South Korea
TOPIC
 / location

South Korea

Related Topics:
South Korea
South Korea
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on South Korea, covering politics, economy, society, K-pop and Seoul’s relationships with North Korea, Japan, China and the United States.
Capital
Seoul
Head of State
Lee Jae-myung
Lee Jae-myung
Head of Government
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok
People walk past Exchange Square in Central, home of Hong Kong’s bourse operator, on March 28, 2025. Photo: Matthew Miller
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks edge higher on last full trading day of year

Hang Seng Index edges higher as Chinese yuan surpasses 7 against US dollar for first time since May 2023.

Yoon Suk-yeol

Probe into South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee ends with ‘unresolved issues’

Asia housing and property

The View | How AI helped Asia’s real estate sector pass the tariff stress test

North Korea

North Korea tests long-range cruise missiles after nuclear submarine progress

Days after unveiling a near-complete hull of a nuclear-powered submarine, North Korea shares photos of missiles being fired and hitting a target.

A North Korean long-range strategic cruise missile hitting its target on Sunday. Photo: KCNA via AFP
Ageing society

South Korea’s record low birth rate leads to mass school closures

With student counts half of 1980 levels, South Korea confronts a crisis of empty classrooms and abandoned sites, raising worry over wasted assets.

videocam
Food and Drinks

How Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars season 2 stays ‘true to the original essence’

Amid off-screen scrutiny on one of the show’s judges, season two of Culinary Class Wars returns with a focus on its intense cooking battles.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong society

Letters | Why lapses in the Tai Po tragedy are both shocking and familiar

Readers discuss Hong Kong’s light-touch culture, the city’s struggling retail sector, and meeting the emotional needs of men.

People walk past the blackened blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 20. Photo: Jonathan Wong
China-South Korea relations

South Korean president set to visit China next month, with North Korea on agenda

Exchange of visits by two countries’ leaders within months underscores their commitment to deepening ties, analysts say.

videocam
19
Semiconductors

China’s CXMT in crosshairs of South Korean prosecutors over Samsung tech leak

Prosecutors in Seoul indict 10 people, including ex-Samsung executives, for allegedly leaking the firm’s technology to memory chipmaker CXMT.

US-China relations

Deal breaker? Record Taiwan arms deal complicates Trump’s 2026 Beijing visit

The US defends new arms sales and urges ‘meaningful’ dialogue, but analysts warn the deepening rift risks hollowing out the agenda for the Trump-Xi summit next year.

videocam
31
An Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, a long-range guided weapon fired from the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), shown during a military display. Photo: Handout
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Outside In | As the US pursues unilateralism, China faces challenging task as Apec host

China’s return as Apec chair is an opportunity to show that both the organisation and its message of multilateralism are as relevant as ever.

videocam
US President Donald Trump, left, and President Xi Jinping speak as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: Reuters
Regulation

In South Korea, vouchers to curb county’s falling population draw new residents

Officials in Okcheon, however, are looking to identify fake residents who change addresses without moving in.

videocam
Yoon Suk-yeol

Yoon faces 10-year jail term in South Korea over first of 4 failed coup trials

During a hearing, Yoon appears tense and laughs in disbelief as special prosecutors present the charges in his first trial.

North Korea

‘Maximum deterrence’: why North Korea just revealed its new nuclear submarine

The unprecedented transparency from the normally secretive country shows a shift in North Korean defence strategy, analysts say.

videocam
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects a nuclear-powered submarine under construction in a photo released on December 25. Photo: KCNA/AP
Hong Kong tourism

Japan popular with Hong Kong travellers over Christmas, Harbin gaining appeal

Despite row with China, Japan remains popular with Hongkongers, with mainland cities such as Harbin and Yunnan gaining appeal.

10
A street in Kamakura, in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, packed with tourists on December 17. Photo: Kyodo
United States

Coupang’s massive data leak probe ignites US-Seoul diplomatic firestorm

Some Republicans said Seoul’s investigation into the e-commerce firm was an attempt to favour China.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Seoul holds the key to US-North Korea denuclearisation talks

South Korea is taking steps to cool tensions – from moving to opening joint military drills to consultations to easing up on immediate denuclearisation demands.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
North Korea

US to grant Seoul exception on nuclear submarine fuel supply

Seoul to formalise right to build nuclear-powered submarines via Aukus-style waiver requiring approval from Trump and US Congress.

US Navy officers stand aboard a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine in Western Australia in February. Photo: AFP
North Korea

South Korean webtoon slammed for heroine resembling Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae

Critics say the romantic comedy ‘Princess Goes to School’ risks softening perceptions of North Korea’s regime.

videocam
World of performing arts

Meet the Korean viral ‘dancing conductor’ who says he’s not actually dancing

Some conductors are visibly moved by the music, but Korean maestro Baek Yoon-hak takes that concept a step or two further.

videocam
Hong Kong tourism

Japan loses out as Hongkongers pick South Korea, mainland China this Christmas

‘The main reason is that Japan has experienced several incidents … including bear attacks and earthquakes,’ Travel Industry Council says.

19
Around 1,500 outbound tours are expected to depart the city this Christmas. Photo: Dickson Lee
Yoon Suk-yeol

Yoon’s ex-aides express ‘disbelief’ over South Korean martial law plan

The two aides’ testimonies give a rare insight into the thinking of the former president, who is charged with leading the ‘insurrection’.

videocam
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul, after then South Korea president Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on December 3, 2024. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

Explainer | Will US-led ‘Pax Silica’ be a new dawn for the international AI supply chain?

Trump administration aims for deeper technology cooperation on new AI infrastructure with allies.

videocam
15
Aviation accidents

A year after South Korea’s Jeju Air crash, the fight for truth continues

Families of the victims say they harbour deep mistrust over how the investigation into the disaster that killed 179 people has been handled.

videocam
SCMP Highlights

Philippines’ Chinese tourism woes, police officer goes viral: 7 Asia highlights

From India’s anxiety over US-Pakistan deals to South Korea’s visa policy debate, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Chinese tourists from Beijing enjoying Cambugahay waterfalls in Siquijor, Central Visaya, Philippines. Photo: SCMP / James Wendlinger
Yoon Suk-yeol

South Korean politicians agree to Unification Church special probe in rare move

The ruling DPK has accepted the opposition’s proposal to appoint special prosecutors to look into the church’s political meddling and bribes.

The entrance to the Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja’s residence in Gapyeong in South Korea. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

China-South Korea ties, Singapore’s ex-FM on Hong Kong: SCMP daily highlights

From why China-South Korea relations may be cooling to Beijing’s latest bid to boost births, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Artificial intelligence

‘Widespread cheating’ scandal hits South Korean universities amid AI concerns

Seoul National and Yonsei universities face new cheating scandals despite tighter controls, signalling need for stronger online exam and AI rules.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement