From left: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang were all smiles at a trilateral summit in Seoul on May 27. (Photo courtesy of Japanese Cabinet Office)
International relations

China, Japan and South Korea vow to seek progress on FTA

East Asian powers aim to 'institutionalize' summit meetings after long hiatus

27 May 2024
South Korea, Japan and China announced in November 2012 that they would begin the negotiations. But progress has stalled since the 16th round was held in November 2019. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Trade

China, Japan and South Korea to revive FTA talks

Sources say Beijing is prepared to discuss the overproduction and subsidy issues

27 May 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) speaks to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a bilateral meeting in Seoul on May 26. China, South Korea and Japan will hold a trilateral summit in the South Korean capital on Monday.
International relations

Japan, South Korea leaders tout growing 'trust' before summit with China

East Asian countries gather in Seoul for first three-way talks since 2019

26 May 2024
Economic growth in Japan and South Korea has been lackluster, while China's economy has lost momentum compared with the early 2000s. (Source photos from Nikkei)
International relations

Economic woes push Japan, China, South Korea to restart 3-way summit

Amid Beijing's military buildup, Kishida and Yoon seen calling for restraint

26 May 2024
From left, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. (Source photos by Uichiro Kasai and Reuters)
International relations

China, Japan and South Korea to navigate tensions at Seoul summit

First gathering in years aims to restore trilateral diplomacy as challenges mount

25 May 2024
Vacant storefronts in central Seoul. In the first quarter of this year, 11,341 small-business owners defaulted on loans, bringing the total number of self-employed people in default in South Korea to 72,815. (Photo by Steven Borowiec) 
Economy

South Korea's self-employed struggle under growing debt load

One restaurateur finds niche in catching, cooking freshwater fish

14 May 2024
Currency analysts are focused on the U.S. consumer price index for April due Wednesday after the previous month’s data caused the yen to tumble. (Source photos by Hiroshi Tamehiro and Akira Kodaka)
Market Spotlight

Mighty dollar pushes Asian governments to boost currency protection

Asian monetary officials seek to buy time until the U.S. economy slows down

13 May 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Presidential Office in Seoul on May 9, pledging to make efforts to address rising food prices.
Politics

South Korea's Yoon calls for boosting ties with Japan and the U.S.

President announces new ministry to deal with birthrate 'national emergency'

9 May 2024
South Korea's Financial Services Commission on May 2 proposed guidelines that it hopes will help listed companies raise their corporate value and draw investors to the stock market.
Economy

South Korea unveils guidelines for 'Corporate Value-up Program'

Government initiative aims to end 'Korea discount' in equity market

2 May 2024
Shoppers select wares at a market in Seoul on January 4.  
Economy

South Korea GDP grows 1.3% in first quarter, beating estimates

Asia's fourth-largest economy picks up pace on construction and spending increases

25 April 2024
Asiana Airlines plans to increase seats on flights serving Japan in May. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Travel & Leisure

Japan-South Korea travelers help Incheon air traffic hit pre-COVID levels

Asiana and Korean Air boost service to Japan as foreign visitors surge

21 April 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on April 16. 
Politics

South Korea's Yoon vows to listen to the public after election loss

Conservative president says he will govern with a 'more flexible mindset'

16 April 2024
Maritime police search for missing passengers from the Sewol ferry off the country's southern coast on April 16, 2014.
Society

South Korea remembers deadly Sewol ferry accident 10 years on

Families still seek change decade after hundreds perished in disaster-prone nation

16 April 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, wearing a saffron cap, on the election campaign trail near Delhi on April 6. He is aiming for a third-straight term as head of the world's biggest democracy.
Your Week in Asia

India votes, China GDP and Germany's Scholz meets Xi in Beijing

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

14 April 2024
Changing taxes on inheritance, dividends and capital gains, is likely to prove difficult because it requires approval by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. 
Markets

South Korea election a minor setback for capital market reform

Opposition hold on National Assembly expected to hinder tax incentives

11 April 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed through to "humbly accept the public's will" after his party lost ground in legislative elections. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
South Korea election

South Korea ruling party, government reel after electoral drubbing

President Yoon vows to 'reform' handling of state affairs in wake of losses

11 April 2024
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, seated second from right, and candidates react as they watch TV exit polls for legislative elections on April 10 in Seoul.
South Korea election

South Korean election: Yoon's party suffers stinging defeat

Tally shows opposition surge in national legislature in blow to unpopular president

11 April 2024
The South Korean market has begun to benefit from the rise in semiconductor stocks. (Nikkei)
Markets

South Korea stocks see record foreign buying on appetite for chips

AI fever spurs investors toward Samsung and other 'Korea discount' names

11 April 2024
From left: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the ASEAN summit in Jakarta in 2023. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

India-U.S.-South Korea tech cooperation has strategic logic

By capitalizing on competitive advantages, trio can strengthen supply chains

10 April 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet in Washington this week.
Your Week in Asia

Japan's Kishida visits Washington, Uniqlo parent earnings, China data

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

7 April 2024
Kim Hyong-mo, the representative in Vietnam of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, speaks during an interview in Hanoi. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Business trends

South Korean firms in Vietnam face growing competition from China

Chamber of Commerce says minimum corporate tax rule also affects businesses

4 April 2024
The No. 8146 bus carries dozens of cleaners and security guards from a working-class area of northern Seoul to the glitzy Gangnam district. Politicians' pledges are not striking a chord with many of these workers ahead of pivotal elections next week.
Asia Insight

South Korea's working class unmoved by election campaign 'lip service'

One early morning bus route provides a journey through inequality in Seoul

2 April 2024
A map displayed at a security exhibition in Goyang, South Korea, shows how technology developed by Geomexsoft could help find missing persons based on the color of their clothing. (Photo by Kim Jaewon)
Technology

South Korea security expo features AI sound detection, crowd control help

Companies embrace new technology with focus on public safety

26 March 2024
A customer checks out Ohtani merchandise March 19 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Photo by Tetsuya Fujita)
Sports

Shohei Ohtani fever drives $150m windfall from MLB Seoul Series

Dodgers' Japanese superstar a huge draw for South Korean baseball fans

21 March 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Manila in August 2022. The two will meet again this week.
Your Week in Asia

BOJ monetary policy, Blinken meets Marcos in Manila, GoTo earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

17 March 2024