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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
Chinese Go player Nie Weiping, who inspired legions of players, has died at the age of 73. Photo: Handout
Obituaries

Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73

The win catapulted him to national icon status and sparked a fever for the board game across China.

China-South Korea relations

South Korean leader takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

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SCMP Highlights

China’s Ningbo cuisine; Hong Kong goes Back to the Past: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks snap 4-day winning streak as Chinese tech giants falter

Online travel-booking agency Trip.com slumps 19 per cent after China opens antitrust probe into the company.

Hong Kong stocks have outperformed their US peers so far this year. Photo: China News Service/VCG
Hong Kong

Legal Tales | Time to end bid-rigging in Hong Kong with criminalisation, tougher enforcement

In the wake of the Tai Po fire, an all-too-common practice in building management and maintenance comes under the spotlight – and must be redressed.

IPO

Alibaba, JPMorgan said to back Chinese chip firm’s Hong Kong listing

Montage Technology could raise up to US$900 million in an IPO as soon as this month, sources say.

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Japan

Video | South Korea and Japan’s leaders jam to K-pop hits

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung and Japan’s Sanae Takaichi played drums while covering two K-pop songs from the boy band BTS and the animated film Kpop Demon Hunters.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pose with autographed drumsticks after playing drums together post their meeting and exchanging them, in Nara, western Japan, January 13, 2026. Yonhap via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.
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Cambodia

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

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Japan

South Korea-Japan summit exposes ‘strategic’ divide amid great-power tensions

While Seoul urged broader regional cooperation that would include China, Tokyo emphasised closer alignment with Washington.

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China travel

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

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Customers shop for skincare products at a duty-free shopping mall in China’s southern Hainan province. China has opened up to more duty-free retail in recent years, reducing the need for Chinese tourists to splash out while abroad. Photo: Getty Images
Netflix

Video | KPop Demon Hunters leads to record export of ramyeon

The surge in food exports from the country comes amid the popularity of Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters.

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South Korean celebrities

Video | KPop Demon Hunters leads to record export of Korean instant noodles in 2025

The surge in food exports from the country comes amid the popularity of Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters.

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Tourism

What’s fuelling South Korea’s running boom? A look at the fitness obsession

From office workers to ultra-marathoners, South Korea’s running boom is reshaping streets, travel and retail as millions hit the pavement.

South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s Yoon could become ‘martyr’ if given death penalty: analysts

While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely.

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A protester punches an effigy of Yoon Suk-yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul in 2024. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks advance as investors turn to China amid Middle East uncertainty

Hang Seng Index extends rally as regional markets find support amid rising tensions between the US and Iran.

People walk past Exchange Square in Central, home of bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. Photo: Nathan Tsui
Japan

Japan PM, South Korean president rock out to K-pop in surprise drum duet

The Japanese leader led the session by showing the South Korean president how to play the drums after their talks in Nara.

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South Korea martial law 2024

South Korean prosecutors demand death penalty for ex-leader Yoon

Prosecutors seek death for Yoon Suk-yeol over martial law decree that plunged the country into chaos. Experts expect a life term as executions are rare.

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Thailand

Suspected scam boss linked to South Korean student’s death arrested in Thailand

The arrest follows international outrage over the killing of the university student, which led to a joint Thai–South Korean investigation.

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South Korean police escort detainees at Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh on October 18, 2025, after a joint Cambodian–South Korean operation targeting scam networks linked to the trafficking of foreign nationals. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek founder’s latest paper proposes new model training to bypass GPU limits

The development underscores the start-up’s focus on maximising cost efficiency amid a deficit in computational power relative to the US.

Art

Damien Hirst and Do-ho Suh among top artists showing in Seoul in 2026

Seoul’s 2026 art scene will also see the opening of the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul and the return of the Gwangju and Busan biennales.

Aviation accidents

Fury erupts over ‘mound of death’ in South Korea’s worst air disaster

Opposition MPs accuse officials of trying to bury a report that blames a known design flaw for the nation’s deadliest crash.

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The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan PM seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Takaichi aims to bolster ties with Seoul by avoiding ‘divisive’ issues as Tokyo grapples with Beijing’s economic retaliation.

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South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung (left) and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during their meeting in Nara on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks climb as yuan strengthens and investors broaden focus beyond US

Hang Seng Index advances as investors shift focus, boosting Asian equities, with pharmaceutical and healthcare shares leading gainers.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

As optimism grows over an end to the Ukraine war, a weakening of Moscow’s support for Pyongyang may give Beijing new leverage to stabilise the Korean peninsula.

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Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Korean peninsula

South Koreans see joy in parenthood but fear economic strain

While 74 per cent see joy in children, 92 per cent say economic burdens impact family planning – a factor in South Korea’s record-low birth rate.

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South Koreans view parenthood as a source of joy, but widespread anxiety about financial burdens highlights a critical tension underlying the country’s low fertility rate and persistent economic worries. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia housing and property

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

Asia might have sidestepped the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but investors should focus on price growth, Japan’s resilience and the sustainability of the data centre boom.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks rise on tech, health as mainland China turnover hits record

Alibaba Health soars over paediatric drug deal as trading volume on Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges tops US$513 billion.

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