Page 3 - South Korea

Latest missile tests demonstrate new hypersonic systems, says North Korea

North Korea said Thursday that its latest missile tests involved new hypersonic systems aimed at strengthening its nuclear war deterrent, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to build up weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea's missile defenses. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea's military said it detected the North firing multiple missiles from an area south of the capital, Pyongyang, and said they flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast before falling on land. The tests came days before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to gather in rival South Korea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. KCNA said the launches involved two hypersonic projectiles that accurately struck a land target in the country's northern region. It described the system as strategic, implying that they were designed to be armed with nuclear warheads. KCNA didn't

Dozens of South Koreans arrested after repatriation from Cambodia for scams

About 50 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia have been formally arrested on accusations that they worked for online scam organisations in the Southeast Asian country. They are among the 64 South Koreans who were detained in Cambodia over the past several months and were flown to South Korea on a charter flight Saturday. Upon arrival, they were detained while police investigated whether they voluntarily joined scam organisations in Cambodia or were forced to work there. Online scams, many based in Southeast Asian nations, have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims: the tens of thousands of people who have been forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud. Monitoring groups say online scams earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. The Korean National Police Agency said Tuesday that local courts have so far issued warrants to arrest 49 of the 64 returnees. It said a court will ...

South Korea seeks to arrest online scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Authorities are seeking to formally arrest most of the 64 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia for allegedly working for online scam organizations in Cambodia, police said on Monday. The 64 South Koreans were detained in Cambodia over the past several months and were flown to Korea on a charter flight Saturday. Upon arrival in South Korea, they were detained while police investigated whether they voluntarily joined scam organizations in Cambodia or were forced to work there. Online scams, many based in Southeast nations, have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims: the tens of thousands of people who have been forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud. Monitoring groups say online scams earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. State prosecutors have asked local courts to issue arrest warrants for 58 of the 64 returnees at the request of police, the Korean National Police Agenc

Donald Trump on track to meet Xi Jinping in South Korea, says Bessent

The latest rupture followed China's announcement on Thursday that it would dramatically expand its rare earths export controls

North Korea shows new long-range missile at parade celebrating Kim Jong Un

At a massive military parade attended by foreign leaders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled out his nuclear-armed military's most powerful weapons, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile he may be preparing to test in coming weeks. The parade, which began Friday night and marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, highlighted Kim's growing diplomatic footing and his relentless drive to build an arsenal that could viably target the continental United States and his rivals in Asia. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the parade featured a new, yet-to-be-tested intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20, which it described as the most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system. Other weapons on display included shorter range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles, which the North previously described as capable of delivering nuclear strikes against targets in rival South Korea. In a speech at the parade

Why South Korea's youth are choosing to 'just rest' instead of chasing jobs

Amid rising living costs, job scarcity and burnout, South Korea's youth are redefining ambition in the 21st century by choosing to "just rest" instead of chasing stability

North Korea vows to keep nuclear weapons, cites balance of power at UNGA

A senior North Korean diplomat reiterated at the UN Monday that his country won't give up its nuclear weapons despite numerous demands to do so, calling them crucial to keeping a balance of power with South Korea. We will never talk away from this position, he said. Under the spotlight of the General Assembly's annual meeting of world leaders, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong amplified his country's longstanding complaints about US-led military exercises with South Korea and Japan. Complaining that the US and its allies are mounting a growing threat of aggression, he portrayed his own country's arsenal as the reason the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula is ensured. Still, his address was more tempered, especially toward the United States, than many of his country's prior remarks on the world stage and elsewhere. While Kim lambasted without naming names hegemonic forces and an indiscriminate tariff war, there were no personal insults, and there was more sternness than ...

South Korea, US to launch working group on visa issues after ICE detentions

The first meeting of the new working group will take place in Washington on Tuesday, just weeks after the high-profile raid on a factory construction site that drew international attention

South Korea, US reach agreement over foreign exchange deal, says Seoul

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York that the Asian country needs a foreign exchange swap in order to make the $350 bn investment

South Korea has asked Trump to be 'peacemaker' with North Korea: FM Hyun

South Korea's president has asked President Donald Trump to become a peacemaker and use his leadership to get North Korea to talks to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the South's top diplomat said Friday. Trump welcomed the request from President Lee Jae-myung and he expressed his willingness to be engaged with North Korea again, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with The Associated Press. There was no immediate word from the White House. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met three times as North Korea was building a nuclear weapons stockpile, which Kim views as key to the country's security and his continued rule of the northeast Asian country. There were two summits in Singapore in June 2018, and in Vietnam in February 2019, where Trump and Kim disagreed about US-led sanctions against the North. A third meeting that year at the border between the two Koreas failed to salvage their nuclear talks -- and Kim has since shunned any diplomacy with t

Cochin Shipyard partners with HD Korea to build large ships in India

CSL will set up a new shipbuilding unit on 80 acres in Kochi with an investment of about ₹3,700 crore

Kim Jong Un recalls good memories with Trump, urges US to drop nuke terms

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he still has good memories of US President Donald Trump and urged Washington to drop its demand the North surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy. Speaking to Pyongyang's rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, Kim stressed that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with rival South Korea, a key U.S. ally that helped broker Kim's previous summits with Trump during the American president's first term, according to a speech published by state media on Monday. Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with the South following the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019 over disagreements about US-led sanctions against the North. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened in recent years as Kim has accelerated his weapons buildup and aligned with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Kim's comments came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung prepares to depart for New York to attend the United Nations Genera

South Korea's LG Energy used visa workarounds for staff before US crackdown

Over 300 Koreans, including 250 LG staff and contractors, were detained at LG's car battery venture with Hyundai Motor, in the US Department of Homeland Security's biggest immigration raid ever

North Korean hackers used ChatGPT to help forge deepfake military ID

The group responsible for the attack, which researchers have dubbed Kimsuky, is a suspected North Korea-sponsored cyber-espionage unit previously linked to other spying efforts against South Korea

US, South Korea, Japan launch joint air, naval drills in show of strength

The United States, South Korea and Japan opened an air and naval exercise off a South Korean island Monday in their latest joint drill condemned by North Korea as a "reckless show of strength." The exercise called Freedom Edge is aimed at strengthening the countries' combined operational capabilities in the sea, air and cyberspace and is necessary to counter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's defence ministry said. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise will include US Marine and Air Force aerial assets and feature enhanced ballistic-missile and air-defence drills, medical evacuations and maritime operations training, making it "the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date." The exercise off South Korea's southern Jeju Island runs through Friday. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier condemned the drills in state media, saying they show the countries' confrontational stance toward the ...

Hyundai CEO says Georgia battery plant faces 2-3 month delay after raid

The plant, one of the major industrial sites that South Korean companies are currently building in the US, was slated to begin operations later this year

S Korean workers released after days of detention in Georgia return home

A plane carrying more than 300 South Korean workers released after days of detention in Georgia landed in South Korea on Friday. TV footage showed the charter plane, a Boeing 747-8i from Korean Air, landing in Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on Friday. The footage later showed workers, some wearing masks, passing an arrival hall, with senior officials clapping hands. The South Korean Foreign Ministry asked media to blur the workers' faces in video and photos at the airport, citing requests by the workers who worried about their privacy. They were among about 475 people detained during the Sept. 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai's sprawling auto plant west of Savannah. The US release of video showing some Korean workers shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists has caused public outrage and a sense of betrayal in South Korea, a key US ally. South Korea later said it has a reached an agreement with

Television budgets fade, streaming holds firm, films steal spotlight

Asia's content spend to drop 2% to $15.8 billion in 2025 as streaming overtakes pay-TV: Media Partners Asia report

Firms may hesitate to invest in US without visa reforms: S Korean President

South Korea's president said Thursday that South Korean companies will likely hesitate to maintain or make direct investments in the United States if the US fails to improve its visa system for Korean workers. President Lee Jae Myung made the comments in a televised news conference while he spoke about the detention of more than 300 South Korean workers after the September 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction at Hyundai's sprawling auto plant in Georgia. Lee said the Korean workers are set to be brought home on Friday aboard a charter plane. South Korean and US officials are discussing a possible improvement to the US visa system, Lee said, adding that under the current system South Korean companies can't help hesitating a lot about making direct investments in the US. Whether the US establishes a visa system allowing South Korean companies to send skilled workers to work at industrial sites will have a major impact on future South Korean investments in the US

South Korean plane heads to US to bring workers detained during ICE raid

A South Korean charter plane left for the US on Wednesday to bring back Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in Georgia. A total of 475 workers, more than 300 of them South Koreans, were rounded up in the Sept 4 raid at the battery factory under construction at Hyundai's sprawling auto plant west of Savannah. Some were shown shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists in video released by US authorities. South Korea's government later said it reached an agreement with the US for the release of the workers. South Korean TV footage showed what it said was the charter plane taking off at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on Wednesday morning. The plane will return to South Korean with the detained workers on Thursday afternoon, media reports said. The workplace raid by the US Homeland Security agency was its largest yet as it pursues its mass deportation agenda. It targeted Georgia, where many large South Korean businesses operate and plan fut