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Seoul
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Seoul. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Mayor Oh Se-hoon
An AI shaman offers to read visitor’s fortunes in four languages at a South Korean shamanism theme shop in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
South Korea

In hi-tech South Korea, AI shamans take place of traditional human practitioners

The technology, which combines voice recognition with a generative AI chatbot, uses a centuries-old belief system to interpret fates.

South Korea

BTS comeback drives record 2.06 million tourists to South Korea

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North Korea

UN watchdog warns North Korea is boosting nuclear weapons capacity

South Korea

South Korea jails influencer Johnny Somali for kissing ‘comfort women’ statue

The 2024 incident caused strong public backlash and the video was later removed.

American YouTuber Johnny Somali speaks to reporters at the Seoul Western District Court in South Korea on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP
South Korea

What is really behind South Korea’s diplomatic row with Israel?

Lee Jae Myung’s clash was about more than human rights, analysts say – it was about energy security and sending a message to Donald Trump.

South Korea

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

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South Korea

Foreigners with ‘close ties’ to South Koreans will receive cash aid

The limited inclusion of non-citizens in state relief programmes has been a recurring source of controversy in the country.

Foreigners dressed in hanboks walk under lanterns displayed at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, on April 7. Photo: AP
Food and Drinks

Why are young Koreans going crazy for Chinese restaurants?

Chinese food has become part of everyday life for South Koreans in their 20s and 30s thanks to viral trends and their own lived experiences.

South Korea

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

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South Korea

South Korean activists howl with rage as escaped wolf faces death

The wolf, named Neukgu, tunnelled its way to freedom from a Daejeon zoo, triggering a school closure and search involving over 300 people.

A wolf that escaped from a zoo is seen walking along a road in Daejeon on Wednesday. Photo: Daejeon Fire Headquarters/Yonhap/AFP
Architecture and design

From Hong Kong’s Taikoo Square to Seoul’s Gangnam forest and Chengdu’s Hyperlane, nature is reshaping Asia’s cities

Urban greening is evolving: Asian cities are embracing biodiverse urban forests, moving beyond mere decoration to create ecological, human-centric spaces.

Stephen Buckle, from Aspect, a global landscape architecture company, says that the most successful way to strike a balance between commercial and design aspirations is to make ecologically minded greening the focal point of any project, including this, The Roof, a Shanghai lifestyle complex, designed in collaboration with French architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: Courtesy Aspect
North Korea

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s peace hopes

A top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’.

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North Korea

Hidden meaning behind North Korea’s warm response to South’s drone apology

While North Korea praised the South’s actions as a ‘wise move’, it continues to rebuff any attempts at reconciliation dialogues.

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North Korea

North Korean silence on Iran signals openness to US talks: Seoul’s spy agency

Pyongyang has not sent weapons and supplies to its long-time ally , nor has it issued messages to mark Iranian leadership changes.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and daughter Ju Ae oversee the test-launch of 600 mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers on March 14. Photo: KCNA/Reuters
South Korea

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

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Fragments of a drone lie scattered on the ground in Muksan-ri, North Korea, after being shot down on January 4. Photo: KCNA/Reuters
South Korea

South Korea and Indonesia’s fighter jet is ready. But will it sell?

Only a handful of nations have ever built a supersonic fighter jet from the ground up.

South Korea

Softly, softly: why South Korea, France prefer diplomacy over force in Hormuz

Presidents Lee and Macron have agreed to cooperate on safety in the strait but they are likely to wade in only after the war, analysts say.

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Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong needs to start charging all bus passengers by distance

Readers discuss the decision to revise the HK$2 public transport fare scheme, and the potential of student clubs at universities.

A minibus sports a sticker advertising Hong Kong’s HK$2 transport subsidy scheme for elderly and disabled passengers, on March 23. An amended version of the scheme will be rolled out on April 3. Photo: Jelly Tse
US, Israel war on Iran

Video | Seoul residents hoard bin bags as oil shock deepens

Fears over supply disruptions tied to the Iran war have sent sales of Seoul’s mandatory trash bags soaring, prompting shops to ration sales.

South Korea

No oil for BBQ: South Korean restaurants gasp for help amid fuel crisis

Prices for ingredients and packaging have risen by as much as 30 per cent since the start of the Iran war.

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South Korea

Why are South Koreans hoarding rubbish bags from supermarkets?

The won is at a 17-year low, parliament is in damage control mode and shop shelves are being stripped clean of plastic bags.

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A cashier checks government-regulated bin bags at a checkout in Goyang, South Korea, on Monday. South Korea’s energy minister has sought to ease fears over shortages of plastic rubbish bags. Photo: AFP
Kim Jong-un

Video | Kim attends special forces training

Kim inspects elite special forces unit stage combat drills.

This undated picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 29, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting the training of special operations sub-units at all levels at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP) / South Korea OUT / ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS” - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. /
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China-North Korea relations

China steps up North Korea connections as regular Pyongyang flights resume

Air China flight arrives in North Korea days after passenger train services between the neighbours were restored.

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Art

South Korea’s first major LGBTQ exhibition gives voice to queer artists

‘Spectrosynthesis Seoul’ at Art Sonje Centre signals a step towards acceptance in South Korea’s traditionally rigid and conservative society.

Asia travel

Visiting South Korea? 10 BTS pilgrimage spots every Army should visit

Explore iconic landmarks throughout the K-pop band’s history, from the current Hybe headquarters to their trainee-era haunts.

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Members of K-pop boy band BTS at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, Gangwon province, South Korea. The coastal backdrop was used in imagery tied to the group’s global hit single “Butter”. Photo: courtesy of BigHit Music
BTS

Video | Low BTS concert turnout causes slide in agency shares

The heavily secured Gwanghwamun Square performance drew 104,000 fans – less than half the turnout police expected.

BTS fans watch the comeback concert of K-pop boy group BTS on screens at the venue in Seoul on March 21, 2026. South Korean megastars BTS reunited on March 21 for their first show in nearly four years, blowing away enormous crowds in Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza livestreamed to millions more worldwide. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
South Korea

Chinese ‘new style tea’ makers expand in South Korea in challenge to coffee

More Koreans, aided by Beijing’s visa-free policies, are travelling to China where they become familiar with tea-based beverages.

South Korea

They’re back! K-pop’s BTS play first gig together in nearly 4 years

There were 22,000 free tickets, with thousands of other fans flooding Seoul to watch on giant screens, plus a Netflix live stream.

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