This Month
Regal allegedly embroiled in South Korean securities investigation
The prominent hedge fund told investors in September it was shorting stocks in South Korea, saying it was focused on “one specific bank”.
- Joshua Peach
- Exclusive
- Foreign relations
‘No concerns’ with South Korean takeover bid for Austal: Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles has given a fillip to Hanwha’s bid to buy Perth shipbuilder Austal, despite the deal raising security concerns.
- Andrew Tillett and Brad Thompson
March
South Korea sends scandal-hit ambassador to Australia
The arrival of South Korea’s former defence minister in Canberra this week has made headlines in Seoul, where the opposition accused him of fleeing the country.
- Updated
- Michael Smith
This is what it’s like to live in North Korea’s firing line
Kim Jong-un, now on a war footing, has been emboldened by its closer relations with Russia and China. That’s a problem for South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.
- Updated
- Michael Smith and Sean Na
February
- Opinion
- East Asia Forum
South Korea’s fertility crisis could shift regional power balances
The Asian nation has the worst fertility rate in the world. Without radical changes, sustaining the country’s formidable military posture will become impossible.
- Dylan Motin
- Analysis
- US election
The false premise at the heart of Trump’s scorn for NATO
He has long painted the alliance as a sort of protection racket where those who do not “pay up” will be abandoned by the United States.
- Peter Baker
January
King to pitch new gas investment rules to Japan, Korea
Resources Minister Madeleine King will use a visit to Japan and South Korea to try and temper concerns about billions of dollars in Australian gas investments.
- Michael Smith
South Korea says illegal short sales had ‘big impact’ on stocks
The government in November imposed a ban on any kind of stock short selling through mid-2024, a decision that drew cheers from retail traders but scepticism from professional investors.
- Youkyung Lee
South Korea opposition chief stabbed
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, was stabbed in the neck in the city of Busan.
- Reuters
November 2023
Higher interest rates are shattering housing dreams around the world
Markets are caught between sharply higher borrowing costs – likely here to stay – and a shortage of homes that’s keeping prices elevated.
- Ari Altstedter, Ainsley Thomson and Prashant Gopal
- Opinion
- Russia-Ukraine war
South Korea’s lessons in rebuilding Ukraine
Funding, security guarantees, and freezing the conflict will give Ukrainians the same chance to prosper that South Koreans have famously done.
- James Stavridis
China’s import surprise offers hope as recovery risks linger
China’s imports expanded year-on-year for the first time since February, a rare sign of growth against a backdrop of weaker overall trade activity in 2023.
- Linda Lew
September 2023
- Opinion
- World politics
Japan and South Korea’s rapprochement is shakier than it looks
Joe Biden booked some impressive gains in his bid to bind Asian partners into his regional agenda. But many of the initiatives build only modestly on past practices.
- Christian Davies
Korean electric companies preparing Aussie fake-coal lawsuit
The action would escalate the fallout for lab giant ALS from a scandal involving the manipulation of testing results of Australian coal marked for export.
- Liam Walsh
August 2023
- Opinion
- Foreign relations
Camp David summit unties one of Asia’s hardest knots
Joe Biden has pulled off what American presidents have been seeking for the past seven decades: a rapprochement between Seoul and Tokyo.
- Updated
- James Curran
US, Japan and South Korea agree to expand security and economic ties
The agreement come at a time that the three countries are on an increasingly tense ledge in their relations with China and North Korea.
- Aamer Madhani and Darlene Superville
July 2023
German military snub will cost 200 Qld factory jobs
The decision to award a military contract to a South Korean firm could hamper Australia’s efforts to land a European Union free-trade deal.
- Andrew Tillett
Koreans beat Germans to win armoured troop carrier deal
Korean firm Hanwha has been selected ahead of Germany’s Rheinmetall for a multi-billion dollar contract to build 129 Redback armoured vehicles.
- Andrew Tillett
No exemptions on emissions, Bowen tells Japan, Korea
Two of Australia’s key trading partners have expressed concern Labor’s so-called safeguard mechanism could put their energy security at risk.
- Michael Smith
- Exclusive
- Defence
After five years, Australia to make call on army’s new troop carriers
The Albanese government has told contenders for a contentious defence contract they will learn their fate within days.
- Andrew Tillett