Global Affairs Lab

Standing on a vast development site in Clarksville, Tennessee, South Korea’s Korea Zinc is making one of the boldest industrial bets yet on the future of America’s critical minerals supply chain. The company has entered a strategic partnership with the U.S. government to jointly invest in a large-scale smelter project valued at approximately 11 trillion won. Of that, around $6.6 billion will be invested directly into the Tennessee facility, while total funding—including opera

The passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the next fiscal year by the U.S. Congress on Dec. 17, which includes provisions limiting any reduction in U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), is widely seen as an effort to underscore Washington’s view of South Korea as a top-tier ally. Once formally enacted with President Donald Trump’s signature, the NDAA will prohibit the U.S. government from using congressionally approved defense funds to reduce the number of U.S. tro

SEOUL - Standing before a room of future military leaders at the National Defense University last week, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea delivered a message that was as blunt as it was revealing: the Korean Peninsula is no longer a peripheral theater in American strategy—it is a strategic starting point. Gen. Xavier Brunson, who leads U.S. and allied forces on the peninsula, used the lecture to argue that Korea sits at the very heart of Washington’s Indo-Pacific security ar

Korea Zinc, the world’s largest zinc smelting company, has announced plans to build a large-scale metals and minerals production facility in the United States, marking a strategic effort by South Korea and the U.S. to secure critical mineral supply chains independent of China. The project, valued at approximately $7.43 billion, will be developed as a joint venture involving Korea Zinc, the U.S. government, and U.S. strategic investors. According to a regulatory filing, constr

The U.S. Air Force in South Korea will soon implement new security procedures by taking over management of the last gate at Osan Air Base that has been jointly operated with the South Korean military, officials confirmed Thursday. The adjustment follows a U.S. protest lodged earlier this year after a special counsel team entered the base in Pyeongtaek—about 65 kilometers south of Seoul—during a July raid tied to its investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's unsucces

In the photo, Trump is seen visiting Korea, walking through the Okpo Shipyard and inspecting ships under construction. He also posed for a commemorative photo with his entourage in front of the main building. According to reports at the time, Trump showed interest in Korea’s shipbuilding industry. A shipyard official said, “Records show that he visited Okpo Shipyard on June 5, 1998, at the invitation of the Daewoo Group.” During this visit, Trump not only toured the Daewoo Sh