Politics

A man enters a hospital where a special ward has been set up for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai.
18 April 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in attends ASEAN Plus Three virtual summit at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Tuesday.
South Korea election

Moon has no excuses for missing policy goals after landslide

Virus response and weak opposition helped South Korean ruling party to win

16 April 2020
Former South Korean prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, of the ruling Democratic Party, celebrates his constituency win at his election office in Seoul's Jongno district on Wednesday. Lee is considered to be a potential runner for the presidency in 2022.
South Korea election

Moon's Democrats win South Korea general election in landslide

Victory allows president to push ahead with income redistribution policies

16 April 2020
A patient affected with the coronavirus casts an early ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station set up at a quarantine center in Yongin, South Korea, on Saturday.
South Korea election

Moon’s Democrats have edge as voting begins in Korean election

Polls put party ahead of opposition conservatives for Wednesday's vote

15 April 2020
Election posters of candidates in Seoul, pictured on Apr. 3: the parties are sending out messages that only remind voters of the merit of being a member of a political tribe. (Photo by Yosuke Onchi)
Opinion

South Korean voters must reject politics of division in election

Despite new electoral system, parties are playing to their bases

14 April 2020
Voters will go to the polls on April 15 to choose 300 lawmakers for South Korea's National Assembly.
South Korea election

Chaebol wary as Moon's party gains steam ahead of poll

Support for ruling party surges on government's handling of coronavirus outbreak

14 April 2020
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank's joint spring meetings are well attended each year. This week, they will happen virtually. 
Your Week in Asia

China GDP, South Korea election, and TSMC investor conference

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

12 April 2020
Kim Jong Un is trying to maintain discipline in North Korea's 1.2 million-man military by treating it to displays of advanced missile technology. (KCNA/REUTERS)
Comment

Why Kim Jong Un rapid-fires missiles as world fights coronavirus

North Korean leader seeks to protect regime by showing military achievements

12 April 2020
Gravediggers wear protective suits in preparing a plot in Manaus, Brazil.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Apr. 5 to Apr. 11, Global death toll reaches 100,000

Kyoto asks to be put under emergency decree; Vietnam preps $2.66bn safety net

11 April 2020
President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party is leading in opinion polls, but analysts say that although the ruling party is likely to win in the April 15 general election, its margin of victory may be slim.
South Korea election

Five things to know about South Korea's general election

Moon's Democrats lead in polls, but many voters are still undecided

10 April 2020
South Korea and Singapore are both gearing up for elections amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus

How Singapore and South Korea aim to avoid election infections

Quarantine voting, obligatory masks and other measures planned

10 April 2020
South Korean medics receive testing for the new coronavirus at a screening center set up in the parking lot at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital in Gyeonggi Province on April 1.
South Korea election

South Korea's COVID-19 response masks economic woes at election

President Moon's party says handling of outbreak has 'inspired the world'

9 April 2020
A young woman poses for a picture next to a cherry blossom tree in Seoul on April 1. Many voters aged under 30 are undecided who to vote for in South Korea's April 15 general election. 
South Korea election

Young South Koreans set to have large sway in general election

More than 40% are undecided on who they will vote for in April 15 poll

7 April 2020
Firefighters spray disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Jakarta.
4 April 2020
People walk past banners of Lee Nak-yon, top right, former South Korean prime minister and current candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, and his rival Hwang Kyo-ahn of the main opposition United Future Party in Seoul on April 2. 
Politics

Ex-PMs go head-to-head in South Korea as election campaign starts

Moon’s party gets tailwind from his handling of coronavirus

2 April 2020
A couple in Korean traditional costumes visits Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on March 1.
Caixin

In Depth: Why South Korea is winning the coronavirus battle

While the US and others struggle, Seoul's fast response keeps COVID-19 at bay

1 April 2020
For years, South Korea's economy has stagnated. Whether postindustrial cities like Gunsan can prosper -- or even just survive -- will shape President Moon Jae-in’s legacy. (Photo by Jean Chung)
Politics

Facing elections, Moon struggles to revive South Korean economy

Industrial wastelands defy stimulus to expose economic malaise

29 March 2020
A man is tested for the coronavirus outside a hospital in Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

From light touch to total lockdown: How Asia is fighting coronavirus

Countries begin to toughen their approach as infections continue to rise

28 March 2020
Congress gave final approval to the largest economic package in U.S. history. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, US House passes a $2.2tn stimulus

Hong Kong bans gatherings of over 4 people; Trump tweets he is working with Xi

28 March 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, center, meets with the cabinet in protective gear. The coronavirus will inhibit many aspects of campaigning for the upcoming election.
Politics

Elections in the time of coronavirus: South Koreans judge Moon

April's contest for the National Assembly will determine whether president is a lame duck

27 March 2020
Lionel Barber, then-editor of the Financial Times, seen speaking at a forum in Turin, Italy in June 2017. 
Life

What UK should learn from Asia on fighting coronavirus

Financial Times' former editor on lessons in pandemic prevention

25 March 2020
Pedestrians in Seoul: Governments across Asia are scrambling to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus

Asia turns on the fiscal taps to cushion coronavirus impact

As crisis drags on, governments face pressure to offer even more aid

23 March 2020
People in Seoul during the MERS outbreak in June 2015.
Politics

Coronavirus: Another crisis tests a South Korean president

Conservative or liberal, leaders are defined by response to emergencies

22 March 2020
A freeway sits almost empty in downtown Los Angeles, after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home order" directing the state's 40 million residents to hunker down in their homes for the foreseeable future during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, in California, U.S., on March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 15 to Mar. 21, New York orders millions to stay indoors

Mainland China reports zero new local cases for 3rd day; worldwide total surges

21 March 2020
A mirror at a shopping mall reflects a crowd of people in Tokyo. Japan's and South Korea's approaches to the pandemic illustrate the neighbors' cultural differences.
Inside Japanese politics

Japan and Korea: Deference to authority shapes virus response

Mood in Japan surprises South Koreans, who tend to question their government

19 March 2020