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☆ North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 22 (Reuters) - North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of tests of its weapons as its rivals, South Korea and the United States, conducted joint military exercises. North Korea fired the missiles at around 10:15 a.m. (0115 GMT) from its South Hamgyong province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Wednesday's North Korean missile launches come just three days after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast. The North has long bristled at exercises conducted by South Korean and U.S. forces, saying they are preparation for an invasion of the North. South Korea and the United States deny that, saying instead, they have to prepare to defend against North Korean aggression.

Yoon announced the decision at a cabinet meeting, saying South Korea and Japan should make efforts to remove obstacles that hinder developing bilateral ties. "I will preemptively order our trade minister today to begin necessary legal procedures to have Japan back on our white list," Yoon told the meeting, which was televised live. "I'm sure Japan will respond if South Korea first starts removing the obstacles." South Korea and Japan removed each other from the list in 2019 amid a decades-old row over a 2018 South Korean court order for Japanese companies to compensate forced labourers during Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea. "It's time for South Korea and Japan to go beyond the past," Yoon said.

☆ China's Xi appeared more relaxed than Putin in first Moscow meeting, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony before Russia - China talks in narrow format at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Byrkin/Kremlin via REUTERSMarch 21 (Reuters) - Body language experts say Chinese President Xi Jinping came across as more relaxed and commanding than his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Monday's televised first meeting of Xi's state visit to Moscow. "If you juxtapose it with Xi, Xi is the composed statesman," she said. Putin, 70, is in fact a few months older than Xi, and has been in power more than twice as long. Leong said Xi had offered a sign that he too had been feeling some pressure, blinking unusually frequently during the sit-down.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter was a mystery for years, but now she's showing up at North Korea's biggest missile tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

For years, Kim Jong Un's daughter — Kim Ju Ae — was a mystery to the world. But in late 2022 state media began showing photos of her at North Korean military events. Photographs released by state media after the launch appear to show the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, watching with a girl who has been identified by analysts and experts as his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. This photo provided on Nov. 19, 2022, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter inspecting a missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with his daughter, inspects what it says is an artillery drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Thursday, March 9, 2023.

"Sterling markets will continue to digest yesterday’s Budget delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as well as the broader global environment. Markets remain ambivalent whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates next week," said Hann-Ju Ho, senior Economist, Commercial Banking at Lloyds Bank. The European Central Bank (ECB), meanwhile, is a little behind the BoE in its quest to fight inflation. Traders attach a 60% chance of the ECB raising rates by 50 bps on Thursday, with a 40% chance of 25 bps. Money markets show investors expect ECB rates to peak around 3% later this year, compared with a peak of 4% just over a week ago.

☆ 'Omurice', comfort food for Japanese and Koreans, a symbol of warmer ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kishida and Yoon will reportedly share a more formal dinner of sukiyaki beforehand, but the real ice-breaker could be when they sit down for omurice, Kawabata said. Japan and South Korea are holding a summit for the first time in 12 years, seeking to mend relations that had deteriorated severely. "It could be an effort to foster a laid-back mood, through a casual dish that both Japanese and Koreans consider comfort food," he said. "Yoon may have been impressed with the softness of Japanese-style omurice," Kawabata said. "I hope the world discovers that Japanese food culture also has a dish like this," he said.

☆ South Koreans sceptical as president offers olive branch to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, March 16 (Reuters) - As South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol landed in Tokyo on Thursday his plan to patch up relations with Japan faces lingering scepticism at home. Sixty-four percent of the respondents said South Korea did not need to rush to improve ties with Japan if there were no change in Tokyo's attitude, according to the poll. Yoon is the latest of many South Korean conservatives who embrace the argument that Seoul must heal divides with Japan to confront security challenges. Boycotts of Japanese products and vacations have largely faded in South Korea, and a growing number of South Koreans are travelling to Japan as COVID restrictions ease. Three Japanese animated films are among the top five at box office in South Korea.

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

"There is an increasing need for Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time of a polycrisis, with North Korean nuclear and missile threats escalating and global supply chains being disrupted," Yoon said. Yoon's visit also comes as North Korea has been raising tensions in the region weapons test, including the latest launch of two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday. South Korea, the United States and Japan must further strengthen security cooperation to deter North Korea, Yoon said, adding that he expected GSOMIA, an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, to be "invigorated" as the two countries restore trust. South Korea has been conditionally maintaining the pact, which is intended to help the two countries share information on North Korea's missile and nuclear activities. Yoon denounced North Korea for focusing on its "reckless" weapons programmes when the country's food shortages have "grown worse" and said South Korea "will never acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state under any circumstances."

☆ Factbox: What's on the table for the Kishida-Yoon summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, November 28, 2022. Kishida is considering visiting South Korea as early as this summer, Kyodo has reported. G7 INVITATIONKishida may extend an invitation to Yoon to attend the G7 summit set to take place in Hiroshima in May, several media reported. EXPORT CURBSThe two leaders could confirm their countries' intention to resolve Japan's high-tech material export curbs against South Korea. Japan tightened restrictions on the export of high-tech semiconductor materials to South Korea in 2019 as a row over how to compensate wartime labourers flared.

The summit is the same week as major South Korea-U.S. military drills that routinely anger Pyongyang, and North Korea has already staged multiple missile launches - a backdrop for the message that Japan, South Korea and the United States need to close ranks. In November South Korea and Japan agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. "South Korea is already taking a side and entering the Cold War," said Kim Joon-hyung, a former chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy. Yoon said high-tech cooperation on supply chains between Japan and South Korea would contribute significantly to economic security. 'SHARED INTERESTS'Washington had pressed for reconciliation, but a State Department spokesperson said the recent arrangements were the result of bilateral discussions between Japan and South Korea.

☆ Are they for real? South Korean girl band offers glimpse into metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Footages of virtual girl group MAVE is played at the control room of MBC in Seoul, South Korea, February 28, 2023. Apart from backing MAVE:, Kakao launched a 1.25 trillion won ($960 million) tender offer last week to buy South Korean K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment (041510.KQ). SM is home to popular K-pop groups such as Girls' Generation, H.O.T., EXO, Red Velvet, Super Junior, SHINee, NCT Dream and Aespa. MAVE: is an "ongoing" project to explore new business opportunities and find ways to work around technological challenges, said Chu Ji-yeon, who heads Metaverse Entertainment. But South Korean technology has made much progress since then in creating virtual characters.

☆ North Korea decides on war deterrence measures, KCNA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] Progress of the 5th Enlarged Meeting of the 8th Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea in this image released on March 11, 2023. KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, March 12 (Reuters) - North Korea decided to take important, practical war deterrence measures at a meeting of the ruling party's military commission presided over by leader Kim Jong Un, state news agency KCNA said on Sunday. (This story has been refiled to add a missing word)Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Credit Suisse's top picks for March include new addition Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Credit Suisse refreshed its top stock picks for March, as the market reversed its January rally and began a renewed sell-off. In light of the growing market uncertainty, Credit Suisse highlighted several stocks it thinks can nonetheless outperform in coming months. Credit Suisse also sees strong gains ahead for T-Mobile, with the firm's price target of $175 implying upside of about 24% from Thursday's close. Other stocks on Credit Suisse list include Chipotle Mexican Grill, ServiceNow and Amazon. The company reported stronger-than-expected fourth quarter earnings, and Credit Suisse's 12-month price target on the stock implies upside of 34% from Thursday's close.

☆ Forced labour victims protest in wheelchairs, reject S.Korea deal on Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, March 7 (Reuters) - Two elderly South Korean victims of wartime forced labour took to the streets in wheelchairs on Tuesday, saying they rejected a compensation deal announced this week, potentially complicating Seoul's efforts to end a diplomatic spat with Japan. Under President Yoon Suk Yeol's plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by South Korean private-sector companies, rather than seeking payments from Japan. Overall there are about 1,815 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to government data. The compensation for each woman was estimated at around 210 million won ($161,465.18), according to the Victims of Japanese Wartime Forced Labor support group. Is he truly a South Korean?

☆ Kim Jong Un's mysterious sister, Kim Yo Jong, issued a rare public threat to the US on her brother's behalf, hinting that she might be gaining influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kim Jong Un's sister threatened the US against intercepting North Korean missile tests on Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong comments come as the US and South Korea ramp up military and combat drills. It's a rare public warning from Kim Yo Jong — and a sign she could be gaining more influence in her brother's government. Kim Jong Un has appointed a variety of women to prominent roles in his regime. Meanwhile, tensions have ramped up in the area as the US and South Korean militaries conduct training exercises nearby.

☆ US flies B-52 in joint drill with S.Korea - S.Korea defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Air Force/Handout via REUTERSSEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - The United states deployed a B-52 bomber for a joint drill with its ally South Korea on Monday, in a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's defence ministry said. North Korea has traditionally called for those joint exercises to be called off, branding them as a prelude to invasion. With denuclearisation talks stalled, North Korea conducted a record number of missile launches last year. As South Korea has lifted anti-COVID measures, the allies are returning to large-scale drills. South Korea and the United States will achieve "peace through strength" by stepping up joint drills, the ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. SOUTH KOREAN FUNDSRelations plunged to their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced labourers. Overall there are fewer than 1,300 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to media estimates. The South Korean companies include KT&G (033780.KS), Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) (015760.KS) and other companies that benefited from a 1965 treaty between South Korea and Japan. Asked whether Japanese companies would pitch in to compensate, Park said both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to contribute.

☆ South Korea proposes public foundation to resolve forced labour dispute with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a briefing announcing a plan on Monday to resolve a dispute over compensating people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/PoolSEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea announced a plan on Monday to resolve a dispute over compensating people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, although victims groups have expressed doubts. Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through a public foundation funded by private-sector companies, Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. Park said that he believes the Japanese government would not prevent Japanese companies from voluntarily contributing. Reporting by Josh Smith, Soo-hyang Choi, and Ju-min Park in Seoul and Yoshifumi Takemoto in Tokyo.

"(But) it feels like I should keep some dollars on hand, as the yuan will depreciate further." Others anticipating a bumpy ride ahead for the Chinese currency include China Southern Airlines (600029.SS). Such moves are perhaps not surprising given yuan volatility since Beijing suddenly unwound its zero-COVID strategy. "Overall, yuan exchange rate will remain basically stable at reasonable levels," he added at a March 3. news briefing. ($1 = 6.9009 Chinese yuan)Writing by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kim Jong Un may be prepping his daughter as his successor because he wants a woman in charge to modernize North Korea's image, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But it will likely have little impact on the lives of ordinary North Korean women. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his sister Kim Yo Jong attend a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27, 2018. "Kim Jong Un is a feminist — at least if judged by the incredibly low standards of North Korea," Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert recently wrote for NK News. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae at a banquet in Pyongyang, North Korea February 7, 2023. "Discrimination against women and girls in North Korea is widespread and is accepted as a natural part of everyday life in North Korea," said Joon.

☆ U.S. likely to cap level of S.Korean chips made in China- U.S. official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The United States will likely limit the level of advanced semiconductors made by South Korean companies in China, a senior U.S. official said. Estevez who oversees restrictions on tech exports to China made the comments on Thursday during a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were not immediately available for comment. Earlier, an American official acknowledged the existence of a deal with Japan and the Netherlands for those countries to impose new restrictions on exports of chipmaking tools to China. read moreReporting by Ju-min Park and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kim Jong Un attended a soccer match with his daughter, sparking fresh rumors that she will be North Korea's next ruler
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's daughter is making increasingly frequent public appearances. North Korean state media said that Kim Jong Un had attended the match in Pyongyang Friday to mark the North Korean Day of the Shining Star holiday, which commemorates his father, Kim Jing Il's, birth. In pictures of the event, Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be about 10, sits beside her father. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts as he watches sport games in Pyongyang, North Korea on February 17, 2023. KCNA via ReutersAlso pictured at last week's soccer match was Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is also rumored to be a potential successor to the dictator.

☆ North Korean leader Kim's daughter appears at sports event, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts as he watches sport games in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on February 17, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong and his daughter watched a sports event attended by government officials on Friday, according to state media, the first time the girl has been seen at a non-military event. The daughter, often described by state media as Kim’s “beloved child" or "respected child" has been seen alongside her father Kim at military events including earlier this month. Little is known about the girl and she has not been named in state media. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter appears at sports event
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts as he watches sport games in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on February 17, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter watched a sports event attended by government officials on Friday, according to state media, the first time the girl has been seen at a non-military event. The daughter, often described by state media as Kim’s “beloved child" or "respected child" has been seen alongside her father Kim at military events including earlier this month. Little is known about the girl and she has not been named in state media. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA.

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