Employers are already crying out for a relaxation of the law, to let in foreign specialists to meet shortages in such fields as information technology, engineering and biotechnology.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

Japanese robotic specialists say American robots were used partly because of pressure from the foreign ministry, out of gratitude for United States troop support after the tsunami.

ECONOMIST: Robots and Japan's nuclear disaster

The new administration in Seoul also wants to help improve agriculture in the North by supplying seeds, fertiliser and specialists, says Lim Dong Won, the president's senior secretary for foreign policy and security.

ECONOMIST: North Korea��s dreadful spring