6 h. ago For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The recent military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory against the Japanese invasion was a stunning display of precision and power. Rows of soldiers moved with robotic synchrony and new weapons systems – hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft and autonomous drones – rolled past Tiananmen Square, signalling China’s arrival as a military peer to the United States. The presence of leaders from across the Global South, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean...

Politics

16 h. ago South Korea’s Lee calls US raid ‘bewildering’, says saga could hit investment

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Thursday that a massive US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site could have a “significant impact” on future direct investment. The raid, which saw hundreds of South Korean workers chained and handcuffed, was “bewildering” he said, adding it “could have a significant impact on future investment decisions, particularly when evaluating the feasibility of direct operations in the US”. Last week’s raid at a Hyundai Motor project site in...

Events

16 h. ago South Korea’s Lee says ‘bewildering’ Hyundai raid could hit US investment

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Thursday that a massive US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site was “bewildering” and could have a chilling effect on future investment. Seoul is expecting hundreds of workers detained during last week’s raid in the US state of Georgia to be released from detention on Thursday and flown back home. President Lee blamed the raid on “cultural differences”, saying that in South Korea, minor visa infractions by American nationals were not...

Events

16 h. ago South Koreans to leave US without handcuffs after arrest causes ‘great pain’

Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a surprise raid in Georgia last week will be allowed to fly home on Thursday after the two countries’ top diplomats met in Washington and agreed to resolve a dispute that has roiled bilateral ties. President Donald Trump agreed to South Korean demands that the workers not be handcuffed, and the US will consider creating a new visa category to prevent future problems, according to Yonhap News. It said 330 people, almost all of them South Korean, will...

Events

28 h. ago 10 South Korean soldiers injured in unexpected explosion during military drill

At least 10 soldiers were injured in an explosion during a live-fire simulation drill at a South Korean military base on Wednesday, the defence ministry in Seoul said. The explosion happened at a military base in the northern border city of Paju, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement, where an artillery unit was conducting a drill simulating live-fire procedures but without real ammunition. “At approximately 3.24pm on Wednesday, a mock training round designed to simulate artillery fire and...

Events

37 h. ago ‘I’m nervous’: fear grips South Koreans planning US trips after raid

Concerns are mounting among South Koreans planning trips to the United States amid fears that immigration authorities may tighten entry procedures after the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia. Goo, a 33-year-old office worker preparing for a honeymoon in Hawaii next month, said he is worried his Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) approval may be delayed or denied. “It used to come through in a day or two without problems, but this time I’m nervous it...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump warns foreign companies after South Koreans detained in huge US raid

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned foreign companies to obey US law after immigration officials arrested some 475 individuals including South Korean workers at a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia. The arrests were made in a raid by US authorities on Thursday during the largest single-site operation implemented so far under Trump’s nationwide anti-migrant drive. “Please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” the president posted on social media...

Events

5 d. ago ‘Deeply concerned’: South Korea vows to support citizens arrested in US raid

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered all-out efforts on Saturday to respond to the arrests of hundreds of the nation’s citizens in a US immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor car battery factory. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the government had set up a team to respond to Thursday’s arrest of more than 300 Koreans at the facility in the southern state of Georgia, and that he could go to Washington to meet officials if needed. “I am deeply concerned. I feel heavy responsibility for the...

Events

6 d. ago Seoul expresses ‘concern’ over US immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant

South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large”, though he did not provide an exact figure. His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta...

Politics

8 d. ago North Korea's Kim and South Korean parliament speaker shake hands in Beijing

North Korea's Kim and South Korean parliament speaker shake hands in Beijing  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago As US adds more semiconductor hurdles, Chinese firms could seize an opportunity

China’s drive for economic self-reliance is raising the spirits and prospects of its semiconductor industry, as insiders expect more home-grown technologies after Washington revoked waivers for some foreign-owned chipmakers’ factories in China to use US technologies in their operations. The Chinese branches of South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix, as well as Intel Semiconductor (Dalian), will lose their fast-track status for compliance as “validated end-users”, meaning they will need to...

Politics

1 week ago Tesla sees exodus of South Korean retail investors as crypto’s allure rises

South Korea’s retail investors are losing faith in Tesla’s stock, ramping up their selling last month amid growing disillusionment with the electric carmaker and rising interest in cryptocurrencies. Individual investors in South Korea sold a net US$657 million of Tesla stock in August, the largest outflow since at least early 2023, according to Bloomberg calculations of depository data. Investors have instead favoured even more volatile bets such as Bitmine Immersion Technologies, seen as a...

Economics

1 week ago South Korea’s Samsung, SK Hynix stocks sag after US revokes China chip permits

Shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix slid on Monday after the Trump administration decided to make it harder for the world’s largest memory chipmakers to ship critical equipment to their giant Chinese operations. The surprise ruling deals a potential blow to their production in the world’s largest semiconductor market. While both South Korean companies have memory plants in their home market, China accounts for a major slice of their global output. Samsung sank more than 2 per cent, while...

Politics

1 week ago North Korean leader irks South and US in alliance with China

North Korean leader irks South and US in alliance with China  The Korea Times

Politics

1 week ago ‘My heart breaks’: North Korea’s Kim comforts families of fallen troops

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with the families of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine and offered condolences for their “unbearable pain”, state media said on Saturday. Pyongyang has not confirmed the number of its soldiers that died fighting for Russia, though Seoul estimates around 600, with thousands more wounded. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said the North sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in 2024 – primarily to the Kursk region – along...

Politics

2 w. ago South Korea’s ‘Gangnam Style’ star Psy faces police probe over drug allegations

Psy, the South Korean pop phenomenon whose song “Gangnam Style” became a global hit in 2012, is under police investigation for allegedly obtaining prescription psychotropic drugs through intermediaries, bypassing required in-person hospital consultations. Seoul Seodaemun Police Station confirmed on Thursday that Psy – real name Park Jae-sang – and a university hospital doctor had been arrested on suspicion of violating South Korea’s medical law, according to the Yonhap news agency. The...

Events

2 w. ago The risks of South Korea’s gambit for peace on Korean peninsula

In his first Liberation Day address, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung spoke optimistically and promised timely action in inter-Korean affairs. As he addressed the nation on August 15, Lee laid emphasis on peace as the foundation of his administration’s policy towards North Korea, stressing that reconciliation and stability must form the future of inter-Korean relations. However, Pyongyang’s reaction to Lee’s overtures so far has been less than reconciliatory. North Korea has not wavered from...

Events

2 w. ago Seoul reluctant on Trump’s push for more flexible US Forces Korea

South Korea’s new president has signalled reluctance to give ground to US President Donald Trump on the role of US forces in Korea in relation to Taiwan, but experts say he may be continually pushed to take a clearer stance in the future. On Sunday, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung told reporters on his flight to Washington for an inaugural summit with Trump that it was difficult to agree to an American demand for strategic flexibility of US Forces Korea (USFK). Lee, who became president in...

Politics

2 w. ago Seoul balks at Taiwan role for US troops stationed in South Korea

Seoul may be reluctant to support the White House’s call for South Korea-based US troops to shift their focus from the North to a Taiwan conflict but it might be forced to get behind the strategy, according to analysts. On his way to meet his US counterpart in Washington on Sunday, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said it would be difficult to agree to an American demand for US Forces Korea (USFK) to have “strategic flexibility”. “This is not an issue we can easily agree with,” said Lee, who...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s 200% rare earth tariff threat proof of China’s leverage: analysts

Revived threats of tariff increases from US President Donald Trump over China’s supply of rare earth elements highlight the minerals’ importance in global manufacturing, analysts said – and show Beijing its dominance in this area remains a potent source of leverage in trade negotiations. China will face “200 per cent tariffs, or something” unless it continues to ensure shipments of permanent magnets containing the minerals will reach the US, Trump said during a meeting with South Korean...

Politics