South Korea has made its first offer of aid to North Korea since it accused Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships in March. South Korea's Red Cross has offered 10bn won ($8.3m, £5.3m) worth of flood aid to its impoverished neighbour.

In the mascaraed eyes of Thai teenyboppers, South Korea is ground zero of hip. More than Lady Gaga, more than any local act, Bangkok kids aspire to the saccharine perfection of Korean pop. Thai authorities, however, have proven less welcoming of the “K-Pop” phenomenon. With each new Korean fashion craze comes official warnings that the new fad may blind, disfigure or even kill.

While voices in China continue to be raised against American naval exercises near the China coast and asserting Beijing's increased influence in global affairs, other voices are now being heard questioning the wisdom of China's increasing assertiveness.

A steaming specialty is chicken soup for the sweltering soul. Both science and culture agree that it works

Video that is part of the series CPD Video Conversations: National Branding at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

As part of its global pursuit of soft power, South Korea presents its country brand at Shanghai Expo by employing the instrument of pop culture.

After securing a mega-sized nuclear contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Korea is pushing to form a closer partnership with the Middle Eastern country including providing education to foster a highly skilled workforce.

On August 10, Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued an apology for Japan's mistreatment of the people of Korea...It was the latest in a long line of expressions of remorse for past misdeeds and part of a carefully calibrated strategy of what Japanese conservatives deride as "apology diplomacy".