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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
Illustration: Huy Truong
North Korea

Opinion | America’s North Korea strategy needs a dose of reality

Washington’s dogged insistence on denuclearisation first has led to a prolonged deadlock that has only widened Pyongyang’s options.

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Ukraine war

Russia asks North Korea to send 30,000 extra troops for Ukraine war: Zelensky

Asean

Asian Angle | Decades of talk, zero barrels stored: why can’t Asean stockpile oil?

China consumption

Price of parenting: the household maths giving China’s consumers pause

Falling property wealth, job insecurity and sky-high childcare costs are forcing middle-class families to aggressively scale back consumer spending.

A newborn baby is seen with family members at a hospital in Heshan, south China’s Guangdong province, on February 10, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Unesco adds ancient Japanese capitals Asuka, Fujiwara to World Heritage list

With the addition, Japan now has 22 cultural and five natural World Heritage sites.

Cambodia

Asian Angle | Cambodia’s war on scammers needs a blueprint built to last

Rounding up foot soldiers is easy. The hard part is tracing cash, exposing high-level enablers and protecting coerced victims.

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K-pop idols

The underdog girl group putting the ‘K’ back in K-pop

While major labels chase global fame, Rescene won over South Korea by putting local culture front and centre.

Rescene members (from left) Zena, May, Minami, Woni and Liv. Photos: Instagram/rescene_official
South Korea martial law 2024

Video | Can South Korean conservatives escape Yoon’s shadow?

Will the party of Yoon Suk-yeol turn over a new leaf or continue to push far-right conspiracies?

China trade

China energy giant expands Korean footprint, helps fuel Seoul’s AI ambitions

The state-owned firm’s new project, independently managed by the company’s South Korean subsidiary, brings its number of power facilities in the country to five.

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United States

Outside In | Why Donald Trump may regret reheating his global trade war

Over the coming months, efforts to China-proof supply chains are likely to drive US foreign policy. Success, however, is unlikely to follow.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer departs following a Senate Finance Committee hearing on July 22, in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
US-China trade war

Trump’s new tariffs, stock market intervention, mega IPOs

This week: Trump levies new tariffs against 60 US trading partners, China’s ‘national team’ investors prop up tumbling stock market, and Bessent threatens sanctions against Chinese AI developers. Next week: CXMT debuts in Shanghai followed by Zhongji Innolight in Hong Kong after blockbuster IPOs, China’s Politburo likely to discuss economy, ChinaJoy draws gamers in Shanghai, and more.

Photo: Reuters
China-South Korea relations

South Korea returns looted Qing dynasty lions to China in cultural diplomacy win

Experts believe the marble sculptures guarded an imperial residence before they were taken by Japanese invaders in the early 20th century.

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Seoul

SK Group chief ordered to pay US$644 million in South Korea’s biggest divorce

If finalised, the High Court ruling means Chey Tae-won’s break from Roh Soh-yeong will be South Korea’s most expensive divorce ever.

Samsung Electronics

South Korea rethinks Yellow Envelope Act as labour union demands mount

Without clearer boundaries, the revised act could fuel labour disputes and create uncertainty for businesses and the economy, critics warn.

Members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold signs reading “basic labour rights” during a rally in Seoul on July 16. Photo: EPA
Food and Drinks

The best guest shifts in Hong Kong and Macau amid Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026

As the top 50 list is unveiled in Macau next Tuesday, rare guest shifts bring the region’s finest mixologists to the Four Seasons’ Argo, Green Room at Upper House and more.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 is set to unveil the top 50 list on July 28. Photo: Handout
SCMP Highlights

Fresh US tariffs on 60 economies; first China duo win Fields Medal: 7 highlights

From a new Chinese AI model to a Singapore minister’s resignation, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Banking & finance

Hongkongers increase cross-border shopping splurges, spending data shows

Price differentials, changing consumer habits make mainland China a ‘major hotspot’ for Hongkongers’ spending, UnionPay International says.

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US-China trade war

Liberation Day 2.0? US slaps fresh wave of tariffs on China, 50-plus economies

‘Forced labour’ duties replace Trump administration’s original sweeping levies but are unlikely to generate the same level of global shock.

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US President Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday, before the administration’s tariff announcement. Photo: AP
North 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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Korean drama reviews

A Shop for Killers season 2: Lee Dong-wook leads action-packed return

Lee is back alongside Kim Hye-jun to take on assassins in this new season that has so far prioritised narrative set-up over splashy violence.

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Stocks

Macroscope | Emerging markets have a concentration problem. Investors will have to live with it

Investors nervous about the dominance of South Korean and Taiwanese chipmakers can’t afford to ignore them.

Currency traders pass by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index and the foreign exchange rate between US dollar and South Korean won at Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on June 5. Photo: AP
Artificial intelligence

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
Lee Jae Myung

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.

Seoul

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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US-China relations

US Congress weighs new tariffs, sanctions to counter China’s shipbuilding threat

US lawmakers search for ways to tackle Beijing’s rapid rise in commercial shipbuilding and restore America’s diminished commercial fleet.

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Ships under construction in Taicang, China. US lawmakers are examining ways to rebuild America’s severely diminished commercial fleet and counter China's shipbuilding dominance. Photo: AFP
Wealth management

DBS survey shows Chinese investors eye Hong Kong, US to weather volatility

Stocks in mainland markets have underperformed this year, with the Shanghai Composite Index down 3.9 per cent year to date as of Wednesday.

Bull statues near screens showing the Hang Seng stock index and stock prices outside Exchange Square, in Hong Kong, February 3, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Asian cinema: Korean films

My Sassy Girl at 25: how Jun Ji-hyun’s star turn changed South Korean cinema

Jun Ji-hyun’s role as a brash young woman in the 2001 romcom subverted gender stereotypes, today inspiring actresses like Park Eun-bin.

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Asian Cuisine

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.

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