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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
President Yoon Suk-yeol
Yoon Suk-yeol
Head of Government
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo
The Kuningan business district is seen at dusk in Jakarta, Indonesia, in June 2023. Rents for grade A office buildings in the central business district have fallen continuously for the past decade. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia housing and property

The View | How Indonesia can calm property investors’ fears of a return to 1998

Concern about democratic backsliding and poor liquidity are obscuring otherwise solid fundamentals in one of Asia’s largest markets.

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Natural disasters

In South Korea, the elderly risk their lives fighting wildfires for US$50 a day

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks retreat to 4-week low as more Trump tariffs loom

Diplomacy

Editorial | North Asian powers can work against US ‘changes and chaos’

Warming relations between China, Japan and South Korea since Donald Trump’s return to the White House raises hopes of regional progress and greater understanding.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (second left) with (from left) foreign ministers Cho Tae-yul of South Korea, Wang Yi of China and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya. Photo: AFP
Asia travel

Want to explore Seoul’s culture, food, K-content? City to launch 10 tours

The day tours, part of the Seoul Quality Tour Programme, come in response to changing global travel trends, including a rise in solo travel.

North Korea

Declassified 1994 files show how diplomats doubted North Korea’s ‘goofy’ Kim Jong-il

Newly released files show experts from the US and Russia were sceptical he could hold onto power in the wake of his father’s sudden death.

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Natural disasters

South Korean mayor sparks outrage by blaming female workers for wildfire woes

Kim Doo-gyeom of Ulsan city cites limitations in fighting the devastating blaze, saying it is not easy to send women into ‘rugged mountain areas’.

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Houses burn in a South Korean village after being engulfed by a wildfire fuelled by winds. Photo: Yonhap via AP
Video gaming

Less American than The Sims, new life simulator inZOI targets Asian players

After 25 years of dominance The Sims has competition, informed by its cultural barriers for Asian players, in the shape of a Korean game.

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North Korea

Is North Korea’s nuclear submarine a game changer or ‘vanity project’?

North Korea’s first SSBN is likely to lag far behind its US and South Korean submarine rivals, analysts say.

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Malaysia

Name your ‘wish’: Johor-Singapore special zone dangles more investor perks

Malaysian official reveals more benefits on sidelines of Korea-Asean Business Forum in Seoul, as UOB bank rolls out support for Korean firms eyeing the region.

Vehicles at the causeway coming from Malaysia’s state of Johor to enter Singapore. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

ComplexCon Hong Kong draws 35,000 over 3-day event, rakes in HK$87.5 million

A record 22,911 attended the pop culture festival’s final day on March 23, during which NJZ, formerly NewJeans, announced their hiatus.

Fans line up to see K-pop girl group NJZ perform on ComplexCon’s final day at AsiaWorld-Expo. Photo: Dickson Lee
Yoon Suk-yeol

‘Phoenix from the ashes’: South Korea opposition chief closer to presidency

A court ruling acquitting Lee Jae-myung of electoral breaches places him as a front runner to succeed embattled incumbent Yoon Suk-yeol.

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Food and Drinks

6 top Korean chefs’ favourite comfort foods and where to eat them in Seoul

From noodle soups to spicy seafood hotpots, Korean chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants share their comfort food picks.

K-drama news

Why Park Bo-gum was ‘deeply moved’ by When Life Gives You Tangerines drama

‘The warmth in this story made me want to be part of it,’ recalls Park Bo-gum – so much so he postponed work on another drama to take it on.

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Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik, husband to Ae-sun, played by IU (right), in Netflix Korean drama series When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Revelations director Yeon Sang-ho on exploring belief in new Netflix film

The Train to Busan and Hellbound director says his new film with Ryu Jun-yeol draws on people’s tendency to only see what they want to see.

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Ryu Jun-yeol (left) in a still from Revelations. Photo: Netflix
Yoon Suk-yeol

Court overturns South Korean opposition chief’s election law conviction

His supporters celebrated as a legal hurdle was cleared, but a Supreme Court appeal could change everything – and he still faces other cases.

Natural disasters

As South Korea burns, officials suspect human error to blame for wildfires

At least 24 people have died and a 1,300-year-old temple has been destroyed. Investigators say tomb clearing or welding may be the culprit.

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South Korea martial law 2024

South Koreans fear ‘judicial system may fail’ amid delayed verdict on Yoon

Observers warn the East Asian nation could be ‘engulfed’ by unrest if the Constitutional Court reinstates impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol.

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A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at a rally in Seoulon Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
United States

Judge pauses US bid to detain Columbia student Yunseo Chung for deportation

Authorities are seeking to detain the green card holder under the same powers they used to target pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil.

Food and Drinks

From soju to noodles, South Korean food brands are targeted by copycats

If counterfeit products are left unchecked, South Korean food companies could suffer damage to their reputation, analysts say.

Hong Kong transport

Explainer | Power banks on flights: which airlines and regions have tightened rules?

Hong Kong is restricting the use of power banks on flights. Here’s how other jurisdictions and carriers are dealing with the devices following recent incidents.

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Starting on April 7, passengers using Hong Kong airlines will no longer be allowed to store power banks in overhead compartments. Photo: Getty Images
Infrastructure

Sinkhole in Seoul claims motorcyclist’s life after he plunges into collapsing road

Subway construction work near the site is under scrutiny as officials probe the cause of the disaster.

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Dashcam footage capturing the moment when a sinkhole suddenly opened up in front of the motorcyclist. Photo: X/@Tedchangsigi

Video | Motorcyclist in South Korea dies after plunging into massive sinkhole

The victim’s body was found 17 hours after he fell into the sinkhole.

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Infrastructure in Asia

Video | Giant sinkhole in Seoul kills motorcyclist

The body of the motorcyclist was found 17 hours after his vehicle was swallowed by the sinkhole in the eastern part of the capital, Seoul

Japan

Court orders dissolution of Unification Church in Japan after Abe killing probe

The man accused of killing former PM Shinzo Abe resented the South Korea-based sect, which had decades of cosy ties to Japan’s ruling party.

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The logo of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, is seen at the entrance of the Japanese branch’s headquarters in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Yoon Suk-yeol

Explainer | South Korea’s No 2 leader is back in the top spot. What happens next?

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s reinstatement as acting president is just one front in the East Asian nation’s deepening political turmoil.

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South Korea’s acting president Han Duck-soo bows during a briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul on Monday. Photo: AFP
Hyundai

Hyundai announces new US$21 billion investment in US manufacturing

Plan includes US$5.8 billion steel plant in Louisiana which will create 1,300 jobs, said Hyundai executive chairman Euisun Chung on Monday.

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Sexual harassment and assault

South Korean man jailed for rape after washing machine’s reflection captures assault

Forensic scientists were able to enhance video of the reflection enough that the man confessed to his crime upon seeing it.

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