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Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on South Korea, covering politics, economy, society, K-pop and Seoul’s relationships with North Korea, Japan, China and the United States.
Capital
Seoul
Head of State
President Yoon Suk-yeol
Yoon Suk-yeol
Head of Government
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo
Tang Wei (left) and Park Hae-il in a still from Decision to Leave, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 and won best director. Since then no Korean films have been screened in competition in Cannes, and none are in this year’s official selection for the festival. Photo: CJ Entertainment
Asian cinema: Korean films

Netflix effect seen in Korean films’ absence from Cannes festival

This year’s official selection for the Cannes Film Festival has no Korean movies. Streaming platforms have lured talent away, observers say.

Yoon Suk-yeol

‘I stopped caring’: South Koreans frustrated with constant leadership churn

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Video | South Korean acting president announces bid for office

Yoon Suk-yeol

South Korea presidential race heats up with Han’s entry, Lee’s retrial

Han Duck-soo joining the race to become the country’s next leader complicates the contest, and coincides with a retrial for rival Lee Jae-myung.

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South Korea’s Han Duck-soo said on Friday he would join the race to become the country’s next president. Photo: Yonhap/Reuters
Food and Drinks

On the Menu | How perilla seed oil, ‘Korea’s olive oil’, could become a global trend

Perilla oil, made from the seeds of the perilla or shiso plant, is a must-have in your pantry. Try it in noodles or over vanilla ice cream.

Beauty

Seoul’s plastic surgery clinics see surge in foreign medical tourists

Influenced by K-pop and social media, Chinese and Indonesians join Japanese, Americans, Russians seeking facelifts, skin tightening in Korea.

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Yoon Suk-yeol

Front-runner Lee’s path to presidency hit by South Korea’s top court ruling

The ruling could sway moderate voters even if Lee stays on the ballot, experts say.

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South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung attends a ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 30. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap
Food and Drinks

Chefs share their passion for Korean ingredients, show how to use them

A tour of a Seoul market reveals a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs. Korean chefs demonstrate their uses in fusion and homestyle fare.

US-China trade war

Japan lawmakers warn US tariffs threaten security as China looms

Donald Trump’s policy called a national security challenge as trade negotiations continue between Tokyo and Washington.

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Books and literature

A peek inside Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s new book, Light and Thread

Consisting of 12 essays and poems, Light and Thread is Han’s first book since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in October 2024.

Han Kang, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2024, is the author of a number of acclaimed books including The Vegetarian, Human Acts and We Do Not Part. Photo: AFP
Crime

Quick-thinking South Korean police rescue woman after silent 112 call for help

The wordless phone call received a rapid police response thanks to Senior Patrol Officer Kim Hye-jin’s instincts and training.

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A screengrab from tthe National Police Agency’s ‘Knock Knock’ campaign. Photo: Youtube/Korean National Police Agency
Yoon Suk-yeol

South Korea conducts historic raid on ex-president Yoon’s home

Yoon Suk-yeol’s home was raided amid influence peddling allegations involving his wife and close aides.

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North Korea

North Korea test-fires missiles from its first-ever destroyer

The 5,000-tonne warship was launched off the country’s west coast last week. Experts say it was likely built with Russian help.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Mainland China to host first K-pop concert since ‘K-wave ban’ began in 2016

Epex’s concert in Fuzhou on May 31 is raising expectations that Beijing may ease restrictions on K-pop culture in mainland China.

Eight-member K-pop boy band Epex debuted on June 8, 2021 with the EP Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety. Photo: C9 Entertainment
Aviation

Air Busan passenger detained by Chinese police after latest emergency door scare

South Korean airlines have been urged to enhance their security measures following a spate of mid-flight incidents.

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There has been a spate of incidents where passengers attempt to open emergency exit doors on board South Korean flights. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime

Student in South Korea injures 7 during stabbing rampage at Cheongju high school

Police are investigating the motive behind the shocking attack that injured educators, staff and a parent.

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North Korea

Casualties and a Kremlin call: North Korea’s Ukraine war admission unpacked

Until recently, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang had admitted to North Korea’s involvement in the conflict.

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

What Just B’s Bain coming out as gay shows about Korea’s progress on LGBTQ

With Bain the first active member of a K-pop boy group to publicly come out as gay, is Korean society beginning to shift towards acceptance?

Bain of Just B attends the release showcase event for the K-pop boy group’s first single album, Just Beat, at Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul, South Korea, on October 27, 2021. Photo: Imazins via Getty Images
E-commerce

Labubu mania takes China’s Pop Mart to top of US App Store charts

Before the recent surge in interest in Chinese e-commerce platforms, Pop Mart’s business was already booming.

Diplomacy

Opinion | As Trump rides roughshod over trade, China is ready to pick up the pieces

China’s message of stable cooperation is resonating as Trump accelerates the birth of a post-US world with rising powers independent of US whims.

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Yoon Suk-yeol

Lee Jae-myung wins party primary for snap presidential election

South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party named Lee Jae-myung, the party’s ex-leader, as its candidate for the snap presidential election.

South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung celebrates after winning the Democratic party’s nomination for the June 3 presidential snap election, on Sunday. Photo: AP
Japan

Why a proposed Japan-US unified defence zone makes South Korea uneasy

Despite US enthusiasm, South Korea fears being drawn into conflicts beyond the Korean peninsula, such as the Taiwan Strait.

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (left) with Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo on March 30. Photo: EPA-EFE
Trade

South Korea, US aim for ‘July package’ to resolve tariff disputes

Seoul has offered to partner with Washington in shipbuilding and energy, and says it aims to address their bilateral trade imbalance.

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Women and gender

South Korea’s uphill battle against sex crimes

Experts indicate that legislation alone is insufficient to address the surge of digital sex crimes in South Korea.

DeepSeek

Video | South Korea says DeepSeek sent data and prompts to China

DeepSeek previously said it overlooked data protection laws when transferring input to a Beijing-based cloud service platform owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok

South Korea says DeepSeek sent data to ByteDance-owned servers in China without consent
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Crime

‘I’m sorry’: man arrested after fatal Seoul supermarket stabbing spree

Local police are investigating whether the suspect has a history of mental illness and the reason for the attack.

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A man has been arrested in South Korea following a stabbing spree in a supermarket in Seoul that left one woman dead and another injured. Photo: Shutterstock
Offbeat

‘Don’t assume you don’t smell’: Korean firm tells workers to shower daily

The company also warned employees to be mindful of cigarette odours, sweat after exercise and clothes that haven’t been washed.

Food and Drinks

The best souvenir from Korea? It’s rice for some Japanese visitors

Amid a rice shortage in Japan that has seen prices rise 92 per cent in a year, Japanese visitors to Korea are buying the grain to take home.

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