https://www.scmp.com/rss/324399/feed Moon Jae-in was president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Rob York Rob York A recent report by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service suggests Kim Jong-un has selected his daughter, Ju-ae (or possibly Ju-hae), to succeed him as North Korea’s supreme leader. This is not the first time analysts have had to consider if North Korea, supposedly the most traditionalist of communist states, could have a female leader, but it is the most definitive. In 2020, Kim spent three weeks out of the spotlight, including missing the April 15 birth celebration of his grandfather, Kim... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korean former prime minister Lee Hae-chan, a veteran politician and influential fixture on the country’s road to democracy, died during an official visit to Vietnam’s southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City, both governments said. Lee died on Sunday, after emergency medical aid for a heart attack, a South Korean presidential advisory panel said in a statement. The 73-year-old reportedly complained of flu-like symptoms before his departure to Vietnam and decided to return home one day after his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341205/south-korea-mourns-kingmaker-lee-hae-chan-after-fatal-heart-attack-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341205/south-korea-mourns-kingmaker-lee-hae-chan-after-fatal-heart-attack-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 03:59:32 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A court ruling on the case of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged over impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law decree, observers say. On Wednesday, the special counsel team investigating insurrection charges related to Yoon’s December 3 decree demanded a 15-year prison term for Han, the 77-year-old political veteran accused of helping “mastermind” the attempted self-coup. Senior Judge Lee... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334320/fate-south-koreas-han-duck-soo-set-tone-yoon-others-martial-law-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334320/fate-south-koreas-han-duck-soo-set-tone-yoon-others-martial-law-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Former South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha could soon be named South Korea’s ambassador to Washington, reflecting Seoul’s urgent need for seasoned diplomacy in light of an increasingly unpredictable US foreign policy, sources familiar with the matter said. If confirmed, Kang, now the president of Asia Society, a New York-based think tank focused on promoting US-Asian cooperation, would be the first woman to hold the post, which has been vacant since July. An experienced diplomat with... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3322896/kang-kyung-wha-seen-likely-choice-south-koreas-next-envoy-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3322896/kang-kyung-wha-seen-likely-choice-south-koreas-next-envoy-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 21:20:22 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s push for closer ties with Tokyo has upended expectations in Japan, with analysts describing his outreach as a pragmatic shift that could reshape the tone of bilateral ties long coloured by historical disputes. Lee is due in Japan on Saturday for a two-day summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, with the two leaders expected to sign several agreements spanning trade, youth exchange and security. The visit also marks the 60th anniversary of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322845/south-korea-needs-japan-lee-and-ishiba-meet-hopes-closer-ties-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322845/south-korea-needs-japan-lee-and-ishiba-meet-hopes-closer-ties-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:33:48 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal South Korea’s newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, has been increasingly vocal about resuming exchanges with North Korea. This month alone, he has advocated for peaceful coexistence with the North, the removal of loudspeakers from the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the restoration of various inter-Korean agreements and the establishment of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. Despite Lee’s diplomatic overtures, Pyongyang’s response has remained frosty. After years of hardline North Korea policy under... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322503/why-military-independence-us-could-be-seouls-best-chance-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322503/why-military-independence-us-could-be-seouls-best-chance-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats from nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to “any provocation” against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield – the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March – will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 04:00:26 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg South Korean President Lee Jae-myung nominated Koo Yun-cheol as the next finance minister, turning to a veteran bureaucrat to guide the economy at a time of sluggish growth and mounting trade pressures from the Trump administration. “The president nominated Koo Yun-cheol, a widely recognised policy expert, as finance minister as he is a figure who has long contemplated Korea’s innovation and is well-suited to chart a path for national growth,” Kang Hoon-sik, Lee’s chief of staff, said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3316281/koreas-lee-nominates-finance-minister-tackle-growth-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3316281/koreas-lee-nominates-finance-minister-tackle-growth-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:29:34 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Silence has returned to the inter-Korean border for the first time in a year, as Pyongyang ceased loudspeaker broadcasts in a reciprocal action hours after Seoul powered down its propaganda volume on the front line. Observers warn that while the halt may help build an atmosphere conducive to easing tensions, it does not yet signal a shift in the North’s broader indifferent policy towards reconciliation with its neighbour or the United States. “There have been no areas today where North Korea’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314121/end-inter-korea-loudspeaker-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314121/end-inter-korea-loudspeaker-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The call by South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung for a halt to the launch of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets signals what analysts see as a potential major policy shift towards easing inter-Korean tensions. The Unification Ministry on Monday said it was “strongly urging” civic groups to stop sending anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets across the border into the North. “Such actions raise tensions on the Korean peninsula and may threaten the lives and safety of residents near... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313905/will-kim-jong-un-reciprocate-first-move-south-koreas-lee-ease-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313905/will-kim-jong-un-reciprocate-first-move-south-koreas-lee-ease-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 03:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is facing an early test of his pledge to pursue pragmatic ties with Japan after a court in Seoul ruled in favour of a former forced labourer’s suit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in a case that has reignited nationalistic sentiment. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court on Friday was one of several such cases targeting Japanese companies filed by South Korean workers since 2018 after the government of former president Yoon Suk-yeol initiated the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313732/south-koreas-ties-japan-face-new-test-after-ex-forced-labourer-wins-suit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313732/south-koreas-ties-japan-face-new-test-after-ex-forced-labourer-wins-suit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:16 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times As South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pushes ahead with his ambitious plan to relocate the presidential office back to the historic Cheong Wa Dae complex, questions are mounting over the feasibility of completing the move within his stated 100-day timeline, particularly amid burgeoning security concerns. Experts are sounding the alarm, emphasising the critical need for meticulous preparations. They cite a new generation of security threats, from increasingly sophisticated drones to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3313584/south-koreas-lee-faces-security-challenges-ambitious-plan-relocate-presidential-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3313584/south-koreas-lee-faces-security-challenges-ambitious-plan-relocate-presidential-office?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 02:26:06 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall South Korea’s newly inaugurated President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to pursue warmer ties with Japan, but analysts caution that optimism may be premature, citing his past criticism of Tokyo’s wartime actions and fears he could reignite anti-Japan sentiment to bolster domestic support amid economic challenges. Within hours of taking office, Lee struck a conciliatory tone, calling for collaboration in areas such as trade, security and culture. “We can identify mutually beneficial areas in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313189/japan-worried-south-koreas-new-leader-pledges-warmer-ties-past-tensions-loom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313189/japan-worried-south-koreas-new-leader-pledges-warmer-ties-past-tensions-loom?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:30:15 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi US troops in South Korea could be “critical” for containing China, according to the front runner for the country’s presidential election who signalled a possible change in his position on China. In an interview with Time published on Thursday, the Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said US Forces Korea (USFK) could play a “critical role for the United States policy of containment against China”. He also said Washington’s recent rapprochement with Moscow was “a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312478/us-troops-critical-south-korean-presidential-candidate-signals-turn-china-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312478/us-troops-critical-south-korean-presidential-candidate-signals-turn-china-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 09:57:48 +0000 Sungju Park-Kang Sungju Park-Kang South Korea is heading to a presidential election on June 3, triggered by the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol after his bungled attempt at martial law. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, is a clear front-runner. With the formation of a Lee administration in South Korea looking likely, the United States would have a rare opportunity to explore North Korea’s denuclearisation. US President Donald Trump has boasted of his close connection to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3311866/why-south-koreas-next-leader-should-revive-6-party-nuclear-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3311866/why-south-koreas-next-leader-should-revive-6-party-nuclear-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 May 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal With South Korea’s presidential election less than two weeks away, the stakes couldn’t be higher for a nation at a critical crossroads. Since former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment for declaring martial law in December, the country desperately needs leadership to restore domestic stability and navigate increasingly complex geopolitics. Society remains deeply divided, with massive demonstrations that support or oppose Yoon. The political turmoil extends to the ruling People Power Party... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3311272/after-hardline-yoon-south-korea-needs-more-balanced-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3311272/after-hardline-yoon-south-korea-needs-more-balanced-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A human rights lawyer turned populist powerhouse, Lee Jae-myung is once again on the cusp of South Korea’s presidency – pledging pragmatic nationalism and a sharp break from his impeached predecessor’s combative, ideology-driven style. The 61-year-old liberal formally announced his candidacy on Thursday in a recorded video, saying he stepped in to “answer the call” of a public still reeling from the impeachment and removal of President Yoon Suk-yeol. A snap election is set for June 3. Lee, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3305998/who-south-koreas-presidential-front-runner-lee-jae-myung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3305998/who-south-koreas-presidential-front-runner-lee-jae-myung?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:17 +0000 South Korea’s young voters are more ideologically divided than older generations, a new survey has found, with men in their 20s gravitating toward conservatism while their female peers largely favour liberal politics, raising concerns about the country’s growing polarisation. The poll – commissioned jointly by Seoul National University and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper – ranked respondents’ ideological orientation on a scale of one to 10, with higher scores indicating more conservative tendencies.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3301449/young-south-korean-men-and-women-deeply-divided-politics-survey-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3301449/young-south-korean-men-and-women-deeply-divided-politics-survey-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:02:50 +0000 You send the flower of your nation’s youth to fight another’s war. Thousands are cut down. Might you think again? Not if you are North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Last Thursday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Pyongyang had dispatched additional forces – up to 3,000, according to press reports – to join the 12,000 or so aiding Russia’s war on Ukraine. This followed January reports that North Korean troops had vanished from the front after heavy losses. Some thought Kim had... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3300697/sending-koreans-die-russia-bad-move-more-ways-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3300697/sending-koreans-die-russia-bad-move-more-ways-one?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Mar 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Russia won’t be the only state delighted by the disastrous meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. North Korea – given its status as a direct party to the conflict in Ukraine – is likely very pleased with the colossal collapse of talks between Washington and Kyiv. Dismissing Zelensky as being “not ready for peace”, the US president may now choose to double down on negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin instead to try to end the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3300242/why-trump-putin-ukraine-peace-deal-could-be-good-news-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3300242/why-trump-putin-ukraine-peace-deal-could-be-good-news-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 21:30:08 +0000 China is at a crossroads as the most important player on the Korean peninsula. It must either tolerate continuous belligerent escalations from North Korea backed with nuclear weapons or promote peace and stability through denuclearisation of the peninsula and diminish US influence in the region. During the past two months, a whirlwind of profoundly important political events has occurred with far-reaching implications for the global order. US president-elect Donald Trump’s return to power has... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3290861/china-should-seize-moment-promote-peace-korean-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3290861/china-should-seize-moment-promote-peace-korean-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Yoon Suk-yeol rose from public prosecutor to the nation’s highest office in just a few years, but as South Korea’s president he staggered from scandal to scandal before plunging the country into crisis by declaring martial law. The lurch back to the nation’s dark days of military rule only lasted a few hours, and after a night of protests and high drama last week Yoon was forced into a U-turn. But polls show a huge majority of citizens want him out and lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach him.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3290813/fall-yoon-suk-yeol-south-koreas-rising-star-impeachment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3290813/fall-yoon-suk-yeol-south-koreas-rising-star-impeachment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Dec 2024 10:37:02 +0000 The potential ousting of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol threatens to undo recent progress in ties between Tokyo and Seoul, as analysts say the Japanese government is bracing for a policy shift under a prospective successor critical of Japan’s regional role and the two countries’ trilateral security alliance with the US. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was scheduled to travel to South Korea for talks with Yoon in January to discuss issues including joint security. Tokyo and Seoul... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3290297/will-ties-between-japan-and-south-korea-worsen-if-yoon-suk-yeol-ousted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3290297/will-ties-between-japan-and-south-korea-worsen-if-yoon-suk-yeol-ousted?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:09 +0000 A former South Korean defence minister and three other senior officials who served in the previous Moon Jae-in administration have been accused of leaking intelligence on a US-built missile system to activists and China. The state auditor alleged that Jeong Kyeong-doo, ex-national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and two high-ranking officers passed information on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system to campaigners ahead of replacing an anti-missile battery in Seongju near the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3287409/ex-south-korean-defence-chief-officials-accused-thaad-data-leak-china-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3287409/ex-south-korean-defence-chief-officials-accused-thaad-data-leak-china-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:18:21 +0000 Tensions on the Korean peninsula are once again heightened due to dangerous tit-for-tat behaviour between the two Koreas. On Sunday, South Korea announced its resumption of loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts aimed at the North, a day after the latter launched more than 300 trash-carrying balloons across the border. Pyongyang had previously warned it would launch “100 times” the filth if activists in South Korea continued sending balloons containing anti-North Korean propaganda over the border.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266247/wise-south-korea-would-rise-above-norths-trash-balloons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266247/wise-south-korea-would-rise-above-norths-trash-balloons?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 21:30:08 +0000 South Korea has opened an investigation into accusations that taxpayers funded former first lady Kim Jung-sook’s 2018 trip to India’s Taj Mahal as the opposition vowed to keep up pressure on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife after she was cleared of wrongdoing in a luxury handbag scandal. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it would pursue a complaint filed against Kim by a lawmaker from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to determine if the visit involved abuse of power and public... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3266293/south-korea-investigates-if-former-first-lady-used-taxpayer-money-2018-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3266293/south-korea-investigates-if-former-first-lady-used-taxpayer-money-2018-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 07:25:57 +0000 North Korea has no interest in talking to the United States. This is evident from the lack of any dialogue with Washington since Joe Biden became president and occasional statements from the Biden administration that Pyongyang is not responding to its overtures. That would be bad enough, except North Korea also has no interest in talking to South Korea. Many in the North Korea-watching commentariat have debated the meaning of Pyongyang’s recent statements that define South Korea as an enemy with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/world-opinion/article/3256232/defuse-tensions-north-korea-let-european-union-try?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/world-opinion/article/3256232/defuse-tensions-north-korea-let-european-union-try?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:30:21 +0000 South Korea’s ruling party has sought to turn the tables on the opposition over corruption by seeking an investigation into former first lady Kim Jung-sook’s alleged purchase of a Chanel jacket using public funds, as it reels from a similar scandal involving current leader Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife. People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kang Min-kuk said Kim’s custom-made black and white coat resulted in “a noticeable loss in government funds”. “What really needs to be addressed and questioned is the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3250320/south-korea-officials-shift-attention-dior-bag-scandal-ex-first-ladys-chanel-coat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3250320/south-korea-officials-shift-attention-dior-bag-scandal-ex-first-ladys-chanel-coat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:39:10 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. On January 2, Kim Yo-jong, the vice-director of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, issued a statement titled “New Year Message to the President of the Republic of Korea”... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3247923/north-koreas-message-should-spark-rethink-souths-peace-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3247923/north-koreas-message-should-spark-rethink-souths-peace-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jan 2024 03:30:09 +0000 With the biggest-ever Asian Games in full swing, host China has high hopes not only of dominating the medal table but also of softening its image and mending fences with its neighbours. Major sporting events offer a chance to rebuild trust and bridge differences, but observers warned the task of rebuilding relations through the 19th Asiad – delayed for a year by the Covid-19 pandemic – may prove particularly daunting for Beijing. Ties with China’s Northeast Asian neighbours are at a low point,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3236077/asian-games-chance-china-break-ice-sports-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3236077/asian-games-chance-china-break-ice-sports-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2023 14:30:19 +0000 South Korea’s recent summit with Pacific island nations reflects its wider strategy of becoming a “global pivotal state” with a more expansive role beyond East Asia, even as analysts warn that its apparent tilt towards the United States risks a collision with China. The two-day inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands summit held in Seoul last month saw agreements on expanding cooperation in economic development, security and responding to climate change. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3224373/south-koreas-overwhelming-pro-us-pacific-tilt-triggers-alarm-china-could-become-nightmare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3224373/south-koreas-overwhelming-pro-us-pacific-tilt-triggers-alarm-china-could-become-nightmare?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jun 2023 01:30:11 +0000 The Yoon Suk-yeol government in South Korea says it wants to “foster a sustainable peace” on the Korean peninsula. That’s according to the administration’s recently published national security strategy, which outlines three main objectives: enhancing the safety of its citizens, establishing peace on the peninsula and preparing for future unification, and laying the foundation for East Asia’s prosperity. Although these goals are worth striving for, the methods proposed by the Yoon government may... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3224073/south-koreas-national-security-strategy-recycles-failed-hardline-approaches-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3224073/south-koreas-national-security-strategy-recycles-failed-hardline-approaches-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:30:18 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday that he was doubtful whether China’s ambassador had an attitude of mutual respect, as local media reported that South Korea is pivoting towards a “hard-line stance” in its relations with Beijing. Yoon made the comment during a cabinet meeting after the Chinese envoy had warned Seoul against making “wrong bets” in the China-US rivalry, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing multiple people who attended the session. Last week, Seoul’s foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3223908/south-korea-pivots-hard-line-stance-china-yoon-questions-envoys-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3223908/south-korea-pivots-hard-line-stance-china-yoon-questions-envoys-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 07:33:58 +0000 The Seoul Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took appropriate measures by refusing to disclose the minutes of a controversial Korea-Japan deal on former sex slaves signed in 2015, upholding a decision by an appellate court. The latest ruling is viewed by many as favouring President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been striving to improve the country’s relations with Japan that were strained during the previous Moon Jae-in government due to disputes over historical... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3222623/seoul-tokyo-wwii-sex-slaves-information-will-not-be-disclosed-top-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3222623/seoul-tokyo-wwii-sex-slaves-information-will-not-be-disclosed-top-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:37:58 +0000 Japan and South Korea look headed for more stable ties as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares to visit Seoul for talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol next week, but efforts aimed at furthering detente between the neighbours are unlikely to stifle domestic criticism of their approach to historical differences, analysts said. The planned talks come after the two countries held their first bilateral finance leaders’ meeting in seven years on Tuesday, a sign relations between the two are thawing as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3219165/japan-south-korea-seek-set-past-aside-eye-hostile-china-north-korea-russia-it-makes-perfect-sense?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3219165/japan-south-korea-seek-set-past-aside-eye-hostile-china-north-korea-russia-it-makes-perfect-sense?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 May 2023 01:30:15 +0000 Her badly decomposed body was found in a rundown Seoul flat about a year after she died, discovered only after government housing officials sought to evict her for failing to pay the rent. The woman, 49, had been well known in the community of North Korean defectors. After fleeing the reclusive nation in the early 2000s, she soon became a success story for South Korea’s resettlement programme – even counselling other defectors on how to transition to life in a modern nation. So it came as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3215202/north-korean-defectors-regret-fleeing-they-die-lonely-deaths-wealthy-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3215202/north-korean-defectors-regret-fleeing-they-die-lonely-deaths-wealthy-south?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Mar 2023 04:02:15 +0000 Tensions are rising again on the Korean peninsula with US-South Korea military drills under way. North Korea has responded by firing missiles before and during the 11-day exercise, raising fears of a direct military confrontation. It appears that the balanced diplomatic strategy South Korea has long pursued is being increasingly neglected. Given its complex geopolitical position, Seoul has had to strike a fine balance to ensure its long-term stability and security. Under the previous Moon Jae-in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213609/kim-jong-un-fires-more-missiles-and-threats-south-koreas-hardline-strategy-failing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213609/kim-jong-un-fires-more-missiles-and-threats-south-koreas-hardline-strategy-failing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2023 00:15:13 +0000 On the Imjin River, which crosses the heavily guarded demilitarised zone (DMZ) – the buffer area between the two Koreas – layers of ice were visible, a neat metaphor for hostilities between the two sides which have been largely frozen for 70 years. No North Korean troops were seen on their side of the 245-kilometre (152-mile) Military Demarcation Line, the border marking the Korean war battlefront in 1953, when North Korea, China and the US-led United Nations Command finally signed an armistice... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3210648/north-and-south-korea-remain-divided-ever-70-years-after-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3210648/north-and-south-korea-remain-divided-ever-70-years-after-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Feb 2023 08:00:16 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol last week publicly floated the possibility of the country acquiring nuclear weapons if the security situation on the Korean peninsula continues to worsen. “If the problem becomes more serious, South Korea could have tactical nuclear weapons deployed or secure its own nuclear weapons,” he said, adding that “if things turn out this way, we will be able to acquire [nuclear weapons] quickly thanks to our science and technological capabilities”. He also ordered... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3206988/why-south-korea-should-not-go-down-nuclear-weapons-route?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3206988/why-south-korea-should-not-go-down-nuclear-weapons-route?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:30:11 +0000 Japan and South Korea agreed on Friday to continue close communication in a bid to resolve a dispute over wartime labour, according to the Japanese government, a day after Seoul suggested a solution to the issue, which has worsened bilateral ties. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his South Korean counterpart Park Jin pledged to restore healthy bilateral relations and further develop them by resolving the pending issue, when they spoke over the phone, the Japanese Foreign Ministry... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3206941/will-security-concerns-over-china-north-korea-push-japan-south-korea-resolve-wartime-labour-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3206941/will-security-concerns-over-china-north-korea-push-japan-south-korea-resolve-wartime-labour-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:30:23 +0000 A North Korean drone entered the northern end of a no-fly zone surrounding South Korea’s presidential office in Seoul when it intruded into the South’s airspace last week, the South’s military said on Thursday. It was among five North Korean drones that crossed into the South on December 26, prompting South Korea’s military to scramble fighter jets and attack helicopters. The military was unable to bring down the drones, which flew over the South for hours. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3205663/seoul-says-north-korean-drone-entered-crucial-no-fly-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3205663/seoul-says-north-korean-drone-entered-crucial-no-fly-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jan 2023 07:51:09 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Wednesday he would consider suspending a 2018 agreement that created maritime buffer zones with the North should Pyongyang “violate” Seoul’s territory again. The deal, struck during a period of high-profile diplomacy at a summit in Pyongyang, aimed to reduce military tensions along the heavily fortified border. At the time, the two sides agreed to “cease various military exercises aimed at each other along the military demarcation line”, but Pyongyang... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3205533/seoul-warns-north-korea-over-buffer-zone-pact-if-it-violates-souths-airspace-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3205533/seoul-warns-north-korea-over-buffer-zone-pact-if-it-violates-souths-airspace-again?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jan 2023 07:41:01 +0000 South Korea’s military said North Korea fired about 130 suspected artillery rounds on Monday into the water near their western and eastern sea borders, the latest military action contributing to worsening relations between the neighbours. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons, fired from North Korea’s western and eastern coastal areas, fell within the northern side of buffer zones created under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement to reduce military tensions. There were no immediate... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3202140/south-korea-says-north-korea-fired-artillery-rounds-near-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3202140/south-korea-says-north-korea-fired-artillery-rounds-near-border?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:22:47 +0000 South Korea’s former national security director was arrested on Saturday over a suspected cover-up surrounding North Korea’s killing of a South Korean fisheries official near the rivals’ sea boundary in 2020. Suh Hoon’s arrest early on Saturday came as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative government investigates his liberal predecessor’s handling of that killing and another border incident the same year, cases that prompted criticism Seoul was desperately trying to appease the North to improve... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3201956/south-korea-arrests-ex-top-security-official-over-border-killing-cover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3201956/south-korea-arrests-ex-top-security-official-over-border-killing-cover?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Dec 2022 11:17:11 +0000 South Korea’s former President Moon Jae-in said on Monday he plans to give up a pair of dogs sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift following their 2018 summit, citing a lack of support from his successor. Moon has raised the white Pungsan dogs named “Gomi” and “Songgang” since their arrival in the South and took them to his personal residence after his term ended in May. The dogs are legally categorised as state property belonging to the presidential archives, but Moon’s office said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3198708/south-koreas-moon-jae-give-dogs-gifted-kim-jong-un-regretful-move-ex-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3198708/south-koreas-moon-jae-give-dogs-gifted-kim-jong-un-regretful-move-ex-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:39:52 +0000 Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso was due to hold talks in Seoul on Wednesday with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol over the issue of Koreans forced into labour for Japanese companies during Tokyo’s colonial occupation of the peninsula. The controversial issue has dogged bilateral relations for generations but became more acute under Yoon’s immediate predecessor, Moon Jae-in. Seoul is seeking to get ties back on track and Aso’s visit is being seen as a clear sign that Tokyo also wishes... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3198143/will-taro-asos-past-overshadow-japan-and-south-koreas-bid-settle-wartime-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3198143/will-taro-asos-past-overshadow-japan-and-south-koreas-bid-settle-wartime-history?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:45:13 +0000 South Korea’s former defence minister and coastguard chief were arrested on Saturday over their alleged involvement in covering up facts and distorting the circumstances surrounding North Korea’s killing of a Seoul fisheries official in 2020 near the rivals’ tense sea border. The arrests came as the government of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol expands investigations into the 2020 killing and another border incident the year before that prompted criticism that Seoul’s previous liberal... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3196867/ex-south-korean-defence-minister-coastguard-chief-arrested-over-official-killed-north?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3196867/ex-south-korean-defence-minister-coastguard-chief-arrested-over-official-killed-north?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 02:10:20 +0000 Already battling record-low approval ratings, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has landed in trouble again after his disparaging remarks about key ally the United States were caught on a hot mic. Yoon, a political novice who took office in May, is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, and chatted on Wednesday with Joe Biden during a photo op at the Global Fund where the US President had just pledged US$6 billion. “How could Biden not lose damn face if these f***ers do not... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3193387/south-koreas-yoon-suk-yeols-foul-mouthed-criticism-us-caught?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3193387/south-koreas-yoon-suk-yeols-foul-mouthed-criticism-us-caught?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2022 06:35:03 +0000 When North Korean soldiers found a South Korean fisheries official in their territorial waters, they shot him dead and burned the body – an incident so shocking it later prompted Kim Jong-un to apologise. Details are sketchy – and mostly classified – but exactly how and why the official came to be floating in a life jacket above the sea border known as the Northern Limit Line in September 2020 has become a bitter political debate in the South. Was the 47-year-old official, Lee Dae-jun, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3192032/murder-sea-how-did-south-korean-fisheries-official-come-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3192032/murder-sea-how-did-south-korean-fisheries-official-come-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Sep 2022 01:00:30 +0000 There are indications that the previously icy diplomatic relationship between Japan and South Korea may be thawing – although analysts point out that hurdles still need to be overcome if the nations are to put history in the past and build more collaborative and lasting ties. The two nations’ vice-ministers of defence will on Wednesday hold the first face-to-face talks in more than six years to discuss a number of thorny issues, not least of which is Tokyo’s claim that a South Korean warship... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3191514/south-korea-japan-set-first-high-level-defence-talks-6-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3191514/south-korea-japan-set-first-high-level-defence-talks-6-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:30:23 +0000