2011 Asia Business SA

Koreans were in a bit of a flurry when they heard that possible rain could carry some of the radioactive particles from Japan into their country. Seaweed, salt and face-masks were sold to protect the people. The reason that this article interested me is we will be in Korea and I wanted to see if there would be any possible dangers in the rain. Koreans were also displeased with Japan’s decision to release 10,000 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific because of a prior agreement to make all information known quickly. There could be some hostility between the two.

Matthew Smith

The article “Korean Battery Makers Ramp Up Investments” is about the Korean companies Samsung and LG increasing investments in their rechargeable battery businesses. The demand for consumer electronics and electric cars has increased, and these two companies want to keep up with demand by producing more batteries. LG’s target is to expand from producing 100,000 batteries per year to 350,000 batteries per year for electric cars. While both companies say their increase in production is not related to Japan’s recent earthquake and supply problems, inevitably Korea will receive more pressure to supply batteries to companies that Japanese producers used to supply to. I liked reading this article because it is fascinating to hear that there is more demand for batteries and especially electronic cars. It makes me wonder if the world really is making the transition from gas to electronic cars.

Radiation from nuclear power plants from Japan has caused a dramatic decrease in sales of seafood in its neighboring country, South Korea. Prices of all kinds of fresh seafood have gone down so much but no one really wants to buy them. Instead, people are switching to vegetables for their daily diet. However, people would still buy frozen seafood that was caught before the radiation outbreak. South Korean government has also banned the import food from areas around the nuclear plants.
No seafood…I guess no more sushi for us in Japan/Korea. Sad…

Week 5 post
My Nguyen

Korea Herald: http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110321000783


While we won't be visiting North Korea on our study abroad, technically we will when we visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the 38th parallel that separates the peninsula in half and serves as a buffer zone.


Just last week, North Korea raised tensions in the area again when it accused American troops of trespassing into the DMZ (one headline even read "N.Korea accuses US troops of 'partying' inside DMZ"). The North claims that U.S. troops made 50 trespasses in March, including an incident where a group of soldiers allegedly came within 20 meters of the DMZ and threw bottles of alcohol at North Korean troops.


North Korea's Central News Agency promised "human damage" in retaliation if the trespassing continues.


While the financial implications of the U.S. having troops in Korea is clear (it's been more than 50 years since the war and taxpayers are still fronting 28,500 U.S. troops to keep the region stabilized), I can't really tell how this news has or would affect business on the peninsula. I tried making a really unscientific look at the KOPSI Composite Index (a Korean index) to see if the market went down around March 20, but really couldn't see if military provocations really impact the market there. --Phil Volmar

By HYUNG-JIN KIM

March 30, 2011

Associated Press

For decades Japan and South Korea have disputed over which country controls some islets that are located between them. The islets are basically controlled by South Korea but claimed be Japan. These islets are valuable to either country because they have rich fishing areas around them and also lie near deposits of methane hydrate, which can be used to produce natural gas. Recently, ties have been strong between the two governments and South Korea has put together a lot of aid to help with the earthquake recovery. Japan recently approved a history textbook that indicates the islets are theirs, this has stirred up the controversy and brought a sour taste South Koreans who have been helping in the relief efforts for Japan.

Sam Gardner

On April 2, 2011, South Korea’s foreign minister will visit Ethiopia and Congo in Africa. The purpose of this visit is to discuss business possibilities. After, observing actions taken by China to tap into natural resources located in Africa, Korea is exploring its own possibilities. I find this interesting because this action has both economic and political implications. China’s involvement in Africa has received much criticism by the West. While this may be a great economic move for South Korea, the country stills needs to be careful not harm political ties with western nations.

-Steven Hall