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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
People walk along Takeshita Street, Harajuku, Tokyo. The number of tourist arrivals in Japan rose by 15.8 per cent to a record 42.7 million last year. Photo: EPA
Japan

Has Japan’s tourism peaked? Row with China set to slow arrivals from record high

A major travel firm says tourist arrivals in Japan are expected to fall this year from a record 42.7 million in 2025.

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North Korea

Pentagon shifts North Korean responsibility to ‘capable’ South

Cambodia

Video | South Korean scam suspects brought home from Cambodia

Hong Kong transport

Air travellers are being urged to ditch power banks. Here’s why

Hong Kong tour operator says it has asked its clients to bring charging cables instead.

Passengers will no longer be allowed to charge their electronic devices using portable batteries while flying with Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul. Photo: Yonhap News
Cambodia

73 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia face online scam probe

Arriving in handcuffs, the suspects allegedly scammed fellow South Koreans out of US$33 million.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s defence deal with Bosnia signals Asian middle power’s clout

The deal is in line with Jakarta’s goal to pursue an ‘active and free’ foreign policy beyond its Western partners.

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Fame and celebrity

K-drama star Cha Eun-woo’s ad campaigns pulled amid tax scrutiny in South Korea

The actor is contesting an additional tax assessment of more than US$13 million tied to a company registered under his mother’s name.

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South Korean actor Cha Eun-woo. Photo: Instagram/eunwo.o_c
Food and Drinks

Dubai chewy cookie: K-pop post sparks viral South Korean snack frenzy

South Korea’s highly interconnected culture has fuelled a series of viral food crazes, the latest being a chocolate-loaded cookie known locally as ‘dujjonku’.

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Hong Kong entertainment

Blackpink fans gear up for Hong Kong finale

K-pop fans are gearing up for shows, with Hong Kong the final stop of the band’s global tour.

Animals

South Korea banned dog meat. Now what happens to 500,000 animals?

As South Korea moves to end dog meat consumption by 2027, the government lacks a clear survival plan for nearly half a million caged dogs.

Dogs are seen in cages at a dog farm in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in June 2023. Photo: AP
Yoon Suk-yeol

South Korean court’s harsh jail term for Han sets stage for Yoon’s verdict

The ex-prime minister was jailed for 23 years for his role in Yoon’s martial law decree, deemed an ‘insurrection from above’ by the court.

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Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo (right) is questioned by a reporter as he arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Yoon Suk-yeol

Video | Former South Korean PM Han jailed for 23 years

A ‌judge said Han Duck-soo ‘disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end’.

Korean drama reviews

Undercover Miss Hong: Park Shin-hye tackles corruption in workplace K-drama

Park plays a financial investigator infiltrating a corrupt firm in Undercover Miss Hong, a ’90s-set drama that also tackles gender equality.

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Aviation

Why South Korea’s flight attendants are forced to brave bitter cold in uniforms

Flight attendants commute in uniform due to lack of changing rooms at Incheon Airport as labour groups fight for better conditions.

Flight attendants of Asiana Airlines (left) and Korean Air pose at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 2 in South Korea. Photo: The Korea Times
South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s ex-PM Han gets 23 years in prison for insurrection

A ‌judge said Han Duck-soo ‘disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end’.

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Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo (centre) arrives at the Seoul Central District Court for his sentencing trial in the insurrection case on Wednesday. Photo: AP
North Korea

Seoul warns North Korea’s nuclear weapons will soon go ‘abroad’

Pyongyang is producing nuclear material for up to 20 weapons annually, President Lee Jae Myung says.

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North Korea

‘Goat yoked to an ox cart’: Kim Jong-un fires minister amid factory delay

By firing vice-minister Yang Sung-ho on the spot, Kim appears to be asserting his authority ahead of a crucial party congress, experts say.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks trade rangebound on Japan bond rout, Greenland unease

Signs emerge that the flare-up of geopolitical tensions could spill over to the financial markets.

A man talks on the phone in front of an electronic board displaying data on Japan’s 10-year government bonds outside a brokerage in Tokyo on January 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Taiwan

Critics in Taiwan question true cost of US deal hailed for tariff cut

Debate centres on Taiwan’s financial commitment to the US – whether US$250 billion or US$500 billion – and if it will harm the economy.

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United States

How Project 2025 is reshaping immigration for Korean-Americans

Activist Kim Dong-seok warns lack of White House restraint has blurred immigration lines, leaving Korean-American residents in constant fear.

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Aviation

Seoul airport ‘suicide flight’ threat sparks police manhunt in South Korea

A self-proclaimed pilot has threatened a crash and stabbing at Gimpo Airport in protest against the merger of Korean Air and Asiana.

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An Asiana Airlines plane takes off from an airport in Seoul on January 14. Photo: Korea Times
North Korea

Crossing a line: did military spies help a student fly drones into North Korea?

What began as a student’s claim of hunting radioactive waste has spiralled into a scandal linking military spies to dangerous border flights.

The remains of a drone North Korea claims breached its airspace on January 4. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks cap longest slide in 2 months on China slowdown

Investors hold off on bets after reports show fourth-quarter growth decelerated and property prices continued to slide.

Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

Semiconductors

Explainer | Will Trump’s new industrial policy make the global memory chip shortage worse?

The US government warns major memory chipmakers to either pay 100 per cent duties or build their products in America.

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The current shortage and rising prices of regular dynamic random access memory chips have severely affected the consumer electronics market. Photo: Shutterstock
US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

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An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US President Donald Trump and tied with a rope, kneels next to a container with the words, “My Oil”, in an rally to condemn the US military action in Venezuela, in Seoul, South Korea, on January 5. Photo: Reuters
Pop culture in Asia

Language Matters | Senpai, bingsu, ramyeon: new Korean and Japanese words in the OED

The latest additions to the Oxford English Dictionary include many words and phrases from popular Korean and Japanese culture.

North Korea

Seoul takes aim at North Korea’s leadership bunkers with ‘monster missile’

The missile, capable of carrying a warhead of up to eight tonnes, has been deployed to frontline military units.

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