South Korea

A collection of 77 posts

South Korea: 17 US Soldiers Detained for Drug Trafficking

On Wednesday, South Korean police announced they had arrested 17 American soldiers for smuggling synthetic marijuana through the US military's postal service and distributing it to at least two US army camps based in Gyeonggi Province between February and May 2022....

Crime & Justice

South Korea Announces $2.3B in Aid to Ukraine

South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol announced $2.3B in additional aid for war-ravaged Ukraine during the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sunday....

Politics

Chinese Activist Reportedly Fled to SKorea on Jet Ski

Kwon Pyong, a Chinese rights activist and prominent critic of President Xi Jinping, has allegedly fled his homeland to South Korea — crossing the choppy waters of the Yellow Sea on a jet ski from Shandong province.

Politics

NKorea Holds Missile Test as US-SKorea Military Drills Begin

North Korea's state-run media reported Monday that its leader Kim Jong Un had overseen a cruise missile test on the eve of annual military drills between South Korea and the US.

North Korea

Camp David: US, Japan, SKorea Form Security Pact

US Pres. Joe Biden, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to strengthen security and economic cooperation on Friday after trilateral talks at Camp David.

Politics

NKorea Says US Soldier Crossed Border to Flee Racism

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency Wednesday claimed that a US soldier who defected to the North last month sought refuge from "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the US.

North Korea

Kim Jong Un Demands 'Drastic Boost' in Weapons Production

North Korea's state media reported Monday that Kim Jong Un has called for a "drastic boost" in the production of missiles, rocket-launcher shells, and other weapons to meet the needs of frontline military units.

Military

Controversy Mounts Over LK-99 Superconductor

LK-99, a material discovered by Korean researchers last month — reportedly capable of conducting electricity at room temperature and pressure — has touched off a global race to replicate and verify the groundbreaking superconductor.

South Korea

N. Korea Fires Missiles After US Submarines Arrive in South

South Korea and Japan have said that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday following the arrival of nuclear-powered US submarines in South Korea.

Military

Seoul Backs Fukushima Water Plan; China Imposes Japan Food Ban

South Korea announced on Friday that it supports the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency's approval of Japan's plans to discharge treated water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean amid controversy surrounding the decision.

South Korea

Samsung Logs 96% Drop in Q2 Profit Amid Chip Oversupply

Samsung Electronics, the world's leading memory chip and smartphone maker, reported on Friday a likely 96% decline in second-quarter profit — the lowest for any quarter since 2009 — as the chip glut persists despite a supply cut.

South Korea

South Koreans Become Younger Under New Age-Counting Law

South Koreans have become a year or two younger as new laws that require using only the international method of calculating age took effect on Wednesday, replacing the country's traditional age-counting method.

Politics

SKorea, Japan Scramble Jets During China-Russia Joint Air Patrol

South Korea and Japan reportedly had to scramble their fighter jets on Tuesday after four Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the South's air defense identification zone unannounced, although they didn't violate either nations' airspace.

Military

Asiana Airlines Stops Selling Emergency Exit Seats After Door Opens

On Sunday, South Korea's Asiana Airlines announced plans to stop selling tickets for emergency exit seats on its Airbus A321-200 aircraft, after a passenger allegedly opened an emergency exit door mid-air.

Money

North Korea: Spy Satellite Launch Crashes Into Sea

North Korea's attempt to launch a military spy satellite on Wednesday failed, with South Korean officials reporting that the rocket crashed into the ocean and the North confirming the aborted attempt.

Military

Canada's Trudeau Visits South Korea

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrived in Seoul for his first official visit to South Korea on Tuesday, with China and economic security set to top the agenda.

World

Korean Student Eats $120K Banana Artwork

A South Korean art student has eaten a $120K art installation featuring a banana that was duct-taped to a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul— a piece created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan known as "Comedian" and presented in his "WE" exhibit.

World

S. Korea's Exports Down Again in April

South Korea's trade ministry on Monday released preliminary data showing that the country's exports fell 14.2% from a year earlier in April, marking the seventh straight month of decline and its longest losing streak in more than three years.

World

US, S. Korea Announce Nuclear Agreement

The US has agreed to give South Korea more input on a potential American nuclear response to a North Korean attack in return for an agreement that the country will not develop its own nuclear weapons.

World

S. Korea Restores Japan's Place On Export 'White List'

South Korea's ministry of trade, industry, and energy on Monday announced Japan's reinstatement to its "white list" of trusted trading partners, which grants simplified procedures for countries buying sensitive goods that can be diverted to military use.

Politics

N. Korea Fires Possible ‘New Type’ Ballistic Missile

South Korean news outlet YTN, citing a military official, reported that North Korea on Thursday possibly test-fired a 'new type' of medium-range or longer ballistic missile, which, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew for about 1K km (621 miles) before landing in waters between the Ko...

North Korea

North Korea's Kim Calls for More 'Practical, Offensive' War Deterrence

North Korean state media reported on Tuesday that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, called for strengthening the North's war deterrence in a 'more practical and offensive' manner in response to moves it called aggressive by the US and the South....

North Korea

US, SKorea, Japan Concerned Over NKorea Cyber Activities

The US, South Korea, and Japan expressed deep concern over North Korea's 'malicious' cyber activities to support its weapons programs, in comments published in a joint statement on Friday....

North Korea

North Korea Says US-South Korea Drills Push Tension to 'Brink of Nuclear War'

North Korea on Thursday accused the US and South Korea of escalating tensions to the brink of nuclear war through their joint military drills, according to state media KCNA. Pyongyang vowed to respond with "offensive action."

Military

US Flies Nuclear-Capable Bombers as Tensions Soar with N. Korea

The US on Wednesday flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Korean Peninsula for the first time in a month as it tried to send a message to North Korea amid mounting concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities.

Military