Business

Samsung thrives as Seoul mulls pardon of corporate heir

SEOUL, South Korea — Pressure is mounting on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, who is back in prison after his conviction in a massive corruption scandal, even though business has rarely looked better at South Korea’s largest company.

Business

Asian stocks mixed after Taiwan, Singapore anti-virus curbs

BEIJING — Asian stock markets were mixed Monday after Taiwan and Singapore tightened anti-coronavirus restrictions and Wall Street turned in its biggest weekly decline in three months.

Joe Biden

NKorea warns US of ‘very grave situation’ over Biden speech

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Sunday warned that the United States will face “a very grave situation” and alleged that President Joe Biden “made a big blunder” in his recent speech by calling the North a security threat.

General News

Asia Today: South Korean cases rise, Singapore reopening

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 49 cases of COVID-19 as the virus continues to spread in the densely populated capital area where half of the country’s 51 million people...

Beijing

Asian stocks mixed amid concern over coronavirus hotspots

BEIJING — Asian stock markets were mixed Friday after Wall Street closed little-changed amid as optimism about a possible global economic recovery was tempered by concern over rising...

Michael Pence

The Latest: Coronavirus still spreading in 2nd S Korea wave

SEOUL, South Korea — The coronavirus continues to spread in South Korea, particularly in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan region, which is home to half the country’s 51 million people....

General News

South’s unification minister resigns as Korean tensions rise

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday accepted the resignation of his point man on North Korea, who had asked to quit after the North destroyed a liaison office...

Seoul

S. Korea says no suspicious activities by North Korea yet

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Thursday it hasn’t detected any suspicious activities by North Korea, a day after it threatened with provocative acts at the border in violation of a...

Financial markets

Asian shares slip as global rally eases off the accelerator

BANGKOK — Shares fell Thursday in Asia after another day of wobbly trading on Wall Street as markets eased off the accelerator following their big rally.

United Nations

The Latest: Virus infections continue steady rise in S Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 59 COVID-19 cases as infections steadily rise in the capital area where half the country’s 51 million people live.

General News

AP Analysis: N. Korea’s dramatic bang part of measured plan

SEOUL, South Korea — Only two years ago, the leaders of North and South Korea shared drinks, laughs and vows for peace during three highly orchestrated summits that lowered fears of war that...

General News

North Korea says it’s sending soldiers to joint border sites

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday that it will send soldiers to now-shuttered inter-Korean cooperation sites in its territory and reinstall guard posts and resume military...

Financial markets

Asia stocks lower after Wall Street gains on recovery hopes

BEIJING — Major Asian stock markets declined Wednesday after Wall Street gained on hopes for a global economic recovery and Japan's exports sank.

General News

North Korea destroys empty liaison office with South

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office building just north of the heavily armed border with South Korea on Tuesday, in a carefully choreographed, largely...

Seoul

Black Lives Matter banner removed at US Embassy in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea — A large Black Lives Matter banner has been removed from the U.S. Embassy building in South Korea's capital three days after it was raised there in solidarity with...

Summits

S Korea’s leader calls on North to stop raising tensions

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president called on North Korea to stop raising animosities and return to talks, saying Monday the rivals must not reverse the peace deals that he and North...

Seoul

S Korea urges North to uphold deals amid rising animosities

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Sunday convened an emergency security meeting and urged North Korea to uphold reconciliation agreements, hours after the North threatened to demolish a...

Beijing

The Latest: China has most new virus cases since mid-April

BEIJING — China is reporting its highest daily total of coronavirus cases in two months after the capital’s biggest wholesale food market was shut down following a resurgence in local infections....

Seoul

Kim Jong Un’s sister threatens S. Korea with military action

SEOUL, South Korea — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations...

General News

The Latest: South Korea capital adds more coronavirus cases

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 49 new coronavirus cases.

Summits

On summit anniversary, North Korea vows to build up military

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Friday again vowed to build up its military force to counter what it perceives as U.S. threats and said there would be little reason for a personal...

International News

Resurgence of virus threatens South Korea’s success story

SEOUL, South Korea — Just weeks ago, South Korea was celebrating its hard-won gains against the coronavirus, easing social distancing, reopening schools and promoting a tech-driven anti-virus...

General News

Asia Today: Tracing harder in S. Korea, Indian cases spike

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 45 new cases of COVID-19, all but two of them in the greater capital area, continuing a weekslong resurgence that health authorities fear will...

Brazil

The Latest: SKorea reports 45 new COVID cases, most in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is reporting 45 new cases of COVID-19, all but two of them in the capital region, continuing a weekslong resurgence that health authorities fear could develop into...

International News

South Korea to charge defector groups over North leaflets

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s government said Wednesday that it will press charges against two activist groups that have been floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets and bottles filled with...

Religion

Asia Today: India surge continues with nearly 10,000 cases

NEW DELHI — The number of coronavirus cases in India continued to rapidly increase Wednesday, with officials reporting nearly 10,000 new cases over the past 24 hours.

Travel

The Latest: SKorea requires QR codes at ‘high-risk’ venues

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea has reported 50 new cases of COVID-19 as officials begin requiring nightclubs, karaoke rooms and gyms to register their customers with smartphone QR codes so they...

General News

North Korea cuts off all communication with South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said it was cutting off all communication channels with South Korea on Tuesday, a move experts say could signal Pyongyang has grown frustrated that Seoul has...

Virus Outbreak

The Latest: Pakistan sees more than 100 virus deaths in day

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan recorded more than 100 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time since keeping statistics in mid-March, when the country first imposed a lock down that...

Mumbai

Asia Today: India sees 10,000 new cases ahead of reopenings

NEW DELHI — India reported 9,971 new coronavirus cases on Sunday in another biggest single-day spike, a day before it prepares to reopen shopping malls, hotels and religious places after a...

General News

The Latest: China has 1st non-imported infection in 2 weeks

BEIJING — China has reported its first non-imported case of the new coronavirus in two weeks, an infected person on the island of Hainan off the southern coast.

Seoul

Asia Today: Most of 51 new SKorea cases linked to door sales

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Saturday reported 51 new cases of COVID-19, mostly in the densely populated capital region, as authorities scramble to stem transmissions among low-income...

Seoul

North Korea threatens to shut liaison office with South

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea threatened to permanently shut a liaison office with South Korea as it continued to condemn its rival for failing to prevent activists from sending anti-North...

General News

The Latest: Filipino leader says US unrest hurts virus fight

MANILLA, Philippines — Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says that he is glad “Filipinos are really law-abiding” and that the Philippines is not going through unrest like America, which would...

Seoul

Seoul vows to stop border protests after Pyongyang’s threat

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Thursday it planned to push new laws to ban activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border after North Korea threatened to end an...

Seoul

Asia Today: S Korea reopening schools despite spike in cases

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Wednesday reported 49 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a weekslong resurgence of the virus as the government defended its decision to reopen schools...

Global trade

South Korea to reopen WTO complaint over Japan trade curbs

SEOUL, South Korea — Reigniting a bitter row between key U.S. allies, South Korea on Tuesday said it will reopen a complaint filed with the World Trade Organization over Japan’s tightened...

Financial markets

Asian shares mostly higher following Wall Street gains

TOKYO — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Tuesday, lifted by moves to reopen many regional economies from shutdowns aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic.

Religion

The Latest: South Korea reports 38 new cases of COVID-19

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more...

General News

Nearly 26,000 nursing home deaths reported as lockdowns ease

WASHINGTON — Nearly 26,000 nursing home residents in the United States have died from COVID-19, according to a report prepared for the nation’s governors, a number that is partial and likely...

Turkey

The Latest: S. Korea pushes QR registration for risky venues

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Seniors

In virus-hit South Korea, AI monitors lonely elders

SEOUL, South Korea — In a cramped office in eastern Seoul, Hwang Seungwon points a remote control toward a huge NASA-like overhead screen stretching across one of the walls.

Virus Outbreak

The Latest: South Korea reports 27 new virus cases

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Health

Asia Today: India to allow reopenings in some areas

NEW DELHI — India is extending its lockdown in containment zones until June 30 but will allow economic activities to restart outside these areas even though coronavirus cases continue to rise...

Virus Outbreak

The Latest: Person tested positive at Lake of the Ozarks

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Australia

The Latest: UN urges $2.4 billion in aid for war-torn Yemen

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Seoul

Asia Today: Virus cases jump again in South Korea, India

BANGKOK — South Korea on Thursday reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases in more than 50 days, a setback that could erase some of its hard-won gains. Health officials warned that the...

Turkey

The Latest: US deaths from coronavirus surpass 100,000 mark

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...