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☆ Japan arranging subsidies for Samsung chip facility -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Maki Shiraki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan is arranging subsidies that could be worth around 15 billion yen ($110 million) to South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS) for a chip facility it is considering setting up near Tokyo, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips, would construct the facility including its first chip packaging test line in Japan near its existing research and development centre in Yokohama, Reuters reported in late March. The facility could cost around 40 billion yen to set up, of which about a third would be subsidised by the Japanese government, said the source, who declined to be named because the information is not public. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday plans to meet with executives from leading chip firms including Samsung to strengthen multilateral cooperation. Japan said last month it would give 260 billion yen in subsidies to domestic chipmaker Rapidus, which is building a factory on the northern island of Hokkaido, in addition to 70 billion yen of government funding secured earlier.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked South Korea to provide non-lethal military hardware when she met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Tuesday, both countries have reported. But an official from Yoon’s office said Zelenska stopped short of asking for lethal weapons, acknowledging that South Korea would have found it difficult to oblige had any such request been made. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, South Korea has maintained its stance of not providing lethal weapons to a warring country, although Yoon has hinted at a possible major policy shift. The Ukrainian first lady handed Yoon “a personal letter and an invitation from the president of Ukraine” to visit her country, the Ukrainian side said. Last year, she met US first lady Jill Biden privately at the White House to discuss American support for Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The speaker of Taiwan's parliament praised Japan, South Korea and the Philippines on Tuesday for helping to create a "crescent of defense" with Taiwan and the U.S. against China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. You praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for calling Taiwan a global issue and opposing a change to the status quo by force. "The crescent of defense formed by Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines will, with American support, be a key stabilizer of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. China has been stepping up its military activities around Taiwan to try and force the democratically governed island to accept Beijing's sovereignty. It has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

☆ Ukraine's first lady meets with South Korea's Yoon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as a special presidential envoy, South Korea's presidential office said on Tuesday. Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference. In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency published on Tuesday, Zelenska expressed willingness to invite Yoon to her country, saying such a visit would be "very supportive" to Ukrainians. She also warned against the risk of war fatigue and called for "more radical" support for Ukraine to fight against Russia's aggression. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.

☆ Canada's Trudeau to visit South Korea; focus on minerals, security
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol as the two countries seek to boost cooperation on security and critical minerals used in batteries. Yoon and Trudeau are scheduled to hold a summit and joint press conference on Wednesday, followed by an official dinner, said Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo. The two U.S. allies have been exploring ways to deepen cooperation on critical minerals used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and step up intelligence sharing. Yoon and Trudeau will sign an agreement on key mineral supply chains, clean energy conversion and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the deal was not finalised. The two countries have also sought to step up security cooperation including intelligence sharing, while navigating an intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.

☆ South Korea lifts power prices by 5.3% in delayed move
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It is the second increase in power prices this year after a sharper 9.5% hike that took effect at the beginning of the year. The price adjustment had been due on April 1 but was delayed after a public outcry about the increased cost of living. Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), the state-run electricity powerhouse, suffered an operating loss of 6.2 trillion won ($4.69 billion) for the first quarter after a huge 32.6 trillion won loss for the whole of last year. The ministry also announced a 5.3% increase in city gas prices for households. With parliamentary elections some 11 months away, the latest opinion poll by Gallup Korea showed last Friday the disapproval rating on President Yoon stood at 59%, far outpacing the approval rating of 35%.

☆ Canada PM Trudeau visits Alberta as wildfires rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from the Paskwa Wildfire (HLW030) as it burns near the Wood Buffalo National Park boundary outside Fox Lake, Alberta, Canada May 14, 2023. The first 11 days of May have set seasonal heat records in several parts of Alberta, including Edmonton, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. By Sunday afternoon, 89 fires were burning across Alberta, with 25 considered out of control and more than 19,000 evacuees. "Our peak burning period, which is when the temperatures are at their highest and the fuels are at their driest, is still in front of us," Alberta Wildfires official Josee St-Onge said at a briefing Sunday afternoon. "It's too soon to say when we're going to see the peak of this wildfire season.

☆ South Korea to drop mandatory 7-day quarantine for COVID patients from June
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 11 (Reuters) - South Korea on Thursday lowered its crisis level for COVID-19 and will from June no longer require infected people to quarantine for seven days, dropping one of the country's few remaining pandemic-related restrictions. Health authorities will still recommend five days of self-isolation for infected people but it will not be mandatory. Requirements that masks be worn at all medical facilities and pharmacies will also be dropped, with masks only mandatory at hospitals with patient wards. Yoon said the government would continue to provide financial support for COVID testing and treatment "for a while". South Korea, which has a population of 52 million, has reported around 31.3 million infections and 34,600 deaths, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was charged by federal prosecutors with an array of crimes, including fraud, theft, money laundering and making false statements. Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the top charges against him, according to the Justice Department. In forms he filled out for his 2020 campaign, Santos failed to report more than $25,000 in income from the investment firm where he worked, the indictment alleged. In his 2022 campaign, Santos allegedly falsely reported earning $750,000 in salary and between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from his company, the Devolder Organization. A growing number of Santos' fellow Republicans urged him to step down, even before the federal charges against him first came to light.

☆ Japan, South Korea to link radar systems to track N.Korea missiles -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Japanese and South Korean defence authorities are set to agree early next month to link their radars via a U.S. system to share real-time information on North Korea's ballistic missiles, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. With North Korea launching ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace in the past year, the three countries in November agreed to speed up information-sharing. Japan and South Korea are independently linked to the United States' radar systems but not to each others'. Ties between the United States' Asian allies have warmed in recent months in the face of the North Korean threat. Resuming their "shuttle diplomacy", Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Sunday, where they confirmed progress in defence cooperation.

BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - The Global Times, a hawkish Chinese state media tabloid, on Monday criticised a letter of protest sent to it by South Korea's embassy in China, the latest public spat amid worsening ties between the Asian neighbours. The South Korean embassy "expressed strong regret over a series of unreasonable slanderous articles" from the Global Times, in a letter of protest published Friday on its website. In its editorial, the Global Times slammed the embassy's "brutal interference in (its) independent reporting". South Korea's embassy in China did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a similar incident last December, China's ambassador in South Korea criticised Korean media for stoking anti-China sentiment.

☆ Japan PM Kishida meets lawmakers, business leaders to finish South Korea visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida talks to South Korean business leaders during their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, May 8, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERSSEOUL, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean lawmakers and business leaders in Seoul on Monday to discuss potential bilateral cooperation as he wrapped up the first visit by a Japanese leader in 12 years. "I would like to strengthen the relationship I have with (South Korean) President Yoon and join forces with him to forge a new era," Kishida told reporters in Seoul after meeting with South Korean lawmakers at his hotel. Kishida told South Koreans on Sunday his "heart hurts" when he thinks of suffering during Japanese colonial rule of South Korea. He arrived in South Korea on Sunday following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to Tokyo in March where they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for decades.

☆ Japan’s Kishida Visits South Korea as Two U.S. Allies Confront ‘Grave’ Security Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, wearing glasses, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a joint press conference Sunday. Photo: Yonhap News/Zuma PressSEOUL—The leaders of South Korea and Japan met Sunday, as the two U.S. allies continue rekindling cooperation to counter China’s regional aggression and North Korea’s nuclear threat. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Seoul for a two-day trip, the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese leader since 2018. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol traveled to Tokyo in March for the first formal summit between the two countries in more than a decade.

☆ The Forces Behind South Korea’s and Japan’s Thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, the forces driving South Korea and Japan apart, deeply rooted in bitter history, had seemed too strong to overcome despite repeated efforts and the urging of their mutual ally, the United States. South Koreans say Japan never properly apologized or atoned for its brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. To the Japanese, South Korea has often been an untrustworthy neighbor that has broken several promises, including treaty agreements that were designed to salve historical wounds. But the advent of two new administrations in the neighboring countries — President Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Japan — has led to a rapid thawing of relations. In April, South Korea restored Japan’s status as a preferred trading partner, prompting Tokyo to start the process of restoring the same status for South Korea.

☆ Japan PM Kishida visits Seoul to forge closer ties amid N.Korea threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

South Korean officials are hopeful that Kishida will make some kind of gesture in return and offer some political support, although few observers expect any further formal apology for historical wrongs. But the historical differences between South Korea and Japan also threaten to cast a shadow over the blossoming ties between its two leaders. The majority of South Koreans believe Japan hasn't apologised sufficiently for atrocities during Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, Lee said. "They think that Prime Minister Kishida should show sincerity during his visit to South Korea, such as mentioning historical issues and expressing apologies," she added. Still, South Korea is an "important neighbour that we must cooperate with on various global issues," Japan's foreign ministry has said.

☆ Opinion | Political Stagnation Is Not Our Only Option
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s been 64 years since Congress added new states to the union — Alaska and Hawaii, in 1959. And it’s been 94 years since Congress capped the size of the House of Representatives at 435 members. For more than 50 years, the United States has been frozen in a kind of structural and constitutional stasis. Our stagnant political system has produced a stagnant political landscape. President Barack Obama won his second term by around 4 percentage points, and President Biden won by a similar margin in 2020.

Last year the former leader of Yoon’s party hit out at what he said was the “evil influence” YouTube channels. “After President Yoon Suk Yeol came to power, there have been many cases where the presidential office filed complaints to the media,” Jung said. It has since consistently ranked top in terms of real-time daily viewership on YouTube in South Korea. To Professor Jung, it’s a success that demonstrates “voices cannot be silenced.”Kim, meanwhile, hopes to build a show with as much recognition as any on traditional media. “I will create a type of press that has not yet existed on YouTube,” Kim said.

☆ Factbox: Old disputes overshadow visit by Japan's Kishida to South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday in the latest effort to improve bilateral ties. - Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. - Relations deteriorated in 2019 when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials for making chips and display panels to South Korea. - In late March, Japan's trade ministry lifted export curbs to South Korea on the high-tech materials, while South Korea withdrew its complaint filed at the World Trade Organization on Japan's export controls. Under Yoon, South Korea has resumed trilateral military drills and agreed to more intelligence sharing on issues like tracking ballistic missile launches from North Korea.

☆ South Korea's President Yoon praised himself for singing 'very well' after launching into a rendition of 'American Pie' at the White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol launched into a rendition of "American Pie" at the White House. President Biden asked Yoon to sing at the state dinner, saying it was one of Yoon's favorite songs. Yoon later told members of his party that he thought he sang the song "very well." Just before the president got up on stage, three Broadway singers, including Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk, performed "American Pie" as well. "At the next state dinner we're going to have, you're looking at the entertainment," Biden said, pointing to Yoon while the audience laughed.

☆ South Korea's finance minister says country is at a 'turning point' in relations with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho attends the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Nusa Dua, on Indonesia resort island of Bali, on July 16, 2022. (Photo by MADE NAGI / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MADE NAGI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)South Korea's finance minister says the nation sees is at a "turning point" in economic relations with Japan. Speaking to CNBC's Chery Kang at the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting in Incheon, South Korea's finance minister and deputy prime minister Choo Kyung-ho praised Tokyo's recent decision to restore South Korea to a list of preferred trade partners. Choo said the recent talks with Suzuki will lead to further economic cooperation between the two U.S. allies. "The recent bilateral summit has opened things up for improvement.

The resumption of bilateral financial discussions comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's planned visit to South Korea on Sunday and Monday for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. It also came as Asian policymakers, gathering for the annual Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting this week in the South Korean city of Incheon, discussed regional economic challenges and ways to beef up buffers against various shocks. In a joint statement issued after their meeting on Tuesday, Asian finance leaders warned of risks to the region's economy and called for countries to stay vigilant to potential spillovers from the recent U.S. and European banking sector turmoil. Japan and South Korea will resume regular finance dialogue, likely to be held annually, at "an appropriate timing," Suzuki told reporters after the bilateral meeting. Choo is expected to visit Japan this year for another meeting with Suzuki, South Korea's finance ministry said.

The resumption of bilateral financial discussions comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's planned visit to South Korea on Sunday and Monday for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. Japan and South Korea will resume regular finance dialogue, likely to be held annually, at "an appropriate timing," Suzuki told reporters after the bilateral meeting. Washington has pressed both countries to resolve these disputes to better counter rising threats from China and North Korea and other regional challenges. Under Yoon, South Korea has resumed trilateral military drills and agreed to more intelligence sharing on issues like tracking ballistic missile launches from North Korea. China's finance minister and central bank head were not present at a trilateral meeting, with their deputies attending instead.

SummarySummary Companies Japan, South Korea hold 1st bilateral finance meeting in 7 yearsTwo nations to resume regular finance dialogue, likely annualAsia policymakers to discuss safeguardsINCHEON, South Korea May 2 (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea held their first finance leaders' meeting in seven years on Tuesday and agreed to resume regular dialogue, as tensions in the region and slowing growth prod them to increase co-operation and mend strained relations. The resumption of bilateral financial discussions comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's planned visit to South Korea next week for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. "Japan and South Korea are important neighbours that must cooperate to address various challenges surrounding the global economy, as well as the regional and international community," Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said at the meeting with his South Korean counterpart Choo Kyung-ho. Japan and South Korea will resume regular finance dialogue, likely to be held annually, at "an appropriate timing," Suzuki told reporters after the bilateral meeting. Choo is expected to visit Japan this year for another meeting with Suzuki, South Korea's finance ministry said.

SummarySummary Companies Japan, S.Korea must address geopolitical challenges - SuzukiS.Korea's Choo urges Japan to restore 'white list' statusResumption of dialogue underscores mending relationsINCHEON, South Korea May 2 (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea held their first bilateral finance leaders' meeting in seven years on Tuesday, a sign relations between the two are thawing amid shared challenges from geopolitical tensions and slowing economic growth. The resumption of bilateral financial talks comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's planned visit to South Korea next week for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. "As for geo-political challenges, we're experiencing incidents like North Korea's nuclear missile development and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Regular annual dialogue between the two countries' finance ministers has been suspended since 2016 due to disputes over wartime history. Suzuki said he hoped Japan and South Korea can continue with bilateral financial dialogue and that doing so would contribute to improving relations between the two countries.

☆ South Korea's Yoon says nuclear consultative group upgrades U.S. alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 2 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that a planned nuclear consultative group and new partnerships on supply chains and science and technology are an "upgrade" to the country's alliance with the United States. Yoon held a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington last week, during which they agreed to step up nuclear planning over North Korea by launching the consultative group, as anxiety grows in Seoul over Pyongyang's weapons programmes and the American nuclear umbrella. The summit also produced agreements on cyber security, electric vehicles and batteries, quantum technology, foreign assistance and economic investment. "The alliance has gotten a nuclear-based upgrade, and expanded to include supply chain, industrial and science and technology alliances," Yoon told a cabinet meeting. Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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