9 h. 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

59 h. 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

4 d. 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

4 d. 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

4 d. 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

5 d. 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

6 d. 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

6 d. ago China’s retail investors armed with US$22 trillion are key to markets’ fortunes

In the second instalment of the two-part series on the outlook for the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stock markets, Zhang Shidong and Yulu Ao look at the catalysts that could underpin the rally. Read part one here. When Chinese stocks hit a 10-year high this week, Jian Shi Cortesi saw it as a sign that the rally could continue as overseas investors returned to the nation’s onshore and offshore equities, which are worth a combined US$20 trillion. The Switzerland-based investment director at GAM...

Economics

8 d. 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

9 d. 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

9 d. 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

9 d. 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

9 d. ago Chinese stocks at decade high lure hesitant retail investors

Chinese stocks at decade high lure hesitant retail investors  Reuters

Economics

1 week 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

1 week ago The ‘write’ stuff: Trump’s pen praise sends South Korean stock soaring

Shares in a South Korean penmaker surged on Tuesday, an unexpected outcome from the first summit between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, in Washington. Lee signed a guest book before entering the Oval Office for talks with Trump, and the handcrafted wooden fountain pen he used caught the US leader’s eye. “Is that your pen? It’s a nice pen. Do you want to take it with you?” Trump said, drawing laughter in the room. “You know, I like it. The writing is beautiful, the...

Politics

1 week ago South Korean investors ride China’s tech wave with big stock buys in 2025

Since buying stock in China’s robotics firms over the last year – companies emerging as global industry leaders – David Choi, a South Korean investor in his early 30s, has been riding a wave of strong gains. He is not alone. Many South Korean investors have begun exploring positions in Chinese equities, particularly in rapidly growing arenas like tech. “Those who follow what’s going on in the tech industry already see how fast China has been developing on many fronts,” said Choi, who works in...

Economics

1 week ago Trump tests South Korea’s Lee by demanding ownership of US military base land

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung emerged heavily burdened with an unexpected challenge from his high-stakes first meeting with US President Donald Trump, whose penchant for expansionism and unconventional diplomacy has kept allies on edge, analysts say. Lee’s spokeswoman, Kang Yu-jung, sought to frame the summit positively, describing it as a “rapport-building” get-together and declaring: “The summit went so well that there was no need for a joint statement.” Yet the absence of a statement...

Events

1 week ago Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump told reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He conceded, though, that such high duties would mean a breakdown in bilateral trade. “We have a much more...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200% tariffs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump told reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He conceded, though, that such high duties would mean a breakdown in bilateral trade. “We have a much more...

Politics

1 week ago Trump, South Korea’s Lee stress common ground in White House meeting

US President Donald Trump struck a cordial tone in his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday, despite making remarks just hours earlier that threatened to set an uneasy backdrop for the talks. “It’s an honour to be with President Lee of South Korea. We’ve known each other and gotten along very well,” Trump said at the Oval Office, adding that he felt “very warmly” about the country. Earlier in the day, Trump had posted on his social media platform that there seemed to be a...

Politics