Page 35 - South Korea

India has asked Japan, South Korea to renegotiate FTAs: Piyush Goyal

During FY23, India's trade deficit with Japan rose to $11.03 billion from $8.22 billion a year ago as exports grew at a slower pace as compared to imports

Price of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 leaked ahead of launch event

Samsung is set to uncover the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow

US sends another submarine to S Korea, in a show of force against N Korea

A nuclear-propelled U.S. submarine has arrived in South Korea in the second deployment of a major U.S. naval asset to the Korean Peninsula this month, South Korea's military said Monday, adding to the allies' show of force to counter North Korean nuclear threats. The USS Annapolis arrived at a port on Jeju Island about a week after the USS Kentucky docked at the mainland port of Busan. The Kentucky was the first U.S. nuclear-armed submarine to come to South Korea since the 1980s. North Korea reacted to its arrival by test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles in apparent demonstrations that it could make nuclear strikes against South Korea and deployed U.S. naval vessels. In between those launches, North Korea's defense minister issued a veiled threat insisting the Kentucky's docking in South Korea could be grounds for the North to use a nuclear weapon against it. North Korea has used similar rhetoric before, but the statement underscored how much relations are strained now. The ...

Any nuclear attack will result in end of N Korean regime, warns S Korea

Seoul's warning has come after Pyongyang had said the deployment of a US nuclear-capable submarine and other strategic assets here could meet the conditions for its use of nuclear arms

Japanese, US, and South Korean officials condemn North's weapons plans

Senior officials from Japan, the US and South Korea condemned North Korea over its recent ICBM-class ballistic missile launches and vowed to step up their trilateral cooperation to strengthen deterrence and sanctions against the North, while stressing the need for dialogue with Pyongyang. Their meeting Thursday in the central Japanese city of Karuizawa comes days after North Korea's solid-fuel ICBM launch last week, which landed in the water off the western coast of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido and one day after the launch of two missiles on Wednesday. The US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, also said that the United States was working hard to gather information about an American soldier who fled to the North earlier this month. The US was seeking to ensure his safety and return him home, Kim said. Pvt Travis King, 23, had been held in South Korea on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was taken to the airport Monday bu

N Korea silent on apparent detention of US soldier who crossed border

North Korea was silent about the highly unusual entry of an American soldier across the Koreas' heavily fortified border although it test-fired short-range missiles Wednesday in its latest weapons display. Nearly a day after the soldier bolted into North Korea during a tour in the border village of Panmunjom, there was no word on the fate of Private 2nd Class Travis King, the first known American detained in the North in nearly five years. The North's missile launches Wednesday morning were seen as a protest of the deployment of a US nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea the previous day and weren't likely related to King's border crossing. It's likely that North Korea will use the soldier for propaganda purposes in the short term and then as a bargaining chip in the mid-to-long term, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea. King, 23, was a cavalry scout with the 1st Armoured Division who had served nearly two months in a South Korean

N Korea fires 2 missiles into sea as US docks nuclear submarine in S Korea

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea early Wednesday in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deploys a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that from 3.30 to 3.46 am North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near capital Pyongyang that flew about 550 kilometers before landing in waters east of the Korean Peninsula. Those flight details were similar to the assessment of the Japanese military, which said the missiles landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and that there were no immediate reports of damage from ships or aircraft in affected areas. The flight distance of the North Korean missiles roughly matched the distance between Pyongyang and the South Korean port city of Busan, where the USS Kentucky arrived Tuesday afternoon in the first visit by a US nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea since the ...

S Korea-US consulting group meets in response to North Korea's threats

A bilateral consulting group of South Korean and US officials met Tuesday in Seoul to discuss strengthening their nations' deterrence capabilities against North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. The Nuclear Consultative Group was established as part of agreements Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol made when they met in April. Seoul officials say the body is tasked with sharing information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans and discussing joint operations. The US would retain operational control of US nuclear weapons, and Washington officials say the group's establishment and other steps announced in April were meant to ease South Korean worries about North Korean provocations while keeping Seoul from pursuing its own nuclear program. The group's inaugural meeting will serve as an important starting point to establish powerful, effective Korea-US extended deterrence, Yoon said during a televised Cabinet Council meeting, referring to a US security commitment to use .

S Korea's death toll from rainstorm at 40 as workers look for survivors

Heavy downpours lashed South Korea a ninth day on Monday as rescue workers struggled to search for survivors in landslides, buckled homes and swamped vehicles in the most destructive storm to hit the country this year. At least 40 people have died, 34 others are injured and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes since July 9, when heavy rain started pounding the country. The severest damage has been concentrated in South Korea's central and southern regions. In the central city of Cheongju, hundreds of rescue workers, including divers, continued to search for survivors in a muddy tunnel where about 15 vehicles, including a bus, got trapped in a flash flood that may have filled up the passageway within minutes Saturday evening. The government has deployed nearly 900 rescue workers to the tunnel, who have so far pulled up 13 bodies and rescued nine people who were treated for injuries. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were in the submerged cars. As o

Days of torrential rain in S Korea leave 26 dead in landslides, floods

Days of heavy rain in South Korea have left at least 26 people dead and 10 others missing in landslides, floods and other incidents, the government said Saturday. The 26 fatalities were reported on Friday and Saturday, all in the central and southeastern regions, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report. An earlier ministry report on Saturday morning said five people died after landslides caused by torrential downpours buried their houses. Two others also died in landslide-related incidents. But the latest ministry report didn't explain the cause of deaths for the additional fatalities. Ministry officials said torrential rains have also left 10 people missing since Tuesday, and 13 others injured since Thursday. South Korea has been pounded by heavy rains since July 9. The ministry report said the rainfall had forced about 5,570 people to evacuate and left 25,470 households without electricity in the past several days. It said more than 4,200 people remained in ...

Torrential rains in South Korea kill at least 7 in landslides and floods

Two days of heavy rain in South Korea killed at least seven people and left two others missing in landslides and floods, the government said Saturday. Additionally, eight people were trapped following landslides in central areas earlier in the day. Three people were killed Saturday after landslides caused by torrential downpours buried their houses in two central towns, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report. It said two other people were also found dead elsewhere Saturday in landslide-related accidents, and two other people died in a building collapse caused by landslides in the central city of Nonsan on Friday. The report said two people were missing Saturday after flooding in their village in the central town of Yecheon. It said five people were injured due to landslide-caused accidents, including a train-derailment, on Friday and Saturday. South Korea has been pounded by heavy rains since July 9. The ministry report said the rainfall forced about 1,570 people

Here's what makes South Korea the world's fastest-growing whisky market

The higher price tag is worth it, according to Choi and many of his peers. South Koreans consumed 14.2 million liters of whisky in 2022, small amount compared with other nations, but up 46% from 2021

Kim Jong Un vows to boost nuke capability after observing new ICBM launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his country's nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the country's second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported Thursday. Kim's statement suggests North Korea would ramp up weapons testing activities to expand its arsenals in response to recent U.S. steps to enhance its security commitment to ally South Korea. "The present unstable situation in which the security environment on the Korean peninsula is being seriously threatened by the hostile forces every moment," Kim said, according to state media. "(That) requires more intense efforts to implement the line of bolstering nuclear war deterrent." The Korean Central News Agency disclosed Kim's comments, after confirming the North conducted a successful launch of the Hwasong-18 ICBM on Wednesday. The launch was first reported by its neighbours soon after its liftoff. The Hwasong-18 is a ...

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North Korea launches ballistic missile toward its eastern waters: S Korea

North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened "shocking" consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made on Wednesday morning but gave no further details such as how far the weapon flew. Japan's Defense Ministry said it also detected a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea. The launch, the North's first weapons firing in about a month, came after North Korea earlier this week released a series of statements accusing the United States of flying a military plane close to North Korea to spy on the North. The United States and South Korea dismissed the North's accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raises animosities. In a statement Monday night, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean sister Kim Jong Un, claimed that the U.S. spy plan

S Korea shoppers stock up salt as Japan plans to releases Fukushima water

In many supermarkets across South Korea, salt has vanished from their stores which had led to heightened public anxiety

S Korea pushes for action against North's nuclear ambitions at Nato summit

South Korea's president says it's time to clearly demonstrate strong international resolve to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and plans to discuss how to cope with the North's expanding weapons arsenal with NATO leaders this week. Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the annual NATO summit being held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-nation trip that includes a stop in Poland. "Now is the time to clearly demonstrate that the international community's determination to deter North Korea's nuclear weapons program is stronger than North Korea's desire to develop nuclear weapons," he said. It's the second consecutive year that Yoon will take part in the summit, underscoring his push to deepen ties with the world's biggest military alliance. South Korea faces a mix of security challenges, including North Korea's nuclear program and the U.S.-China strategic rivalry. Last year, he became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit when he took

S Korean lawmakers chide IAEA chief over Japan's plan to release wastewater

South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door. Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety. The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Korea's government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans. In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Korea's parliament, Grossi said the IAEA's review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and ..

China, South Korea released water with high levels of tritium, says Japan

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also said Japan will explain to China the planned water discharge into the sea from the nuclear complex

S Korea endorses safety of Japan's plans to release Fukushima plant water

South Korea's government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into sea as it tried to calm people's fears about food contamination. Seoul's assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency's views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and that its environmental and health impact would be negligible. Even before Friday's announcement, South Korean officials have been actively campaigning to dissolve the public's unease about the wastewater release, holding daily briefings to address what they describe as excessive fears and tightening radiation tests on seafood imported from Japan. Conservative lawmakers from President Yoon Suk Yeol's ruling party have even toured seafood markets to drink sea water fetched from fish tanks i