2 h. ago Politician slams ‘subordinate’ US ties, tells South Korea to build nuclear arms

Former Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo has described the recent arrests and detentions of South Korean workers in Georgia as an “intentional provocation” by the United States, calling for Seoul to consider its own nuclear weapons programme. “The Georgia incident occurred right after the Korea-US summit. It cannot be dismissed as anything other than an intentional provocation,” Hong wrote on his social media account on Saturday. “No matter how pro-China or pro-North Korea this administration may be,...

Politics

4 h. ago South Korea’s ban on foreign homebuyers to cool Seoul prices, Chinese spending

South Korea’s new restrictions on foreign homebuyers are likely to cool housing prices in Seoul and neighbouring cities, according to property agents, following a surge in the number of buyers from mainland China and Hong Kong who bought homes in the middle and high-end segments of the market. Hongkongers and mainland Chinese had acquired 96,955 properties in South Korea as of May, a 78.5 per cent increase from the 54,320 real estate assets that they owned in 2020, according to a report by The...

Economics

47 h. ago South Korean workers return home after Hyundai raid ordeal in US

Hundreds of South Korean workers arrived home on Friday after their detention in a US immigration raid that Hyundai warned would delay the completion of its battery factory. South Korean workers accounted for most of the 475 people arrested last week at the Hyundai-LG battery plant under construction in Georgia, prompting tense negotiations between Seoul and Washington, staunch security allies. A specially chartered Korean Air Boeing 747-8I carrying 316 South Koreans and 14 foreign employees...

Economics

47 h. ago ‘Is this how you treat an ally?’: South Koreans back home after US raid ordeal

A specially chartered flight carrying hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a US immigration raid last week landed at Incheon International Airport on Friday. South Korean workers accounted for most of the 475 people arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia, triggering a delicate effort to resolve the thorny situation between close allies. The Korean Air Boeing 747-8I, with more than 310 South Koreans on board, departed from Atlanta and touched down on the...

Politics

64 h. ago Trump, a trail of diplomacy and a possible trip to China to resolve the trade war

Calls this week between top American and Chinese officials are believed to have laid some of the groundwork for a visit to China by US President Donald Trump, possibly in early November. The trip could take place either before or after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, which gets under way late next month. Trade negotiations are expected to be a key part of the summit, which could take place shortly before a temporary tariff war truce expires on November 10. The White...

Politics

65 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

67 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: Mexico lifts China tariffs to 50% as South Korea say US raids may hurt trade deal

Trump tariffs live updates: Mexico lifts China tariffs to 50% as South Korea say US raids may hurt trade deal  Yahoo Finance

Politics

69 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: Mexico raises tariffs on China to 50% as South Korea warns US raid may hurt investment

Trump tariffs live updates: Mexico raises tariffs on China to 50% as South Korea warns US raid may hurt investment  au.finance.yahoo.com

Events

2 d. ago Charlie Kirk boasted about Trump’s win in Seoul, told Japan to fight globalism

In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing US political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a “globalist menace” in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. Kirk, 31, who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration, was shot in the neck on Wednesday at a speaking event at a Utah university. In Seoul on Friday, he...

Politics

3 d. 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

3 d. 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

3 d. 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

3 d. ago Many caught in Hyundai raid appeared to be working legally, US lawyer says

A US immigration lawyer representing more than a dozen workers arrested at a Hyundai facility in Georgia last week said on Wednesday that many of the nearly 500 picked up appeared to be working legally, contradicting allegations by authorities. The lawyer, Atlanta-based Charles Kuck, said his clients included seven South Koreans who entered via the ESTA programme, for countries with visa-free travel to the US, or with B-1 visas for temporary business travel. He said they were legally allowed to...

Events

3 d. 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

4 d. 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

5 d. ago South Korea overhauls flawed prosecution office accused of selective justice

South Korea’s powerful prosecution service, long accused of wielding justice selectively, is to be dismantled under a sweeping reform plan that government officials and ruling party lawmakers say is necessary to curb abuse of authority. But critics warn the move may create constitutional disputes and deepen political fault lines. President Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which holds a majority in the National Assembly, joined forces with the Presidential Office and the cabinet...

Society

6 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

6 d. ago Shared threats push Japan, South Korea to temper Sado mine tensions

South Korea’s decision to not attend a memorial event at the Sado Island gold mines in Japan underscores how bilateral ties are still strained by historical grievances, but analysts say both sides are mindful not to escalate tensions in the face of shared regional threats. Seoul informed Tokyo on Thursday it would not send representatives to the September 13 ceremony honouring wartime workers at the disputed Unesco World Heritage site, citing a failure to agree on language acknowledging Korean...

Events

6 d. ago Japan, South Korea show restraint on Sado mine row amid shared regional threats

South Korea’s decision to not attend a memorial event at the Sado Island gold mines in Japan underscores how bilateral ties are still strained by historical grievances, but analysts say both sides are mindful not to escalate tensions in the face of shared regional threats. Seoul informed Tokyo on Thursday that it would not send representatives to the September 13 ceremony honouring wartime workers at the disputed Unesco World Heritage site, citing a failure to agree on language acknowledging...

Events

6 d. ago Japan, South Korea lock horns over a memorial at a controversial mine

South Korea’s decision to not attend a memorial event at the Sado Island gold mines in Japan underscores how bilateral ties are still strained by historical grievances, but analysts say both sides are mindful not to escalate tensions in the face of shared regional threats. Seoul informed Tokyo on Thursday that it would not send representatives to the September 13 ceremony honouring wartime workers at the disputed Unesco World Heritage site, citing a failure to agree on language acknowledging...

Politics