China’s hard power keeps undermining its soft power
China undoubtedly has real soft power. Yet its behavior repeatedly undermines it.
· Waka Ikeda
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits to extramarital affair; board orders investigation | South China Morning Post
In memo published on company website, Huang apologises to his family and colleagues.
S. Korea's climate ambassador to join U.N. climate summit in Turkey as presidential envoy
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ambassador for global climate and enviro...
· Song Sang-ho
Deploying mine-hunting assets to anti-piracy unit meant to prepare for unseen threats: defense minister
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Monday that South...
· Kim Seung-yeon
[WDAF 2026] Lawmakers call for clearer crypto rules, tax reforms
South Korea needs clearer rules for companies looking to expand their digital asset businesses, and for investors facing a tax on crypto gains, lawmakers said Monday at the World Digital Assets Forum in Seoul. Rep. Min Byoung-dug of the Democratic Party of Korea said the Digital Asset Basic Act he proposed would giv…
· Choi Ji-won
Takaichi and LDP weigh disciplinary action for party members who abstained from food tax vote
Party leadership demanded that the lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, write statements on why they walked out of the vote.
· Eric Johnston
[WDAF 2026] Herald CEO sees Korea emerging as global hub for digital finance
South Korea is well positioned to emerge as a global hub for the new digital financial order as blockchain and digital assets reshape the foundations of the global financial system, according to Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young on Monday. "We are standing at a turning point in the history of finance, where a ne…
· Im Eun-byel
Japan's Sakana AI gears up for one of biggest startup IPOs
Generative AI developer's listing could top Mercari's valuation
· Staff Writer
Sakana AI gears up for one of Japan's biggest startup IPOs
Generative AI developer's listing could top Mercari's valuation
· Staff Writer
Defense witness confirms China trip
MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Assessor Jaime Adalin on Monday confirmed that he traveled to China on Jan. 25, 2026, as senator-judges questioned his frequent overseas trips and how he could afford them on a reported monthly salary of approximately P120,000.
· Catherine S. Valente
Japan's ANA and Vietnam Airlines to launch revenue-sharing pact
Carriers seek to improve efficiency and tap rising demand in Asia
· MAYUKO KURIHARA
CEO of world’s biggest company admits to affair amid Chinese spy
There are fears the American CEO of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies has fallen for a honeypot operation orchestrated by China.
Japan's private-share market gathers pace with new trading platform
Nstock lets startup employees cash out before IPOs, drawing on regulatory reforms
· TSUBASA SURUGA
S. Korea manager hoping to see players grow at int'l baseball tournament in Tokyo
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- As South Korea gears up for its final international ba...
· Yoo Jee-ho
Which countries and industries emit the most greenhouse gases?
The US has emitted the most CO2 in history; China is now the biggest emitter. Here’s who is driving global emissions.
· Marium Ali, Hanna Duggal
Japan targets viral ‘Shorinji racing’ social media pranks harassing police
A viral social media prank targeting Japanese police is sweeping across the country, with children as young as seven being caught in the act. Known as “Shorinji racing”, the trend involves minors shouting “Shorinji-ja” (“We are Shorinji”) at police officers in person or through false emergency calls from public tele…
· SCMP’s Asia desk
Top South Korean golfers set sights on PGA Tour Q-School in December
Leading players from the Korea Professional Golfers‘ Association (KPGA) Tour are preparing for a new challenge after wrapping up the 2026 season. With the season-ending KPGA Tour Championship concluding Sunday, the tour's top-ranked players will head straight into qualifying school, or Q-School, seeking a place on t…
· Edwin Choi
Japan’s ‘Tamagotchi’ digital pet toy to celebrate 30-year anniversary | South China Morning Post
The egg-shaped plastic toy, first launched on November 23, 1996, features digital pets that “die” when not properly fed and cared for.
China’s tax compliance drive falls short of covering fiscal gaps, weighs on sentiment: report
Even as China’s stricter enforcement lifts tax receipts, the revenue gains remain insufficient to cover government funding gaps and risk chilling private sector confidence, while local officials remain reluctant to launch major projects despite repeated calls from Beijing, analysts say. Hong Kong-based Goldman Sachs…
· Emma Ma
China says it is willing to promote fresh progress in bilateral relations with Iran
China says it is willing to promote fresh progress in bilateral relations with Iran Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, said that China is willing to promote new progress in bilateral relations with Iran. Zhai added that the expanding conflict in the Middle East cannot be resolved by force. The comme…
· Middleeasteye
A doctor was murdered in South Korea. 8 years on, ‘nothing has changed’
Nearly eight years after a psychiatrist’s murder prompted South Korea to pass a new law that increased penalties for assaulting medical staff, another attack this month has doctors asking why the country’s hospitals are still unsafe. The attack at Severance Hospital in Seoul last Wednesday left the victim, a psychia…
· SCMP’s Asia desk
Policy rift emerges within Seoul over N. Korea sanctions
The South Korean government is facing a growing dilemma over whether to impose additional unilateral sanctions on North Korea, as differing approaches within the administration expose tensions between maintaining international pressure on Pyongyang and preserving prospects for renewed inter-Korean dialogue. The disa…
· Jung Min-kyung
South Korea wins silver in men's standard pistol team event at world championships
South Korea's men's shooting team claimed the silver medal in the 25-meter standard pistol team event at the 2026 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The team of Lee Geon-hyeok of the Daegu Public Facilities Management Corp., Hong Seok-jin of KB Kookmin Bank and So Seun…
· Edwin Choi
Chinese central bank’s pledge to probe Solana snuffs out hopes crypto crackdown is easing
A pledge by China’s central bank to investigate Solana’s recent campaigns in mainland China has extinguished hopes that a crackdown on cryptocurrencies will be eased and underscored Beijing’s unyielding hostility towards foreign public blockchains. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) had halted recent offline events S…
· Xinmei Shen
South Korea ships first sweet persimmons to China after 17 years of talks
South Korea sent its first shipment of fresh sweet persimmons to China on Friday, opening a new market for growers after 17 years of plant quarantine negotiations. The shipment of 19.6 metric tons, packed in 1,960 boxes, left the Port of Busan and was expected to reach Shanghai on Nov. 10, South Korea’s Agriculture …
· Shin Yong-bae
Korean food exporters sign $15 million in preliminary deals at Melbourne fair
South Korean food exporters have signed 11 preliminary agreements worth a combined $15 million at a trade fair in Melbourne, Australia, South Korea’s Agriculture Ministry and its food export agency said Monday. The event, running Thursday to Saturday at the Melbourne Showgrounds, was the first K-Food Fair held in Oc…
· Shin Yong-bae
Baemin, Coupang Eats hit with record W632b antitrust penalty
South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Monday it would impose a combined 631.9 billion won ($467 million) fine on Baemin and Coupang Eats for pressuring restaurants to match rivals' prices and terms, restricting competition. The Fair Trade Commission announced provisional fines of 331.1 billion won for Woowa Brothers…
· Jie Ye-eun
Asian chip stocks in South Korea and Taiwan gain despite Nvidia scrutiny
Taiwan's markets led the rally in Asian markets, with the Taiwan Weighted Index up as much as 6.7%.
· Lim Hui Jie
Fire in northern China high-rise building kills 14, injures dozens more
Fourteen people died and dozens more were hospitalised after a fire broke out in a high-rise building in northern China on Sunday. The fire erupted at around 5pm in the Haosheng International Apartment building in Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi province, according to the Yingze district government. It was put o…
· Phoebe Zhang
Hyundai Motor, Air Liquide China partner on hydrogen mobility
HTWO Guangzhou, Hyundai Motor Group’s first overseas hydrogen fuel cell production hub, has partnered with Air Liquide China to accelerate the development of a hydrogen mobility value chain in China’s rapidly growing clean commercial vehicle sector. According to Hyundai Motor on Monday, the two parties signed a memo…
· Byun Hye-jin
Godzilla Minus Zero takes US box office by storm in opening weekend
The foreign-language film topped the North American box office with $31.6m in takings, generating $63m worldwideJapan’s most recognisable film star shows no sign of losing its ability to captivate global audiences, after Godzilla Minus Zero – a foreign language film – swept to the top of the US box office on its ope…
· Justinmccurry
Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes central Japan, injuring over 20 | South China Morning Post
The quake struck Japan’s Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures early Sunday morning.
Aussie boxing gun successfully defends WBC title
Olympian Skye Nicolson retains her WBC super-bantamweight title with a unanimous-points win over Japan's Miyo Yoshida.
French investment giant Ardian looks to tap China’s ‘more reasonable’ valuations
French private equity giant Ardian sees prime opportunities to snap up quality assets in China amid a liquidity slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, as it looks to meet European investors’ strong demand for diversification, according to company executives. Ardian, which managed over US$200 billion worth o…
· Themis Qi
FTC to fine Baemin 331 bln won, Coupang 300 bln won for unfair practices
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's antitrust regulator said Monday it will ...
· Kang Yoon-seung
China Rehearses Taiwan Blockade In Unannounced Naval War Drill
China Rehearses Taiwan Blockade In Unannounced Naval War Drill China may be conducting a major, unannounced war drill aimed at isolating Taiwan, with more than 100 naval and coast guard vessels deployed across the Western Pacific, according to a new assessment. 🚨 中国在168小时内刚刚采取了5项行动。全部围绕台湾。没有一项有名称。而没有人把这些点联系起来。行动1：1…
· Tyler Durden
China’s a green-tech superpower, but not yet a green civilization
At the UN climate conference in Antalya, which runs from November 9 to 20, China is the world’s clean-technology superpower. It makes most of the planet’s solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles. Its emissions have stopped rising. Few delegations carry more weight. On September 29, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang t…
· Jan Krikke
KITA's landmark Manhattan tower gets $200m makeover
The Korea International Trade Association is investing $200 million to renovate its landmark Manhattan building, purchased over 50 years ago, into a modern commercial tower in one of New York’s most prestigious business districts. Located at 460 Park Avenue, the 22-story Hahn Kook Center was the first building a Kor…
· Ahn Sung-mi
Apple, Samsung turn to Chinese AI rivals to stay competitive
Apple and Samsung Electronics are increasingly relying on Chinese technology giants to power their artificial intelligence services in China, highlighting a growing dilemma for foreign smartphone makers: Competing in the world's largest smartphone market means depending on local companies that could eventually becom…
· Jie Ye-eun
China’s imported inflation accelerates as PPI up most since 2022 amid Iran war
China’s factory-gate price growth continued to accelerate last month amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict that is fuelling uncertainties in the global energy market, while consumer inflation remained subdued. The producer price index (PPI) rose 5.7 per cent year on year in October, according to data released by the Nat…
· Alice Li
China digital bed bug map lets travellers flag hotels nationwide upon spotting pests
A digital map of bed bug sightings has gained popularity in China but has also sparked controversy by allowing users to flag hotels where they claim to have found the insects with a single click. Since its launch on September 21, the app has attracted 200,000 users, who have marked more than 600 hotels across China.…
· Alice Yan
Japanese challenger Tashima rates chances of unseating Fifa head Infantino at 20%-30%
Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima said governance was Fifa’s biggest problem as he outlined his platform for next year’s presidential election, while rating his chances of unseating incumbent Gianni Infantino at 20 to 30 per cent. Tashima announced on Thursday that he intended to run in t…
· Reuters
China’s comfortable brain-reading device achieves 94% mind-typing accuracy in day-long use
Chinese researchers have created a comfortable electrode for non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that achieved over 94 per cent accuracy in visual mind-typing tests during day-long use. The gradient electrodes – designed to overcome the current trade-offs of conventional uniformly soft or rigid electrodes …
· Victoria Bela
China wholesale inflation hits over four-year high as consumer measure slows
The PPI for October came in at 5.7%, compared to the 5.3% expected by economists polled by Reuters.
· Lim Hui Jie
CJ Olive Young to operate 7 U.S. stores by H1 2027
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea's leading health and...
· Choi Kyong-ae
Late Hyosung honorary chairman receives Korea-U.S. Friendship Award
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Hyosung Group said Monday its late honorary chairman, ...
· Kim Eun-jung
Hyundai Motor's HTWO teams up with Air Liquide to expand hydrogen mobility in China
Hyundai Motor Group said Monday its hydrogen business brand HTWO will partner with French industrial gas company Air Liquide to expand hydrogen-powered mobility in China. HTWO Guangzhou, the South Korean automotive group's first overseas hydrogen fuel-cell system manufacturing base, signed a cooperation agreement wi…
· Yonhap
Seoul stocks buck gains on Wall Street to open lower
Seoul stocks bucked gains on Wall Street to open lower Monday as investors dumped tech heavyweights. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was down 31.68 points, or 0.63 percent, to 5,028.01 points, as of 9:15 a.m. Major stock indexes in the US closed higher Friday, led by a rebound in chipmakers despite f…
· Yonhap
Hyundai Motor's HTWO teams up with Air Liquide to expand hydrogen mobility in China
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Group said Monday its hydrogen business ...
· Kim Eun-jung
Japan FX intervention data underscores challenge of reversing weak yen
Structural headwinds keep currency in tight range but analysts see possible 2027 rally
· JADA NAGUMO