World News by Wild Rose

North Korea’s laying of landmines along its heavily fortified border with the South has laid bare how misaligned the two nations have become over their de facto land boundary, after three South Korean soldiers were wounded in an explosion last month. Seoul blames Pyongyang for the blast near the military demarcation line (MDL) on September 21, in which one soldier lost a foot. On Tuesday, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was preparing a response to force an apology for the blast,...

South Korea ⁠said on Monday that a ⁠recent border blast that seriously wounded two ⁠of its soldiers was caused by mines planted by North Korea. North Korea, which has been fortifying its border with South Korea since April 2024, deployed up to 7,000 workers to install mines and fences this year, with some 50 incidents of ‌crossing the border, according to a briefing on Monday by the South’s military. The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice rather...

A former South Korean lawmaker has called for the abolition of the military exemption system granted to outstanding national athletes, arguing that military service should not be used as an incentive for achievements in sports or the arts. Yoo Seong-min’s remarks came amid controversy over comments made by members of South Korea’s men’s football team, who recently won its fourth consecutive Asian Games title, regarding the military benefits they received. South Korea defeated host Japan 1-0 on...

The BBC spoke to one of three residents at a care home who were sexually assaulted by a staff member.

Golfer Tom Kim wins gold at the Asian Games to secure an exemption from mandatory service in South Korea's military.

Like many films released during Chuseok, South Korea’s national mid-autumn harvest festival, The Assassin(s) shot right to the top, selling more than a million tickets in its first four days. But the box-office success of the film about the 1974 assassination attempt on former president and military leader Park Chung-hee was quickly overshadowed by calls to halt screenings, as well as a police complaint against the film’s director and producers. Park loyalists and conservative politicians are...

A second attempt to guide a shark stranded in a canal in the South Korean port city of Busan back to the open sea ended without success on Friday, with the animal staying in the waterway into its third week. Rescuers, who had been using a net to try to coax it out, had to end the operation after a two-hour chase due to ‌the risk of their huge net getting caught on rocks. They now hope that the shark will eventually swim out to the open sea on its own, after leaving the net in place to limit how...

President Lee Jae Myung also accused Kyiv of "attempting to provoke a war on the Korean Peninsula".

South Korea’s ⁠President accused Ukraine of ⁠undermining him by disclosing POW transfer deal

Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief October 1, 2026 — South Korea posts record exports of US$120.9 billion on US$60.3 billion of chips; Lee Jae Myung offers the North talks and promises nuclear submarines; Japan's Tankan hits an eight-year high; India's stocks fall an eighth straight week; Thailand's floods close Toyota plants; Pakistan lines Islamabad with containers ahead of a 4 October march. The post Asia Intelligence Brief — Thursday, October 1, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.

US President Donald Trump’s unilateral announcement of a “colossal” South Korean investment package has prompted Seoul to clarify that the deal is far from finalised, laying bare stark differences between the allies over the terms of their trade agreement, observers have said. On Wednesday, Trump announced that South Korea would invest in the construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants across the United States and a liquefied natural gas (LNG)...

Exports jump 83.5 percent to top $120bn for the first time amid ferocious semiconductor demand.

US President Donald Trump has announced US$200 billion in energy investments from South Korea, including US$54 billion towards a long-discussed liquefied natural gas project in Alaska and more than US$100 billion in planned longer-term nuclear power investments. Besides the Alaska LNG project and pipeline and the nuclear plants, the Trump administration announced a US$22.3 billion natural gas-fired power project in Texas that would be supported by Seoul. “The colossal package of investments we...

The two Koreas urgently need to restore military communication to prevent a landmine dispute in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) from escalating into an armed clash, according to observers. The danger is growing as North Korea presses ahead with leader Kim Jong-un’s order to fortify its side of the 4km (2.5 mile) wide buffer zone separating it from the South. South Korea views the works, including the laying of mines near the sparsely marked Military Demarcation Line (MDL) running through the centre...

North Korea has this Wednesday rejected accusations that it planted the mines that injured three South Korean soldiers in the DMZ on September 21. In a statement, Kim Jo Jong, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, threatened retaliation against the south if there is any escalation.

South Korea calls for a formal apology from North Korea over the DMZ explosion that injured three soldiers.

South Korean stocks are about to lose a key source of support earlier than expected, just as the market struggles to push decisively higher.

Transporting athletes to the wrong location has emerged as a recurring issue at the Asian Games in Japan.

Activist investor Flashlight Capital Partners urged Japan’s Secom Co. to roughly double its interest in South Korea’s S-1 Corp. and Taiwan Secom Co., roping in a new party after its earlier bid to acquire an S-1 stake was rejected.

Seoul says Kyiv agreed to a nondisclosure agreement over the prisoners but broke it.

South Korea’s three-year yield rose to the highest level since November 2022 as the local bond market reopened after holidays, joining a global selloff as elevated oil prices stoked concern over inflation.

A proposal to upgrade meals for foreigners awaiting deportation at Incheon International Airport has divided immigration officials, with frontline officers raising safety concerns and some questioning whether better food is appropriate for those ordered to leave South Korea for violating the law. According to immigration authorities on Sunday, the Incheon Airport Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice is considering providing in-flight meal boxes to foreign nationals awaiting...

Seoul demanded an official apology and explanation from Kyiv, accusing Ukraine of violating an agreement to keep confidential the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

South Korea’s presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying ‌that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential. “The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for...

Mexico South Korea summit: Sheinbaum and Lee signed 17 agreements and a 2026–2030 plan, but car tariffs and a trade deal remain open. What changed. The post Mexico South Korea Summit Ends With 17 Agreements but No Tariff Deal appeared first on The Rio Times.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s proposal for a phased approach to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes is a pragmatic response, analysts say, but prospects for gaining its arch-rival’s acceptance remain uncertain. In a keynote speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Lee laid out a long-term, step-by-step sequence for pursuing the ultimate goal of North Korea’s denuclearisation. He had called for Washington to ease sanctions in return for North Korea stopping its nuclear...

Washington is increasingly turning to South Korea to ease ammunition supply bottlenecks triggered by wars in the Middle East and Europe, potentially accelerating Seoul’s integration into the US defence industrial base. Analysts say the United States may struggle to replenish stockpiles quickly enough if conflicts in Iran and Ukraine drag on, creating opportunities for South Korea’s defence industry to expand its presence in the US market. Jang Won-joon, a defence science professor at Jeonbuk...

A South Korean dating reality show exploring human-AI romance has triggered curiosity and attention in China over how artificial intelligence could reshape people’s understanding of intimacy and love. In August, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) launched My AI Partner: Strange Love, the country’s first dating reality show focused on human-AI relationships. The programme follows three participants – a cartoonist, a television host and an actress – as they form emotional connections with AI...

Currency options traders are betting the Korean won’s Asia-leading rally since July has further to run.

With millions of South Koreans set to hit the road this week during a three-day public holiday, the government is extending fuel-price caps, cushioning households from an energy shock that has pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel.