Politics

Doctors protest outside the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Feb. 22, complaining of low pay and poor working conditions. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Health Care

South Korea's trainee doctors continue walkout over pay, hours

Many quit as Yoon pushes plan to train more physicians to ease shortage

27 February 2024
Members of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior raise their country's flag at a museum entrance in Matanzas, Cuba, in 2022. North Korea long touted its close ties with its "brother" Cuba, the only socialist nation in Latin America.
Comment

South Korea flips script on North by winning over Cuba

Preelection surprise reflects drastic diplomatic change from half a century ago

26 February 2024
An engineer works on a K9 self-propelled howitzer at Hanwha Aerospace's factory in Changwon, South Korea, in September 2023. The company is leading Seoul's mission to become a world leader in defense exports. 
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: K-defense

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

23 February 2024
Lee Nak-yon, right, and Lee Jun-seok formed their alliance in a bid to peel conservative and progressive voters away from South Korea's two major parties. (Yonhap/Kyodo)
Politics

South Korea's New Reform Party suffers split as ex-PM exits

Lee Nak-yon blames clash with leadership for departure

21 February 2024
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created an arms shortage that South Korean contractors are increasingly being called upon to replenish, sparking an anguished debate in a nation that has "been suffering from the effects of war for 70 years now." (Illustration by Hiroko Oshima)
The Big Story

K-defense: South Korea's weapons industry goes global

Amid heightening confrontation with North, Seoul finds niche filling global arms shortages

21 February 2024
Doctors stage a rally against the government's medical policy near the presidential office in Seoul on Feb. 15.
Health Care

South Korean trainee doctors walk off job over medical student increase

Health authorities scrambling to prevent major disruptions to services

20 February 2024
Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said that her comments about the Japanese prime minister were her "personal view," not that of the state.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un's sister seen shaking up Japan-U.S.-South Korea ties

Statement urges Tokyo to drop abduction issue to open door for visit by PM Kishida

17 February 2024
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol speaks on March 10, 2022, during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.
Politics

South Korea's Yoon calls wife's bribery scandal 'unfortunate'

President recorded TV interview instead of holding usual New Year's news conference

8 February 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center left, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, in the Russian Far East in September. (Korean Central News Agency)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's rejection of unification emboldened by Russia ties

Kim Jong Un touts military advances while discarding long-held diplomatic card

2 February 2024
Tourists take photos of the Arch of Reunification in Pyongyang in 2018.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea tears down 'reunification' arch, sending message to Seoul

Satellite images show cranes where monument used to be, professor says

27 January 2024
South Korea's National Assembly. A member from President Yoon Suk Yeol's People Power Party was attacked with what appeared to be a rock on Jan. 25.
Politics

South Korean lawmaker suffers head injury in latest political attack

Violent incidents raise concerns over growing polarization

25 January 2024
Amid sanctions, a tech war with China and an ongoing presidential election campaign, the U.S.'s next trade moves are becoming harder to predict for companies in Asia and across the world. 
The Big Story

Asia Inc. heads to Washington as focus turns to trade, tariffs and Trump

Rising concern about geopolitical risk prompts spate of new offices in U.S. capital

24 January 2024
Ko Sung-kook operates a popular YouTube channel offering political commentary. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Politics

South Korea's YouTubers emerge as force driving political rancor

Recent violent attack and upcoming elections draw scrutiny of influential platform

22 January 2024
A rocket carrying South Korea's first military surveillance satellite launches from the U.S. in December 2023. (South Korean Defense Ministry)
Defense

China and India lead Asia race to expand spy satellite networks

Japan, North and South Korea also step up surveillance on growing tensions

18 January 2024
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, left, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Jan. 16.
International relations

North Korea and Russia top diplomats meet with eye toward Putin visit

Talks in Moscow aim to solidify ties amid tensions with U.S. and South Korea

17 January 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory in this photo released by the country's official news agency. 
International relations

North Korea fuels war rumblings with hypersonic missile launch

Foreign minister in Russia this week as part of burgeoning relationship

15 January 2024
Jin Roy Ryu, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, speaks in an interview with Nikkei. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
International relations

Trump win wouldn't hurt South Korea-U.S.-Japan ties: business leader

Head of South's top business body says trilateral meetings with peers to be launched

14 January 2024
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks outside Seoul National University Hospital on Jan. 10.
Politics

Stabbed South Korea opposition leader out of hospital as crisis worsens

Lawmakers are fleeing Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party ahead of pivotal elections

10 January 2024
Stream article image
6 January 2024
Residents of the sleepy South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, near the maritime border with the North, were told to evacuate after shells were fired close to it.
Defense

South Korea holds live-fire drill after North's shelling near islands

Tensions between both sides spike following exchanges of harsh words

5 January 2024
Bystanders look at a damaged road on Japan's Noto Peninsula following a deadly earthquake on Jan. 1.
Natural disasters

Asian leaders offer assistance for Japan earthquake response

Marcos, Yoon and more express solidarity as death toll climbs

3 January 2024
Reporters and supporters of Lee Jae-myung gather outside an emergency treatment facility at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul on Jan. 2 after the politician was stabbed in the neck. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Politics

South Korea politician stabbing adds to tension ahead of elections

Lee Jae-myung is a polarizing leader with both fervent supporters and detractors

2 January 2024
Opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung lies on the ground after being attacked by an unidentified man while talking to reporters in Busan, South Korea, on Jan. 2.
Politics

South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck during appearance

Lee Jae-myung taken to hospital with knife wound, local media report

2 January 2024
Shipping containers in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
Trade

South Korea records its first trade deficit with China in 31 years

Country's overall shortfall narrows in 2023 as exports to U.S. increase

1 January 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a visit to the Netherlands in The Hague on Dec. 13, 2023.
Defense

South Korea's Yoon vows to 'completely block' North's nuclear threat

Security situation 'inching closer to the brink of armed conflict,' Kim Jong Un says

1 January 2024