When the subprime-induced financial crisis broke out in the US housing sector in the summer of 2007 and mushroomed into a global financial crisis by September 2008 it was widely assumed that Japan and South Korea, despite their deep integration into the global economy, would remain immune as both countries enjoyed strong macroeconomic fundamentals. However, such a view has proven to be overly sanguine as both economies have felt the negative effects of the financial contagion and experienced heightened financial instability. What explains Japan and South Korea's vulnerability to the crisis? How has the crisis impacted each nation? What has each done to better insulate their economies from the vagaries of the global financial markets? This paper addresses these interrelated questions.