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Keun Lee
For Keun Lee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Farmers dry coffee beans at the Thiririka farming cooperative in Kiambu County, Kenya, in November 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2024
Is it time for a coffee cartel?
If farmers in the developing world are prevented from getting their fair share from coffee production they should take matters into their own hands.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, visit a Samsung semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2024
South Korea's economic strategy amid the U.S.-China rivalry
If the world is to avoid incurring increasingly high costs from fragmentation, the U.S. and China must learn how to coexist and engage in fair competition.
Solar panels at a proof-of-concept site for green hydrogen production in Vredendal, South Africa
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2023
The key to greening heavy industry
If the world’s vast ocean resources can be tapped directly to produce hydrogen, there will be no holding back the green transition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2023
The myth of AI-driven unemployment
Whether generative AI — including large language models like ChatGPT-4 — will be good for workers depends significantly on whether it leads to more innovation in products or processes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2023
The sources of East Asia’s industrial prowess
The United States cannot ignore its own dependence on small Asian economies like South Korea and Taiwan for advanced technologies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2022
Is there a South Korean democratic trajectory for China?
South Korea's recent history shows how a vibrant economy can lead to the emergence of a large middle class — and, with it, demands for democratization.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2022
Sustaining economic growth in an age of deglobalization
Developing economies face challenges on gaining ground, but some, like Malaysia and Chile, show there is still a way.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2022
How realistic are Beijing’s semiconductor ambitions?
Despite big aspirations, China has struggled to catch up with the U.S. in the economically and strategically vital semiconductor industry, and will continue to face significant barriers to progress.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2022
Yoon Suk-yeol’s next opponents: Housing and jobs
If President-elect Yoon Seok-youl takes the wrong approach to key issues, the country may be unable to avoid a Japanese-style “lost decades.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2022
China’s economic development is rife with new challenges and traps
China's weak rule of law carries serious risks, including official corruption, which tends to increase inequality and thus could undermine efforts to avoid the middle-income trap.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2021
East Asia’s 'Squid Game' economies
Nowadays, South Korean capitalism seems more noxious — perhaps because it has been converging with the liberal Anglo-Saxon model, with its weak investment, slow growth and high inequality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2021
China’s loss can be the rest of Asia’s gain
China's changing role in the global economy is forcing companies to reconsider it as a manufacturing hub.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?