SOUTH KOREA

A collection of 109 posts

ASIA

Former ENHYPEN Star Evan Survived Cancer as a Child — Now the Real Meaning Behind ‘Death of Me’ Is Coming to Light

South Korean singer Evan, formerly known as Heeseung of K-pop group ENHYPEN, has disclosed one of the most painful chapters of his life: he was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma while still in elementary school. The revelation came in a Weverse Magazine interview published as Evan begins a new chapter

ASIA

Seoul Schools Are Changing Fast—And More Than 22,000 Students Are Driving a Major Education Shift

SEOUL, South Korea — Seoul is preparing to reshape how its public schools support migrant-background students as their numbers continue to rise across the capital. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to establish a second multicultural education support center, expand Korean-language preparatory schools and introduce AI-powered real-

ASIA

South Korea Faces a High-Stakes Hormuz Decision as Iran War Intensifies — What Seoul Does Next Could Change Everything

SEOUL — South Korea is taking another look at how far it should go in supporting efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as the conflict involving the United States and Iran intensifies, putting President Lee Jae Myung's government in an increasingly difficult diplomatic and security position. The

ASIA

South Korea Sounds the Alarm as U.S.-North Korea Talks Loom — Then Kim Min-seok Reveals What Seoul Must Prepare For

SEOUL — South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party chief Kim Min-seok is urging Seoul to strengthen its independent security capabilities as the possibility of renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy raises difficult questions about the future of the Korean Peninsula. In a major National Assembly speech on September 7, Kim

ASIA

US, South Korea and Japan Launch New Military Drills—But North Korea’s Latest Move Is Raising the Stakes

The United States, South Korea and Japan have launched a major three-way military exercise near South Korea's Jeju Island, putting renewed focus on regional security at a time when Washington has simultaneously scaled back a major bilateral exercise with Seoul. The five-day Freedom Edge 2026 exercise

ASIA

Woman Vanishes in Seoul, Then Police Find Her Dead Inside a Paju Café Freezer — What Led Her There?

A missing-person case in South Korea has turned into a homicide investigation after a woman in her 60s was found dead inside a refrigerated storage unit at a café in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Police arrested the café's male operator, in his 30s, as a suspect after tracing

ASIA

27 More Years Behind Bars? Prosecutors Deliver a Stunning New Demand for JMS Leader Jeong Myeong-seok

SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors are seeking another lengthy prison sentence for Christian Gospel Mission leader Jeong Myeong-seok, asking a court to impose 27 years in prison over allegations that he sexually assaulted or molested 16 female followers in approximately 80 incidents. The demand was made Monday, Sept. 7, during

ASIA

South Korea and France Forge New Industrial Alliance — But Seoul Is Already Demanding Changes From Paris

South Korea and France are moving to deepen economic cooperation with a new ministerial-level channel focused on strategic industries, trade and supply chains, as both countries seek to strengthen their industrial partnerships amid growing global competition. The agreement was reached Monday in Paris during talks between South Korean Industry

ASIA

South Korea Faces a Dangerous Hormuz Choice as Trump Turns Up the Pressure — Seoul’s Next Move Could Change Everything

SEOUL — South Korea is facing a high-stakes foreign-policy dilemma as the United States presses Seoul to contribute to efforts to keep the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz open, while Iran warns that military involvement could carry “serious consequences.” The Korea Herald's latest reporting comes as the

ASIA

South Korea Makes a Bold Global Security Promise — And It Could Change Seoul’s Role on the World Stage

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is signaling a bigger role in global security, with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook saying Seoul will use its advanced manufacturing capabilities, growing defense industry and other national strengths to help build a safer and more prosperous world. Speaking Tuesday at the Seoul Defense Dialogue,

ASIA

South Korea Takes a Major Step Toward Nuclear-Powered Submarines — But the IAEA Has One Critical Condition

South Korea has formally notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it intends to begin consultations on a special safeguards arrangement for its planned nuclear-powered submarines, marking a significant step in Seoul’s long-running effort to develop a new generation of undersea military capability. IAEA Director General

ASIA

Lee Jae Myung Signals New North Korea Strategy — But South Korea Won’t Give Up Deterrence

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is signaling that Seoul wants to reopen the path toward peaceful coexistence with North Korea, but his latest message makes one thing clear: dialogue will move forward alongside strong military deterrence. Speaking Tuesday in a video message for the opening ceremony of the

ASIA

110 Foreign Fugitives Are Hiding in South Korea — And Police Just Revealed Where They Came From

More than 100 foreign nationals wanted for crimes committed overseas are currently believed to be hiding in South Korea, according to newly released police data that is raising fresh questions about international fugitive tracking and law-enforcement cooperation. The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) reported that 110 foreign fugitives were

ASIA

You Don’t Need to Fly to Seoul for Korean Hair — But There’s One Mistake That Could Ruin the Look

Singapore’s growing obsession with Korean beauty has moved beyond skincare and makeup — K-style haircuts, soft perms and glossy colour transformations are now becoming salon goals of their own. But according to hairstylists in Singapore, achieving that polished Seoul-salon look is not as simple as showing a stylist

SOUTH KOREA

Iran War Hinders Multiple Korea-U.S. Projects as Seoul-Washington Tensions Grow

SEOUL — The prolonged war between the United States and Iran has spilled beyond the Middle East, disrupting the timetable for several major South Korea-U.S. projects and security negotiations while adding new pressure to an already complicated alliance. Among the initiatives affected are discussions involving South Korea's

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea’s ₩351 Billion Data Center Disaster: Audit Uncovers Illegal Subcontracting, Missed Safety Checks and Critical Failures

SEOUL, South Korea — What initially appeared to be a catastrophic equipment failure at a South Korean government data center has now been traced to a far broader chain of human and institutional failures. A government audit has found that unlicensed companies were brought into a battery replacement project at the

SOUTH KOREA

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Rules Korea’s Box Office for Fifth Straight Week—Crosses 10 Million Admissions

SEOUL, South Korea — Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is showing no signs of surrendering its throne. The Hollywood epic has dominated South Korea's weekend box office for a fifth consecutive week, adding nearly 700,000 admissions over the latest weekend and pushing its cumulative audience beyond the

SOUTH KOREA

Korea-U.S. Alliance Faces a Defining Test: Is Washington Asking Too Much—or Is Seoul Doing Too Little?

SEOUL, South Korea — The Korea-U.S. alliance has survived war, political upheaval, economic crises and generations of changing leaders. But today, one of America's most important partnerships in Asia is facing a different kind of test. It is no longer simply about whether Washington will defend South

SOUTH KOREA

KOSPI Surges 3.3% as Samsung, SK hynix Lead Seoul Tech Rally Despite Middle East Crisis

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Monday as semiconductor shares sparked a powerful rebound, pushing the KOSPI up more than 3% even as military tensions between the United States and Iran intensified in the Middle East. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 223.57

SOUTH KOREA

Lee Jae Myung Arrives in France as Macron Summit Draws Focus on Security, AI and Hormuz

NICE, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has arrived in France for a four-day state visit that could produce major developments in security, advanced technology, economic cooperation and cultural diplomacy, with a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled for Tuesday in Paris. Lee arrived in Nice

BUSINESS

Naver Shuts Down Services as South Korea’s Tech Giant Bets Big on AI and Commerce

SEOUL, South Korea — Naver is shutting down several standalone services as South Korea’s internet giant makes a major strategic shift toward artificial intelligence, AI-powered commerce and digital infrastructure. The latest move will see Naver’s music-streaming platform VIBE shut down on December 31, 2026, while Naver TV

SOUTH KOREA

100,000 Pack Taipei Streets as Giant Mechanical Elephants Take Over Shilin — And the Crowd Was So Huge, Officials Had to Step In

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Three enormous mechanical elephants transformed the streets of Taipei into a spectacular open-air theater Saturday night, drawing more than 100,000 people to Shilin for the opening of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival. The free street performance, “Trois Éléphants Passent…” (“Three Elephants Pass…”), was staged by French

SOUTH KOREA

Civic Groups Renew Push for UNESCO Listing of Comfort Women Records as Survivors Dwindle

SEOUL, South Korea — A coalition of civic groups is once again pressing UNESCO to move forward with a long-delayed effort to place historical records documenting Japan's wartime sexual slavery system on the Memory of the World Register. The renewed campaign comes as the number of surviving victims

SOUTH KOREA

Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Surpasses 10 Million Admissions in Korea — And Its Record-Breaking Run Isn't Over Yet

SEOUL, South Korea — Christopher Nolan's epic blockbuster “The Odyssey” has officially crossed the 10-million-admission mark in South Korea, becoming the second film released in the country this year to reach the prestigious milestone — and the first foreign movie of 2026 to do so. The achievement cements

SOUTH KOREA

Family Waited 10 Days for the Worst — Then a Chinese Worker Was Found Alive Inside a Nepal Tunnel

KATHMANDU, Nepal — After 10 agonizing days of uncertainty, a family in China finally received the news they had been desperately hoping for: Lu Haitao was alive. The Chinese worker had been trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal after catastrophic floods devastated communities near the Nepal-China border, killing more