27 h. ago Why South Korea’s Gen Z are falling prey to the scam gangs of Southeast Asia

A growing number of young South Koreans are vanishing into Southeast Asia’s criminal underworld, lured by the promise of high-paying jobs – only to end up trafficked, tortured or killed. Many, fleeing a stagnant labour market at home, are being deceived by transnational crime syndicates into running online scams and illegal gambling operations. Others join willingly in search of easy money. But all eventually find themselves exploited, victims of criminal enterprises that span the lawless border...

Events

47 h. ago Singer Soyou denies intoxication after US flight ‘racial prejudice’ row

South Korean singer Soyou, 34, formerly of girl group Sistar, has denied online claims that she was drunk on a US flight where she said she experienced racial discrimination, clarifying that the incident stemmed from a language misunderstanding rather than alcohol consumption. In a social media post on Monday, Soyou said she only had “a small amount of alcohol served with a meal” at the airport lounge before boarding. “I was not intoxicated, and I boarded without any issue or restriction,” she...

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2 d. ago ‘An impossible dream’? South Korea wants to be among top 4 defence exporters

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday that the country would devote a “larger-than-expected budget” in defence and aerospace research until 2030 as it sought to build the world’s fourth-largest defence industry. Lee was speaking at South Korea’s largest-ever arms fair, the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition 2025, where companies showed off new unmanned and artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons from howitzers to suicide drones in pursuit of more global defence...

Politics

5 d. ago 64 South Korean ‘pig butchering’ suspects return home from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home Saturday. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by authorities in Cambodia over the alleged...

Politics

5 d. ago 64 South Korean cyber scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home on Saturday and were under arrest, police said. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by...

Politics

5 d. ago Outrage over celebrity revels at South Korean breast cancer event

A breast cancer awareness fundraiser by a South Korean high fashion magazine has come under fire for focusing too much on the celebrities and not on the cause itself. Photos and videos of celebrities such as BTS’ V and RM, Aespa’s Karina and Lovely Runner actor Byeon Woo-seok drinking and partying at W Korea’s “Love Your W 2025” breast cancer awareness campaign at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul’s Jongno district on Wednesday sparked criticism that the event looked more like a fashion party than...

Politics

5 d. ago Indonesia’s North Korea ties stoke worries in Seoul over jet tech leak

Indonesia’s renewed diplomatic engagement with North Korea has raised concerns in Seoul over the possible breach of sensitive technology related to the KF-21, a cutting-edge fighter jet jointly developed with the Southeast Asian nation. South Korean officials maintain that KF-21 data is protected under existing non-disclosure agreements with Jakarta. Still, critics point to Indonesia’s record on the joint project, including payment delays and leak scandals, which have undermined its...

Politics

6 d. ago South Koreans cancel Southeast Asia holidays over Cambodia trafficking fears

South Koreans are cancelling holidays not only to Cambodia but also to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, spooked by government travel bans and reports of compatriots being kidnapped, trafficked or killed by regional crime syndicates. A man in his fifties surnamed Son told the Korea JoongAng Daily he had just cancelled a December golf trip with friends to Phnom Penh. “It’s a waste to lose the cancellation fee,” he said, “but I just can’t bring myself to go...

Politics

7 d. ago Cambodia deploys South Korean’s ‘peaceful’ video to ease kidnapping fears

Amid growing concern over a series of kidnapping and confinement cases involving South Koreans in Cambodia, the country’s interior ministry has released a social media video featuring a South Korean woman praising Cambodia as a “peaceful and warm country”. The post on Tuesday, which included a message stating that a South Korean resident “wished to share her 13 years of life in Cambodia with Koreans and the world”, is seen as an attempt to ease rising fears among foreign residents following...

Events

7 d. ago South Korea says Yoon wanted special treatment for his pets in 2023 France trips

Former South Korean first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee requested special treatment for their pets from South Korea’s embassy in Paris during their visits to France in 2023, an opposition lawmaker has revealed. The couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them”, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said during a parliamentary audit on Monday, The Korea Times newspaper reported. “There were...

Politics

7 d. ago Did South Korea’s Yoon make ‘absurd demands’ for pet treatment on Paris trips?

Former South Korean first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee requested special treatment for their pets from South Korea’s embassy in Paris during their visits to France in 2023, an opposition lawmaker has revealed. The couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them”, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said during a parliamentary audit on Monday, The Korea Times newspaper reported. “There were...

Politics

7 d. ago South Koreans reveal beatings and organ harvesting in Cambodia’s scam camps

As South Korean victims of Cambodia’s scam camps recount frequent beatings, torture and even organ harvesting, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to step up efforts to rescue citizens trapped in the Southeast Asian nation. “It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day,” one South Korean who is a resident in Cambodia told Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. “It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘1 person dies every day’: South Koreans reveal horrors of Cambodia’s scam camps

As South Korean victims of Cambodia’s scam camps recount frequent beatings, torture and even organ harvesting, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to step up efforts to rescue citizens trapped in the Southeast Asian nation. “It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day,” one South Korean who is a resident in Cambodia told Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. “It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including...

Events

7 d. ago South Korea bans travel to notorious scam complex zones in Cambodia

South Korea has banned travel to certain parts of Cambodia after the death of a college student, reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a crime ring, shocked the nation and led to calls for stronger government intervention. On Wednesday, Seoul designated the Bokor Mountain area, Poipet and Bavet as travel ban zones. “South Korean nationals visiting or staying in those areas may be subject to penalties under the Passport Act and other relevant regulations. Citizens planning to travel to such areas...

Politics

8 d. ago Will Cambodia’s scam epidemic cause South Koreans to shun country?

The death of a South Korean student in Cambodia, leading to Seoul summoning the Cambodian ambassador, is set to dent tourism and Phnom Penh’s reputation in the eyes of the Korean public, but ties between both sides may not be drastically affected, according to analysts. Last Friday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun summoned the Cambodian ambassador in Seoul to protest the death of the student, linked to an employment scam in Cambodia. Cho also called for stronger measures to tackle the rising number of...

Politics

8 d. ago China sanctions 5 US subsidiaries of South Korean shipping giant

Beijing has announced sanctions against five US-based subsidiaries of the South Korean shipping giant Hanwha Ocean, accusing the firm of cooperating with Washington in its curbs on China’s maritime sector, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday. “Hanwha’s US-based subsidiaries have assisted and supported the US government in conducting the 301 investigation and imposing measures against China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries. China expresses strong...

Politics

8 d. ago Breaking | China sanctions 5 US subsidiaries of South Korean shipping giant

Breaking | China sanctions 5 US subsidiaries of South Korean shipping giant  South China Morning Post

Politics

8 d. ago Developing | China sanctions 5 US subsidiaries of South Korean shipping giant

Developing | China sanctions 5 US subsidiaries of South Korean shipping giant  South China Morning Post

Politics

1 week ago China’s new rare earth controls will hit global chip supply chain, analysts say

China’s latest export controls on rare earths are expected to have a direct impact on the global semiconductor supply chain, complicating the production of AI and memory chips from major US and South Korean suppliers, according to analysts. On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed a raft of new export controls on rare earth materials critical for the chip manufacturing process. It imposed restrictions on the export of technologies related to rare earth production, such as mining,...

Events

2 w. ago Snowstorms strand hikers in China and a South Korean climber dies in Nepal

Snowstorms strand hikers in China and a South Korean climber dies in Nepal  The Washington Post

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