South Korea

South Korean and U.S. soldiers stand guard in the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
N Korea at crossroads

South Korea overhauls Unification Ministry amid harder line on North

Revamp prioritizes intelligence and resolving abductions over cooperation

6 September 2023
Air Premia's concept is staking a place between being a major carrier and a low-cost carrier. (Photo courtesy of Air Premia)
Transportation

Air Premia takes off as South Korea's mid-service carrier

Korean Air-Asiana merger opens up opportunity to expand routes

3 September 2023
Samsung's Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 phones rely on Corning's ultrathin, flexible glass.
Supply Chain

Samsung supply chain: Corning to invest $1.5bn in bendable glass output

U.S. glassmaker to boost South Korean production for foldable phones

2 September 2023
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, front, with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts, Park Jin and Wang Yi, respectively, at an ASEAN meeting in Jakarta on July 13.  (Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs handout via Kyodo)
International relations

China, South Korea seek to reboot trilateral talks with Japan

Foreign ministers discuss supply chain, North Korea on the phone

2 September 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the end of a news conference with U.S. President Joe Biden at Camp David on Aug. 18. 
Opinion

U.S., South Korea and Japan must give form to 3-way partnership

Standing consultative body could help tackle emerging challenges

1 September 2023
Samsung Electronics has made Vietnam a major part of its global strategy for smartphone production.
Business Spotlight

Samsung smartphone slump casts shadow over Vietnam

South Korean tech titan reluctant to meet Hanoi request for chip plant

1 September 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong visits the training center of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army in an undisclosed location in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea drills for South occupation in message to U.S., Seoul

Show of force in response to joint military exercises between allies

1 September 2023
Shipping containers stacked in Busan, South Korea's largest port.
Economy

China economy slump pounds South Korean chip exports

Decline of key export comes as Seoul pledges to trim fiscal outlay

31 August 2023
Wowpass prepaid cards offer travelers to South Korea many of the conveniences of a credit card without all the risks. (Photo courtesy of Orange Square)
Finance

Gen Z drives rise of prepaid cards, bill-splitting apps in Asia

Shifting priorities a boon to new services but a challenge for traditional banks

31 August 2023
Despite domestic pushback, the administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken the position that it will accept the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Politics

Yoon dines on seafood as Fukushima discharge divides South Korea

President looks to manage backlash from water release and keep detente with Japan

30 August 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's priorities offer little optimism about his chances of raising the country's competitive game. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

Sinking exports are a sign of deeper problems for South Korea

Yoon must shed complacency and find ways to revive economic dynamism

30 August 2023
LG is joining with South Korean fintech Qraft Technologies to offer a U.S. exchange-traded fund.
Finance

South Korea's LG uses AI to expand into fund management

Electronics maker's effort builds on internal price forecasting tools

29 August 2023
Woori Venture Partners currently manages $1 billion worth of assets across multiple funds and is present in countries such as China, the U.S. and South Korea. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters and logo from Woori Venture Partners' website)
DealStreetAsia

South Korea's Woori Venture Partners sets foot in Southeast Asia

Country's first venture capital firm eyes sectors including finance, health care

28 August 2023
Buyee parent Beenos has acquired a 14.9% stake in Delivered Korea. (Photo by Masaharu Ban)
Consumer

Japan's Buyee offers BTS, K-pop goods via Korean e-tail deal

Partnership with Delivered Korea takes aim at U.S., Chinese e-commerce rivals

25 August 2023
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon introduces the company's generative AI model service, based on its large language model HyperClova X, in Seoul on Aug. 24. (Photo courtesy of Naver)
Technology

South Korea's Naver unveils generative AI to take on ChatGPT

Internet search company says local cultural knowledge gives it the edge

24 August 2023
China, led by President Xi Jinping, has condemned Japan's release into the ocean of treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo and Reuters) 
International relations

China suspends all seafood imports from Japan on Fukushima discharge

Arrests made in South Korea as protesters try to enter Japanese Embassy

24 August 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to tackle North Korean cyberthreats at a Camp David summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Aug. 18.
N Korea at crossroads

South Korea prepares to take fight to North Korea's hackers

Yoon administration to get proactive after years of defensive posture

24 August 2023
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix has 40% of its DRAM semiconductor production capacity in China. The company is among those granted a waiver by the U.S. to continue exporting semiconductor technology to China.
Semiconductors

U.S. to extend China chip export waivers for Taiwan, Korea chipmakers

Washington prioritizes avoiding turmoil in global semiconductor supply chains

24 August 2023
The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan head for their summit at the Camp David presidential retreat, near Washington, on Aug. 18.
The Nikkei View

Stronger Japan-South Korea-US ties help stabilize Indo-Pacific

New stage of trilateral cooperation will deter threats from China, North Korea

23 August 2023
South Korea's top conglomerates had exited the Federation of Korean Industries following a 2016 scandal.
Companies

Samsung, Hyundai, others to rejoin South Korea's top business lobby

Group vows to prevent repeat of 2016 bribery scandal under new name and leader

23 August 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David on Aug. 18.
Opinion

A new era of Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation has begun

Normalization of Seoul-Tokyo ties is changing the regional strategic landscape

23 August 2023
From left to right, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pose during the trilateral summit at Camp David in the U.S. on Aug. 18.
International relations

South Korea's Yoon downplays Taiwan war risk after U.S. summit

President looks to dampen speculation over risks to China relations

22 August 2023
Street performers show their colors at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The number and variety of Asian shows at the festival has expanded significantly in recent years. (© Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society)
Arts

Asian acts triumph at Edinburgh Fringe

Laughter transcends cultural differences in Scottish arts festival

22 August 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks at a news conference at Camp David, Near Washington, on Aug. 18, as U.S. President Joe Biden listens. (Photo by Ryo Nakamura)
South China Sea

South Korea, India rebuke Beijing over South China Sea claims

U.S. leads international support for Philippines as tensions escalate

21 August 2023
Thin-film perovskite solar cells are flexible, expanding their range of potential uses. (Photo courtesy of Kyoto University)
Energy

China leads in research on next-generation solar cells

Risk of U.S. sanctions could jeopardize progress on emerging technology

20 August 2023