Kim Jong Un, left, Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden: Defense agreements are being reconsidered in the wake of Pyongyang testing an intercontinental Hwasong-18 ballistic missile. (Source photos by AP and KCNA via Kyodo)
Comment

Why nuclear arms debate in South Korea cannot be underestimated

U.S. allies must think outside the box to counter new threats from North Korea

5 May 2023
South Korean Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho says U.S.-China tensions and North Korean aggression make close ties with Japan even more crucial.
Japan-South Korea ties

Seoul, Tokyo can cooperate on energy: South Korea finance minister

U.S. allies look for ways to team up now that diplomatic ties are on the mend

4 May 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the ADB annual meeting in Incheon on Wednesday.
Climate Change

South Korea and ADB team up for climate change tech hub

Public-private platform in Seoul will support decarbonization in emerging markets

4 May 2023
Shinhan Financial Group is preparing to launch its first fund dedicated to startups from both Japan and South Korea.
Startups

Shinhan Financial to launch Japan-South Korea startup fund

Seoul-based group expands its Japanese footprint

3 May 2023
Tourists from South Korea buy duty-free goods at Fukuoka Airport in January. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Japan-South Korea ties

Japan-South Korea thaw spreads to economy as finance chiefs meet

Tourism and trade enjoy major windfall after years of tensions

3 May 2023
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, says North Korea's exercise of self-defense will become stronger. (File photo by Reuters)
International relations

U.S.-South Korea pact risks a more aggressive North Korea

Pyongyang has lashed out at deal to deploy U.S. strategic assets to East Asia

2 May 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has confirmed he is planning to visit South Korea.
International relations

Japan's Kishida to visit South Korea, likely in 1st half of May

Trip would come ahead of G-7 summit in Hiroshima later in month

29 April 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden at a news conference in Washington on April 26.
Biden's Asia policy

Yoon-Biden summit disappoints corporate South Korea

U.S. makes no visible concessions for chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix

29 April 2023
The U.S. and South Korean air forces have conducted joint exercises involving B-52 strategic bombers. (Photo courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of National Defense)
Defense

U.S. considers landing bombers in South Korea: Air Force general

Wilsbach eyes trilateral drills with Seoul, Tokyo to address Pyongyang provocations

29 April 2023
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is expected to announce soon that South Korea has been restored to the "Group A" list of countries eligible for preferential export treatment.
International relations

Japan to resume preferential trade status on exports to South Korea

Tokyo to put Seoul back on its 'Group A' list after 2019 downgrade

28 April 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden, right, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shake hands at the conclusion of a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, on April 26.
Biden's Asia policy

U.S.-South Korea atomic bond aims to scare Kim Jong Un

Biden, Yoon try to end uncertainty about use of nukes to defend South Korea

27 April 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on April 26, with first ladies Kim Keon Hee and Jill Biden.
Biden's Asia policy

North Korean nuclear attack would result in 'end' of regime: Biden

U.S. gives South Korea key role in deterrence against North at summit

27 April 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on April 25.
Defense

U.S. to send nuclear ballistic sub to South Korea in show of force

Biden and Yoon bolster extended deterrence against Pyongyang's provocations

26 April 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks next to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during a news conference in Washington.
Media & Entertainment

Netflix to invest $2.5bn in South Korean films, series programs

Streaming service bolsters ties with country's roaring entertainment sector

25 April 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. (Source photos by Reuters) 
International relations

In Biden summit, Yoon to seek chip breaks, support on North Korea

President also under pressure to get answers regarding alleged U.S. spying

25 April 2023
After South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke of keeping electricity rate increases under control, KEPCO shelved a hike planned for April.
Energy

South Korean politics tie KEPCO's hands on electricity rate hikes

State-owned utility reported biggest loss in nation's business history last year

23 April 2023
A South Korea-made K2 tank in Poland. Seoul will also provide Poland with ammunition.
Ukraine war

South Korea exports munitions to Poland, hints at Ukraine aid

Possibility of supplying weapons to Kyiv depends on Russia: Korean official

21 April 2023
Senior diplomatic and defense officials from Japan and South Korea met in Seoul April 17 for bilateral talks on security policy.
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan, South Korea hold first security talks in 5 years

Regional tensions push two sides to thaw relations following 2018 radar incident

18 April 2023
Children at a nursery in Seoul. The fertility rate in South Korea is falling at the fastest pace in the world. 
Work

South Korea looks to foreign workers to solve demographic crisis

Unable to arrest falling birthrate, Seoul turns overseas to secure labor

16 April 2023
The new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM is test-launched at an undisclosed location in this still image of a photo used in a video released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 14. (KCNA via Reuters)
Defense

North Korea says it tested solid-fuel ICBM, warns of 'extreme' horror

New weapon to "radically promote" country's nuclear counterattack capability

14 April 2023
Who would U.S. President Joe Biden call first in a crisis? Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may be a leading candidate, thanks in part to ties forged under Tokyo's National Security Council.
Asia Insight

How Japan's National Security Council rewrote China strategy

As Kishida prepares for G-7, Tokyo has closer White House ties and a clearer global role

11 April 2023
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on March 16. (Pool photo via Reuters)
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea is unlikely to backtrack on wartime laborer decision

Ties with Japan would suffer but South Korea has the most to lose

9 April 2023
Yoon Suk Yeol is the latest South Korean leader to extend an olive branch to Japan. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Japan-South Korea rift

Anti-Japan sentiment in South Korea puts breakthrough at risk

Yoon grapples with frustration at home over Tokyo's perceived snub

7 April 2023
KT, a former state-owned company, has been left without a new CEO after the government meddled in its personnel affairs. (Photo by Ahn Seongbok)
Telecommunication

South Korea's KT left with power vacuum after political meddling

Close public-private ties on display at formerly state-owned telecom company

6 April 2023
Massacre survivors, relatives of victims, and politicians attend a memorial ceremony in Jeju on April 3. (Photo by Junnosuke Kobara)
Politics

South Korea marks 75 years since violently crushed uprising

An estimated 30,000 died in Jeju as military governments put security over human rights

4 April 2023