Page 9 - South Korea

What is Unification Church and why did a Japanese court order it dissolved?

A controversial South Korean church with powerful political connections faces dissolution in Japan after a Tokyo court ordered a revocation of its legal status after the government accused it of manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families. The Tokyo District Court's ruling would end the Unification Church's tax-exempt status in Japan and force it to liquidate its assets. The church said it is considering an immediate appeal to the country's highest court. The Unification Church has faced hundreds of lawsuits in Japan from families who say that it manipulated members into draining their savings to make donations, but for decades it largely escaped official scrutiny and maintained close links with the governing Liberal Democratic Party. That changed in 2022, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated. The man accused of shooting Abe allegedly was motivated by the former prime minister's links to the church and

What to know about reinstatement of South Korea's PM Han Duck-soo

In the latest twist in South Korea's ongoing political crisis, the country's Constitutional Court reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting leader, overturning his impeachment by opposition lawmakers three months ago. The court's ruling on Monday marks just one front in the deepening turmoil as it simultaneously weighs the far more consequential case of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose December impeachment over his brief but stunning martial law decree has left the country's leadership in limbo for months. Here's a look at the court's decision and what's ahead: How did Han get reinstated? The prime minister typically holds limited authority as the country's second-highest official. But Han, a career bureaucrat who has held various government roles since the 1970s, was elevated as the government's caretaker after South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14. Yoon's impeachment, triggered by his short-lived imposition of martial l

South Korean court reinstates impeached PM Han as Yoon awaits ruling

Han was suspended from duties in late December while serving as acting president for resisting pressure from the opposition to appoint new judges

South Korea's political turmoil deepens as impeachment verdict looms

South Korea faces political and geopolitical uncertainty as President Yoon's impeachment trial drags on, raising concerns over domestic stability, foreign alliances, and growing security threats

South Korea declares emergency as wildfires kill 4, displace hundreds

Authorities have mobilised dozens of vehicles and hundreds of officials to extinguish the fire that has burned about 847 hectares of land

North Korea tests new missiles, threatens action over US-South Korea drills

North Korea said on Friday it test-launched new anti-aircraft missiles, as its military threatened unspecified grave steps against the US and South Korea over their joint military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The official Korean Central News Agency said that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the tests Thursday and called the missiles involved another major defense weapons system for North Korea. The missile launches, North Korea's sixth weapons testing activity this year, occurred on the same day that the US and South Korean militaries concluded their annual Freedom Shield command post exercise. The 11-day training was the allies' first major joint military exercises since the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January, and the two countries held diverse field training exercises alongside the Freedom Shield drills. The US and South Korean officials describe their combined military drills as defensive in nature, but North Korea slams them as a major security threat.

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 ...