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September 28th, 2023

South Korea's divorce of the decade

Courts ponder whether to break up a chaebol as SK Inc.'s top couple split

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The Big Story

SK Group's divorce drama forces courts to weigh breaking up chaebol

South Korea's 'wedding of the century' allied her political dynasty with his family conglomerate. Now she wants her share.

The wife of the chairman of SK Group, which owns chipmaking giant SK Hynix, is going after half his stake in the company in an explosive divorce. 
The market for EVs remains small in Japan, making it difficult to operate charging stations profitably and presenting a chicken-and-egg problem for policymakers.
Datawatch

Japan's EV infrastructure is aging as market fails to take off

Rising number of closures of charging stations delays spread of electric cars

Smartphone users in Phnom Penh: Penetration of smartphones has resulted in a huge rise in semiconductor manufacturing's call on physical resources. 
Opinion

Semiconductors won't help hold down prices anymore

Technology's demand on physical and labor resources is becoming inflationary

U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast with his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, right, on Sept. 11 in Hanoi.
Opinion

If Biden can befriend Vietnam, he can work with Myanmar

Pragmatic approach will better serve U.S. strategic interests than sanctions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23. Russia's aggression against Ukraine is exposing problems with how the global body operates.
The Nikkei View

U.N. reform urgently needed to better promote peace

Security Council dysfunction threatens global security

French President Emmanuel Macron and ProLogium CEO Vincent Yang visit the Aluminium Dunkerque factory in the city famous for a World War II battle that now aspires to help Europe reduce its dependence on China for electric cars.
Business Spotlight

Asian EV companies descend on Dunkirk as Europe courts investment

Influx from east is transforming France's automaking heartland into electric hub

Travelers at Singapore's Changi Airport, which plans to introduce "passport-free" immigration clearance next year.
Travel & Leisure

Singapore airport to introduce 'passport-free' departure in 2024

City-state taps biometrics as Hong Kong, Japan also implement smooth procedures

Finnair Vice President Jenni Suomela tells Nikkei Asia that the airline's South Korean business is recovering faster than its Japan operations. (Photo by Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa)
Travel & Leisure

Finnair turns Asia focus to megacities due to Ukraine war

Russian airspace closure clips airline as it pins hopes on hubs like Shanghai

The 19th Asian Games is to kick off in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday.  
Startups

Asian Games highlights Chinese startups behind the scenes

Region's largest sports event in Hangzhou to be attended by President Xi

In a few weeks, Australia votes on whether to amend its founding document to boost rights of communities who have inhabited the land for 65,000 years.
Asia Insight

Australia Indigenous 'Voice' vote sees hope collide with division

Oct. 14 referendum to decide on recognizing Indigenous peoples in constitution

China's investments into ASEAN rebounded last year despite slowing domestic growth. (NIKKEI montage/Source photos by AP)
Belt and Road

ASEAN to stay priority for China's BRI investment despite slowdown

Beijing views Southeast Asia as geopolitically important to counter U.S. influence

Commercial real estate prices are up in the city of Fukuoka, where there are several redevelopment projects. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Property

Japan land values rise beyond big cities on flood of overseas money

Areas experiencing tourism, investment and redevelopment booms receive lifts

Soldiers patrol a corporate farming project in Pakistan's Punjab province on July 23 (EPA)
Economy

Pakistan army trades tanks for tractors in food-security push

Sprawling military-run farms stoke backlash over armed forces' pervasive presence

Hikers pass through a tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Soon to be officially launched, the Pekoe Trail spans 300 kilometers across the island's Central Highlands, passing river valleys, tea gardens, forested hills, sacred sites and rural villages. (All photos courtesy of Tangerine Tours)
Life

Hiking Sri Lanka's tea trail

New path through verdant Pekoe hills shows the island is not just about beaches

Tim Blackman holds a poster showing a photograph of his missing daughter, Lucie Blackman, at a news conference in Tokyo in July 2000.
Tea Leaves

Japan's debt to Lucie Blackman

Murder of young British woman in 2000 helped usher in change in rape laws