All posts tagged: Koreas

Meet TWS, the rising K-pop boy group whose debut song became one of South Korea’s biggest hits in 2024

Meet TWS, the rising K-pop boy group whose debut song became one of South Korea’s biggest hits in 2024

Published by Sam Flores

In January 2024, K-pop boy group TWS (pronounced “two us”) made their debut under the label Pledis Entertainment with the extended play Sparkling Blue. By the end of 2024, the album’s single, Plot Twist, became the most-streamed song on South Korea’s Melon chart for the year – a remarkable feat for a rookie group. Two years on, TWS – which comprises members Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon and Kyungmin – continues to make waves in South Korea, consistently releasing crowd-pleasing hits such as Overdrive and You, You. TWS, whose name is an abbreviation for Twenty Four Seven With Us, have since carved a niche for themselves with their self-coined boyhood pop genre in which the group delves into everyday life and challenges through bright and sentimental music. After making their mark in South Korea, TWS is following in the footsteps of labelmates Seventeen and other senior groups under South Korean entertainment giant Hybe as they set their sights on the global stage. The group’s ongoing 24/7: For: You tour marks the first time they’re performing …

South Korea’s Lee Says Will Not Deploy Military to Get Involved in Middle East Conflict

South Korea’s Lee Says Will Not Deploy Military to Get Involved in Middle East Conflict

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, Sept ⁠18 (Reuters) – ⁠South ⁠Korean President Lee ​Jae Myung ‌said on Friday ‌he ⁠would ⁠not deploy any military assets ​to the Middle ​East that would ⁠draw the ⁠country ⁠into conflict ​related to the Iran ​war. However, ⁠the government is ⁠considering whether to expand its role ⁠safeguarding navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Lee said at a news ⁠conference. (Reporting by Jack Kim, Joyce Lee, Heejin ​KimEditing by Ed ​Davies) Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters. Source link

South Korea’s Lee to Host Central Asia Summit in Seoul Next Week

South Korea’s Lee to Host Central Asia Summit in Seoul Next Week

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, Sept 11 (Reuters) – South Korean ⁠President ⁠Lee Jae Myung ⁠said on Friday he would host the ​first South Korea-Central Asia summit next week, bringing together the ‌leaders of five Central ‌Asian countries as Seoul seeks to deepen ⁠economic and ⁠strategic ties with the resource-rich region. “Through this summit, relations ​between South Korea and Central Asia will be consolidated into a leader-level multilateral cooperation framework, and the New ​Northern Policy we have pursued is expected to gain ⁠momentum,” Lee ⁠said in televised ⁠remarks ​ahead of a presidential meeting. Earlier on Friday, the presidential Blue ​House said Lee ⁠will host the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon for talks on expanding cooperation. Lee is scheduled to hold ⁠separate bilateral meetings with each of the five Central Asian ⁠leaders from September 14 to September 16 ahead of the joint summit, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The summit will be the first leader-level multilateral meeting between South Korea and the five Central Asian nations and is aimed at strengthening cooperation …

‘We can’t stop for a second’: the centre tracking South Korea’s stalkers in real time | South Korea

‘We can’t stop for a second’: the centre tracking South Korea’s stalkers in real time | South Korea

Published by Sam Flores

On a large screen in a control centre in eastern Seoul, a dot representing a man closes in on a woman. The dot changes direction, and the distance reading between them falls from 845 metres to 792. On the woman’s phone, the same map is loading. A probation officer rings her: the stalker is approaching, don’t panic, officers have been dispatched. The man is a stand-in and the scenario is staged, but the system is real. Since late June, a stalking survivor in South Korea can open an app and watch a tagged perpetrator move in real time once they come within a 2km radius. If they come within a kilometre, an alert is passed to police and probation authorities, who call the victim. Previously, survivors received only a text message stating a distance, with no indication of location. About 400 people are now enrolled in the new scheme. “Waiting with no idea what’s happening is deeply distressing,” says Yoon Hyun-bong, who directs the control centre. “A distance alone doesn’t tell you which direction he’s …

In cutting joint drills, Trump has given South Korea’s president what he wants. So why is Seoul so uneasy?

In cutting joint drills, Trump has given South Korea’s president what he wants. So why is Seoul so uneasy?

Published by Sam Flores

At their first summit, in August last year, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, told Donald Trump: “If you, Mr President, become the peacemaker, then I will assist you as the pacemaker.” The remark at the Oval Office captured the thrust of Lee’s approach to North Korea: dial down the military posturing and make repeated peace overtures to revive dialogue, even if they have been consistently rejected by Pyongyang largely over Seoul’s insistence on denuclearisation. Fast forward to this week, and Trump’s move to cut joint military exercises with South Korea echoes what Lee had himself floated, on several occasions, as a possible tool for drawing Pyongyang back to the table. Lee’s broader message is that South Korea should take more responsibility for its own defence and reduce its reliance on others. On Tuesday, he used the moment to renew calls for wartime operational control of the military and progress on his country’s nuclear submarine programme. Trump has delivered on the drills, albeit in the blunt, discourteous fashion typical of the president: via social …

Trump hints at contact with North Korea’s Kim after scaling back Seoul drills

Trump hints at contact with North Korea’s Kim after scaling back Seoul drills

Published by Sam Flores

ASIAN ANXIETY The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are designed to prepare for a possible war with North Korea. Colonel Ryan Donald, spokesman for the US and South Korean Combined Forces Command, has said they will simulate combat against North Korean troops hardened by their deployment on Russia’s side in its invasion of Ukraine. Seoul’s presidential office told AFP it remained in “close coordination” with Washington over the exercises. Pyongyang decries the drills as dress rehearsals for an invasion. It recently test-fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan, and warned on Friday it could respond to the exercises with a “new level of deterrent”. During his first term, Trump said after his initial meeting with North Korea’s Kim in Singapore in June 2018 that Washington would suspend the “provocative” drills. The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defenses, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. But Trump’s repeated criticism of time-honored alliances has cast doubt on …

US-South Korea drills renew questions over North Korea’s military power

US-South Korea drills renew questions over North Korea’s military power

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump called for US-South Korean military drills to be scaled back just hours before they were due to begin, describing North Korea as ‘unthreatening and respectful’. South Korea said it hoped Trump’s personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. FRANCE 24’s Chloé Borgnon examines the real threat posed by North Korea, from its military capabilities and growing nuclear arsenal to its increasingly close ties with Russia amid Ukraine war. Keywords for this article Source link

North Korea’s Kim, Russia’s Putin reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day

North Korea’s Kim, Russia’s Putin reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day

Published by Sam Flores

Also on Saturday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for talks with the rival North aimed at peaceful coexistence, telling Seoul’s Liberation Day ceremony that the two Koreas need safeguards to prevent conflict and should work to replace their armistice with a “peace regime”. Lee urged dialogue to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a ceasefire but no peace treaty, and said the talks could explore ways to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Pyongyang has rejected Lee’s overtures and criticised US-South Korean military exercises as provocations. On Thursday, Putin drew Tokyo’s condemnation with a visit to an island off Hokkaido, claimed by Japan, that Moscow seized in the days after Japan’s 1945 surrender. Source link

South Korea’s president wants talks with North to end Korean War | Politics

South Korea’s president wants talks with North to end Korean War | Politics

Published by Sam Flores

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has proposed talks with North Korea to formally end the Korean War and replace the armistice with a peace regime, saying dialogue could also curb Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear programme. Published On 15 Aug 202615 Aug 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

South Korea’s Lotte Group sells car rental unit to private equity TPG for 5 million

South Korea’s Lotte Group sells car rental unit to private equity TPG for $925 million

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, Aug 11 : Two affiliates of South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group signed a deal to sell Lotte Rental, South Korea’s largest car-rental firm, to U.S. private equity firm TPG, Lotte said on Tuesday.  The deal to sell a 61 per cent stake in Lotte Rental is worth 1.31 trillion won ($924.88 million), Lotte Group said in a statement TPG did not immediately comment.  The sale is expected to help Lotte Group – a retail, hospitality and chemicals conglomerate – to secure liquidity to improve financial health and invest in expanding its core hotel business.  ($1 = 1,416.4000 won) Source link