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Former prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol has emerged as the winner of South Korea’s bitterly contested presidential election. After a neck and neck race against ex-mayor and lawyer Lee Jae-myung, Yoon garnered 48.6 per cent of the votes with 95 per cent of the ballots counted on March 9, 2022. The 61-year-old president-elect…
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The chairman of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party was assaulted during a political rally in Seoul on March 7, 2022. Song Young-gil was campaigning in the capital in support of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung ahead of the March 9 election, when a man wielding what was described as a small hammer attacked him…
Japan’s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi raised alarms over North Korea’s continued expansion of its nuclear programme after the reclusive nation launched another missile – its fifth this year – off the coast toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. The March 5, 2022 missile launch came mere days before Sout…
South Korea’s presidential campaign kicked off on February 15, 2022, with former child worker Lee Jae-myung throwing his name in the hat. A student dropout maimed in a factory accident as a teen, Lee is a maverick candidate from the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea. He says his working-class credentials make…
Covid-19 Infections involving the Omicron variant have spiked in South Korea where 95,362 cases were reported on February 21, 2022. The nation’s daily case toll had surpassed 100,000 in the three days prior, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 2,058,184. But deaths from the disease have remained rel…
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un marked his late father Kim Jong-il’s 80th birthday at a national conference, according to state broadcaster KRT on February 16, 2022. The birthday of North Korea’s second leader is a national holiday known as the “Day of the Shining Star”. The celebration was held in front of …
Candidates hoping to become South Korea’s next president started campaigning on February 15, 2022. Already locked in a tight race are Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and conservative People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. Weighed down by high disapproval ratings and smear campaigns, they …
South Korean politicians have accused China of laying claim to their nation’s culture after a performer at the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics wore a traditional Korean hanbok dress. The term “hanbok” literally means “Korean clothing”. The Chinese embassy in Seoul defended the appearance of hanbok at the Febr…
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, appeared on state media for the first time in nearly five months on February 1, 2022. The couple attended an art performance that was held in the capital Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Theatre to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday. Also sighted in public for the first t…
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared in a state TV documentary that featured him admiring a sunset and galloping through a forest on a white horse, an animal considered a symbol of his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder. The new film titled The Great Year of Victory, 2021 aired during the week of…
North Korea launched a Hwasong-12 “mid-range ballistic missile” on January 31, 2022, in what state media said was a flight carrying a test warhead fitted with a camera. The reclusive state’s most powerful weapons test since 2017 was also its seventh weapons launch in January alone, a record number in a single calend…
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South Korea’s daily coronavirus case count has been on the rise in recent weeks despite strict mitigation restrictions imposed. To curb the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, the government announced an extension of the social distancing rules imposed on December 18, 2021 for another three weeks, now ending on Febru…
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South Korea received its first shipment of the new Pfizer antiviral Covid-19 pill on January 13, 2022. The country plans to begin prescribing the Paxlovid pill to high-risk patients within 24 hours, with a second shipment expected to arrive later this month. The medication, which can reduce hospitalisation rates and…
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North Korea says it has conducted a hypersonic missile test on January 11, 2022. The test came soon after another missile launch on January 5. The test was the first in nearly two years that was attended by the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, who had made a New Year’s vow to modernise the country’s forces. Kim also ca…
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on January 5, 2022. It came just days after Kim Jong-un vowed to continue strengthening the country’s defences. The launch occurred while South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended the groundbreaking ceremony for an inter-Korean railway, which had b…
South Korea’s military suspects that the man who crossed the border from South Korea into North Korea on January 1, 2022, is the same man who jumped the fence into South Korea from the North in 2020. It remains unclear why the man, who is reportedly a gymnast, made the return journey.
With just about two months before the end of his term in office, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has vowed to make a final push on his attempts to secure a declaration to formally end the Korean war. North Korea has made no public comments on the issue. The two Koreas are technically still at war nearly 70 years …
As the world enters a third year of the global Covid-19 pandemic, North Korea claims to remain free of the coronavirus because of its strict border closures and travel restrictions that have reportedly worsened food shortages. As the reclusive state rang in the new year, supreme leader Kim Jong-un called on North Ko…
An unidentified person from South Korea has crossed the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas in a rare defection to the North. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it carried out search operations after detecting the person at the heavily fortified border on the evening of January 1, 2021.
Fireworks burst over Sydney, Dubai, Pyongyang, Bangkok, Goa, Taipei, Berlin, Madrid, Copenhagen and Moscow as the clock struck midnight and the world welcomed 2022 after another tumultuous and pandemic-ridden year capped by new restrictions and soaring case numbers.
South Korea is the latest country to approve Pfizer’s Paxlovid Covid-19 antiviral pill for use by adults and children aged 12 or older. Early data provided by the American pharmaceutical company suggests the pill is effective against the Omicron coronavirus variant. The approval comes as South Korea battles its wors…
South Korea has reinstated curfew measures nationwide in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. Despite a high national vaccination rate, coronavirus case numbers continued to break new daily records. The South Korean government ordered all restaurants, cafes and bars to close by 9pm starting from December 18, 20…
The operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has unveiled plans to build an underwater tunnel to release treated radioactive water into the sea. The Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) submitted detailed plans on December 21, 2021, to the nuclear regulation authority for approval. In 2011, a devas…
It has been 10 years since Kim Jong-un became North Korea’s leader. During that time, life for would-be defectors has become even harder. They say that during the pandemic, ordinary people have been hit by worsening living conditions, with many facing starvation. In the decade since coming to power, Kim has continue…
Canada and Britain have joined Australia in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing initiated by the US, in response to alleged human rights abuses in China. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on December 8, 2021, that his government was “deeply troubled” by the allegations. But South Ko…
A group of nearly 100 Japanese lawmakers visited the Yasukuni Shrine – a controversial symbol of Japanese imperialism and a reminder of its wartime atrocities – on December 7, 2021. It was the first visit by Japanese politicians in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The shrine honours 2.5 million Japanese soldi…
Over 100 people have gathered to make kimchi in South Korea’s capital Seoul for an event organised by Buddhist monks to help low-income families and the elderly. Jogyesa temple hosted the December 2, 2021, session to process 8,000kg (17,600lbs) of cabbage into the Korean staple dish. Half of the final product is bei…
A North Korean inmate has been recaptured after escaping from a prison and going on the run for 41 days in northern China’s Jilin province. Zhu Xianjian was found in a house near a lake. He was shot in the leg when he tried to run away, according to reports. The escapee was sentenced to 11 years and three months aft…
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reviewed troops from the country’s Ground Self-Defence Force on Saturday November 27, 2021, saying he will consider strengthening its capability. The inspection was part of the country’s annual review ceremony, which was scaled down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kishida expresse…
In the South Korean capital Seoul, robots have been deployed as teaching assistants at 300 nursery schools and childcare centres. They guide young children to dance, sing songs, recite stories and even teach a few kung fu moves. The robots are part of the city government’s plan to prepare the next generation for a h…
South Korea reported a record 4,116 coronavirus infections on November 23, 2021, its highest daily Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. The latest outbreak started in the southern city of Cheonan where a religious sect, whose leader conducts healings by poking eyes, set up a commune. Around 90 per cent of…
Ahead of Kimchi Day, Seoul-based firm SHm launched a product called white kimchi juice on November 18, 2021. The drink is made from a non-spicy version of the Korean dish. CEO Park Yun-Kyung says she chose white kimchi to reduce the spiciness and pungent smell.
More than 500,000 students across South Korea took the high-pressured university entrance exam on November 18, 2021. For many students, the Suneung exam results will dictate their future lives, affecting not only their options for university and jobs, but also their future relationships. A recent surge in Covid-19 c…
Bangkok Naughty Boo is one of a new generation of virtual influencers created by Thai fashion designer Adisak Jirasakkasem and his friends during Covid-19. The androgynous character has picked up a growing legion of fans in Thailand, and even a modelling contract from a leading agency. Interest in such online charac…
North Korea has released a video showing kindergarten children attending extracurricular activities , ranging from dancing, guitar-playing to calligraphy. A kindergarten teacher said such activities are important for early childhood development.
South Korea conducted a manned air-taxi test flight at Gimpo International Airport on November 11, 2021. A pilot flew the two-seat model, made by German manufacturer Volocopter, to test control and coordination of the system’s urban air mobility (UAM). In 2020, the country announced a roadmap to begin commercial urb…
China’s Edward Gaming (EDG) team was crowned the 2021 League of Legends world championships winners on November 6, 2021, after a five-game thriller that saw it beating last year’s champion, South Korea’s DWG Kia. The Shanghai-based team is bringing home prize money totalling US$2.225 million. The win comes as Beijin…
A French naval force has been engaged in reconnaissance missions on the Yellow Sea since 2018 to look out for signs of contraband being smuggled in and out of North Korea. The surveillance team is part of an international mission enforcing United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang. Since 2006, North Korea has been subje…
Dozens of protests took place around the world on November 6, 2021, to demand more action from delegates attending the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. As the international summit headed into its second week, tens of thousands of protesters marched in the city in Scotland, joining groups who turned out…
North Korea is breeding ornamental black swans to provide meat to its population amid food shortages. The country’s state media reported that the industrial scale breeding under way at a swan farm could help improve people's lives. North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity, which deepened after the UN impos…
Former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo died on October 26, 2021. No further details were revealed about his death, but the 88-year-old Korean war veteran had been in poor health since 2002 and had undergone prostate cancer surgery. A pivotal and controversial figure, Roh led South Korea on the road to democracy, …
Following the global success of Blackpink and BTS, K-pop bands have become a worldwide phenomenon. In the Peruvian capital Lima, fans gather every weekend to drop dance moves, share K-fashion, merchandise and pictures of their favourite Korean idols.
