Page 7 - South Korea

South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts along border to ease tensions

South Korea's military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a years-long pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts "to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula." Kang Yu-jung, Lee's spokesperson, described the decision as a "proactive step" to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Korea's retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership a

BTS megastars RM and V complete military service, spark reunion excitement

BTS members RM and V are discharged from military service today, June 10, 2025. They were welcomed and greeted by enthusiastic fans anticipating the group's reunion

North Korea raises capsized destroyer upright as it continues repairs

North Korea said Friday it had righted a capsized destroyer and moored it at a pier in the northeastern port of Chongjin as it continues to repair the new warship leader Kim Jong Un has described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military. The report by North Korean state media aligned with South Korean military assessments and recent commercial satellite images. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said experts will closely examine the ship's hull before beginning the next phase of restoration, which will take place at a dry dock at the neighbouring port of Rajin and is expected to last seven to 10 days. Satellite images taken Thursday by Planet Labs PBC analysed by The Associated Press showed the stricken destroyer upright and floating. It wasn't immediately clear from the image just how much damage had been done to the vessel, which had been in the water for days after the failed launch. However, the ship did not appear to be noticeably listing, meaning ..

South Korea passes bills calling for special probes into Yoon, his wife

South Korea's liberal-led legislature on Thursday passed bills to launch special investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law in December and criminal allegations against his wife, targeting the ousted conservative a day after his liberal successor took office. The bills were previously vetoed by Yoon and South Korea's caretaker government after his December 14 impeachment over the martial law debacle. The bills are expected to be signed by new President Lee Jae-myung, a Democrat who won Tuesday's snap election triggered by Yoon's formal removal from office in April.

Stabbing survivor Lee Jae-myung on path to become South Korea's president

For many politicians that might have been the right time to throw in the towel on a career of public service, but these are the moments of adversity that fire Lee up

Lee Jae Myung elected as South Korea's President, ending 6 months of chaos

Lee, a former labor activist, won Tuesday's election with 49.4 per cent of the vote, a comfortable win over Kim Moon-soo of the incumbent People Power Party

South Korea elects Lee Jae-myung as president after Yoon's impeachment

Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung wins South Korea's presidency in a high-turnout snap election after Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment and a brief imposition of martial law

S Koreans vote for new president in wake of Yoon's ouster over martial law

Millions of South Koreans are voting Tuesday for a new president in a snap election triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who now faces an explosive trial on rebellion charges over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Pre-election surveys suggested Yoon's liberal archrival, Lee Jae-myung, appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon's martial law debacle. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon's actions. This election serves as another defining moment in the country's resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide worsened by Yoon is far from over and could pose a big political burden on the new president. The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying in the streets to either denounce or support Yoon, while a ...

S Korea holds snap presidential election on Tuesday; here's what to know

After months of political turmoil, South Korea will elect a new president this week to succeed conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his brief but shocking imposition of martial law. Surveys suggested liberal Lee Jae-myung is heavily favored to win Tuesday's snap election, riding on a wave of public disappointment of Yoon's martial law debacle in December. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, wants a come-from-behind victory, but observers say his refusal to directly criticise Yoon made it difficult for him to narrow the gap with Lee. The winner will be sworn in as president on Wednesday without the typical two-month transition period. The new leader faces the urgent tasks of trying to heal the deep domestic divide over Yoon's action as well as focusing on US President Donald Trump's America-first policy and North Korea's advancing nuclear programme. Who is running for the presidency? Lee, who represents the main liberal Democratic Party, is the favourite to win

South Korea to elect a new president; here's a look at all the candidates

Months of a political drama in South Korea is drawing to a close, with the country poised to elect a new president this week to succeed Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative leader who was toppled over his ill-fated imposition of martial law. Surveys show liberal Lee Jae-myung maintaining a solid lead over his main conservative rival, Kim Moon Soo, who wants an upset victory. Whoever wins, the new president will forgo the usual two-month transition and serve one full, five-year term at a time when South Korea faces crucial challenges including a severe left-right political divide, the Trump administration's tariff policy and North Korea's expanding military partnership with Russia. Here is a look at the two main candidates standing for the June 3 election: LEE JAE-MYUNG Lee, 60, the Democratic Party candidate, was the driving force behind an opposition-led campaign to oust Yoon, whose December 3 marital law decree plunged South Korea into turmoil. Lee said he initially thought Yoon's ...

Chennai to become Hyundai's largest export hub outside South Korea

Marking 25 years of exports from India, Hyundai targets 7-8% export growth in FY26 as demand from emerging markets rises and Chennai Port expands facilities

China to resume seafood imports halted over Fukushima discharge, says Japan

China will resume Japanese seafood imports that it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan's discharge of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese official said Friday. The issue has been a significant political and diplomatic point of tension for the wary Asian powers. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the two sides reached an agreement after Japanese and Chinese officials met in Beijing and the imports will resume once the necessary paperwork is done. China did not immediately comment. China blocked imports of Japanese seafood because it said the release would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China. Japanese officials have said the wastewater must be released to make room for the nuclear plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks. They say the treatment and dilution will make the wastewater safer than international standards and its environmental impact will be ...

Indian all-party teams brief world on India's firm new anti-terror stance

All-party parliamentary delegations Monday briefed leaders of South Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, DR Congo and Slovenia on India's renewed doctrine of responding firmly to any act of terrorism and sought their support in bringing to justice the perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism. A nine-member delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, 1st Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun and Sung Il-jong, Chairperson of the National Defence Committee of the National Assembly, in Seoul and conveyed India's national resolve on zero-tolerance policy in combatting terrorism. The delegation "sought RoK's support in holding organisers, perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism to account and bringing them to justice," the Embassy of India in Seoul said in a post on X. In Kuwait City, the delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, called on Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sherida A S Al-Maousharji

Why South Koreans can't order by Presidential candidates' name at Starbucks

Starbucks' decision comes after the order callouts forced baristas into awkward, sometimes inflammatory, moments turning coffee pickups into political statements

Indian delegation led by Sanjay Kumar Jha in Seoul for anti-terror talks

An all-party parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha arrived in Seoul on Saturday as part of the government's outreach with the international community on the fight against terror and on the significance of Operation Sindoor. The scheduled visit from May 24-26 will strengthen ongoing efforts to further India's principled and resolute stance of zero tolerance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the Indian Embassy here said in a press release. During the course of the visit, the delegation will engage with senior officials of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dignitaries from the National Assembly and senior representatives from prominent think tanks and media. The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror. Besides Jha, the delegation comprises of MPs Aparajita Sarangi,

South Korea's Kim Moon-soo open to discussing US troop cost amid tariff row

Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea

Families of S Korea plane crash victims file complaint against 15 officials

Families of victims of December's devastating plane crash in South Korea have filed a complaint against 15 people including the transport minister and the airline chief who they believe are responsible for the disaster that killed all but two of the 181 people on board. Police and government officials have already been investigating the Jeju Air crash, so the complaint is largely seen as a symbolic step calling for a swifter and more thorough probe. Many bereaved families complain of what they see as a lack of meaningful progress in efforts to determine what caused the disaster and who is responsible. On Tuesday, 72 bereaved relatives submitted the complaint to the Jeonnam Provincial Police agency in southern South Korea, according to their lawyers and police. The 15 people cited in the complaint include the transport minister, Jeju Air's president and airline officials handling maintenance and safety issues, along with officials at Muan International Airport who are responsible for

South Korea's presidential campaigns kick off with focus on ailing economy

Asia's fourth-largest economy will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to choose Yoon Suk Yeol's successor after the conservative leader was ousted over his shock martial law order

South Korea's conservative party seeks new candidate amid election turmoil

South Korea's embattled conservative party has taken the unprecedented step of nullifying its primary and replacing presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo just one week after Kim's selection, deepening internal turmoil ahead of the June 3 presidential by-election. Saturday's move by the People Power Party's leadership, which Kim denounced as an overnight political coup, underscores the desperation and disarray within the party following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law in December. Kim, a staunch conservative and former labour minister under Yoon, was named the PPP's presidential candidate on May 3 after winning 56.3% of the primary vote, defeating a reformist rival who had criticised Yoon's martial law. But the PPP's leadership, dominated by Yoon loyalists, has spent the past week pressuring Kim to step aside and back Han, whom they believe stands a stronger chance against liberal ...

North Korea fires multiple missiles towards eastern waters: South Korea

North Korea on Thursday fired several ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters, South Korea's military said, adding to a run of weapons tests that have raised animosity in the region. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons fired from an area around the eastern port city of Wonsan were presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The South's military didn't immediately say how far they flew. The Joint Chiefs said the military has strengthened surveillance while sharing the launch information with the United States and Japan. It was the North's first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country's sixth launch event of the year. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile programme and supply weapons and troops