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North Korea
People in Seoul watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, in April. 2026. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Seoul drops ‘denuclearisation-first’ stance on Pyongyang

The long-term goal of denuclearisation remains unchanged but stymieing new developments will be South Korea’s focus.

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Japan

Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts

Japan

Japanese firm acts to stop 7-Eleven store staff scalping anime, game merchandise

South Korea

South Korean unions push for higher payouts after Samsung’s US$400,000 bonus

What began with workers calling for Samsung and SK Hynix to share profits reaped from the AI boom is spilling over to other industries.

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Samsung Electronics union members hold a rally protesting against gaps in bonuses in front of its branch in Suwon, south of Seoul, on July 16. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
Samsung Electronics union members hold a rally protesting against gaps in bonuses in front of its branch in Suwon, south of Seoul, on July 16. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
Japan

Japan voters ‘pretty angry’ with PM Takaichi as support frays

Recent opinion polls show Takaichi’s approval rating slipping, reflecting the public’s disdain for her priorities, analysts say.

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South Korea

South Korea charges former US diplomat with defaming Lee Jae Myung

Morse Tan, a former US ambassador-at-large, is accused of spreading false allegations about the president in Washington last year.

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South Korea

Guilty verdict leaves South Korea’s top conservative ‘a wounded lame duck’

A campaign finance conviction threatens to end Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s presidential ambitions, just weeks after winning a fifth term.

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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon leaves court after his trial on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon leaves court after his trial on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP
Japan

Japanese agency warns of ‘cruelly hot days’ amid 40 degrees and above heat

At least 14 people have died from heat-related causes in the past week as emergency officials describe the rising heat as ‘a disaster’.

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South Korea

Owner of Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea faces jail for ant-topped sorbet

Prosecutors demand prison term and fine for serving unapproved imported insects to diners.

Japan

Japan seeks Southeast Asia sea lanes to avoid troubled waters in region

A proposal to map charts through five straits comes as Japan fears trade disruption from choke points in the South China Sea and off Malacca.

Two liquefied natural gas tankers and a fishing boat seen in the Strait of Malacca in April. Photo: EPA
Cambodia

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

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A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters
A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Questions resurface over South Korea defence minister’s army service

Ahn Gyu-back’s accuser claims a gap in his military record reflected an absence without leave. Ahn has called it an ‘administrative error’.

Japan

Are Chinese tourists really to blame for overcrowding Japan’s Kyoto?

Data from the Kyoto City Tourism Association shows a sharp decline in Chinese overnight stays as a result of growing bilateral tensions.

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North Korea

North Korea paves way for possible Kim trip to Moscow

Pyongyang’s top diplomat met Putin to discuss the Ukraine war, munition shipments and a likely Kim visit, analysts say.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui shake hands during their meeting in Moscow on Sunday. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
South Korea

Beggar’s banquet: South Korea’s viral app helps youth find cheap meals

South Korea’s youth unemployment rate reached 7.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 – the highest since 2021.

People walk through a food alley in Seoul, South Korea, on June 27. Photo: AFP
People walk through a food alley in Seoul, South Korea, on June 27. Photo: AFP
Japan

Helicopters and hashtags: Japan’s mounting problem with unprepared hikers

Locals make up the vast majority of Japan’s mountain rescues, yet internet anger is largely reserved for ill-equipped tourists.

South Korea

How South Korean hypermarket chain’s fall reflects ‘time-poor’ consumer demands

The Homeplus crisis comes even as other South Korean retail businesses continue to thrive amid a surge in online sales.

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Japan

Officials’ lavish travel sparks scrutiny of political spending in Japan

The Fukuoka prefectural government admitted it spent more than US$2 million on the excursions, triggering public anger.

The Fukuoka prefectural government office in Japan. Photo: Google Maps
The Fukuoka prefectural government office in Japan. Photo: Google Maps
South Korea

Why South Korea is racing to build a sovereign AI model for cybersecurity

Fears over access to foreign AI models have accelerated Seoul’s push to control the systems used to defend critical infrastructure.

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Japan

Japan changes rules to save shrinking monarchy, but bars female emperors

A revised imperial law keeps the long-standing male-only succession system, defying public support for female emperors.

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South Korea

‘Gateway to Asean’: South Korea bets on Vietnam hub for food expansion

Vietnam will be positioned as a logistics and distribution base aimed at growing demand for South Korean food products across the region.

A food vendor (right) talks to a customer at Gwangjang market in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Japan

Why Ukraine’s Patriot missile request may be a step too far for Japan

Agreeing to Kyiv’s co-production proposal risks triggering a backlash from Beijing and Moscow, analysts say.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot missile system during his visit to a military training area in northeastern Germany in 2024. Photo: dpa
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot missile system during his visit to a military training area in northeastern Germany in 2024. Photo: dpa
Japan

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang seals Japan robotics push after ‘yakitori summit’

Huang has shown his personable side by dining with business partners at local restaurants during his recent visits to other countries.

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Japan

‘Very worried’: US campaign against ICC leaves Japan in a bind

The initiative will make Tokyo weigh its international law commitments against its dependence on the US security umbrella, analysts say.

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South Korea

Sunk deals: why South Korea’s submarine exports are running aground

After losing bids in Canada and Poland, analysts say Korean shipyards are learning how strategic alignment can trump commercial merit.

South Korean submarines take part in a naval fleet review off the southern port city of Busan last year. Photo: AFP
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