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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Seoul. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Mayor Oh Se-hoon
A ship sails in the Han River after leaving the Jamsil pier in Seoul’s Songpa ward on September 18, 2025. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
South Korea

South Korea uses AI to prevent suicides, track crime on Seoul’s Han River bridges

AI sounds an alarm if it identifies a person staying for more than 300 seconds in a bridge’s ‘loitering zones’, allowing humans to swoop in.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Boeing nears ‘large’ China orders as Trump and Xi forge new trade board: Bessent

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Japan

Japan-South Korea ‘comfort women’ row stoked by statues abroad

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Diplomacy

Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

North Korea’s nuclear reality and the overlapping interests of the US, China and Russia make tension reduction a prerequisite.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
South Korea

‘Like whale bones’: South Korea’s war memorial sparks conflict over symbolism

Critics argue the Korean war memorial should not be in a space in Seoul long associated with pro-democracy protests and its imperial past.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Leaving so soon? US, China hold briefest trade talks yet before leaders’ summit

The two delegations met in Seoul’s Incheon Airport, spoke for a few hours and skipped the press conferences typically held after earlier sessions.

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South Korea

South Korea signals ‘phased’ support for US-led Hormuz mission after ship attack

Defence Minister Ahn said the support could include political backing, personnel dispatches and sharing of information and military assets.

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South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back places a wreath during a visit to the Korean War Memorial in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence/EPA
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China-US trade talks kick off in Seoul ahead of high-profile leaders’ summit

Trade deals, export controls on critical minerals and the Iran war likely to be talking points as senior officials sit down for negotiations.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

US-China negotiations seek a quick Seoul search for deals ahead of Trump’s visit

Setting stage for presidential summit with Xi in Beijing, Bessent and He to meet in South Korea, and the ‘3 Bs’ could be on the cards.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China readies for Trump visit amid rebound in trade growth

Surging Chinese exports will bolster the nation’s position with the US as the two countries ready for trade talks and a presidential summit this week.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (right) last year. Photo: Keystone via AP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China, US confirm Seoul trade talks days before Trump-Xi summit in Beijing

Meeting follows Paris round in March and a video call in April as both sides prepare for Trump’s state visit.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in 2025. The pair will meet again this week in South Korea. Photo: Keystone via AP
South Korea

‘Unidentified aircraft’ hit Korean cargo ship in Hormuz on Monday: Seoul

Iran has denied responsibility for the attack, with its embassy in Seoul stating that it rejects and denies any allegations of involvement.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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South Korea

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

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Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP
China trade

How China’s sharper tech edge forces South Korea to rethink old industrial ties

Scholars urge a pivot to shared AI and EV standards and cooperation, while an upgraded China-South Korea free-trade pact is deemed vital.

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An artificial intelligence-powered robot works at a “convenience store” during the 2026 World IT Show in Seoul. Photo: EPA
North Korea

North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South

The large-calibre rifled gun has a range of over 60km, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is only about 40km to 50km from the border.

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South Korea

South Korea rejects Trump’s claim that ship ‘decided to go it alone’

Iran says it ‘firmly rejects and categorically denies’ allegations that it was responsible for the explosion on board the HMM Namu.

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South Korea

South Korean court cuts former prime minister Han’s jail term to 15 years

A lower court had sentenced Han in January to 23 years’ imprisonment for his role in the 2024 martial law declaration.

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Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on January 21. Photo: EPA
South Korea

South Korean judge in Kim Keon-hee’s appeals trial found dead days after verdict

Shin Jong-oh, who was found with severe injuries on the ground near the Seoul High Court, had a suicide note in his pocket, police say.

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Defence

Can Korea’s most advanced fighter KF-21 compete with China, the US and Europe?

Recent roll-out puts South Korea in elite group of countries capable of indigenously developing advanced supersonic combat aircraft.

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South Korea

Seoul says ‘explosion and fire’ on South Korean ship in Hormuz strait

The vessel is a cargo ship of almost 180 metres (590 feet) sailing under the flag of Panama.

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Cargo ships at sea near the Strait of Hormuz, as viewed from a rocky shoreline near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. Photo: AP
Asia travel

How Seoul’s strangest subway station made escalator weddings a thing

After plans for it to become a major transport hub fell through, Seoul’s grand Noksapyeong station pivoted. Here’s its fascinating story.

A couple rides an escalator during their wedding ceremony at Noksapyeong station in 2001. After opening in 2000 as a grandiose transport hub to serve a relocated Seoul City Hall that never happened, the station was forced to pivot in interesting ways. Photo: The Korea Times
North Korea

Pitch perfect diplomacy? North Korean footballers head to South Korea

The visit by Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea’s Suwon for a competitive match does not signal a thaw in inter-Korea ties, analysts say.

South Korea

Video | South Koreans snooze their way through power-nap contest

South Korea is one of the most overworked and sleep-deprived nations among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members and its people have some of the fewest sleep hours.

Asia travel

The Irish-American pub helping put a quiet Seoul suburb on the cultural map

Seoul’s Nowon district has never been known for nightlife. Irish-American Brendan Kelly shares how his bar, Kelly’s Pub, is changing that.

Brendan Kelly stands behind the bar at Kelly’s Pub in Seoul’s Nonwon district. The Irish-American expat shares how his bar attracts locals and “foreigners from all over the world” as the face of the neighbourhood changes. Photo: Korea Times
Indonesia

Indonesia’s aim to lure more K-pop concerts spurs chorus of doubts

While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles.

Indonesian K-pop idol Carmen poses for photos alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung at a state luncheon in Seoul on April 1. Photo: Instagram/2_jaemyung
South Korea

Could a ‘reckless’ Trump’s ‘destroy-and-deal’ tactics target North Korea?

A Korean-American leader said the strategy was influenced by ‘new neocons’, urging Seoul to prioritise risk management over diplomacy.

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South Korea

South Korea’s Yoon has jail term raised to 7 years in obstruction case

A court increased the ex-president’s sentence from five to seven years on charges related to his botched martial law bid.

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