South Korea

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Wife of South Korea's Jailed Ex-President Arrested
Wife of South Korea's
Jailed Former Prez Indicted
UPDATED
Aug 29, 2025 12:30 AM CDT

Wife of South Korea's Jailed Former Prez Indicted

Some speculate Yoon's actions were motivated by allegations against his wife

(Newser) - South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were indicted Friday as part of investigations into the administration of ousted President Yoon Suk-Yeol and his attempt to overcome opposition by declaring martial law, the AP reports. A team led by Special Prosecutor Min...

South Korea Outlaws Phone Use During Class

New ban will kick in this coming March

(Newser) - South Korea is taking a firm stance on smartphone use in schools—or non-use, more specifically. The country on Wednesday passed a nationwide ban on mobile devices during class that will be effective in March 2026. The bill, which cleared the country's National Assembly with a strong majority,...

Trump Praises Kim to South Korea's President

White House meeting follows posts criticizing visitor's country

(Newser) - President Trump welcomed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung with a critical Truth Social post on Monday before he even reached the White House, then repeatedly praised North Korea's dictator during their talks. The post seemed to refer to the way Lee came into office this year: winning an...

Kim's Sister Says South Korea Is Lying to Public

Kim Yo Jong disputes claim that North's loudspeakers were taken down

(Newser) - The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, mocking the government in Seoul for clinging to hopes of renewed diplomacy between the war-divided rivals, per the AP . South Korea's...

South Korea: Fine, We'll Take Down the Propaganda Speakers

It's a small conciliatory gesture toward the North

(Newser) - South Korea's military said Monday it had begun removing loudspeakers along its border with rival North Korea in a move aimed at reducing tensions. The speakers had previously been used to blast anti-North Korean propaganda across the border, but the South's new liberal government halted the broadcasts in...

As Deadline Nears, Trump Notches Another Trade Deal

President says South Korea will be subject to a 15% tariff

(Newser) - With his Aug. 1 deadline rapidly approaching, President Trump announced another trade deal on Wednesday. In a post on Truth Socia l, the president said the US has "agreed to a Full and Complete Trade Deal" with South Korea. The agreement will impose a 15% tariff, instead of the...

Kim Jong Un's Sister Shuts the Door on South Korea

Kim Yo Jong: 'There is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with' the South

(Newser) - The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed an appeasement overture by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that North Korea has no interest in talks with South Korea no matter what proposal its rival offers. Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North...

She Was Convicted for Fighting Would-Be Rapist. Now, 'Justice'

Prosecution asks court to overturn Choi Mal-ja's 1964 conviction for severing attacker's tongue

(Newser) - South Korean prosecutors have asked a judge to overturn a 78-year-old woman's 1964 conviction for defending herself during a sexual assault in a case that has lingered in the public consciousness for decades. At 18, Choi Mal-ja fought off her attacker by biting off part of his tongue...

Now It's South Korea Facing Deadly, Torrential Rain

At least 14 are dead, and a dozen missing

(Newser) - Torrential rains that slammed South Korea for five days have left at least 14 people dead and 12 others missing, per the AP . One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept by a swollen stream in...

After Months Stuck in the South, 6 North Koreans Go Home

Pyongyang didn't make it easy for the fishermen to return

(Newser) - South Korea has returned six North Korean fishermen who drifted into its waters after engine failures, in what appears to be a gesture of good will under new President Lee Jae Myung. The repatriation occurred Wednesday near the maritime border on the peninsula's east coast, with the fishermen...

Markets Fall as Trump Hits Japan, S. Korea With Tariffs

He also warns them not to retaliate

(Newser) - It's expected to be a busy week on the tariffs front, and President Trump just announced his first two moves. Trump sent letters to South Korea and Japan informing them that the US would start collecting a 25% tariff on all goods they ship to the US, effective Aug....

Man Guided Out of DMZ in 20-Hour Operation

North Korean man was detected around 3am Thursday

(Newser) - A North Korean man made a rare direct crossing into South Korea this week, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced Friday. He was spotted by military surveillance equipment between 3am and 4am Thursday close to a shallow stream within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). According to the...

South Koreans' Pesky Problem: Swarms of 'Lovebugs'

Insects relatively new to the nation have surged this year

(Newser) - Swarms of "lovebugs" are back in South Korea, blanketing a mountain peak, entering houses, and sticking to car windows. Flying attached to one another while mating, the insects, known to scientists as Plecia nearctica, are also called united bugs, double-headed bugs, or honeymoon flies, per the AP . Lovebugs were...

6 Americans Tried to Float Bibles, Rice Into North Korea

South Korea makes arrests in border incident

(Newser) - Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, US dollars bills, and Bibles toward North Korea by sea, police said. The Americans tried to throw the bottles into the ocean from front-line Gwanghwa Island so they could float toward...

In Suriname, Most Homes Have This Pesticide. It's Killing People

Deadly pesticide paraquat drives spike in suicide rates in the South American nation

(Newser) - Suriname, a small country on South America's Atlantic coast, has one of the world's highest suicide rates, with most of those deaths linked directly to a single pesticide: paraquat. Widely used for weed control, paraquat is lethal in tiny amounts, has been tied to Parkinson's , has...

South Korea Just Turned Down Its Giant Loudspeakers

New President Lee Jae-myung suspends blaring broadcasts at border to ease tensions with North

(Newser) - South Korea has halted its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts directed at North Korea in an effort to improve relations, the country's military has announced. The decision comes just a week after President Lee Jae-myung's election , which was won partly on promises to ease tensions with the North and...

Exit Poll in South Korea Gives Win to Liberal Candidate
Liberal Candidate
Wins in South Korea
UPDATED
Jun 3, 2025 6:14 PM CDT

Liberal Candidate Wins in South Korea

Lee Jae-myung will be next president after conservatives' martial law debacle

(Newser) - Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung has won South Korea's snap presidential election , two months after his archrival and then conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Lee, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea's leading liberal politician, vowing...

Top 10 Countries for Life Expectancy

Monaco has world's highest life expectancy, at 88.6 years on average, per Visual Capitalist rankings

(Newser) - Life expectancy in the United States is an average of 78.6 years , but that doesn't hold a candle to how long people can expect to live in some other nations. Using data from the UN's World Population Prospects portal, Visual Capitalist looked at life expectancy at birth...

South Korea Has Much Riding on Election, Including US Ties

Trump wants higher payments from the nation he called a 'money machine'

(Newser) - Voting has begun in South Korea's presidential election, ending a campaign that focused on martial law, impeachment, and the economy. The voters' decision on Tuesday also could greatly change the country's relationship with the US, NBC News reports. On top of all that, a Seoul-based analyst said, "...

K-Pop's First Deaf Group Has Fans Learning Sign Language

Big Ocean is opening up new frontiers in the genre

(Newser) - Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance—one beat at a time. When Big Ocean takes the stage, they seamlessly incorporate sign language into their performances. But their polished shows are built on extensive preparation using...

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