Real Info

South Korea: Africa's New BFF


They're being bullish in China's shop. Though the People's Republic has been trumpeted as sub-Saharan Africa's best investment partner, Korea's catching up, with bilateral trade increasing fourfold to $22.2 billion between 2000 and 2011. And Korea has an advantage: It, too, was once considered an underdog developing country, receiving aid until just twenty years ago, and now it's soaring with the high-income elite. While some believe its willingness to work with quasi-authoritarian regimes could cause trouble down the line, South Korea's betting on Africa's future prosperity - and loyalty.

South Korea, US Agree on Missile Defense System

The best defense is ... probably going to piss off the neighbors. The U.S. and South Korea, citing threats from North Korea, have agreed to deploy the THAAD system, which can ostensibly detect and destroy hostile missiles before they land - something that's become more urgent since Pyongyang described new U.S. sanctions as "an open declaration of war." But China's not happy about the development: North Korea's most prominent sort-of ally is concerned that the new system will be able to spy into its own territory with radar.