Politics

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
South Korean protesters at an anti-Japan rally. Yoon Suk Yeol wants to move past domestic politics to improve ties with Japan. 
Comment

Can South Korea escape domestic politics to end wartime labor row?

Former newspaper editor argues for 'best possible' deal with Japan

5 March 2023
U.S. military spokesman Col. Isaac Taylor, left, shakes hands with South Korean counterpart Col. Lee Sung-jun during a March 3 briefing in Seoul.
Defense

U.S., South Korea to hold 11-day military exercises this month

Spring drills are biggest in 5 years, reflecting North Korean advances and Ukraine lessons

4 March 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center left, stands next to his wife at an event to commemorate the 104th anniversary of a protest movement against Japan's 35-year occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea's Yoon says Japan has transformed into a partner

President calls for cooperation with Tokyo, Washington in independence day speech

1 March 2023
Condominiums in central Seoul. Many South Koreans prefer to stay single due to higher housing costs and lack of job opportunities -- as well as angst about traditional role models.
Society

South Koreans' choice of staying single gains wider acceptance

Some companies offering perks to employees who opt out of marriage

26 February 2023
A TV screen shows Yoon Suk Yeol delivering his New Year's address on Jan. 1: Yoon's comments about having nuclear weapons provide an opportunity for Washington to refocus on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Opinion

Nuclear weapons would only bring South Korea more trouble

Pyongyang unlikely to sit still, while Japan and others would respond badly

24 February 2023
South Korean officials were scheduled to observe nuclear-powered submarines, a key element of U.S. deterrence, at the Kings Bay naval base in the state of Georgia. (Handout photo from the U.S. Navy)
N Korea at crossroads

U.S., South Korea hold wargame on North Korean nuclear strike

Tabletop drill comes amid threat of Pyongyang mass-producing tactical warheads

24 February 2023
The number of newborns in South Korea dropped 4.4% to 249,000 in 2022 from a year earlier.  The government is struggling to find ways to get young couples to have more children.
Society

South Korea's fertility rate hits new low; remains last in OECD

Young people reluctant to marry due to lack of quality jobs, housing costs

22 February 2023
A missile is fired during joint U.S.-South Korea military drills at an undisclosed location in South Korea in May 2022. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)
Defense

What makes South Koreans so eager for nuclear deterrent?

70% of public favor going nuclear to counter threats from Pyongyang, Beijing

19 February 2023
A missile is paraded in Pyongyang. North Korea is believed to have launched 11 intercontinental ballistic missile-class weapons since November. (KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea fires missile capable of reaching entire U.S.

American, Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers meet after launch

19 February 2023
Nguyen Thi Thanh speaks by video with supporters in Seoul on Feb. 7: The landmark ruling in her favor puts the South Korean government in a difficult position.
Opinion

Vietnam and South Korea have to address wartime legacy together

Landmark ruling for 1968 massacre survivor is awkward for both governments

17 February 2023
Armed martial law troops guard captured protesters in Gwangju in May 1980: Seoul's enforcement of an officially approved historical narrative has echoes of practices seen in autocratic states.
Opinion

South Koreans should be free to be 'wrong' about history

Criminalization of alternative views undermines public discourse and policymaking

15 February 2023
Ties between Japan and South Korea have chilled in recent years over the longstanding wartime labor issue. (Source photos by Shinya Sawai)
15 February 2023
Left: Police seal off an area around the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Seoul on Jan. 18. Right: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stands for the national anthem at the presidential office on Jan. 11. (Source photos by Kyodo and South Korean presidential office)
Politics

Seoul intensifies crackdown on North Korea spy rings

Move reflects lingering feud between South Korea's conservatives and liberals

12 February 2023
Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential office in Seoul on Jan. 10: The South Korean leader has good reasons to proceed cautiously. 
Opinion

U.S. cannot count on South Korea's Yoon to line up against China

Despite tough campaign rhetoric, president wants country to be pivotal state

10 February 2023
Yoo Choe-an crams himself into a steel cage in an attempt to win a pay raise from a South Korean shipyard in June 2022. The sign reads: "We can't live like this." (Photo by Byeon Baek-seon, Korean Metal Workers Union)
Asia Insight

South Korea cage match: President Yoon vs. the unions

Nation's leader pushes for drastic shake-up of the nation's labor system

7 February 2023
A missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in October 2022. Pyongyang has continued its missile and nuclear development despite facing heavy sanctions. (KCNA via Reuters)
Defense

Nuclear weapons enter South Korean political debate as threats grow

Voices within ruling party call for deployment of U.S. arms

5 February 2023