South Korea

North Korea tests latest weapons, missiles as world focuses on Iran

KCNA said tests showed tactical ballistic missiles with cluster warheads could "reduce to ashes" targets spanning 6.5-7 hectares with high-density impact

North Korea fires missiles, rejects Seoul's hopes for warmer ties

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Wednesday in its second launch event in two days, South Korea's military said, hours after a senior North Korean official released crude insults against Seoul's hopes for warmer relations. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles lifted off from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area and flew about 240 kilometers (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North's eastern waters. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United States. Seoul later said North Korea fired an additional ballistic missile toward its eastern waters without giving further details. The South Korean military said it had also detected the launch of an unidentified projectile around North Korea's capital region Tuesday. It said South Korean and US intelligence authorities were analyzing details of Tuesday's launch. South Korean media reported

North Korea fires projectile after South Korean President's apology

The launch took place days after a North Korean statement conveyed leader Kim Jong Un's rare praise for Lee in response to his apology over the drones

French, South Korean leaders agree to work together on Strait of Hormuz

French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed on Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East. Their summit in Seoul came as US President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the US and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan. Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilise the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media. At a joint televised briefing afterwards, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed "their resolve to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz." The tw

South Korea President seeks swift parliamentary nod for $17 bn energy plan

Lee highlighted that disruptions in global energy supply--particularly due to virtual blockades around the Strait of Hormuz have significantly pushed up fuel prices

Kim vows to cement North Korea's nuclear status, calls South 'most hostile'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to irreversibly cement his country's status as a nuclear power while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he called "most hostile", state media said Tuesday. In a speech Monday to Pyongyang's rubber-stamp parliament, Kim accused the United States of global "state terrorism and aggression" in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East, and said the North will play a more forceful role in a united front against Washington amid rising anti-American sentiment. But Kim didn't call out US President Donald Trump by name and said whether his adversaries "choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is up to them, and we are prepared to respond to any choice". His comments largely aligned with his statements at last month's ruling Workers' Party Congress, where he vilified Seoul but left open the door for dialogue with the Trump administration, urging Washington to drop its demands for the North's nuclear disarmament as

South Korean PM cancels China visit as energy concerns mount amid Iran war

The last-minute cancellation comes as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is piling pressure on Washington and on major importers of oil, gas and fuels from the Persian Gulf

Wipro expands South Korea presence with new innovation lab in Seoul

Wipro expands its South Korea operations with a new innovation lab, larger office in Seoul, and investments in local talent to support AI-led transformation

Wipro launches innovation lab in Seoul; bolsters South Korea presence

Wipro on Monday announced expansion of its business operations in South Korea, with a larger office footprint in Seoul and the launch of an Innovation Lab. With the launch of the Seoul Innovation Lab, Wipro now operates nine such facilities globally. The new lab will focus primarily on technology, automotive, and industrial sectors, supporting use cases such as intelligent product engineering, software-defined vehicles, smart manufacturing, supply chain optimisation, and AI-enabled operations. "Wipro Limited...announced the expansion of its business operations in South Korea, reinforcing the country's position as a strategic growth market for Wipro. The expansion includes an enlarged office footprint in Seoul, the launch of a new Innovation Lab, as part of the Wipro Innovation Network (WIN), and continued investment in local talent to support South Korean clients locally and globally," the Bengaluru-headquartered IT company said in a release. The latest move underlines the country's

At least 10 killed, 59 injured in South Korean factory fire: Officials

South Korean rescue workers on Saturday recovered 10 bodies from the charred wreckage of an auto parts factory in the central city of Daejeon, where a blaze likely triggered by an explosion injured at least 59 others and left four missing. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said 25 people were seriously injured but officials didn't immediately confirm whether any were in life-threatening condition. More than 500 firefighters, police and emergency personnel were deployed to contain the fire and conduct rescue operations after the fire broke out Friday afternoon. Videos and photos from the scene showed thick grey smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building. Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city's Daedeok district, said the blaze destroyed a factory building that firefighters initially could not enter over fears it might collapse. Searches for the missing workers began late Friday after officials deployed unmanned firefighting robots to cool the ...

North Korea fires 10 missiles toward sea in show of force, says Seoul

South Korea's military said Saturday it detected North Korea firing at least one projectile toward its eastern sea. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately say whether the weapon was ballistic or how far it flew. The launch came as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual springtime joint military exercises. The North has long described the allies' drills as invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations or weapons testing.

From school closures to WFH: How Asia is tackling oil supply crunch

Countries across Asia are imposing fuel curbs, remote work and price caps as oil supply disruptions from the West Asia conflict trigger price volatility and threaten energy security

US begins large military drill with South Korea while waging war in Iran

The United States began a large military exercise with South Korea involving thousands of troops on Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops will take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. US Forces Korea has not confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea. The allies' combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South Korea to support fighting against Iran. US Forces Korea said last week it would not comment on specific movements of military assets for security reasons. South Korean officials also declined to comment on the reports that some US Patriot anti-missile systems and other equipment were being moved to the Middle East, but they said there would be no meaningful impact on the allies' combined defence posture. Freedom Shield may trigger an irritated response from .

South Korea's Kospi bounces back after historic drop; CLSA turns cautious

In calendar year 2025, the index rose 75 per cent as investors rushed to buy into the artificial intelligence (AI) frenzy, helping post back-to-back records

South Korean chip industry worried Iran crisis to disrupt material supply

South Korea's chipmakers warn Iran crisis could disrupt helium supplies and threaten AI data centre expansion in the Middle East

Panic sweeps Korean stocks in biggest one-day crash on record amid Iran war

The Kospi Index plunged another 12% following a 7.2% drop in the previous session, as heavyweights Samsung Electronics Co., SK Hynix Inc. and Hyundai Motor Co. tumbled

Japan, South Korea flag regulatory hurdles for their steel firms in India

Japan, South Korea have raised concerns over India's regulatory measures, including QCO norms and anti-dumping duties, even as both nations reaffirm major investment plans in the domestic steel sector

South Korea visa-waiver: Jeju entry not guaranteed, warns Indian Embassy

Embassy advisory follows influencer Sachin Awasthi's detention claim, stressing that Jeju's visa-free facility is only for short-term tourism and entry is not guaranteed

Ex-South Korean President Yoon appeals life sentence for martial law decree

South Korea's jailed former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has appealed his life sentence for rebellion over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, his lawyers said Tuesday. The conservative leader, who faces multiple trials over his power grab, expressed defiance following his conviction at the Seoul Central District Court last week. He called the decision illogical, said his actions were "solely for the sake of the nation and our people," and accused the judge of being biased against him. In a text message, Yoon's lawyers said they aimed to address the supposed "errors in fact-finding and misinterpretations of the law" contained in last Thursday's ruling. The case will now be sent to a specialized panel at a Seoul High Court established under a law passed in December to handle cases involving rebellion, treason and foreign subversion. "We will never be silent about what we view as an excessive indictment by a special prosecutor, the contradictory judgment rendered by the