Seoul arrests ex-top security official over border killing
South Korean prosecutors arrested the country’s former national security director over suspicions he engaged in a cover-up to hide details and distort the circumstances surrounding North Korea’s killing of a South Korean fisheries official near the rivals’ sea boundary in 2020
washingtonpost.comDogs gifted by Kim Jong Un at center of South Korean row
A pair of dogs gifted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 are now marred in a South Korean political row, with the country’s former president blaming his conservative successor for a lack of support as he gave the animals up
washingtonpost.comSouth Korea arrests former top officials over 2020 killing
South Korea’s former defense minister and coast guard chief have been arrested over their alleged involvement in covering up facts and distorting the circumstances surrounding North Korea’s killing of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020 near the rivals’ tense sea border.
New photos of North Korean defectors being dragged back at border sparks condemnation from Seoul
On Wednesday, South Korea’s presidential office condemned the former progressive administration’s decision to repatriate two North Korean fishermen in 2019 amid newly released photographs of the men being forcibly moved across the border. In response, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s spokesperson Kang In-sun called the decision “a crime against humanity that violated both international law and the constitution.” The fishermen were deported just five days after being taken into custody without the usual treatment of North Korean defectors in which they are investigated and debriefed by Seoul’s intelligence officials.
news.yahoo.comWhat you need to know about South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol
Yoon Suk-yeol, formerly the country’s top prosecutor, was elected the new president of South Korea on Wednesday, ushering in an era of conservative party rule that would significantly shift the country’s policies in the face of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and China’s rise. Here's what you need to know about the new president.
washingtonpost.comIn S. Korea election, future of foreign policy up for debate
Ahead of the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, major candidates are embroiled in a heated debate over how to address a foreign policy challenges that include the U.S.-China rivalry, North Korea's nuclear threats and badly strained ties with Japan.
S. Korea marks deadliest day of pandemic as hospitals buckle
South Korea on Tuesday marked its deadliest day of the pandemic as an unrelenting, delta-driven spread stretched thin hospitals and left people dying while waiting for beds. Health experts warn that the country’s medical system is quickly approaching its limits and that fatalities could worsen if the government continues to be slow and hesitant in tightening social distancing. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 94 virus patients died in the past 24 hours while a record 906 were in serious or critical condition. The 5,567 new infections were the highest yet for a Tuesday — daily tallies are usually smaller at the start of the week because of fewer tests on weekends – indicating the virus has continued to gain speed after the government moderately tightened social distancing last week.
news.yahoo.comSouth Korea pushes booster shots as COVID-19 spread worsens
South Korea has reported 3,187 new cases of the coronavirus, nearly matching a one-day record set in September, a worrisome development in a country that eased social distancing rules in recent weeks to lessen the pandemic’s economic impact.
Ex-prosecutor in SKorea wins opposition presidential ticket
South Korea’s conservative former top prosecutor, who has called for a stronger U.S. security guarantee to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats, has won the main opposition party’s hotly contested nomination for next March’s presidential election.
How Apple’s App Store Sparked an Epic Trial
Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google are two of the world’s most profitable companies, and their app marketplaces are among their most profitable endeavors: The cut Apple takes from App Store transactions approaches the revenue from iPads and Macs, and accounted for most of the $54 billion generated by the Services division in fiscal 2020. Now such practices are coming under increasing scrutiny. U.S. Senators and European regulators have griped about the “gatekeeper control” that Apple and Goog
washingtonpost.comWhy App Store Fees Are Drawing Fire Worldwide
Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google are two of the world’s most profitable companies, and their app marketplaces are among their most profitable endeavors: The cut Apple takes from App Store transactions approaches the revenue from iPads and Macs, and accounted for most of the $54 billion generated by the Services division in fiscal 2020. Now such practices are coming under increasing scrutiny. U.S. Senators and European regulators have griped about the “gatekeeper control” that Apple and Goog
washingtonpost.comWhy Samsung’s Billionaire Heir Is In and Out of Jail
Samsung Group scion Jay Y. Lee walked out of jail Friday, a free man once again. He had been granted parole after being sent to prison for a second time in January after a conviction on bribery charges. He apologized to the public for “causing worries” and said he’s aware of “concerns, criticisms, expectations.”
washingtonpost.comWhy Samsung’s Billionaire Scion Is Heading Back to Jail
Samsung Group scion Jay Y. Lee is poised to become a free man once again. Jailed for a second time in January after a conviction on bribery charges, he was recommended for parole in August and will be released Friday but faces the prospect of returning to prison if convicted in another, ongoing case. Both center on the means Lee used in trying to take control of the company founded by his grandfather, a saga that brought down a South Korean president and reignited public outrage over the cozy re
washingtonpost.comWhy Samsung’s Billionaire Heir Is In and Out of Jail
Samsung Group scion Jay Y. Lee is poised to become a free man once again. Jailed for a second time in January after a conviction on bribery charges, he was recommended for parole in August and will be released Friday but faces the prospect of returning to prison if convicted in another, ongoing case. Both center on the means Lee used in trying to take control of the company founded by his grandfather, a saga that brought down a South Korean president and reignited public outrage over the cozy re
washingtonpost.comWith no summit, South Korean president to skip Olympics
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, citing a failure to set up a summit with Japan's prime minister that would produce meaningful results in improving relations. Moon’s office said Monday that officials from Seoul and Tokyo held talks over longstanding disputes about wartime history and a “future-oriented” development of their relations, but did not find enough common ground to support a summit between their leaders. The countries had been discussing the possibility of Moon visiting Tokyo to participate in the Olympics’ opening ceremony and having talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga about repairing bilateral ties that have sunk to postwar lows in recent years with disputes over history, trade and military cooperation.
news.yahoo.comVirus cases jump 1,200 in South Korea amid slow vaccination
South Korea is seeing a steep rise in coronavirus infections unseen since the worst of its outbreak last winter as it slips into another surge while most of its people are still unvaccinated. The 1,212 new cases confirmed by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday came close to matching its highest daily increase of the pandemic — 1,240 cases reported on Christmas Day. Health experts say the government sent the wrong message to the public by pushing for a premature easing of social distancing despite a steadily rising caseload.
news.yahoo.com‘Art of the Deal – for working people’: Psaki corrects Fox reporter trying to link Biden talks to Trump motto
In the latest instalment of the White House versus Fox News, press secretary Jen Psaki agreed to call the president’s negotiations with on infrastructure the “Art of the Deal” with one correction – “for working people”. Ms Psaki announced on Friday that Joe Biden’s $2.3 trn spending plan had been reduced to $1.7 trn in the “art of seeking common ground”. Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked if at some point those negotiations become the “art of the deal”, referencing Donald Trump’s infamous 1987 tome of the same name.
news.yahoo.comSouth Koreas rapid coronavirus testing, far ahead of the U.S., could be saving lives
South Korea has also set up mobile testing stations and home visits, and can conclude in a matter of hours whether someone has been infected. In the U.S., with six times the population of South Korea, about 2,000 infections had been reported and 43 have died as of Friday. (Lee Jin-man / Associated Press)How South Korea accelerated its coronavirus testing, while early missteps left the U.S. lagging far behind, is a story of flexibility, preparedness and painful lessons from a past fumble. AdvertisementAs luck would have it, last December, the South Korean government held a mock disease response drill under the premise of a coronavirus outbreak. With new clusters being discovered in the densely packed Seoul metropolitan area this week, South Korea still faces challenges.
latimes.comCoronavirus increases Iran's isolation, strains South Korea and Italy
DUBAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Irans coronavirus death toll rose to 16 on Tuesday, the highest outside China, increasing its international isolation as dozens of countries from South Korea to Italy accelerated emergency measures to curb the epidemics global spread. Growing outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea are of particular concern. A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Hubei province, China February 24, 2020. Eurasia consultancys Scott Rosenstein said the bad news from Iran, South Korea and Italy had undercut confidence sustained human-to-human transmission can be limited to China. Markets have responded accordingly.DONT HANG ABOUTAfghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman reported their first new coronavirus cases, all in people who had been to Iran.
feeds.reuters.comNorth Korea remains open to dialogue with the US, South Korea's Moon says
President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un stand on North Korean soil while walking to South Korea in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday it was too early to be pessimistic about stalled denuclearisation dialogue between the United States and North Korea, adding that Pyongyang has not yet shut the door to more talks. "Some were concerned about a new round of provocations just in time for Chairman Kim's birthday," Moon said. On Friday, a South Korean official said Trump had asked the South Koreans to pass on birthday greetings to North Korea. Over the weekend, however, North Korea released a statement saying it had already directly received a letter from Trump and ridiculed South Korea for trying to "meddle" in U.S.-North Korea relations.
cnbc.comTrumps North Korea gamble leaves U.S. back at square one. Whered it go wrong?
Trumps willingness to flout all that came before him was welcomed by the leaders of North and South Korea. A very good relationship.... Nobody else would have done that.Three summits, several praise-filled letters and many months later, the U.S. finds itself back in familiar waters with North Korea. Paektu, a place of symbolic and historic importance for North Korea. (AFP via Getty Image)After a hiatus, North Korea has returned to regular testing of ballistic missiles, firing off more than a dozen rounds of short-range missiles this year. Time has been on North Koreas side forever.
latimes.comExport dispute with Japan could be 'prolonged,' says South Korean President
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in (L) is welcomed by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the G-20 Summit in June 2019. South Korea's president said on Wednesday Japan's export curbs on key materials used by South Korean technology firms could be prolonged, and Seoul will help companies reduce their reliance on Japanese suppliers. Japan said last week it would tighten restrictions on exports of three materials used in smartphone displays and chips, citing a dispute with Seoul over South Koreans forced to work for Japanese firms during World War Two. "We can't rule out the possibility that the situation would be prolonged, despite our diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue," President Moon Jae-in said at a meeting with executives from South Korea's top 30 conglomerates.
cnbc.comTrump to arrive in Seoul as South Korea finds itself in a tough spot with North Korea
When President Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un sat down for their historic first summit last June in Singapore, the president of South Korea was 3,000 miles away in Seoul. South Korean authorities would better mind their own internal business, a North Korean foreign ministry official wrote in a statement published this week by state media. The official, Kwon Jong Gun, who heads the ministrys American Affairs section, wrote that there was no role for South Korea in the nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea. The negotiation, if any, will be held face to face between the DPRK and the U.S., his statement said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. North Korea was a no-show at the one-year anniversary celebration of last Aprils summit between the Koreas.
latimes.com