US agrees South Korea not a currency manipulator: Seoul
The United States has agreed that South Korea is not manipulating its currency for trade advantage, a spokesperson for President Lee Jae Myung said on Sunday. The two allies agreed that Seoul does not fall under the manipulator designation that the US Treasury Department announces in reports twice a year, Kang Yu-jung told a press […]
Read MoreSuicide overtakes cancer as top cause of death among South Koreans in their 40s
Suicide has overtaken cancer as the main cause of death among South Koreans in their forties for the first time since records began in 1983, amid growing concerns that the country is facing a mental health crisis. The country recorded 14,872 suicides last year – a 6.3 per cent rise from the previous year and […]
Read MoreSeoul estimates North Korea has up to 2 tonnes of highly enriched uranium
North Korea is believed to possess up to two tonnes of highly enriched uranium, South Korea’s unification minister said Thursday. “Intelligence agencies estimate Pyongyang’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium – more than 90 per cent pure – at up to 2,000 kilogrammes,” South Korea’s unification minister Chung Dong-young told reporters. “Even at this very hour, […]
Read MoreTrump and Xi make progress on TikTok deal, plan to meet in South Korea
US President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping made progress on a TikTok agreement and would meet face-to-face in six weeks in South Korea to discuss trade, illicit drugs and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two sides appeared to lower tensions during the first call in three months between the leaders of […]
Read MoreSouth Korea vows ‘strong action’ against anti-China protests amid efforts to reset ties
By Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s prime minister has ordered a clampdown on anti-China demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy, amid warnings that such protests could derail Seoul’s efforts to reset ties with Beijing. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday directed law enforcement to “take strong action” against the increasingly disruptive rallies, which had led to merchants […]
Read MoreSouth Korea aims to resolve US visa issues before executing $350 billion investment
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said yesterday (19 September) the government will work to address problems faced by Korean workers with US visas before proceeding with a $350 billion investment package that is part of a bilateral trade deal. His remarks come after a recent US immigration raid resulted in the arrest of hundreds […]
Read MoreSamsung heir enrols to be South Korean naval officer, sparking national service debate
The eldest son of Samsung Group chairman Lee Jae-yong, heir to one of South Korea’s richest families, has enlisted to become a naval officer, one of the most demanding military roles in the country. In doing so, Lee Jee-ho joins a growing cohort of scions of family-run conglomerates who are opting for longer, more demanding […]
Read MoreSouth Korea’s former first lady and former prime minister indicted by special prosecutors
SEOUL: South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were indicted Friday in special investigations that followed the ousting of the former president for imposing martial law. The wife of jailed ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol was charged with violating financial market and political funding laws and receiving bribes, about […]
Read MoreSouth Korea’s Lee faces pivotal test at first summit with Trump
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, will face a pivotal moment on Monday when he meets US President Donald Trump in Washington for their first summit, as the countries’ decades-old alliance strains to confront rapid geopolitical changes. Much is riding on the meeting for Lee, who took office in June after a snap election […]
Read More‘South Korea needs Japan’: as Lee and Ishiba meet, hopes for closer ties grow
By Julian Ryall South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s push for closer ties with Tokyo has upended expectations in Japan, with analysts describing his outreach as a pragmatic shift that could reshape the tone of bilateral ties long coloured by historical disputes. Lee is due in Japan on Saturday for a two-day summit with Prime Minister […]
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