North Korea confirms new defense chief amid leadership shake-up
North Korea confirmed Wednesday that an official who has overseen leader Kim Jong Un's pet construction projects has been named the nuclear-armed country's new defense minister. The official Korean Central News Agency referred to army Gen. Kim Jong Gwan, who had been the North's vice ...
'I will continue to fight': South Korea's first transgender soldier vows to oppose dismissal
South Korea's first transgender soldier said Wednesday she would sue the military after it announced it would dismiss her for undergoing gender reassignment surgery last year. Byun Hui-su, who holds the rank of staff sergeant and is stationed in Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, had ...
Japan rejects South Korean protest over reopened national territory museum
The Japanese government rejected on Tuesday a protest by South Korea against the reopening of the National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty in Tokyo. "Foreign people unhappy about it should come to see it. There's nothing fabricated," said Seiichi Eto, minister in charge of territorial ...
Britain may hand over robbery suspects despite lack of extradition treaty with Japan
The move comes at a time when Japan is seeking the handover of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail and fled to Lebanon while awaiting trial.
In similar move to Japan, South Korea to deploy anti-piracy unit to Middle East amid U.S. pressure
South Korea’s military will send an independent contingent to the Middle East to help guard oil tankers amid rising regional tensions rather than participating in a U.S.-led coalition, the Defense Ministry in Seoul announced Tuesday, taking a page out of the Self-Defense Forces’ playbook. The ...
Drop in South Korean tourists to Japan continues amid frayed ties
The number of tourists visiting Japan from South Korea continues to decline amid soured relations between the two countries, dealing a serious blow to destinations popular with South Korean visitors. The number contracted year on year for six consecutive months from July 2019, when Japan ...
In policy speech, Abe vows to establish 'new era of Japanese diplomacy'
The prime minister Monday focused his speech on foreign policy, delivering a notable change in phrasing regarding South Korea.
Shin Kyuk-ho, founder of Lotte business dynasty, dies at 97 in Seoul
Shin Kyuk-ho, a wartime migrant to Japan who returned home to build a little-known chewing-gum maker into the Lotte Group, South Korea's biggest retailer, has died. He was 97. Shin had been hospitalized in Seoul for various age-related symptoms and died Sunday at 4:29 p.m., ...
Search for four South Korean trekkers and guide trio missing in Nepal avalanche could take weeks
A search and rescue operation for the four South Korean trekkers and three Nepali guides missing after being struck by an avalanche in northwest Nepal could take weeks due to bad weather, rescuers said on Sunday. The area of Friday's disaster lies along the popular ...
Four South Koreans, three Nepalese guides missing after Annapurna avalanche
An avalanche swept a popular trekking route in Nepal's mountains, leaving at least four South Koreans and three Nepalese guides missing, authorities said Saturday. Nepal's Department of Tourism official Meera Acharya said at least one Chinese national injured in the avalanche was rescued by helicopter. The ...
Foreign tourists spent record ¥4.8 trillion here in 2019, tourism agency figures show
Foreign tourists in Japan spent a record ¥4.81 trillion ($43.6 billion) in 2019 in line with a continued increase in visitors, government data showed Friday. Their spending rose 6.5 percent from 2018, increasing for the seventh consecutive year, the Japan Tourism Agency said in a ...
Oscar-nominated 'Parasite' could open overseas eyes to more South Korean films
The Oscar nominations for the South Korean black comedy "Parasite" are the latest illustration of its success in the United States, but a widespread aversion to subtitles still stands between South Korean cinema and a breakthrough into English-language markets. Whether Bong Joon-ho's Golden Globe-winning dark ...
