South Korea

The flags of South Korea and Japan are hoisted ahead of the arrival of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on March 16.
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan lifts chipmaking export controls on South Korea

Seoul drops WTO dispute process as Yoon and Kishida seek common ground in Tokyo

16 March 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will seek to improve ties with Japan in a two-day visit to Tokyo this week. (Photo courtesy of South Korea's Presidential Office)
Interview

Yoon seeks to hasten military, supply chain cooperation with Japan

South Korean president says the U.S. allies are in talks to lift export controls

16 March 2023
South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest memory chip maker. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
Semiconductors

Samsung Electronics to build five new chip plants in South Korea

Government says $230bn plan to strengthen semiconductor supply chains

15 March 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, will visit Tokyo for two days from Thursday for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Source photos by Reuters)
Japan-South Korea rift

Kishida to woo South Korea's Yoon with after-dinner taste of nostalgia

Omelet rice to follow sukiyaki at Tokyo summit as duo aim for warmer relations

15 March 2023
Protesters hold a candlelight vigil in Seoul on March 6 against the government's proposal to resolve the wartime labor issue with Japan.
Japan-South Korea rift

Wartime labor proposal opposed by 59% of South Koreans: poll

Young, Yoon-skeptical voters largely reject initiative to mend fences with Japan

11 March 2023
Coupang Japan's brief experiment with virtually immediate home deliveries has not proved a viable business in Tokyo.  
Companies

South Korean e-commerce Coupang pulls out of Japan

Quick delivery of food and daily essentials will terminate this month

10 March 2023
Angelo Gordon's latest Asian property fund aims to focus on Hong Kong and other large real estate markets around the region.
DealStreetAsia

Minnesota SBI commits $100m to Angelo Gordon Asia property fund

Real estate fund will focus on underperforming, troubled assets

10 March 2023
Samsung's DRAM prices were down more than 30% at one point in the October-December quarter. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)
Semiconductors

Memory prices plunge despite growing 'datasphere'

Technological progress amplifies downward pressure on DRAM and flash

10 March 2023
The U.S. has welcomed signs of a rapprochement between South Korean and Japan. (Nikkei montage)
International relations

U.S. eyes trilateral deterrence talks with Japan and South Korea

Washington sees warmer Tokyo-Seoul ties as chance to bring allies closer

10 March 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Japan next week.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea's Yoon to visit Tokyo next week for Kishida summit

Seoul this week announced a plan to resolve wartime labor issue

9 March 2023
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. is offering $52.7 billion in subsidies to bolster its domestic semiconductor industry.
Comment

Samsung faces dilemma on tough U.S. chip subsidy rules

China investment ban, fear of technology leaks complicate choice of accepting aid

9 March 2023
 Kim Gi-hyeon, seen here speaking at a campaign meeting on Jeju Island, on Feb. 13, won the leadership contest for South Korea's ruling People Power Party in a March 8 vote.
Politics

Yoon aide elected leader of South Korea's ruling party

Kim Gi-hyeon wins majority, beating Ahn Cheol-soo

8 March 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shake hands in Cambodia in November 2022. (Yonhap via Kyodo)
The Nikkei View

Japan and South Korea see light at the end of the tunnel

Countries need to seize the momentum created by Yoon's decision

8 March 2023
Japan's Shohei Ohtani hits a home run in a WBC warm-up game on March 6 in Osaka. 
Sports

Shohei Ohtani, other Asian stars chase World Baseball Classic glory

What to watch as the World Cup-style tournament begins in Taiwan, Japan, U.S.

8 March 2023
Current President Yoon Suk Yeol celebrates with fellow members of the People Power Party after winning the presidential election in March 2022.
Politics

South Korea ruling party race to test President Yoon's clout

Yoon ally seeks to avoid runoff in four-way election

8 March 2023
Yoon Suk Yeol with his cabinet on Mar. 7: The South Korean president is offering Tokyo the chance to start over with something like a clean slate.
Opinion

Yoon will have a hard time making up with Japan all by himself

Neither South Korean leader nor Fumio Kishida has much political capital to invest

8 March 2023
People demonstrate against the South Korean government's proposal to compensate former wartime laborers in Seoul March 6. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea's wartime labor proposal draws sharp backlash at home

Concerns rise over a repeat of failed 2015 'comfort women' deal

8 March 2023
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks to reporters at the ambassador's residence in Akasaka, Tokyo on March 7. (Photo by Ken Moriyasu) 
International relations

Japan-South Korea reconciliation bolsters U.S. strategy: Emanuel

Indo-Pacific and trans-Atlantic are now one single sphere, envoy says

8 March 2023
A South Korean FA-50 fighter jet purchased by the Philippines. Malaysia has also ordered 18 of the fighter jets.
Defense

Malaysia buys South Korea fighter jets as ASEAN arms market grows

Southeast Asian countries turn to Asia for affordable high-tech military supplies

7 March 2023
Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura spoke about South Korea's announcement at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday. (Photo by Takanori Okabe)
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan business group to weigh joint projects with South Korean side

Keidanren chief upbeat about cooperation after Seoul's intiviate on wartime labor dispute

7 March 2023
Stricter Japanese export controls on South Korea were imposed in 2019, covering materials used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan moves to ease export curbs on South Korea, eyes Yoon visit

Trade talks to resume as Kishida hails 'opportunity' to advance bilateral relations

7 March 2023
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a briefing in Seoul on March 6 to announce a plan to resolve a dispute over compensating people forced to work during Japan's 1910-1945 occupation.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea's wartime labor proposal to Japan: 5 things to know

What the plan means for Seoul-Tokyo ties and regional security

6 March 2023
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin announces a plan to settle the issue with Japan of compensation over forced wartime labor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on March 6. (Yonhap News via Kyodo)
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea to halt WTO dispute process over Japan's export curbs

Two countries discuss lifting of 2019 trade restrictions on high-tech materials

6 March 2023
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: The move by Yoon's government could portend a warming of chilly ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea offers plan to end wartime labor dispute with Japan

Seoul drops WTO dispute process on export curbs; Tokyo announces talks on issue

6 March 2023
Shohei Ohtani throws a ball during a baseball game for the Los Angeles Angels in California, U.S. The Japanese player will be on the national team for the World Baseball Classic tournament, set for March 8-21.
Your Week in Asia

China's new premier, International Women's Day, World Baseball Classic

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

5 March 2023