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People walk in a business district in Seoul. The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday. Photo: EPA
South Korea

South Korea prioritises financial stability with consecutive rate increases

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song says the pre-emptive moves aim to help ‘reduce the costs to the economy’.

Japan

Japan to probe popular animal cafes amid hygiene, welfare concerns

North Korea

North Korea vows ‘powerful response’ to US$125 million US-South Korea arms deal

South Korea

South Korean police look to charge 7 for lying about structure in Jeju Air crash

The transport ministry officials put out false media statements claiming the localisers had been installed in line with regulations.

A damaged structure is seen at the end of the runway at Muan International Airport on December 14, 2025, a year after Jeju Air’s Flight 2216 crashed. Photo: AFP
A damaged structure is seen at the end of the runway at Muan International Airport on December 14, 2025, a year after Jeju Air’s Flight 2216 crashed. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s sumo chiefs trim tour dates, demand air con to beat summer heat

Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40 degrees in recent days.

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Japan

Bears and pest control: how Japan is spending its departure tax windfall

Critics say the funds are being channelled into projects with limited direct benefit to travellers and question how the money is being spent.

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South Korea

‘Treated as expendable’: South Korean ex-spy reveals toll of secret missions

Agents work in isolation and the surveillance never stops, a former agent trained to infiltrate North Korea reveals.

Ha Tae-jun, a former South Korean operative trained for covert missions to North Korea, poses at the Association of Bereaved Families of Special Mission Agents’ office in Seoul on August 10. Photo: Korea Times
Ha Tae-jun, a former South Korean operative trained for covert missions to North Korea, poses at the Association of Bereaved Families of Special Mission Agents’ office in Seoul on August 10. Photo: Korea Times
South Korea

South Korea hands police more power even as dead bodies expose the lies

Fabricated calls and erased files kept two deaths hidden. Now, a force prone to cover-ups is inheriting unchecked authority.

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South Korea

South Korea scrambles jets after Russian military planes enter air defence zone

This is the second incursion in weeks since over 10 Chinese and Russian military jets entered the zone in late June.

North Korea

North Korea’s Japan-bashing hits fever pitch as Russia ties grow

Pyongyang slams Tokyo’s record defence budget and war shrine visits, framing regional tension as a Cold War-style clash.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attend a military parade in Beijing last year. Photo: Kremlin / AP
Japan

Japan expands Fukushima soil recycling project to Sendai, Saitama

The government has already reused the soil at 12 sites in Tokyo since July last year, including the prime minister’s office.

Decontaminated soil from Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is placed in flower beds at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo on September 14, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
Decontaminated soil from Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is placed in flower beds at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo on September 14, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

What is really behind Japan’s planned cabinet shake-up?

With voters anxious over inflation, swapping cabinet faces offers a convenient distraction from economic pain.

South Korea

South Korea’s exam cheats upgrade to AI-powered smart glasses

Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul.

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South Korea

South Korea’s Hyundai, union agree on tentative wage deal after rare strike

Around 40,000 out of roughly 73,000 employees walked off the job on Friday in the first such strike action for a decade.

Members of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union shouts slogans during a joint strike rally in front of the Hyundai Motor headquarters in Seoul on Friday. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s famous bonfire monkey zoo to close for major revamp

During the closure, the zoo plans to use social media to post updates on its 700 monkeys and hold members-only events.

Primates warm themselves by a bonfire at the Japan Monkey Centre. Photo: AichiNow
Primates warm themselves by a bonfire at the Japan Monkey Centre. Photo: AichiNow
South Korea

South Korea pledges to help Trump revive talks with North Korea’s Kim

Trump’s recent olive branch to Kim and criticism ‌of Seoul have raised concerns of a strain on long-standing Asian alliances.

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Japan

False claims about quakes, Hiroshima expose Japan’s conspiracy problem

Claims that a deadly quake was artificial and Hiroshima was not hit by an atomic bomb have alarmed experts tracking Japan’s online spaces.

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South Korea

South Korea says US cut joint marine drill over Iran war constraints

The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.

A South Korean marine takes position during the “Ssangyong 2023 Exercise” joint landing operation by US and South Korean Marines in the southeastern port of Pohang in March 2023. Photo: AFP
A South Korean marine takes position during the “Ssangyong 2023 Exercise” joint landing operation by US and South Korean Marines in the southeastern port of Pohang in March 2023. Photo: AFP
South Korea

How FOMO lured South Koreans into stock ‘Squid Game’ and left them broke

‘I don’t think I will ever invest in the Kospi again,’ says an emotionally drained retiree who, like others, is reeling from the rout.

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Indonesia

Quake-prone Indonesia’s first nuclear plant plan stokes ‘Fukushima’ fears

While some people see the proposed project on an uninhabited island with ‘pride’, others warn of safety issues.

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South Korea

Why South Korea wants to rebuild a DMZ railway despite Kim’s cold shoulder

With Washington and Pyongyang talking over its head, Seoul is rebooting a border railway to keep its lonely diplomacy on track.

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Train tracks are seen at the Baengmagoji Station in South Korea’s Gangwon province, near the demilitarized zone separating it from the North. Photo: AFP
India

India joins China and South Korea in push for Arctic shipping routes

With Middle East sea lanes choked by conflict, melting polar ice offers Asia a seasonal two-week short cut to European ports.

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An oil tanker traverses icy waters. Russia’s Northern Sea Route is attracting growing interest from Asia's commercial shipping lines. Photo: Shutterstock
An oil tanker traverses icy waters. Russia’s Northern Sea Route is attracting growing interest from Asia's commercial shipping lines. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan’s crown prince honours settlers who built Paraguay ties

Crown Prince Fumihito thanked Paraguay’s 10,000-strong Japanese community as the nations marked 90 years since settlers arrived.

Japan

Why Japan is eyeing a record US$56 billion defence budget

Major outlays are being planned for drones, AI-enabled command systems, long-range missiles and support for the domestic defence industry.

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Japan

No kettle needed: Japan’s cold-water cup noodles fly off the shelves

Nissin’s new product sold out in a week as social media buzz and severe summer heatwaves drive demand across the region.

Nissin Foods, the company that invented instant noodles, has launched a new product: cup noodles made with cold water. Photo: Nissin
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