subscribe to GZERO on YouTube to be the first to see new episodes of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: https://bit.ly/2TxCVnY

The Korean Peninsula from K-Pop to Kim Jong-un
The Korean Peninsula From K-Pop to Kim Jong-un | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

The Korean Peninsula from K-Pop to Kim Jong-un

On GZERO World, a tale of two very different Koreas. From K-Pop supergroup BTS to Oscar-winner Parasite to Netflix global sensation Squid Game, South Korea seems to be churning out one massive cultural hit after another. And North Korea is taking notice. As South Korea's cultural cachet continues to climb, so does Little Rocket Man's anger. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called the K-Pop invasion a "vicious cancer" and sees the South's soft power as a direct threat to his rule. Jean Lee, former AP Pyongyang bureau chief and veteran Korea correspondent, speaks with Ian Bremmer.

Subscribe to GZERO on YouTube to be the first to see new episodes of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: https://bit.ly/2TxCVnY

Moon urges more testing, tracing as new curbs imposed

December 08, 2020 5:00 AM

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has urged the country's authorities to undertake more efforts in tracking and tracing coronavirus infections. This comes as tightened measures have failed to reduce daily infections. Yesterday, the country reported 615 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total to 38,161.

South Korea's Moon replaces ministers as sinking ratings put policy agenda at risk

December 04, 2020 5:18 PM

SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in reshuffled his cabinet on Friday (Dec 4) as his approval rating sank to a record low amid a backlash over housing policies, rising coronavirus cases and a scandal involving the justice ministry and top prosecutors.

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