Politics

Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of a South Korean fisheries official killed by the North Korean military, reacts during a news conference Tuesday in Seoul.
N Korea at crossroads

3 mysteries cloud South Korean's shooting death by North Korea

Grieving family casts doubt on allegation that victim defected to the North

2 October 2020
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base takes off during exercises with South Korean forces. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force)
International relations

Majority of Americans against cutting US forces in South Korea: poll

Public opinion ahead of election diverges from Trump's talk of troop reductions

2 October 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wears a protective face mask on Sept. 29. 
30 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in a pre-recorded message that was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22.
International relations

Asian leaders hedge bets at UN as Trump throws barbs at China

'When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat,' Duterte warns

28 September 2020
Plaintiffs and supporters rejoice after the South Korean Supreme Court ordered a Japanese company in October 2018 to compensate former workers in a lawsuit for forced labor during World War II. The issue is currently the thorniest point of contention between Japan and South Korea. (Photo by Yosuke Onchi)
Comment

Tokyo and Seoul struggle for compromise on wartime labor issue

Moon Jae-in under pressure as Japan tensions aid ruling party in 2022 election

26 September 2020
Nobuo Kishi, Japan's new defense minister, spoke with Nikkei and other media outlets on Friday. (Photo by Junnosuke Kobara)
Politics

Japan's base strike capability 'necessary': Defense chief Kishi

Minister eyes visit to US and closer cyber and space cooperation

26 September 2020
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to Nikkei at his Diet office in Tokyo on Sept. 24. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
Interview

With charts, stats and golf, Abe proved Japan's worth to US leader

Ex-prime minister reflects on the art of 'Trump whispering' in exclusive interview

26 September 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Seventh Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea in this May 24 file photo.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un issues rare apology over killing of South Korean

Seoul says engagement must continue despite brutal action

25 September 2020
A woman shops at a market in Seoul.
Politics

Universal basic income gains support in South Korea after COVID

Progressive and conservative lawmakers weigh benefits of program

25 September 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke by phone Thursday in the first direct talks between leaders of the two countries since December last year. (Source photos by Reuters and Masayuki Terazawa) 
Japan-South Korea rift

Suga tells Moon strained Japan-South Korea ties can't be neglected

Leaders of two neighbors discuss wartime labor issue in first call

24 September 2020
Suga presents Abe with flowers on Sep. 14: Suga has one big thing in his favor when it comes to South Korea. He's not Abe. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Opinion

Japan's new leader has narrow window to advance South Korea ties

Relationship with Seoul will be one of Suga's biggest foreign policy challenges

23 September 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrives for a Memorial Day ceremony at the national cemetery in Daejeon on June 6.
Japan after Abe

Suga urges focus on future in letter to South Korea's Moon

Japanese PM responds to congratulatory message from Seoul

22 September 2020
A couple wearing masks walks amid the coronavirus disease pandemic at a shopping district in the Gangnam area of Seoul.
13 September 2020
The South Korean government tightened restrictions on businesses in late August as coronavirus cases jumped to more than 400 a day.
Economy

South Korea budgets $6.6bn for fourth round of coronavirus aid

With cases in triple digits, targeted support aims to offset curbs on businesses

11 September 2020
People in Singapore watch a chess match in Singapore. Studies have shown that social interaction -- increasingly difficult during the pandemic -- helps people live longer lives. (Singapore Press via AP Images)
Society

Asia seeks to protect seniors from COVID's silent killer: loneliness

Singapore and Japan learn art of aging well takes more than good diet and exercise

5 September 2020
Passengers check in at the counter at Incheon airport near Seoul on March 9.
Economy

COVID grounds young South Koreans' dreams of permanent positions

Job-seekers slam Incheon Airport for leaving them outside two-tier labor market

4 September 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are both hoping to shore up ties with Japan's next leader.
Japan after Abe

Continuity or reset? China and South Korea face a post-Abe Japan

Beijing sees Ishiba as front runner while Seoul hopes to mend frayed ties

30 August 2020
South Korean medical school students discuss their plans before going on strike to protest the government's health policy reforms in Seoul on Aug. 26.
Politics

Doctors' strike shows cracks in South Korean unity against COVID

Politicians spar over virus surge as physicians fight plans to widen their ranks

27 August 2020
Tugboats dock an oil tanker at the port of Zhoushan: Chinese refiners ramped up imports of U.S. crude arriving in July and August to more than 1 million barrels a day.
Opinion

Oil price shocks set to jolt Asia, no matter who wins US election

Region's oil-hungry economies should start preparing to roll with the punches

27 August 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee plenum in Pyongyang on Aug. 19, in this photo released by North Korean Central News Agency.
Comment

New power game unfolds in Korean Peninsula ahead of US election

Pyongyang congress and Xi's Seoul visit linked to fate of Trump

27 August 2020
Then-Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine, left, and then-South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement, an intelligence-sharing agreement between the two countries, in Seoul in November 2016. 
The Nikkei View

Extended intelligence pact serves interests of Japan and South Korea

Despite tensions, pooling data on threats is vital to regional security

26 August 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is focused more on domestic issues, but may have little leeway to compromise with Japan. 
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea stays in Japan intel pact, focusing on homefront

COVID-19 and housing price surge leave Moon no time for bilateral dispute

25 August 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks to avoid diplomatic isolation by turning to Asian neighbors.
International relations

China pushes Asia diplomacy to resist Western backlash

Xi Jinping to visit South Korea soon after COVID-19 is under control

23 August 2020
Members of the Sarang Jeil Church attend a large anti-government rally in Seoul on Saturday.
Coronavirus

Church coronavirus cluster puts South Korea on edge

Defiant religious group under fire after holding large outdoor rally at weekend

20 August 2020
The World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva: Japan and South Korea have had a long-running dispute over trade in pneumatic valves.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea ends anti-dumping duties on Japanese valves

Seoul lets punitive measure expire after WTO ruled against it

20 August 2020