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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Seoul. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Mayor Oh Se-hoon
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung looks on as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a joint press conference in Andong, South Korea, on May 19. Photo: Kyodo
South Korea

‘Attacker would need to say sorry’: South Korea’s Lee rejects Japan defence ties

President Lee Jae Myung says Tokyo must offer a genuine apology before a military logistics pact can move forward.

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South Korea

K-drama stars IU, Lee Dong-wook dragged into South Korean ballot protest

South Korea

South Korean protesters demand ‘election re-run’ after ballot shortage

Semiconductors

Chinese memory makers step up challenge to Korea’s chip champions

CXMT and YMTC are nearing public listings, giving China’s memory-chip sector fresh firepower in its pursuit of Samsung and SK Hynix.

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Analysts say CXMT’s IPO approval is further evidence that Chinese memory-chip makers are becoming increasingly competitive with their US and Korean rivals. Photo: Getty Images
South Korea

Young South Koreans embrace ‘plogging’ to cope with climate anxiety

‘Plogging’ – a mix of the Swedish phrase for ‘picking up’ and the English word ‘jogging’ – has become a hot activity for eco-anxious youth.

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North Korea

Why North Korea’s Kim is doubling down on nuclear might as Xi visit looms

Kim Jong-un has vowed to ‘exponentially’ strengthen North Korea’s nuclear arsenal during a recent visit to a production facility.

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China travel

China, South Korea agree to more flights per week as tourism to Japan dwindles

The additional flights are the first increase between the two countries since before the Covid pandemic.

A Korean Air plane at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

South Korea’s Lee scores ‘flawed’ poll win, setback for his property tax plan

The defeat in the Seoul election came after the incumbent mayor promised to act as a counterbalance to Lee’s administration.

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South Korea

Macroscope | How the AI chip boom made South Korea a victim of its own success

While tech giants are driving South Korea’s stock market higher, the country’s currency is struggling and foreign investors are pulling out.

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South Korea

South Korea’s ruling party set for local election gains

The vote is widely seen as an assessment of President Lee Jae-myung’s first year in office.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hea-kyung cast their ballots during early voting for nationwide local elections at a polling station in Seoul on May 29. Photo: dpa
Diplomacy

Opinion | What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

South Korea needs to restore communication channels, end the policy see-saw and ensure official rhetoric is consistent with policy objectives.

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung salutes the national flag at the first plenary meeting of the National Economic Advisory Council, at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9. Photo: EPA/Yonhap
South Korea

US general’s ‘dagger’ remark tests South Korea’s China balancing act

A top commander’s blunt remark spotlights a fundamental disagreement over the true purpose of the 28,500 US troops based in South Korea.

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South Korea

From submarines to trade, South Korea and US remain deadlocked ahead of talks

The two allies are also expected to discuss the transfer of military control and a data breach involving a US firm at their talks next week.

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South Korea

Video | South Korea is world’s second-largest cosmetics giant

K-beauty exports hit US$11.4 billion in 2025, overtaking the US to rank second only to France.

TO GO WITH STORY “FINANCE-ECONOMY-SKOREA-LIFESTYLE” by Park Chan-Kyong A South Korean woman checks a lipstick at a cosmetic store in Seoul on on November 21, 2008. Retailers are struggling to shift electronics items, clothes and household goods as the economy weakens, but some items are traditionally recession-proof. AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN (Photo by KIM JAE-HWAN / AFP)
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Taiwan

‘Illegal and void’: China condemns Japan-Philippines maritime border talks

Beijing says negotiations between Tokyo and Manila cover area east of Taiwan where it maintains exclusive economic zone.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) shake hands before talks in Tokyo on May 28, 2026. Photo: Kyodo
China-South Korea relations

How will South Korea’s nuclear submarines alter balance near first island chain?

Analyst cites further Indo-Pacific nations eyeing SSNs, with potential to ‘tie together with the broader US alliance system in the region’.

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US-China relations

China slams US commander’s ‘dagger’ label for South Korea

Chinese embassy in Seoul says US Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson’s ‘hostile and aggressive remarks’ on podcast ‘crossed the line’.

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China-North Korea relations

A quiet reset in ties is brewing along the China-North Korea border

The resumption of train routes and a spike in overland trade underscore a reset in ties ahead of a reported leaders’ summit.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
South Korea

3 killed in South Korea after ageing overpass collapses during safety check

One section collapsed ‌while ‌senior public works officials ⁠and private sector experts were inspecting the support structure.

South Korea

South Korea’s Lee hails ‘deep friendship’ as he hosts Japan’s Takaichi in hometown

The talks in Andong, a city famous for its centuries-old folk village, come after the two met in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara in January.

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South Korea

South Korea weighs the cost of stepping into Samsung’s US$400,000 bonus row

Seoul is considering using a rarely used emergency power to halt a strike that could cost the economy US$67 billion.

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Members of Samsung Electronics’ largest labour union chant slogans during a protest against the company’s compensation levels in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, last month. Photo: Reuters
North Korea

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable fortress’

Experts say the plans reflect awareness of drone and other types of hi-tech warfare amid the Russia-Ukraine and Iran conflicts.

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A soldier stands at a fence bordering the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea in 2017. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea weighs arbitration to avoid Samsung semiconductor plant strike

The world’s largest memory chipmaker and its South ‌Korean labour union will resume pay talks on Monday with a government mediator.

North Korea

North Korean footballers arrive in South, match tickets sell out

The rare visit comes as North Korea has in ‌recent years labelled the South its ‘most hostile state’.

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South Korea

Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI

A viral ‘baseball goddess’, a wolf that never was and a deepfake epidemic. Generative AI is rewriting South Korea’s reality.

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A screenshot of the "baseball goddess" from an AI-generated video. Photo: X/kangminlee
South Korea

South Korea uses AI to prevent suicides, track crime on Seoul’s Han River bridges

AI sounds an alarm if it identifies a person staying for more than 300 seconds in a bridge’s ‘loitering zones’, allowing humans to swoop in.

A ship sails in the Han River after leaving the Jamsil pier in Seoul’s Songpa ward on September 18, 2025. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Boeing nears ‘large’ China orders as Trump and Xi forge new trade board: Bessent

Washington and Beijing will discuss the board to manage commercial ties, and there is a plan to ‘pregame’ investments to avoid national security blocks.

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Japan

Japan-South Korea ‘comfort women’ row stoked by statues abroad

The removal of wartime sex slave memorials in Germany and New Zealand has electrified certain LDP hardliners, risking a diplomatic rift.

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