South Korea

What to expect as South Korea's court rules on President Yoon's impeachment

South Korea's Constitutional Court could soon rule on whether to dismiss or reinstate impeached conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol. That doesn't mean the political crisis caused by Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law is over. South Korea's already-severe political divide between conservatives and liberals will likely intensify as Seoul grapples with major foreign policy challenges like U.S. President Donald Trump's America First foreign policy platform and North Korea's increasing military cooperation with Russia. Here's what to expect about the court's likely impending verdict on Yoon's Dec. 3 martial law decree that is testing South Korea's democracy. What might the court do? The Constitutional Court has been deliberating whether to formally end Yoon's presidency since the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly in December voted to suspend him. Yoon is also facing a separate criminal trial after his arrest and indictment by prosecutors in January for alleged ..

North Korea fired missiles off west coast, says South Korea amid US drills

The missiles fired by North Korea coincided with the start of annual joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which North Korea perceives as a rehearsal for invasion

North Korea shows nuclear-powered submarine under construction for 1st time

North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US. State media on Saturday released photos showing what it called a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine, as it reported leader Kim Jong Un's visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn't provide details on the submarine, but said Kim was briefed on its construction. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul's Hanyang University. He said the use of the term the strategic guided missiles meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. It would be absolutely threatening to us and the US, Moon said. A nuclear-powered submarine was among a long wishlist of sophisticated weaponry that Kim vowed to introduce during a major

South Korean court says impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol can leave prison

The initial decision to release Yoon from detention in his criminal case comes as a verdict approaches in his impeachment trial

South Korea suspends some military drills after accidental bombing

South Korea suspended the training flights of air force aircraft and all live-fire drills following its fighter jets' accidental bombing of a civilian area, officials said Friday, posing a potential setback to its upcoming annual military training with the United States. On Thursday, two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly released four MK-82 bombs each on a civilian area in Pocheon, a city near the tense border with North Korea. The bombing, which injured nearly 30 people, two of them seriously, occurred when South Korean and US forces were engaging in a live-fire drill in connection with their broader Freedom Shield command post exercise set to begin Monday. This year's Freedom Shield exercise is the allies' first major joint training since President Donald Trump returned to office in January and comes amid concerns about North Korea's booming military cooperation with Russia. South Korea and the US announced details of the exercises on Thursday, but it was overshadowed by

Court orders South Korean President Yoon's release for martial law trial

A South Korean court on Friday ordered impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to be released from jail, more than a month after he was arrested and indicted over his short-lived imposition of martial law. The decision by the Seoul Central District Court would allow Yoon stand trial while not being physically detained. The hearings in his separate impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court concluded in late February and the court is expected to rule soon on whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. The Seoul Central District Court said it accepted Yoon's request to be released from jail because the legal period of his formal arrest expired before he was indicted in late January. The court said the investigative agency that detained Yoon before his formal arrest didn't have legal rights to investigate the criminal rebellion charges. Yoon's defence team welcomed the court's decision and urged prosecutors to release him immediately. The presidential office also welcomed

Fifteen injured after South Korea air force jet accidentally drops bombs

South Korea's Air Force said eight 500-pound (225kg) Mk82 bombs from a KF-16 jet fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises

Japan, South Korea want to partner with the US in Alaska pipeline: Trump

Trump said in an address to the US Congress that the pipeline would be one of the largest in the world

Steel imports from China, S Korea, and Japan hit record high during Apr-Jan

India, the world's second-biggest crude steel producer, shipped in record quantities of finished steel during April-January

North Korea has sent more troops to Russia: South Korea spy agency

North Korea appears to have deployed additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency said on Thursday, local media reported.Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a press noted said that that number of recently deployed troops is being assessed as per a report in South Korean news agency Yonhap.The assessment follows a news report that between 1,000 and 3,000 North Korean troops were newly transported to Kursk via Russian cargo ships and military airplanes between January and February this year in the second round of such troop deployment, the Yonhap reported.Seoul's spy agency had earlier assessed that North Korean troops deployed to Russia had been absent from combat in the Kursk region since mid-January, likely due to heavy casualties among them. The NIS estimated that about 300 were killed and some 2,700 others were injured.In the beginning of this month Colonel Oleksandr, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Special Operations ..

EaseMyTrip, Korea Tourism join hands to woo Indian tourists to South Korea

Travel tech platform Easy Trip Planners Ltd on Friday said it has signed an initial pact with the Korea Tourism Organisation to enhance South Korea's visibility as a key outbound destination for Indian travellers. The partnership seeks to drive Indian tourist arrivals to Korea by leveraging EaseMyTrip's digital reach, industry expertise, and extensive customer base, Easy Trip Planners, which operates under the brand EaseMyTrip, said in a regulatory filing. Through a targeted marketing approach, EaseMyTrip and Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) will work together to increase awareness, improve accessibility, and create seamless travel experiences for Indian travelers exploring Korea, it added. "Korea is a potpourri of history, vibrant city life, and breathtaking landscapes, making it a highly desirable destination for Indian travellers. Our partnership with Korea Tourism Organisation will allow us to bring exclusive travel opportunities to Indian tourists while ensuring seamless bookin

South Korea requests to be excluded from Trump's efforts to raise tariffs

South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from US plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations. South Korea's government on Friday said Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request while travelling to Washington this week for meetings with unspecified officials from the White House, the Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative. The South Korean Trade Ministry didn't say what Park heard from the Americans. Park cited how South Korean companies were contributing to the US economy through large-scale business investments and noted that the country was already imposing low duties on free trade partners such as the United States. He called for South Korea to be excluded from US plans to establish reciprocal tariffs with trade partners and raise duties for imported steel and .

Yoon appears in 2 S Korean courts while defending his martial law decree

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Thursday for a hearing where his lawyers contested his arrest on a criminal charge alleging he was orchestrating a rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law in December. Security was heightened as the motorcade transporting Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court and dozens of his supporters rallied nearby. The preliminary hearing will involve discussions of witnesses and other preparations for his criminal trial, and the court was also to review the request by Yoon's lawyers to cancel his arrest and release him from custody. Such challenges are rarely successful. Yoon was indicted January 26 on the rebellion charge carrying a potential punishment of death or life in prison. In South Korea, presidents have immunity from most criminal prosecutions but not on charges of rebellion or treason. The indictment alleges his imposition of martial law was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest ..

South Korea pauses downloads of DeepSeek's AI app over privacy concerns

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, according to South Korean officials on Monday. South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek's apps were removed from the local versions of Apple's App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeekSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission's investigation division, advised South Korean users of DeepSeek to delete the app from their devices or avoid entering personal information into the tool until the issues are resolved. Many South Korean government agencies and companies have either blocked DeepSeek from their networks or prohibited ...

Fire breaks out at construction site in South Korea's Busan, 6 dead

A fire broke out at a resort construction site in the South Korean city of Busan Friday, killing at least four people, fire officials said. About 100 workers managed to evacuate from the site and about 90 firefighters were trying to put out the blaze, which was reported at around 10:20 am, according to Busan's fire agency. It wasn't immediately clear whether workers were still trapped inside. The agency said six people were taken to hospitals in cardiac arrest and four of them were pronounced dead. Four other people sustained minor injuries. Television footage showed gray-black smoke and flames rising from the site and a helicopter approaching the building as part of rescue efforts. The country's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, instructed officials to deploy all available personnel and equipment to put out the fire.

N Korea razing facility that hosted war-separated families' reunion: Seoul

North Korea is demolishing a South Korea-built property that had been used to host reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South's government said Thursday, as it continues to eliminate symbols of engagement between the war-divided rivals. Relations between the Koreas are at their worst in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continuing to flaunt his expanding nuclear weapons program and declaring to abandon long-standing goals of inter-Korean reconciliation, while describing the South as a permanent enemy. The 12-story building at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, which has 206 rooms and banquet facilities for hosting meetings, had been used for family reunions since 2009. The Koreas last held a family reunion in 2018, after Kim initiated diplomacy with Seoul and Washington in an effort to leverage his nuclear program for economic benefits. Negotiations derailed in 2019 after a failed summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, who w

S Korea's top think tank lowers growth projection, citing Trump's tariffs

South Korea's top economic think tank slashed its growth forecast for the country's economy for the second time in four months on Tuesday, expressing concern about the impact of US President Donald Trump's expanding tariffs. The Korea Development Institute now projects South Korea's economy to grow by 1.6 per cent in 2025, which is 0.4 percentage points lower than its previous estimate announced in November. Kim Jiyeon, a KDI economist, said the deterioration of the trade environment following Trump's inauguration was a major factor. South Korea is also grappling with political instability caused by the impeachment and criminal indictment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he briefly imposed martial law in December. Domestic demand remains weak due to slowing consumer spending and a declining job market, and the pace of exports is slowing with most key industries aside from semiconductors struggling to find momentum, said Jung Kyuchul, who heads KDI's macroeconomic analysis department

North Korea's Kim Jong slams US-South Korea-Japan security partnership

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said an elevated US security partnership with South Korea and Japan poses a grave threat to his country and vowed to further bolster his nuclear weapons program, state media reported Sunday. Kim has previously made similar warnings, but his latest statement implies again that the North Korean leader won't likely embrace President Donald Trump's overture to meet him and revive diplomacy anytime soon. In a speech marking the 77th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army on Saturday, Kim said the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral security partnership established under a US plot to form a NATO-like regional military bloc is inviting military imbalance on the Korean Peninsula and raising a grave challenge to the security environment of our state, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Referring to a series of new plans for rapidly bolstering all deterrence including nuclear forces, he clarified once again the unshakable policy of more

South Korea joins list of countries blocking DeepSeek access to ministries

The South Korean government's actions are part of a broader international trend of tightening controls on DeepSeek

South Korea temporarily bans DeepSeek over security concerns: Reports

Last month, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers called on Australians to be cautious when using the Chinese AI model while U.S. officials are also looking at DeepSeek's national security implications