An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant: After the IAEA certified its safety, Japan plans to release treated wastewater into the Pacific later this summer.
Environment

On topic: Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant set to release treated water

A collection of stories to catch up on a recent hot topic

8 July 2023
An official measures the radiation level of a fish imported from Japan at a wholesale market in Seoul on July 6.
International relations

South Korea signs off on Japan's Fukushima water release plan

Seoul to respect IAEA assessment, expects no significant ecological harm

7 July 2023
A man walks past a Geely Atlas Pro at a dealership in Moscow. Geely has seen sales volume soar in Russia this year.
Trade

Chinese cars and TVs stream into Russia after South Korean exodus

Hyundai, Samsung, LG pull back from market following Ukraine invasion

7 July 2023
China and South Korea have begun taking steps to improve bilateral ties. 
6 July 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts during the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid.
Opinion

China's bullying proves South Korea's Yoon is on the right track

Threats vindicate moves to expand security ties with Japan and U.S.

5 July 2023
Japan and South Korea agreed on the bilateral currency swap arrangement at a "finance ministerial dialogue" held on June 29 in Tokyo.
The Nikkei View

Japan, South Korea should expand mutual economic interests

Currency swap agreement is positive step in improving bilateral relations

5 July 2023
North Koreans attend a mass rally denouncing the U.S. in Pyongyang on June 25 in this photo released by the regime's Korean Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

South Korea picks hard-liner as new North Korea point man

Selection is latest phase of Seoul's increasing emphasis on human rights

29 June 2023
Top tutors assume celebrity status on billboards advertising their cramming services. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Society

Yoon controversially challenges South Korean exam practices

President takes on lucrative cramming industry and educational inequality

29 June 2023
Japan and South Korea aim to resume a currency swap agreement after an eight-year hiatus in a symbolic move to highlight their warming ties.
Japan-South Korea ties

Japan, South Korea set to revive currency swap pact

Finance ministers resume 'finance dialogue' as bilateral ties thaw

28 June 2023
Japan lifted export curbs on high-tech materials to South Korea in March. Restoring preferred export destination status will make it easier for companies in both countries to do business.
Japan-South Korea ties

Japan lifts final South Korea trade restriction

Recent summits paved way for restoring economic cooperation, Seoul says

27 June 2023
Left: Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming, left, and South Korea's opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung in Seoul. Right: Left to right, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hiroshima, Japan. (Source photos by Yonhap/Kyodo) 
International relations

China targets weakest link in Washington-Tokyo-Seoul triad

Beijing seeks to turn South Korea's political divide to its advantage

25 June 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, greet each other in Hanoi on June 23. Their countries have close economic ties.
International relations

South Korea and Vietnam to bolster minerals, energy partnerships

Yoon brings Samsung Chairman Lee, other business chiefs on state visit

23 June 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets the crowd during a military parade in Pyongyang in this photo released by the North's state news agency. 
N Korea at crossroads

Yoon renews efforts to address dire North Korean human rights

French president signals support for push by South's leader

23 June 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is said to have been involved in the reversal of appointments of senior officials at the country's intelligence agency.
Politics

South Korea's spy agency rocked by senior staff U-turn

Future of intelligence chief uncertain after Yoon said to nix appointments

23 June 2023
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor in Seongju, South Korea, in 2017. China has few options left to economically punish Seoul, which is moving toward another THAAD deployment.
International relations

THAAD missile system agitates South Korea-China ties

Beijing and Seoul have recently traded barbs over Yoon admin's pro-U.S. turn

22 June 2023
Instant noodles on display at a grocery store in Seoul on June 20. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Inflation

South Korea instant noodle price spat comes to a boil

Finance minister encouraging manufacturers to lower cost of staple food

21 June 2023
The nuclear-powered submarine USS Michigan approaches a naval base in Busan, South Korea on June 16. (Yonhap via AP)
Indo-Pacific

In Busan, U.S. Navy runs rehearsal for ballistic submarine visit

A converted Ohio-class vessel arrived in South Korean port last Friday

19 June 2023
South Korea's first integrated steelworks, built in close coordination with Japan, opened in June 1973. (Photo courtesy of POSCO)
Companies

POSCO's Pohang steel plant: origin of Japan-South Korea cooperation

South's postwar miracle powered by steelworkers from both countries

17 June 2023
Some places in South Korea have seen sea salt prices rise 32% since December.
Commodities

South Korea sea salt prices spike amid fears of Fukushima wastewater

Buyers appear to be hoarding before Japan releases treated water off Pacific coast

17 June 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has criticized Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming's comments about Seoul's China policy.
International relations

Diplomatic spat reveals South Korea's pivot to hard line on China

Beijing envoy's criticism meets with fierce response from Seoul

16 June 2023
NATO headquarters in Brussels. The alliance is deepening partnerships with the AP4 nations of the Indo-Pacific.
Indo-Pacific

NATO to upgrade ties with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea

Together with Japan, four nations will have tailored partnership programs

13 June 2023
A rocket believed to be North Korea's Chollima-1 is launched on May 31. The rocket later failed, falling into the Yellow Sea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Defense

China and South Korea race to recover North Korean satellite debris

Sunken remains seen shedding light on Pyongyang's technological advancements

13 June 2023
Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol, with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong at a Samsung campus in May 2022. With South Korea in the middle, Yoon has referred to the chip industry competition between the U.S. and China as "all-out war." 
Semiconductors

Ex-Samsung executive indicted for stealing trade secrets for China

Prosecutors say leaks deal $233m blow to South Korean chipmaker

12 June 2023
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga gives an interview to Nikkei on June 8. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Interview

Solving North Korea abductions is 'race against time': Japan ex-PM Suga

Tokyo and Seoul should work together under 'unwavering' Yoon, former leader says

10 June 2023
Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, says an "economic cold war" has forced Southeast Asian companies to create "China and non-China" portfolios. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Interview

ASEAN caught in 'economic cold war' over China: business lobby head

Indonesian executive urges nimbler Japan Inc. to match other foreign investors

9 June 2023