South Korea

SK Hynix is investing to expand capacity despite a lull in the memory market. (Photo courtesy of SK Hynix)
Semiconductors

SK Hynix to expand chip fab instead of building new factory

South Korean chipmaker reduces cost of preparing for memory market rebound

7 September 2022
The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan meet in Madrid on June 29. With a focus on trilateral cooperation, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, far left, seeks to improve relations with Japan.
International relations

South Korea, Japan set 1st high-level defense talks in 6 years

Officials to discuss 2018 radar incident that soured relations between neighbors

6 September 2022
Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to make landfall near South Korea's second-largest city Busan at around 7 a.m. on Sept. 6. (Screenshot from Japan Meteorological Agency)
Natural disasters

South Korea, Japan brace for 'super strong' Typhoon Hinnamnor

Heavy rains forecast as storm predicted to land near Busan on Tuesday morning

5 September 2022
LG Energy Solution has formed joint ventures with foreign partners like General Motors in the U.S. and Stellantis in Europe, and plans to build half a dozen battery plants abroad. 
Automobiles

LG Energy Solution tackles $228bn EV battery order with partners

Joint ventures with automakers to share plant costs and lock in buyers

2 September 2022
Lee Jae-yong in Pyeongtaek on May 20: His influence could see a significant metamorphosis.  
Opinion

New generation of chaebol chiefs can lead way on governance

Samsung's J.Y. Lee and peers recognize need to please small shareholders

2 September 2022
Unification Church followers hold a rally in downtown Seoul on Aug. 18, protesting negative Japanese media coverage of their religion after the suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe blamed the church for his family's financial troubles.
1 September 2022
Left: A group supporting South Korean wartime labor plaintiffs in Gwangju, South Korea. Right: President Yoon Suk-yeol. (Source photos by AP and Kyodo) 
Comment

Will Japan respond to Yoon's overture on wartime labor issue?

South Korean president seems set to block sale of seized Japanese assets

31 August 2022
A photo of Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, shaking hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, right, was published in "A Pictorial History of the 40 years of the Unification Church" issued by the religious group. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Unification Church and politics

Unification Church: How Japan politicians counted on members' votes

Former Prime Minister Abe's faction historically had ties to the group

31 August 2022
South Korean soldiers work on their self-propelled artillery vehicles during a military exercise in Yangju, South Korea, on May 25.
Politics

South Korea lifts military spending 5% in 2023 budget proposal

First annual plan under Yoon faces tumult in National Assembly

31 August 2022
Jeju Air is South Korea's largest low-cost carrier. (Photo courtesy of Jeju Air)
Transportation

South Korean budget airlines learn to get creative to stay aloft

Jeju Air turns to cargo to compensate for dearth of flights to China and Japan

30 August 2022
Some potential Nusantara investors are holding onto their money until Indonesian President Joko Widodo paints a "big picture" of what he envisions.
Asia Insight

Jokowi struggles to drum up investors for new Indonesia capital

As SoftBank withdraws, Japan Inc. takes wait-and-see approach to $30bn project

30 August 2022
Honda and LG Energy will establish a joint venture to produce lithium-ion batteries in Ohio, where Honda's main U.S. plant is located. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Automobiles

Honda to build new EV battery plant in U.S. with LG for $4.4bn

Japanese automaker seeks stable supply of batteries with South Korean partner

29 August 2022
A man walks past an electronic board showing the Nikkei stock index outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Aug. 29. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Markets

Asia stocks tumble after U.S. signals prolonged monetary tightening

Nikkei index drops nearly 3% while yen weakens to one-month low

29 August 2022
People in Seoul protest on Aug. 5 against the now-scrapped proposal to lower the entry age for school.
Politics

Mothers' burdens block South Korea plan to lower school entry age

Proposal aimed at increasing population dropped amid fierce public backlash

28 August 2022
Members of the popular girl group JKT48 perform in Jakarta in December 2021. (Photo by Dimas Ardiran)
Comment

Japan may change cultural strategy, learning from Indonesia's JKT48

Sister group of Japanese AKB48 has big hit with Korean pop-like music video

27 August 2022
Cosmetics companies from South Korea are seeking to make inroads in Indonesia, where their country's TV dramas and pop music already have legions of devoted followers. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Consumer

South Korean 'K-Beauty' cosmetics brands see promise in Indonesia

Asian companies chase Western giants Unilever, P&G and L'Oreal in growing market

26 August 2022
President Yoon Suk-yeol has made nuclear power plant exports a major economic policy, leveraging the technological capabilities of domestic manufacturers.
Energy

South Korea wins $2.5bn order to build Egypt's first nuclear plant

Contract flags an acceleration of the Yoon government's export ambitions

25 August 2022
The Bank of Korea raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.5% on Thursday.
Inflation

South Korea raises key rate by quarter point as inflation soars

BOK under pressure to stabilize local currency amid slide verses greenback

25 August 2022
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, poses for a photo with South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Aug. 9. The meeting highlighted the shift in bilateral ties. (Photo courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
International relations

China and South Korea drift apart 30 years after normalization

Beijing urges Seoul to become independent of U.S. alliance

25 August 2022
East Asia has continued to import fossil fuels from Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Ukraine war

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan buy $5.5bn of Russian fuel: think tank

East Asian powerhouses keep importing even as others shun Russian oil and gas

23 August 2022
A tank stands by during the U.S.-South Korea joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises in Paju, South Korea, on Aug. 22. 
International relations

South Korea, U.S. begin first field training drills in four years

Exercises start as regional tensions rise over Taiwan and North Korea

22 August 2022
Woowa Brothers, operator of the country's biggest food delivery app, is testing the Dilly Drive small delivery robot to pick up orders from restaurants and take them to customers. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Technology

South Korean industry embraces robots to ease labor crunch

Logistics firms and restaurants are early adopters; delivery bots await new deregulations

22 August 2022
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi attends a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei on Aug. 3. 
Your Week in Asia

Taiwan general budget, JD.com results, Hong Kong's biggest IPO of 2022

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

21 August 2022
Daewoo, the world's third-largest shipbuilder, has essentially been under South Korean government control since 2000. (Photo courtesy of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering)
Companies

Shipbuilder Daewoo faces breakup calls after 22 years with no buyers

Money-losing South Korean group could be sold off as separate defense, civilian operations

20 August 2022
Ola boss Bhavish Aggarwa teased his company's plans for an electric car on Twitter. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Automobiles

India's Ola plans massive EV push but obstacles await

Company aims to develop cells by 2023, launch electric car in 2024

19 August 2022