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South Korea
South Korea
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
Lee Jae-myung
Lee Jae-myung
Head of Government
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok
A man displays a Rising Sun Flag, the Japanese naval ensign, at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

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Trending in China

Korean husband sues wife for ‘malicious abandonment’ after refusal to donate liver

War and conflict

Opinion | Only true repentance from Japan can resolve East Asia’s ‘memory wars’

SCMP Highlights

Japan, US defence chiefs discuss China; Mexico’s tariffs: SCMP daily highlights

From Trump and Modi’s phone call to scientists addressing implant rejection with a soft brain chip, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on Friday about the radar row. Photo: Reuters
War and conflict

As I see it | Would the world be safer if the military were in charge of the US?

Capricious political leaders like Donald Trump and his defence chief may be more dangerous than responsible and battle-tested generals.

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Malaysia

Malaysian religious leaders urged to provide evidence of South Korean ‘cult’

Perlis state’s senior Islamic scholar alleged Muslim political elites were linked to the ‘deviant’ cult movement.

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United States

‘Crypto king’ Do Kwon gets 15 years in prison for misleading investors

The South Korean founder of Terraform Labs had previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from a US$40 billion stablecoin crash.

Police officers escort Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica in March 2024. Photo: AP
China-South Korea relations

Why South Korea poses a major challenge to China’s Middle East arms export drive

Both neighbours hope to expand exports to the region, but the Koreans may be better placed due to systems integration and political concerns.

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China-Japan relations

US joins Japan for military exercise amid Takaichi China row

The Japanese and US air forces flew a training mission over the Sea of Japan in wake of complaints from Tokyo about Chinese military activities in the region.

Lee Jae-myung

‘Wanted to make her ugly’: South Korean man arrested over scalding of partner

Police were called in after the couple went to hospital for treatment, raising suspicions of assault.

The woman shown with gauze on her face on December 3 suffered second-degree burns. Photo: Nnutt Aaomsin
Thailand

South Korea to end cosmetic surgery tax break that fuelled medical tourism boom

The Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons warned that ending the VAT refund scheme could drive foreign patients to rival destinations.

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Shin Sang-ho, director of Krismas Plastic Surgery in Seoul, prepares to administer a Botox injection in December 2020. Photo: Reuters
Korean peninsula

South Korea’s threat to dissolve corrupt religious groups risks blowback

President Lee’s move comes as a widening Unification Church bribery scandal implicates lawmakers from both major parties.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Mexico lawmakers approve tariff increase on Chinese and other Asian imports

The move, which still requires Senate approval, would affect goods like cars, clothes and steel from China, India, South Korea and elsewhere.

North Korea

North Korea promotes new beach resort to Chinese tourists in 2026 plan

The Wonsan beach resort and the Pyongyang Marathon highlight plans for Chinese visitors in a post-pandemic tourism push.

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Domestic tourists visit the beach at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea on July 1. Photo: AFP
Liancourt rocks

South Korea vows ‘stern response’ in Liancourt Rocks dispute with Japan

A senior South Korean official says the islets are an ‘integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law’.

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Members of South Korean Marine Corps take part in a military exercise in remote islands called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, in August 2019. Photo: South Korean Navy/Yonhap via Reuters
Artificial intelligence

South Korea mandates labels on AI-generated adverts to curb deepfakes

Platforms like YouTube and Facebook must ensure compliance with AI labels, or face punitive fines for non-compliance and label tampering.

China’s military drills

China-Russia bomber patrol ‘a serious security’ concern, Japanese minister says

Defence chief Shinjiro Koizumi says the exercise was ‘clearly intended to be a demonstration’ against Japan at a time of heightened tension.

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Cambodia

Thais attacked in South Korea as conflict with Cambodia spills over

Attackers reportedly asked ‘which country are you from?’ before hitting four men with bottles, leaving two with head injuries.

An injured person taken to a military helicopter during clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border in Thailand’s Surin province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
BTS

‘Erase the couple tattoo’: BTS’ Jungkook faces fan fury over dating rumours

Fans parked a protest truck outside the band’s management company’s office in Seoul, demanding clarity from the K-pop star.

North Korea

Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

Pyongyang wants nuclear recognition and analysts say Kim Jong-un is waiting on a Ukraine peace deal to boost his leverage with Washington.

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Yoon Suk-yeol

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

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People visit the Blue House in Seoul in 2022. Photo: AP
Social media

Editorial | Curbs on children’s social media use and screen time must strike a balance

The digital world is part of young people’s lives; there is a need to limit risks without depriving children of the benefits of being online.

A schoolboy looks at his phone in Melbourne on November 27, 2024. Australia will ban young teenagers from social media on December 10, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Photo: AFP
China’s military drills

2 Chinese, 7 Russian jets enter South Korean air defence zone near Japan

Chinese defence ministry cites annual joint strategic patrol with Russia, hours after South Korea says aircraft did not violate airspace.

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Asia housing and property

‘Only option I had’: as Seoul rents jump, many forced back into tiny rooms

More youngsters are being pushed into cramped goshiwon units as affordable housing crisis in the South Korean capital deepens.

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Scams and swindles

Letters | Cambodia is confronting the scourge of online scams head-on

Readers discuss the cross-border effort targeting the syndicates behind Cambodia’s scam farms, Malaysia’s first fully home-grown EV, and the investigation into the Tai Po fire in Hong Kong.

Suspects are detained during a police raid on a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 16. The operation was part of a nationwide crackdown on cybercrime networks, following Prime Minister Hun Manet’s order to shut down online scam operations often run like sweatshops. Photo: EPA
South Korean celebrities

South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

Cho Jin-woong has quit acting after a decades-old robbery conviction shattered a public image built playing morally upright heroes.

Cho Jin-woong in a still from “Believer”. Photo: Next Entertainment World
Climate change

Opinion | How Hong Kong can distinguish itself as a climate finance hub

The city should lead by directing capital to projects that modernise grids, electrify transport and accelerate green supply chains.

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North Korea

Trump drops North Korea denuclearisation goal, hinting at talks with Kim

Trump strategy omits North Korea denuclearistation; Pyongyang calls goal meaningless, demands US drop ‘absurd pursuit’ of its nuclear weapons.

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