Page 4 - South Korea

Hyundai Motor names Jose Munoz as CEO, first foreign leader of automaker

Munoz, 59, joined Hyundai in 2019 as global chief operating officer, with responsibility for the carmaker's north and south American operations

South Korean actor Song Jae Rim found dead in his Seoul apartment

The 39-year-old South Korean actor, Song Jae Rim, took his last breath on Tuesday. He made his acting debut in the 2009 film Actresses

4B movement: How a South Korean feminist wave reached the US shores

Women in the United States are using TikTok and X to link the 4B movement to their struggles under Donald Trump

N Korean GPS manipulation disrupted many planes, vessels: South Korea

South Korea's military said North Korea disrupted GPS signals from border areas for the second-straight day on Saturday, affecting an unspecified number of flights and vessel operations. Tensions between the rival Koreas have escalated as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un flaunts his advancing nuclear and missile program and engages in electronic and psychological warfare, such as flying thousands of balloons to drop trash and anti-South Korean propaganda leaflets in the South. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean operations to manipulate GPS signals were detected from around the western border city of Kaesong and the nearby city of Haeju on Friday and Saturday, and said the activities disrupted dozens of civilian aircraft and several vessels. While warning aircraft and vessels near western border areas, South Korea's military did not specify how North Korea was interfering with GPS signals or detail the extent of disruptions. We urge North Korea to stop GPS ...

South Korea's president Yoon Suk Yeol denies wrongdoing in growing scandal

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied wrongdoing Thursday in a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal involving him and his wife that's severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his rivals. The political firestorm coincides with South Korea facing a slew of critical foreign policy issues, such as Donald Trump's election win to become the next president of the United States and North Korea's reported entry into the Russia-Ukraine war. The scandal centers around allegations that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee exerted inappropriate influence on the ruling People Power Party to pick a certain candidate to run for a parliamentary by-election in 2022 at the request of Myung Tae-kyun, an election broker and founder of a polling agency who conducted free opinion surveys for Yoon before he became president. For weeks, the scandal has been making headlines in South Korea as Myung's leaked phone conversations show he boasted of his influence over the ...

S Korea fines Meta $15 mn for illegally collecting info from Facebook users

South Korea's privacy watchdog on Tuesday fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers. It was the latest in a series of penalties against Meta by South Korean authorities in recent years as they increase their scrutiny of how the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, handles private information. Following a four-year investigation, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission concluded that Meta unlawfully collected sensitive information about around 980,000 Facebook users, including their religion, political views and whether they were in same-sex unions, from July 2018 to March 2022. It said the company shared the data with around 4,000 advertisers. South Korea's privacy law provides strict protection for information related to personal beliefs, politic

North Korea fired ballistic missiles outside Japan's economic zone

North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern sea, according to the South Korean military, as the country continued its weapons demonstrations ahead of the US presidential elections. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately say what type of ballistic missile it was or how far it flew. The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a flight test of the country's newest intercontinental ballistic missile designed to reach the US mainland. North Korean state media claimed last week that the Hwasong-19 it tested on October 31 was the world's strongest ICBM, but experts say the solid-fuel missile was too big to be useful in a war situation. Experts say the North has yet to acquire some critical technologies to build a functioning ICBM, such as ensuring that the warhead survives the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry. The latest launches came after South Korean officials said the North was likely to dial up its military ...

South Korea, EU worry about Russia's technology transfer to North Korea

South Korea and the European Union on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's reported dispatch of troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine and expressed concerns that Russia could reward North Korea with transfers of sensitive technology to enhance its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea's troop deployment, confirmed by the US and NATO, threatens to expand the almost 3-year-long war and is causing security jitters in South Korea and elsewhere about what Russia could give North Korea in return. After a meeting in Seoul, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a joint statement condemning in the strongest possible terms North Korea's deployment and voicing worries about Russia's possible provision of materials and technology to North Korea in support of its military objectives. We are also deeply concerned about the possibility for any transfer of nuclear- or ballistic missile-related technology to the DPRK, which would ...

South Korea, EU condemn North Korea's reported troop dispatch to Russia

Top South Korean and European Union officials on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's reported troop dispatch to aid Russia's war against Ukraine and agreed to work together to try to block deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea's alleged troop deployment threatens to expand the almost 3-year-long war and is causing security jitters in South Korea, where many worry Russia might reward the North by giving it sophisticated weapons technology or offering a defense commitment in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. In a meeting in Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun and the EU's visiting foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed serious concerns about North Korea's reported troop dispatch and strongly condemned it, according to a statement from the South Korean Defense Ministry. The two agreed to work together with the international community to try to obstruct Russian-North Korean security cooperation, the statement .

US, Japan, South Korea hold drills after N Korea's ballistic missile launch

"Amid gradually increasing security cooperation between the three countries, (we) will strengthen coordination to deter and jointly respond to North Korea's threats," it said in the statement cited

US and South Korea condemn China's military exercises around Taiwan

The report further indicates that sources from the U.S. and Japan indicate that approximately 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and may collaborate with Russian forces in actions aga

France credit rating outlook cut to negative by Moody's on deficit woes

Moody's put the negative outlook on its Aa2 assessment, a rating France shares with South Korea and United Arab Emirates

US, Japan and, South Korea join hands to support digital infra in India

The United States, Japan and S Korea on Friday announced the launch of a new framework that furthers their collaboration with the Indian private sector to support digital infrastructure in India. An announcement in this regard was made by the US International Development Finance Corporation, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank). DFC CEO Scott Nathan, JBIC Governor Nobumitsu Hayashi, and Korea Eximbank Chairman and CEO Hee-sung Yoon signed the Digital Infrastructure Growth Initiative for India Framework (DiGi Framework) to support projects in the information and communications technology sector such as 5G, Open RAN, submarine cables, optical fiber networks, telecom towers, data centres, smart city, e-commerce, AI, and quantum technology, a media release said. The DiGi Framework creates a streamlined process where DFC, JBIC, and Korea Eximbank, in partnership with the Indian private sector, can provide support to mee

South Korean prez vows response as North Korean troops head to Ukraine

South Korea's president said Thursday his government won't sit idle as North Korea allegedly sends troops to support Russia's war on Ukraine, as he met with the leader of Poland to discuss expanding defence cooperation amid the ongoing conflict. The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda came a day after US and South Korean officials said they believe around 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations. South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers that North Korea likely aims to send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of the year. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the presence of North Korean troops. We agreed that North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, which is in direct violation of the UN charter and U.N. Security Council resolutions, is a provocation that threatens global security, Yoon said after the summit. Yoon said South Korea will work with allies and partners to .

Lonely deaths rise in South Korea: Can a $327 mn plan end the isolation?

Seoul's new initiative offers 24x7 access to loneliness counsellors via hotline, online platform, and follow-up visits for those needing extra support

North Korea sent troops to Russia, what it means for war with Ukraine?

American and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there's evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine. If the soldiers' goal is fighting with Russia in Ukraine, it would be the first time a third country puts boots on the ground in the war. Other countries on both sides of the divide have sent military aid, including weapons and training: Iran has supplied Russia with drones, and Western nations have provided Ukraine with modern weapons and financial and humanitarian assistance. South Korea's spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops were being trained to use equipment including drones before being sent to fight in Ukraine. United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters during a visit to Rome that we are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops who have gone to Russia. What exactly they're doing - left to be seen," Austin said. Neither Austin nor South Korean ...

South Korea hints at arming Kyiv after reports of North's troops in Russia

South Korea warned Tuesday it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia, as both North Korea and Russia denied the movements. The South Korean statement is apparently meant to pressure Russia not to bring in North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine. South Korean officials worry that Russia may reward North Korea by giving it sophisticated weapons technologies that can boost the North's nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea. In an emergency National Security Council meeting, top South Korean officials condemned North Korea's alleged dispatch of troops as a grave security threat to South Korea and the international community. They described North Korea as a criminal group that forces its youths to serve as Russian mercenaries for an unjustifiable war, the South Korean presidential office said in a statement. The officials agreed to take phased countermeasures, linking the level of their responses

South Korea calls for withdrawal of alleged North Korean troops in Russia

South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun condemned in the strongest terms North Korea's troop dispatch that he said poses a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Kim said that South Korea in collaboration with the international community will mobilize all available means to deal with an

S Korea calls for immediate withdrawal of N Korean troops in Russia

South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia earlier this month to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun condemned in the strongest terms North Korea's troop dispatch that he said poses a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Kim said that South Korea in collaboration with the international community will mobilise all available means to deal

North Korea claims finding remains of South Korean drone in its capital

North Korea said Saturday it found the remains of a South Korean drone during a search in its capital, Pyongyang, claiming the drone proved the South's military was behind the alleged drone infiltrations over the city's skies earlier in the month. The North's official Korean Central News Agency released photos showing a seemingly damaged aircraft with wide, V-shaped wings and winglets. It said a joint investigation by North Korea's military and state security agencies concluded that the aircraft, which it said was found on Oct. 13, was the same type of drone that appeared in a South Korean military parade earlier in October. North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over the night skies of Pyongyang three different times this month to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets. It threatened to respond with force if such flights occur again. The aircraft allegedly found in Pyongyang was likely one of the drones that were used to drop leaflets, North Korea's Defense Ministry .