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Joyce Lee
For Joyce Lee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Polish soldiers near a K2 tank, delivered in the first batch of arms from South Korea under contracts signed in recent months, in Wierzbiny near Orzysz, Poland, in March last year
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 8, 2024
Financing uncertainty clouds South Korea's push for massive arms deals
Both parties in South Korea have introduced bills to boost the state bank as the country seeks to expedite a $22 billion weapons purchase from Poland.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee arrives at a court in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2024
Samsung chief Jay Y. Lee cleared of charges in 2015 merger case
The sentence prevents a return to jail for Lee who was convicted in 2017 of bribing a friend of former President Park Geun-hye.
Japan's industry ministry said it would provide Samsung subsidies worth up to ¥20 billion as it looks to support the revitalization of domestic chip manufacturing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023
Samsung to set up chip packaging research facility in Japan
Samsung's investment comes at a time of easing tensions between South Korea and Japan.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un stands on a multipurpose armored vehicle after a visit to an important munitions factory at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 14, 2023
Kim Jong Un calls for more missiles ahead of South Korea and U.S. drills
Seoul and Washington say the exercises are staged to improve their ability to respond to Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 6, 2023
South Korean doctors flee pediatrics as low birth rate makes funding unviable
Fewer children combined with a failure of the insurance system to adapt to the situation has left the sector starved of resources, with specialists shunning a field they think has no future.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 29, 2023
Inside South Korea's race to become one of the world’s biggest arms dealers
South Korea's arms sales jumped to more than $17 billion in 2022 from $7.25 billion the year before, according to its defense ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 23, 2023
China's Micron ban adds regulatory pressure as Sino-U.S. tensions grow
The move by Beijing is seen as retaliation for U.S. efforts to limit China's access to key technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2022
South Korean inflation raises risk of widening worker unrest
Warnings have been given about a new wave of agitation by contract workers who have long borne the brunt of the country's corporate cost cutting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Dec 8, 2021
South Korea 'webtoon' firms leverage low-cost stories with potential huge upside
The 'webtoon' format, which began in Korea two decades ago, has shaken up content creation for the movie industry around the globe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2021
Hyundai bought chips when rivals didn't — now its assembly lines are still rolling
The South Korean automaker kept buying chips even as rivals cut orders to reflect diminished demand because of the pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 18, 2019
Chinese raids target 'Underground Railroad' of North Korean defectors
A decade after leaving her family behind to flee North Korea, the defector was overwhelmed with excitement when she spoke to her 22-year-old son on the phone for the first time in May after he too escaped into China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 15, 2019
'Gangnam style' sex crime: K-pop scandals uncover dark side of Seoul's flashiest district
On a recent weekend night, the dance floor at one of the hottest clubs in Seoul's swanky Gangnam district held only a few dozen people surrounded by mostly empty tables.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2019
Half of North Korean defectors suffered violence, but rights is not a top summit issue
About half of 451 North Korean defectors questioned in a survey endured physical violence at the hands of North Korean authorities, a rights group has said as leader Kim Jong Un prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for a summit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 14, 2019
Joint Korean 2032 Olympic bid faces hurdles of sanctions, cultural differences and state of war
If North and South Korea succeed in their long-shot bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, any athletic feats may be overshadowed by the political achievements needed to make the games happen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 15, 2018
End of a chip boom? Memory chip price drop spooks investors
After a blistering year-and-a-half long surge, a sudden drop in some memory chip prices followed by Samsung Electronics Co.'s disappointing profit estimate is causing jitters among investors who had bet the chip boom would last at least another year.

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