Shohei Ohtani bats against the San Diego Padres on March 20 in Seoul: Japan, South Korea and the U.S. used the game as a platform for public diplomacy.
Opinion

MLB Seoul Series shows promise of U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation

Sports diplomacy could be uniquely effective in bridging skeptical publics

14 April 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the 2023 Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan. (Pool/Kyodo)
Comment

South Korea-Japan thaw could backslide if ruling party turns on Yoon

President risks greater criticism, isolation after legislative election defeat

13 April 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been a strong advocate for closer ties with Japan.
South Korea election

South Korea ruling party's defeat casts shadow over Japan ties

President Yoon seen facing opposition pressure over wartime-labor compensation

12 April 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed through to "humbly accept the public's will" after his party lost ground in legislative elections. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
South Korea election

South Korea ruling party, government reel after electoral drubbing

President Yoon vows to 'reform' handling of state affairs in wake of losses

11 April 2024
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, seated second from right, and candidates react as they watch TV exit polls for legislative elections on April 10 in Seoul.
South Korea election

South Korean election: Yoon's party suffers stinging defeat

Tally shows opposition surge in national legislature in blow to unpopular president

11 April 2024
From left: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the ASEAN summit in Jakarta in 2023. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

India-U.S.-South Korea tech cooperation has strategic logic

By capitalizing on competitive advantages, trio can strengthen supply chains

10 April 2024
The city of Gongju is part of a key swing constituency in South Korea. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
South Korea election

South Korea's swing seats hold key to power in election showdown

Top parties address inflation angst as voters grow frustrated with political scandals

9 April 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet in Washington this week.
Your Week in Asia

Japan's Kishida visits Washington, Uniqlo parent earnings, China data

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

7 April 2024
The presence of semiconductor companies like Samsung Electronics have turned the area south of Seoul into a key electoral battleground. (Nikkei photo montage)
South Korea election

South Korean parties target 'semiconductor belt' ahead of election

Campaigns promise generous incentives to bolster critical industry

6 April 2024
The No. 8146 bus carries dozens of cleaners and security guards from a working-class area of northern Seoul to the glitzy Gangnam district. Politicians' pledges are not striking a chord with many of these workers ahead of pivotal elections next week.
Asia Insight

South Korea's working class unmoved by election campaign 'lip service'

One early morning bus route provides a journey through inequality in Seoul

2 April 2024
President Yoon Suk Yeol announces a public statement on the government's medical reform efforts at the office in Seoul on April 1. (Photo by South Korea's presidential office/EPA/Jiji)
Politics

South Korea's Yoon doubles down on contentious doctor quota plan

Medical dispute could intensify ahead of key elections next week

1 April 2024
Medical professors submit resignations at Korea University in Seoul on March 25.
Health Care

South Korea medical professors resign in protest of government plan

Yoon faces opposition to admitting 2,000 more students

26 March 2024
Critics have accused South Korea's first lady Kim Keon-hee of manipulating President Yoon Suk Yeol from behind the scenes. (Yonhap/Kyodo)
Comment

As South Korean election nears, is Yoon's party seeing a 'golden cross'?

Opinion polls may not tell whole story, especially with emergence of new parties

23 March 2024
Doctors argue that increasing the number of slots at medical schools will lead to a decline in the quality of medical care.
Health Care

South Korea pushes ahead with controversial medical school expansion

2,000 new spots allocated to schools mostly outside of Seoul area

21 March 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the Summit for Democracy in Seoul on March 18.
International relations

South Korea's Yoon, Biden call for defending elections against fake news

First democracy summit held in Asia tackles disinformation, AI threats

21 March 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Manila in August 2022. The two will meet again this week.
Your Week in Asia

BOJ monetary policy, Blinken meets Marcos in Manila, GoTo earnings

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

17 March 2024
Under the new program, interns can attain the skill levels required for "specified skilled worker" status, a visa category that grants residency with no limits on renewals. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Japan immigration

Japan battles Taiwan and South Korea for foreign workers

Tokyo relaxes strict rules, but competitive pay remains a challenge

16 March 2024
Members of the main opposition Democratic Party gather at an airport in Incheon, South Korea, on March 10, to protest the departure of Lee Jong-sup for Australia.
Politics

Australia envoy spat shakes South Korea's ruling party ahead of poll

Lee Jong-sup travels to Canberra to assume post after travel ban lifted

13 March 2024
Japanese and South Korean personnel are taking part for the first time in AsterX, which is organized by France. (French Air and Space Force)
Defense

Japan and South Korea join France space force drills for first time

16 combat teams, including ones from NATO and EU, prepare for physical and cyberattacks

8 March 2024
Medical personnel walk outside Seoul National University hospital in Seoul on March 5. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Politics

South Korea doctors' strike sets up political test for Yoon

As dispute intensifies, analysts say president's goal is electoral gains in April

7 March 2024
Malaysia has revived a high-speed rail plan to connect Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Hiroki Endo and Akira Kodaka)
Transportation

Malaysia revives 'ambitious' high-speed rail plan amid hurdles

China Railway Construction, Hyundai unit among companies showing interest

6 March 2024
U.S. and South Korean troops take part in exercises as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield in Yangyang, South Korea, in August 2023.
Defense

South Korea and U.S. start stepped-up military drills

Exercises to bolster defense against North Korean missile strikes, other dangers

4 March 2024
The 1,000-ton deckhouse of a destroyer at General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The company is one of seven shipbuilders to construct naval ships in the U.S. today. (U.S. Navy photo)
Defense

U.S. seeks to revive idled shipyards with help of Japan, South Korea

Navy secretary visits Hyundai, Hanwha and Mitsubishi to invite investment

4 March 2024
The opening ceremony of National People's Congress in Mach 2023 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Your Week in Asia

China 'Two Sessions', ASEAN-Australia Summit, Malaysia rate decision

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

3 March 2024
Park Cheol-hee, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, urged a forward-looking attitude on bilateral ties. (Photo by Tetsuya Fujita)
Japan-South Korea ties

South Korea and Japan need new joint declaration, Yoon adviser says

Park Cheol-hee discusses boosting bilateral ties ahead of landmark anniversary

27 February 2024