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☆ Forest fire in central Seoul forces evacuation of 120 homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, April 2 (Reuters) - A forest fire raged in central Seoul on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of at least 120 homes in the densely populated capital, authorities said. The fire, which started on a mountain in the middle of Seoul at around 11:53 a.m. (0253 GMT), razed forests the size of some 30 soccer fields before it was nearly extinguished as of 5 p.m. (0800 GMT), according to officials. Smoke billowing from forests was seen across the city as firefighters battled to put out the fire with water-bombing aircraft. Multiple helicopters were seen flying over the Han River in an apparent effort to supply water to extinguish the fire, a Reuters witness said. Reporting by Hyun Young Yi and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Top security aide for S.Korea's Yoon offers to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 29 (Reuters) - A top security adviser for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday he had offered to step down. His resignation comes ahead of Yoon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden next month. Media reports said earlier National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han could be replaced over planning issues related to Yoon's visit to Washington. He added that Yoon's upcoming trip to the United States was being well prepared so his successor could take over smoothly. Yoon nominated Cho Tae-yong, ambassador to the United States, as Kim's successor, Yonhap news agency reported following the announcement.

☆ South Korea to host third 'Summit for Democracy' -joint statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 29 (Reuters) - South Korea will host a third "Summit for Democracy", President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a statement with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday. "The United States and the Republic of Korea share deep bonds, rooted in our common democratic values and respect for human rights, and we are committed to further strengthening our robust political, economic, security, and people-to-people ties," the statement said. The plenary session of the second summit is to be held on Wednesday, involving 120 countries, civil society groups and technology companies in an event critics say illustrates the halting progress the Biden administration has made in advancing human rights and democracy as a focus of its foreign policy. The second summit is being co-hosted by the United States, Costa Rica, Zambia, the Netherlands and South Korea. It was not immediately clear when the next summit will be held or whether other countries will co-host the meeting.

☆ U.N. urges North Korea to confirm fate of forcibly disappeared people
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights office in Seoul called on North Korea on Tuesday to confirm the fate and whereabouts of people who have been disappeared under its regime, accusing Pyongyang of violating the rights of the victims and their loved ones for decades. In a report on enforced disappearance and abductions by North Korea, the U.N. rights office said North Korea should acknowledge that it has engaged in a state policy of enforced disappearances since 1950, and take immediate steps to end such violations. The report, based on interviews with defectors, former abductees and relatives of victims, details accounts of disappearances, including arbitrary detentions in North Korea and abduction of nationals from South Korea, Japan and other countries. "Enforced disappearance is a profound violation of many rights at once, and responsibility lies with the state," U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said. According to the report, many victims of enforced disappearance within North Korea were sent, often for life, to political prison camps or other detention sites.

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —South Korean internet company Kakao has become the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, winning a battle for control of one of the country’s most iconic music agencies. Kakao and its entertainment unit have increased their stake in SM to 39.9%, they said in a Tuesday regulatory filing. In securing a controlling stake, Kakao has seen off rival HYBE, South Korea’s top music agency and home to boy band sensation BTS, after a bruising takeover battle. In a separate Tuesday filing, HYBE said it had sold some of its SM shares to Kakao, reducing its stake to 8.8%. Aespa is represented by SM Entertainment.

☆ Kakao's stake in K-pop agency SM climbs to 40%, HYBE retains 8.8%
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 28 (Reuters) - South Korean social media giant Kakao's stake in K-pop agency SM Entertainment (041510.KQ) has reached 40%, the target said on Tuesday, in a deal that has left former bidder HYBE (352820.KS) stuck with more than half of its stake in SM. But Kakao's tender offer for a 35% stake at 150,000 won per share attracted acceptances for more than double the targeted stake, forcing it to scale back allotments in proportion. HYBE said it was left with an 8.81% stake in SM. Kim Hyun-yong, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said maintaining the remaining stake in SM could help HYBE contain Kakao in the long run. HYBE plans a substantial number of acquisitions and investments this year as the K-pop giant looks to boost its U.S. presence, its chairman Bang Si-hyuk said this month.

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missile off its east coast, South Korea's military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, March 27 (Reuters) - North Korea has fired a ballistic missile off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Monday. Japan's Coast Guard said the projectile believed to be North Korea-fired missile has already fallen. Other details, such as its flight range, were not immediately available. The launch is the latest in a series of weapons tests by the North, including the firing of multiple cruise missiles on Wednesday which Pyongyang said was aimed at practicing tactical nuclear attacks. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US amphibious assault ship joins drills in South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUSAN, South Korea, March 23 (Reuters) - South Korean and U.S. troops launched their largest amphibious landing drills in years involving a U.S. amphibious assault ship, officials said on Thursday, a day after North Korea tested four long-range cruise missiles. About 12,000 sailors and marines from the two countries will take part, as will 30 warships, 70 aircraft and 50 amphibious assault vehicles, the South Korean military said. Hours before the ship docked, North Korea fired four cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea said, in apparent protest of ongoing drills by the U.S. and South Korea. The ship's welldeck, which can be flooded to provide direct access to the sea, allows it to launch and recover landing craft and other amphibious vehicles, the U.S. military said. South Korea and the U.S. say the exercises are purely defensive.

☆ North Korea says it tested new nuclear underwater attack drone -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 24 (Reuters) - North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Friday it tested a new nuclear underwater attack drone under leader Kim Jong Un's guidance this week, as a U.S. amphibious assault ship arrived in South Korea for joint drills. During the drill, the North Korean drone cruised underwater for over 59 hours and detonated in waters off its east coast on Thursday, the KCNA said. "This nuclear underwater attack drone can be deployed at any coast and port or towed by a surface ship for operation," the news agency said. In a separate firing drill, North Korea also confirmed it fired four cruise missiles on Wednesday to practice carrying out tactical nuclear attack missions. The South Korean military has said North Korea fired four cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday.

☆ This 38-year-old introvert makes $2 million a year—3 things she always does to 'look and feel more confident'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Selena Soo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People are often shocked when I tell them I'm an introvert, especially since my job involves a lot of socializing and relationship building. There are many misconceptions about introverts: We're shy, we don't like to socialize, we don't take risks. Here are three things I always do to look and feel more confident:1. When I feel less confident, I turn to my "praise folder" that I created on my iPhone. At networking events, I remind myself that I don't have to talk with everyone in the room.

☆ 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.

"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."

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.

☆ South Korea's Yoon to meet Japan's Kishida in Tokyo on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony of the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement Day against Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul on March 1, 2023. Jung Yeon-Je/Pool via REUTERSSEOUL, March 14 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will travel to Japan for talks on Thursday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a South Korean official said, days after South Korea announced a plan to end a row between the U.S. allies over wartime forced labour. Yoon's two-day visit to Japan from Thursday will be the first such trip by a South Koran leader in 12 years. "This visit ... will be an important milestone in the improvement of relations between South Korea and Japan which has been promoted by the Yoon administration since inauguration," Yoon's national security adviser, Kim Sung-han, told a briefing on Tuesday. South Korea announced last week that its companies would compensate victims of forced labour under Japan's colonial rule from 1910-1945, seeking to end a dispute that has undermined U.S.-led efforts to present a unified front against China and North Korea.

☆ The mystery of MH370 remains 9 years later — here are all the theories, dead ends, and unanswered questions from the most bizarre airline disaster of the century
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The theories so farA new Netflix documentary about the plane, "MH370: The Plane That Disappeared," was released in March 2023. The show's director called the plane's disappearance "the greatest aviation mystery of all time." But the July 2018 report had offered evidence against the idea that it was a deliberate act by the crew. But Australia's former prime minister, Tony Abbott, said in 2020 that the plane's disappearance was "almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot." But the 2018 report said there was no technology on the plane that would allow control to be taken from the pilots remotely.

☆ 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 fires two short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 14 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of weapons tests as the South and the United States conduct their largest joint military drills in years. The missiles were fired at around 7:40 a.m. (2240 GMT on Monday) from the South Hwanghae province, near the country's west coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The South Korean military was on high alert and maintaining full readiness posture under close coordination with the United States, the JCS added in a statement. North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion. On Sunday, North Korean state media KCNA reported the country has decided to take "important practical" war deterrence measures, saying, "War provocations of the U.S. and South Korea are reaching the red-line."

☆ Explainer: How Kakao won a takeover battle against HYBE for K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For more than two decades, the K-pop industry was dominated by the trio until BTS rose to global fame in recent years, making its agency HYBE the largest music label in the country. It is the second-largest entertainment group in South Korea by market value at $2.8 billion, trailing HYBE, which is worth $5.5 billion. Lee filed an injunction request to block the deal that was approved by a court, and sold a 15% stake in SM to rival agency HYBE, setting up a takeover battle. Kakao, the most popular social media platform in South Korea, is expanding aggressively into the entertainment industry where it already owns a smaller K-pop agency, Starship Entertainment. In January, Kakao Entertainment announced a 1.2 trillion won ($966.27 million) investment from Singapore's GIC and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, giving it more firepower for the SM bid.

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —BTS agency HYBE says it has called off a takeover bid for SM Entertainment, ending weeks of corporate mudslinging that has dominated headlines in South Korea. Last week, tech giant Kakao and its entertainment unit said they had doubled down on their quest to take control of SM, the iconic K-pop music agency. Kakao offered SM shareholders 150,000 won ($115) per share, much more than HYBE’s previous offer of 120,000 won ($92) per share, which garnered only mild interest from investors. SM Entertainment said in a statement that it “welcomes” HYBE’s decision to suspend its takeover bid. Kakao and its entertainment unit will continue with their existing tender offer to SM shareholders, which will wrap up on March 26, they told CNN.

☆ North Korean leader Kim calls for intensified drills in case of 'real war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A general view of fire assault drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea March 10, 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, adding it was analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area. North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion. North Korean leader Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said earlier this week any move to shoot down one of its test missiles would be considered a declaration of war and blamed the joint military exercises for growing tensions. Yang Uk, a research fellow and defence expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said North Korea has been increasingly claiming that its smaller missiles are nuclear-capable, in apparent threats to South Korea.

☆ North Korean leader Kim calls for intensified drills for 'real war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 10 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the military to intensify drills for a "real war," state media said on Friday, after overseeing a fire assault drill that it said proved the country's capability to counter an "actual war." North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, adding it was analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area. Photos released by the North's KCNA news agency showed at least six missiles being fired at the same time. The latest missile launches came as the United States and South Korea were set to kick off large-scale military exercises known as the Freedom Shield drills next week. North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion.

It plans to offer SM shareholders 150,000 won ($115) per share. The artists are represented by SM Entertainment, which is currently in the midst of several shareholder disputes. Kakao and its Kakao Entertainment unit already currently hold 4.9% of SM, the company told CNN in a statement Tuesday. Kakao’s gambleKakao is pressing forward nonetheless, inviting SM shareholders to accept its tender offer, which ends on March 26. Its shares closed 3% lower in Seoul on Tuesday, while SM’s shares soared 15%.

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 to compensate victims of Japan's forced labour through its public foundation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister, Park Jin, said on Monday the government plans to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labour through its own public foundation, instead of using funds from Japanese companies, in a move aimed at improving soured relations between the two countries. The dispute over colonial-era forced labour has been a source of dispute between the U.S. allies, overshadowing the neighbours' political and trade relations for years. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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