Category: South Korea

A Family of North Koreans Defect to South Korea by Boat, Defying All Odds Authorities Say

On a pitch-black stormy night, a small fishing boat appeared near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the disputed maritime boundary between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea. Around midnight on May 6, South Korea’s military detected the boat heading toward the NLL from the North Korean side, according to ChannelA, a South Korean…


US, South Korea Issue Fresh North Korea Sanctions on ‘Illicit’ IT Workforce

The United States and South Korea on Tuesday announced new North Korea sanctions related to thousands of IT workers, many operating in China and Russia, whose labors allegedly help fund weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, they said. One individual, Kim Sang Man, and the North Korea-based Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation Company were sanctioned…


Japan, South Korea Leaders Pray at Memorial for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol prayed together Sunday at a memorial for Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit, as they continued efforts to mend ties repeatedly hurt by disputes stemming from Japan’s wartime brutality….


South Korean Leader Vetoes Nursing Bill, Triggering Protest Among Nurses

Protests have erupted among nurses in South Korea after President Yoon Suk-yeol vetoed a controversial bill aiming to define the roles and duties of nurses and improve their working conditions. The opposition-led National Assembly passed the bill last month, but Yoon vetoed it on Tuesday over concerns that it could cause confusion among medical workers…


The Big Tech Spy Hunt

Commentary The United States and South Korea are getting tougher on technology leaks. The two countries have extensive tech industries to protect. Most important is their technological lead, along with the Netherlands, in small and powerful computer chips used for economic and military applications around the world. Countries that steal these technologies include China, Russia,…


South Korea Agrees to Provide Ukraine With $130 Million Financial Aid

South Korea has agreed to provide Ukraine with $130 million in financial aid after the Ukrainian first lady requested humanitarian assistance from the government amid the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yulia Svyrydenko, signed a preliminary agreement on the package during a meeting in Seoul on May…


The Washington Declaration: Implications for Taiwan and East Asia

Commentary Below are a series of questions asked to me by “Taiwan Talks,” one of Taiwan’s English TV programs, regarding recent events between South Korea, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific region. What is the significance of the “Washington Declaration” agreed to by President Joe Biden and President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea? The “Washington…


South Korea Bets Arsenal Ships Will Give North Korea and China Second Thoughts

Commentary Threatened by North Korean nuclear weapons and communist Chinese conventional air and missile fires, South Korea has decided to spend serious money on an old but often spurned military concept: the arsenal ship. The concept is simple. Take a very large but comparatively inexpensive civilian commercial ship. Oil supertankers and huge container carriers fit…


Trudeau Highlights Rise of ‘Authoritarianism’ During Visit to South Korea

During the first full day of his visit to South Korea Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau several times mentioned the rise of “authoritarianism” around the globe and the growing tensions and conflict that have come along with it. Trudeau made the comments while addressing the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, and he also…


Samsung Presses Ahead With Central Bank Digital Currency Technology

Samsung said it would press ahead with central bank digital currency (CBDC) technology in South Korea. The South Korean tech giant is planning on launching a CBDC currency in collaboration with the Bank of Korea (BOK). CBDCs are central bank-issued and controlled digital currencies that can be exchanged using blockchain or distributed ledger technology. Central…