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April 24, 2024
 

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Youkyung Lee
For Youkyung Lee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Currency dealers work in front of an electronic board showing the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul. Officials in South Korea are taking a cue from Japan, where a push for corporate reforms has been one of the key drivers for a world-beating equity rally.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
South Korea faces long road in unlocking corporate value like Japan
As global investors scrutinize South Korea’s plans, they note a key hurdle — the prevalence of family-controlled businesses, or chaebols.
Light trails left by moving traffic in the Yeouido financial district of Seoul
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 26, 2024
South Korea unveils corporate value-boosting plan to replicate Japan
The plan to push companies to improve management and corporate governance has disappointed due to a lack of enforcement and concrete details.
The Yeouido financial district in Seoul
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2024
South Korea watchdog intensifies crackdown on China-linked notes
Authorities will investigate 12 institutions over the sale of equity-linked securities that are tied to the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks on as a rocket carrying a spy satellite is launched in November.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2023
North Korea plans new spy satellites in 2024 after earlier success
South Korea’s spy agency said it sees North Korea launching military and cyber provocations next year as Kim’s regime seeks to raise its profile.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2023
Fund that beat 99% of peers by betting on China shares is shifting to booming Japan
Midas International Asset Management is betting on Japanese technology firms and companies bolstered by the economy’s reopening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2023
Seoul theater chain swaps screens for climbing walls to lure young Koreans
South Korea's largest multiplex movie chain operator started installing climbing walls in 2021 in one of its multiplexes, demolishing two movie screens to make way for the walls.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2023
K-Pop battle shines spotlight on new wave of shareholder activism in South Korea
The new protagonists of shareholder activism in Asia are millennials steeped in the local culture who are using that knowledge to take on the old guard.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2022
Hedge fund bets next Korean pop culture hit will be webtoons
GVA Asset Management believes Americans and Europeans will soon catch onto Korea's online comics, following the lead of consumers at home and in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2021
Retail investors vow war if short sellers end South Korea stock rally
The Korea Stockholders Alliance has vowed to gather day traders into a force to fight short sellers — much the same way their U.S. peers took on Wall Street over GameStop.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2020
Fierce coronavirus wave tests South Korea’s no-lockdown strategy
The surge in cases has alarmed a country that's drawn pride from being globally lauded for its COVID-19 response.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 1, 2019
After summit collapse, North Korea's Kim vows to meet Trump again
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to meet again with President Donald Trump to continue nuclear negotiations after a two-day summit between the leaders collapsed Thursday amid discord over sanctions and conflicting accounts of Pyongyang's demands.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 25, 2019
How North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un went from global pariah to guest of honor
Kim Jong Un's arrival in Vietnam by train this week for a second meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump may be most remarkable for how normal it's becoming.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 16, 2019
North Korea's Kim ready to accept inspections of nuclear plant, South Korean presidential adviser says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to accept the dismantlement and inspection of a high-profile nuclear plant, a South Korean presidential adviser said, suggesting a possible point of compromise in upcoming talks with President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2019
Feud between major U.S. allies Japan and South Korea deepens as Trump sits it out
Donald Trump's desire to put "America First" has fostered new disputes between the United States and its allies. In Asia, old rivalries are also roaring back.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 31, 2018
U.S.-South Korea alliance strained as Trump keeps suspending 'war games'
The U.S. and South Korea have spent almost seven decades honing their preparedness for war. Now fears are growing among the alliance's proponents that extended peace talks are eroding that advantage.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

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