https://www.scmp.com/rss/524209/feed The latest news and top stories on Oh Se-hoon, Seoul Mayor. Known for his extensive political career, he previously served as Mayor from 2006 to 2011 and as a National Assembly Member from 2000 to 2004. A lawyer by profession, he has championed urban development projects like Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Sebitseom. His current tenure focuses on inclusive climate action, social welfare initiatives and enhancing public safety. He is recognised for environmental leadership and policies aimed at... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Gwanghwamun Square, a plaza in Seoul framed by royal palaces and monuments to Korean national identity, is at the centre of a dispute over whether a massive new Korean war memorial belongs in a public space seen as a major tourist attraction and long associated with civic gatherings and pro-democracy protests. A row of 23 stone monuments representing South Korea and the 22 foreign countries that fought alongside it during the 1950-53 war was recently unveiled at the square. Located across from... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3353427/whale-bones-south-koreas-war-memorial-sparks-conflict-over-symbolism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3353427/whale-bones-south-koreas-war-memorial-sparks-conflict-over-symbolism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 09:12:09 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee For 42 years, Ha Sung-ki has sold large speakers to churches and event halls from his electronics shop inside Seoul’s Sewoon Plaza. On a weekday afternoon, the corridor outside – once part of a bustling merchants’ network – is largely empty. “These days, the number of customers crossing the street to come here can be counted on your fingers – sometimes fewer than 10 a day,” he said. “People used to come for the nostalgia, the vintage products and the experience of assembling electronic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3351379/iconic-south-korean-district-brink-divisive-urban-renewal-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3351379/iconic-south-korean-district-brink-divisive-urban-renewal-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters After a four-year break, K-pop supergroup BTS returned on Saturday with a massive and free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police locked down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle that drew tens of thousands of fans. All seven members of the band – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts. Organisers of the concert, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347405/ahead-bts-first-show-years-south-korean-police-lock-down-central-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347405/ahead-bts-first-show-years-south-korean-police-lock-down-central-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 02:46:41 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) has issued a belated apology for Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law – more than a year after it sparked a constitutional crisis that toppled his government. Yet analysts described the gesture as a tactical retreat by the ex-president’s former party, aimed at salvaging electoral fortunes rather than confronting its role in the fiasco. Delivered on Wednesday by PPP chairman Jang Dong-hyuk, the apology laid bare the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339055/south-koreas-conservatives-attempt-break-yoon-martial-law-apology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339055/south-koreas-conservatives-attempt-break-yoon-martial-law-apology?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A plan to construct South Korea’s first civic nuclear bunker in the country’s capital has raised eyebrows, as critics question both its practicality and potential to inflame public anxiety amid growing threats from the nuclear-armed North. Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan reflects both the growing unease over Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear arsenal and broader global instability, analysts say. City officials have confirmed that the underground fallout shelter will be built beneath a new public... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328962/seoul-build-its-first-public-nuclear-fallout-shelter-north-koreas-threats-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328962/seoul-build-its-first-public-nuclear-fallout-shelter-north-koreas-threats-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:39:01 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Across many parts of Asia, squat toilets are being phased out, particularly in urban areas and public facilities, as comfort and convenience increasingly emerge as overriding considerations. But even so, many places in the region still stick to the traditional squat toilets, preferring them over the modern equivalents, resisting what some describe as globalisation and modernity. On Wednesday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged to replace some 1,200 squat toilets inside the subway station restrooms... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3319397/asia-modernises-squat-toilets-are-being-dethroned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3319397/asia-modernises-squat-toilets-are-being-dethroned?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 02:00:09 +0000