A view of Seoul's financial district: In October, South Korea's market regulator, the Financial Services Commission, accused two global investment banks of engaging in naked short-selling.
Markets

South Korea suspects more banks involved in naked shorting

Seoul says joining MSCI's advanced markets indexes not its main goal

1 December 2023
A lack of talent and funding to advance technology have sent Japan sliding in an annual digital competitiveness ranking. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura) 
Economy

Japan sinks to new low in digital ranking on talent shortage

Tokyo, just ahead of Malaysia, falls further behind South Korea, Taiwan and China

1 December 2023
Seoul accounts for a large share of South Korea's population and economic activity. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Economy

South Korea's 2024 GDP outlook downgraded for third time

Central bank now predicts 2.1% growth amid weak exports and consumption

1 December 2023
A factory worker in Myanmar. Low labor costs were a draw for multinational manufacturers before the February 2021 military takeover.
Business trends

Garment makers in Myanmar face value chain hurdle

Chinese trade group enlists Japanese, South Korean support for December expo

30 November 2023
China churns out nearly all the high-quality graphite used in electric vehicle materials.
Technology

What China's graphite export curbs mean for EVs: 5 things to know

Rules starting Dec. 1 threaten to snarl supplies of key battery material

30 November 2023
Previous attempts by Samsung to uncover new growth avenues led to the development of its battery business, now a core field.
Electronics

Samsung readies unit to create future earnings drivers

South Korean group seeks new growth as China encroaches in phones, displays

29 November 2023
A banner promoting the South Korean city of Busan's bid for World Expo 2030. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Economy

Riyadh beats South Korea's Busan to host World Expo 2030

Saudi capital also competed with Rome for the five-yearly event

29 November 2023
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer fires a Tomahawk missile in a training area. Japan seeks to acquire Tomahawks. (U.S. Navy handout via Reuters)
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific to see huge missile buildup by 2030s, Carnegie analyst says

To avoid escalation, countries should 'forswear preemptive attacks' on national leaders

28 November 2023
South Korean Minister for Trade Ahn Duk-geun speaks to Nikkei Asia on Nov. 25 in Seoul about a U.S. move giving South Korean companies a way around "hopelessly difficult" restrictions on shipments to China. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Semiconductors

South Korea welcomes new rules easing chip tool shipments to China

Updates to U.S. regulations 'very significant' for Samsung, SK Hynix, trade minister says

27 November 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol has come down firmly on the side of retail investors regarding the issue of short-selling of shares. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Market Spotlight

South Korea's stock short-selling ban raises political questions

Experts, media see potential negative impact of 'populism' ahead of April election

27 November 2023
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, left, and South Korean counterpart Park Jin strongly condemned North Korea's recent military spy satellite launch using banned ballistic missile technology. (Pool photo by Kyodo)
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan criticizes South Korea's 'comfort women' ruling in talks

South Korea 'respects' the 2015 bilateral accord stating the issue was resolved

26 November 2023
Dubai will host COP28 from Nov. 30 through Dec. 12.
Your Week in Asia

China tightens graphite exports, Vietnam President visits Japan, COP28

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

26 November 2023
Japan's Yoko Kamikawa, China's Wang Yi and South Korea's Park Jin will meet in Busan on Nov. 26. (Source photos by Nikkei, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
International relations

Japan, China and South Korea top diplomats to meet: 3 things to know

Foreign ministers to seek timing for first trilateral leaders summit since 2019

26 November 2023
A former South Korean "comfort woman" poses for photographs at a memorial in Seoul on June 29, 2021.
Japan-South Korea ties

South Korea court overturns Japan's immunity from 'comfort women' suit

Group seeking compensation over treatment in World War II military brothels

23 November 2023
Nitori opened its first South Korean store in Seoul on Nov. 23. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Retail

Japan's Nitori opens first South Korean store, aims to expand to 200 sites

Furniture retailer is pushing for growth beyond its home market

23 November 2023
North Korea's Chollima-1 rocket is prepared to launch the Malligyong-1 satellite. (Photo courtesy of Korean Central News Agency)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean satellite reported to be in orbit, likely with Russian help

Pyongyang ups military technology capabilities as U.S. is distracted by crises

23 November 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrates what the country says was the successful launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite on Nov. 21.
Defense

South Korea restores border surveillance after North's satellite launch

Seoul partially suspends 2018 military agreement with Pyongyang

22 November 2023
What appears to be North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket is seen being launched in North Korea on May 31.
Defense

North Korea claims successful launch of spy satellite

Japan condemns launch and says outcome of 3rd attempt this year not verified

22 November 2023
The USS Carl Vinson arrives at a port in Busan, South Korea on Nov. 21.
Defense

U.S. carrier in South Korea as Pyongyang signals satellite launch

Flexing 'military might' key to deterring North Korean aggression, analyst says

21 November 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, arrive at Stansted Airport, near London, for an official state visit.
International relations

South Korea to unveil $26bn of U.K. investments during Yoon trip

Both sides to sign new defense and tech accord during president's state visit

21 November 2023
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te marches during the annual Pride parade in Taipei on Oct. 28.
Your Week in Asia

Taiwan president hopefuls to register, Yoon in Europe, Thai GDP

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

19 November 2023
Teachers rally to demand the better protection of their rights near the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 16. 
Education

South Korea teachers fight for legal solution to tense classrooms

A teacher's death by suicide sparks reckoning over education

19 November 2023
If China attacks Taiwan, it will "highly likely use its nuclear threat ... to urge Japan to remain neutral," says East Asian security expert Narushige Michishita.
Defense

Growing geopolitical risk stoking East Asian nuclear concerns, says expert

Narushige Michishita says Beijing may use small nuclear bombs in any Taiwan war

19 November 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, at an event organized by Stanford University on Nov. 17. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, center, served as moderator.
APEC

Kishida and Yoon agree on new quantum tech framework

Japan and South Korea look to strengthen mutually beneficial economic ties

19 November 2023
A smart farm grows tomatoes at a research center in Jeonju, South Korea. Government-funded R&D is facing the prospect of budget cuts. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Economy

South Korean R&D budget cut casts shadow on tech-driven growth

Opposition insists country needs to maintain research funding to stay competitive

18 November 2023