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☆ A former North Korean special-forces soldier said Kim Jong Un's elite 'Storm Corps' in Russia likely isn't his A-team
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As questions arise over the quality of Kim Jong Un's troops in Russia, a former soldier who served in North Korea's special forces said they're likely the country's elite troops. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, at a March military demonstration in North Korea. AdvertisementDuring a September visit to a training base, Kim lauded the division's members as each being worth 100 typical North Korean soldiers. AdvertisementThat comes as South Korea has become home to one of the world's fastest-growing defense industries in recent years. Correction: November 11, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the country in which videos appear to show North Korean troops.

Persons: Kim Jong, they're, Lee Woong, gil, Kim Jong Un, REUTERS Lee, Kim, Lee, There's, James JB, Insider's Mia Jankowicz, South Korea Kovalenko Organizations: Storm Corps, Korea Times, KCNA, REUTERS, The Korea Times, Associated Press, North, Korea's Defense Ministry, Wall Street, Ukraine's Center, South Korea's National Intelligence Service, National Intelligence Service, South, Kremlin Locations: Russia, North Korea, North, South Korea, Seoul, Washington, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Kursk, Korean, South

☆ A former North Korean special forces soldier said Kim Jong Un's elite 'Storm Corps' in Russia likely isn't his A-team
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

One ex-member of the branch said he thinks North Korea did send special forces, but not its best. AdvertisementAs questions arise over the quality of Kim Jong Un's troops in Russia, a former soldier who served in North Korea's special forces said they're likely the country's elite troops. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a military demonstration in North Korea, in this picture released on March 16, 2024. During a September visit to a training base, Kim lauded the division's members as each being worth 100 typical North Korean soldiers. This image released by South Korea's spy agency the National Intelligence service shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un watches numerous shirtless North Korean troops in combat training, according to the agency.

Persons: —, Kim Jong, they're, Lee Woong, gil, Kim Jong Un, REUTERS Lee, Lee, there's, Kim, James JB, Insider's Mia Jankowicz, South Korea Kovalenko Organizations: Storm Corps, Service, Korea Times, North, KCNA, REUTERS, The Korea Times, Associated Press, Wall Street, Ukraine's Center, National Intelligence, National Intelligence Service, South, Kremlin Locations: Russia, North Korea, North, South Korea, Seoul, Washington, Ukraine, Kursk, Korean, South

From Friday, citizens of nine more countries can enter China without needing a visa to visit. South Korea is a major tourism source market for China. In 2019, some 4.3 million South Koreans visited China, according to The Korea Times. Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported less than 1.3 million visited in 2023. Share prices of prominent Chinese and Korean travel companies rose following Beijing's announcement of the expanded visa-free program on Friday.

Persons: Trip.com Organizations: Europe —, Liechtenstein —, The Korea Times, Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jin Locations: China, Europe, Europe — Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, South Korea

☆ North Korea's twice-failed spy satellite is now up and running, aerospace experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A North Korean spy satellite was spotted adjusting its orbit in space, experts said. AdvertisementA North Korean spy satellite has made maneuvers in orbit that show it is very much "alive," contrary to previous assessments that suggested it was inactive, experts said on Tuesday. North Korea announced it had launched Malligyong-1 into orbit in November, after two failed attempts. The launches drew condemnation from the US, which viewed them as cover for North Korea testing missile technology. The latest findings come as South Korea warned that Pyongyang could launch a new spy satellite as soon as March, The Korea Times reported.

Persons: Marco Langbroek, —, Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Langbroek, Jonathan McDowell Organizations: Service, Delft University of Technology, Korean Defense Minister, Korea Times, Harvard - Smithsonian Center, Astrophysics, NK News, White, Pentagon, US, Guardian, The Korea Times Locations: Korean, South Korea, Leiden, Netherlands, North Korea, Pyongyang

☆ Late Samsung chairman's family sell $2 billion worth of shares to help pay huge South Korean inheritance tax
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The former Samsung Electronics chairman, who was South Korea's richest person, died in 2020. Lee Kun-hee's family is now selling billions worth of shares to pay inheritance taxes. South Korea has a top inheritance tax rate of 50%, the world's second highest after Japan. AdvertisementThe widow of the former Samsung Electronics chairman and her two daughters sold billions worth of shares to help pay off their inheritance tax, The Korea Times reported, citing industry sources. But due to South Korea's top inheritance tax rate of 50% — the second highest in the world — the family was hit with more than 12 trillion won, which is now around $9 billion, in tax bills.

Persons: Lee Kun, — Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Japan, Service, Korea Times, Business Locations: Korea

☆ Please don't: People keep trying to open the exits on South Korean planes in mid-air, and airlines are asking them to stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

There have been three incidents with emergency exits on South Korean airlines in the last six months. There will be a pre-flight warning telling passengers not to open the emergency exits mid-flight, per JoongAng Daily. AdvertisementAfter three incidents in the last six months, South Korean airlines will have to warn passengers not to open the emergency exits mid-flight, according to local outlet JoongAng Daily. According to South Korea's Aviation Security Act, tampering with emergency exits is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. AdvertisementIt's not the first measure that South Korea has introduced to try to prevent further incidents.

Persons: —, hyperventilation Organizations: Service, JoongAng Daily, South Korea's Aviation Security, Korea Times, Asiana Airlines, Guardian, Korean Locations: Korea, Philippines, South Korea, New York, Incheon

☆ We've been calling Kim Jong Un's daughter by the wrong name, and it's all because of Dennis Rodman, Korean ex-spy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kim Jong Un's daughter has been known to the world as Kim Ju Ae since North Korea debuted her in 2022. But a former South Korean spy veteran says her name is actually Kim Eun Ju, per The Korea Times. AdvertisementA retired South Korean spy said the world has been giving the wrong name to daughter of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, The Korea Times reported. Advertisement"I heard that Kim introduced his daughter to Rodman during his visit to North Korea, saying in Korean that 'jeo-ae' is his daughter. South Korean officials and intelligence services have since referred to Kim's daughter as "Kim Ju Ae," and a year later, she continues to feature heavily in North Korean propaganda.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Ju, Kim Eun Ju, Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong Un, —, Choe Su Yong, Choe, Rodman, Kim . Choe, Kim Organizations: Korea Times, Service, The Korea Times, South Korea's National Intelligence Service, NBA, Times, Guardian, Business Insider, South, The Times, Radio Free Asia, Korea's Unification Ministry Locations: North Korea, South Korean, Korean

☆ Travis King: What happened to other US soldiers who defected to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 27 (Reuters) - Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran into North Korea in July, is in U.S. custody after North Korea expelled him into China, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, following rare diplomatic cooperation between the U.S., North Korea and China. A U.S. military spokesman later said an investigation indicated that White crossed into North Korea of his own free will. In a video released by the North, White denounced the United States and praised North Korea and its then leader Kim Il-Sung. - Charles Robert Jenkins walked into North Korea when on patrol on the DMZ in 1965. - James Joseph Dresnok was a 21-year old U.S. army private stationed in South Korea in 1962 when he fled to the North.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, Joseph T, White, Kim Il, Charles Robert Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, James Joseph Dresnok, Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish, Larry Allen Abshier, Kim Jong, Dresnok's, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Chizu Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, U.S, North, Korea Times, United Nations Command, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, U.S, North Korea, China, China . U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Korean

☆ Factbox-Travis King: What Happened to Other US Soldiers Who Defected to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran into North Korea in July, is in U.S. custody after North Korea expelled him into China, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, following rare diplomatic cooperation between the U.S., North Korea and China. A U.S. military spokesman later said an investigation indicated that White crossed into North Korea of his own free will. In a video released by the North, White denounced the United States and praised North Korea and its then leader Kim Il-Sung. - Charles Robert Jenkins walked into North Korea when on patrol on the DMZ in 1965. - James Joseph Dresnok was a 21-year old U.S. army private stationed in South Korea in 1962 when he fled to the North.

Persons: Travis King, Joseph T, White, Kim Il, Charles Robert Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, James Joseph Dresnok, Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish, Larry Allen Abshier, Kim Jong, Dresnok's, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: Reuters, U.S, North, Korea Times, United Nations Command, Washington Post Locations: U.S, North Korea, China, China . U.S, South Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Korean

☆ A Korean woman in Japan says she was hospitalized after being served a cup with bleach in it. She's accusing the restaurant of a hate crime.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Korean woman said she was the victim of a hate crime in a Tokyo restaurant, per local media. She said she was served a cup of water with bleach in it and had to be taken to the hospital. The Korean Embassy has asked local police to investigate the incident, per local reports. The woman, surnamed Kang, told the South Korean broadcaster JTBC that the incident happened at an unnamed high-end restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district on August 31, according to the English-language South Korean newspaper The Korea Times. "We apologize to the customer who was food poisoned and her family for causing great pain and inconvenience," the restaurant said in a written statement, per the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily.

Persons: Kang, JTBC Organizations: Korean Embassy, Service, South, JTBC, Korean, The Korea Times, South Korean, Embassy, United States Institute of Peace, Japan Times Locations: Tokyo, Wall, Silicon, South Korean, Ginza, Japan, South Korea, Korean, Kyoto Prefecture

☆ South Korean tech bosses fret about a flood of cheap Chinese robot waiters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean restaurants are using AI robots to cope with labor shortages. Data from the Korean Association of Robot Industry shared with the Financial Times showed there were 5,000 server robots in Korean restaurants. AdvertisementAdvertisementDuring the pandemic, Reuters reported that South Korean tech company KT Corp started selling "Aglio Kim" – a trolley-like AI robot to restaurants. However, tech executives in South Korea told the FT they're now concerned the market is being flooded by cheap Chinese robots, stymying the country's own robotics makers. Aju Korea Daily reported in May that South Korean startups were offering restaurants robots to rent for 300,000 won a month.

Persons: Kim, Lee Young, KT Organizations: Service, Korean Association of Robot Industry, Financial, Korea Times, Reuters, Korean, KT Corp Locations: China, South Korea, Wall, Silicon, Korea

☆ A South Korean airline plans to weigh passengers, putting them on scales before each flight to comply with local laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementKorean Air, South Korea's flagship airline, plans to weigh passengers before they board flights, saying local laws demand it. AdvertisementAdvertisementKorea JoongAng Daily reported that the airline told it: "The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn't mean overweight passengers will need to pay more." There has been an online backlash to the measure, with some potential passengers raising concerns about their privacy, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. However, the airline told the newspaper that passengers who feel uncomfortable with the process can communicate their feelings to boarding staff. AdvertisementAdvertisementAir New Zealand, however, is asking passengers to step on the scales as part of a "passenger weight survey" to fulfill a requirement by New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority.

Organizations: South Korea's, Gimpo Airport, Incheon Airport, Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Ministry of Land, Daily, Korean, Korea Times, Federal Aviation Authority, New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority Locations: South, Korea, Zealand

☆ Factbox: Travis King: What happened to other U.S. soldiers who defected to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) - North Korea on Wednesday confirmed it is holding U.S. Army Private Travis King after he crossed the border from South Korea last month while on a tour, but did not elaborate on what his future might hold. A U.S. military spokesman later said an investigation indicated that White crossed into North Korea of his own free will. In a video released by the North, White denounced the United States and praised North Korea and its then leader Kim Il-Sung. - Charles Robert Jenkins walked into North Korea when on patrol on the DMZ in 1965. - James Joseph Dresnok was a 21-year old U.S. army private stationed in South Korea in 1962 when he fled to the North.

Persons: Travis King, KCNA, King, Joseph T, White, Kim Il, Charles Robert Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, James Joseph Dresnok, Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish, Larry Allen Abshier, Kim Jong, Dresnok's, Josh Smith, Chizu Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Army, North, Korea Times, United Nations Command, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, State, U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Korean

☆ 4 South Korean airlines will give emergency exit seats to uniformed workers in a new scheme after a passenger opened a door 700 feet in the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Asiana Airlines passenger made headlines in May as he opened an emergency exit in mid-air. Now, four South Korean airlines are trying to prevent this happening again, per The Korean Times. In May, an Asiana Airlines flight was coming in to land when a passenger opened the emergency exit door at an altitude of 700 feet, minutes before landing. The newspaper reports that uniformed personnel including police officers, soldiers, firefighters, and airline employees, will have priority for seats in the emergency exit row. Park told reporters it would apply to 94 seats in 38 aircraft operated by Asiana Airlines, Air Seoul, Air Busan and Aero K Airlines.

Persons: hyperventilation Organizations: Asiana Airlines, Korean Times, Morning, Korea Times, Guardian, Power Party, Air, Air Busan, Aero K Airlines, Los Angeles International Airport Locations: Air Seoul, Bulgaria

She was among some 40 other tourists who were walking around and taking photos in the moments before King made a dash to North Korea. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt," she told Reuters. North Korea is likely to milk the border crossing by a U.S. soldier for propaganda purposes but will probably not be able to gain political leverage, analysts and a former North Korean diplomat said. The notable exception was U.S. college student Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 shortly after being released from a North Korea prison. Still, analysts suggested that King's stay in North Korea could be lengthy.

Persons: Travis T, King, Carl Gates, Gates, Travis, Sarah Leslie, Leslie, Tae Yong, Andrei Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Lankov, It's, Victor Cha, Josh Smith, Matt Spetalnick, Don Durfee, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S . Army, The Korea Times, U.S, Cavalry, Korean, Force, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Daily, Joint Security Area, Reuters, South, Korea Risk Group, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, WASHINGTON, South Korea, Washington, North, Seoul, Fort Bliss , Texas, North Korea, Racine , Wisconsin, New Zealander, U.S, North Korean, Korea, Korean, Korea's, Pyongyang

☆ US soldier in North Korea not the first to flee to the secretive state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ed Davies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A U.S. military spokesman later said an investigation indicated that White crossed into North Korea of his own free will. In a video released by the North, White denounced the United States and praised North Korea and its then leader Kim Il-Sung. - Charles Robert Jenkins walked into North Korea when on patrol on the DMZ in 1965. He later expressed regret for fleeing and explained at his court marital that his motive was to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and combat in Vietnam. - James Joseph Dresnok was a 21-year old U.S. army private stationed in South Korea in 1962 when he fled to the North.

Persons: Travis T, King, Joseph T, White, Kim Il, Charles Robert Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, James Joseph Dresnok, Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish, Larry Allen Abshier, Kim Jong, Dresnok's, Ed Davies, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, North, Korea Times, United Nations Command, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: North Korea, South Korea, U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Korean, Sydney

☆ Private Travis T. King: what do we know about the U.S. soldier who crossed to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A North Korean soldier stands guard at their guard post in this picture taken near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. Private Travis T. King, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, is a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, which is part of the U.S. security commitment to South Korea. WHY DID HE CROSS TO NORTH KOREA AND WHERE IS HE NOW? His mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC News she was shocked at the news her son had crossed into North Korea. U.S. officials say King is likely to be in North Korean custody.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, TRAVIS, King, expletives, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Claudine Gates, Travis, 1,265.8500, Crystal Chesters, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, WHO, U.S . Army, Korean, Force, U.S . 1st Armored Division, 4th Infantry Division, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Court, Security Area, U.S, The Korea Times, ABC News, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Korean, Paju, South Korea, United States, U.S, North Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, Seoul, Panmunjom, New Zealand, North, New York

☆ A South Korean mayor led hundreds of city officials to stop an annual pride festival but police intervened to protect organizers and allow the event to proceed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The mayor of Daegu, South Korea led a protest to block the city's annual pride festival. Since starting in 2009, the Daegu Queer Culture Festival has been one of the largest in the country. For festival organizers, it was not their first run-in with opposition to the event. Since its inception in 2009, the Daegu Queer Culture Festival has faced repeated protests. The Daegu Queer Culture Festival is one of the largest in the country, with Seoul's Queer Culture Festival taking first place.

Persons: —, Hong Joon Organizations: . Police, Daegu Queer Culture, Service, BBC, Daegu, Korea Times, Culture Festival, Seoul Plaza, CNN Locations: Daegu, South Korea, Seoul

☆ South Korea tried to push an almost 70-hour work week, but was forced to rethink after millennials and Gen Z protested
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

South Korea is rethinking a 69-hour work week proposal after millennials and Gen Z protested. At present, companies must limit overtime work to 12 hours per week, according to measures introduced in 2018 by Yoon's predecessor. South Korea is infamous for its long working hours, with the average citizen working for 1,915 hours in 2021, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Many Korean workers have lost their lives to "Gwarosa" — a Korean word for death by overwork, as the country's working hours exceed the average across the world. "Workers should be allowed to work 120 hours a week and then take a good rest," he said, per the Korea Times.

☆ At least 5 Russian men who escaped conscription have been living in Seoul's airport for months, and their refugee status still hangs in the balance: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At least five Russian men have been living in South Korea's Incheon airport for months. The men told The Post their lives are hanging in the balance: Seoul could still reject their asylum appeal. But I feel this conflict is extremely political," Maraktaev told The Post. Maraktaev then managed to get a flight to South Korea, and he finally landed in Incheon on November 12. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, most of the refugees given a humanitarian visa in South Korea are from Syria and Yemen.

☆ Globally critical chip firm tells U.S. staff to stop servicing China customers after Biden export curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dutch firm ASML makes one of the most important pieces of machinery required to manufacture the most advanced chips in the world. U.S. chip curbs have left companies, including ASML, scrambling to figure out what the rules mean in practice. A fab is a another name for a chip manufacturing plant. Last week, the U.S. government enacted sweeping rules that aimed to cut off China from key chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Washington is concerned in particular about China obtaining access for the most advanced chips that can be used in military applications, artificial intelligence or super computing.

REUTERS/Steve Marcus - RC28BE9D5MZ7HONG KONG, Sept 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Seoul's foot-dragging on climate change is holding back Korea Inc. Last week the country's top conglomerate, Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), unveiled an underwhelming net-zero carbon emissions target. Most of that is probably from electricity for factories in South Korea, where renewable power is scarce. Yet President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration plans to lower its renewable-energy target for 2030, favouring nuclear power instead. The company has also joined RE100, a group of global corporations including Apple, Intel and TSMC that are committed to using 100% renewable energy across their own operations. Renewable energy will account for 21.5% of generation capacity by 2030, down from the previous target of 30.2%.

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