President Lee Jae-myung has kicked off 2026 with a high-stakes diplomatic tour, marking the first state visit to Beijing in eight years followed by a summit in Japan.
In a regional landscape defined by U.S. tariff uncertainty and an ongoing Sino-Japanese rift, Seoul is operating under a pragmatic diplomatic strategy that prioritizes economic security.
The January summits signaled several critical shifts for the business community:
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Restoring ties with China: The return of the Korea-China Business Forum after an eight-year hiatus marks a significant move toward normalizing high-level commercial engagement.
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Economic cooperation with Japan: In Nara, discussions centered on safeguarding industrial supply chains and deepening cooperation on artificial intelligence and intellectual property.
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Market diversification: A key development is Seoul’s push to join the CPTPP, though the path forward involves navigating complex trade trade-offs, including restrictions on Japanese seafood imports.
Read the full analysis below.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| GR Korea Newsletter_Korea Navigates Regional Volatility: The Beijing & Nara Summits_January 2026 | 1.76 MB |
