South Korea

Japan’s Robots Are Leaving the Factory Floor—What They’re Doing Next Could Change Work Forever

TOKYO — Japan’s robotics industry is entering a new phase. For decades, Japanese robots were closely associated with factory floors, performing highly repetitive manufacturing tasks with extraordinary speed and precision. Now, developers are pushing humanoid and advanced robotic systems into environments that are far less predictable—from forestry and tree-cutting operations to delicate laboratory work. The shift reflects a bigger ambition: make robots useful beyond controlled industrial envir

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South Korea

South Korea Moves Closer to a Hormuz Military Mission — But Seoul Says the Biggest Decision Hasn’t Been Made Yet

SEOUL — South Korea is reportedly laying the groundwork for a possible military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect that Seoul could take a much larger security role in one of the world's most dangerous and economically critical waterways. But there is one major catch: the South Korean government insists that no final decision has been made. Several South Korean media reports say officials are examining a deployment that could include maritime surveillance aircraft, naval l

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South Korea

Seoul Stocks Jump as U.S. Rate-Hike Fears Ease — But One Major Test Could Change Everything

SEOUL — September 4, 2026 — South Korean stocks surged at the start of Friday’s trading session as investors breathed a sigh of relief after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller signaled that the U.S. central bank could keep interest rates unchanged if inflation continues to cool. The benchmark KOSPI was up 96.9 points, or 1.47%, at 6,676.38 as of 9:16 a.m. Seoul time, according to Yonhap. The rise followed a strong overnight performance on Wall Street, where all three major U.S. indexes

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Entertainment

HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk Sent to Prosecutors Over Alleged IPO Scheme—₱11 Billion in Gains Under Scrutiny

HYBE founder and chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the music executive behind global K-pop powerhouse BTS, has been referred to South Korean prosecutors over allegations that investors were misled ahead of HYBE’s 2020 stock-market debut. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on September 3 referred Bang and four other individuals to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office without detention, recommending prosecution over alleged fraudulent unfair trading under South Korea’s Capital Markets Act. The

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Business

South Korea Lands $2 Billion From Four U.S. Giants — But the Bigger Prize Could Be Its Next Semiconductor Power Hub

South Korea has secured investment commitments worth about $2 billion from four major U.S. companies, but the significance of the announcement goes well beyond the headline number. The investments span semiconductor materials and equipment, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy — sectors increasingly intertwined as artificial intelligence, data centers and next-generation chip factories demand both sophisticated production technology and enormous amounts of electricity. South Korea’s ind

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Entertainment

Hyun Bin Returns With a Darker Power Game in ‘Made in Korea 2’ as Jung Woo-sung and Woo Do-hwan Raise the Stakes

Hyun Bin Is Back — But This Time, the Stakes Are Much Higher Hyun Bin is returning as Baek Ki-tae in “Made in Korea 2,” and the Disney+ political crime thriller is setting up an even darker battle involving power, revenge, ambition and family. At a press conference in Seoul on Sept. 2, Hyun Bin acknowledged the pressure of returning after the success of the first season, saying he expects viewers who enjoyed Season 1 to come back for the new chapter. The biggest change? The story jumps forwar

September 3, 2026

Politics

South Korea Is Moving 350 Public Institutions Out of Seoul — But the Bigger Sejong Shift Could Change Where Power Lives

SEOUL — South Korea is preparing one of its most ambitious attempts yet to loosen Seoul’s grip on political, economic and administrative power, with hundreds of public institutions potentially heading out of the capital region and more national government functions shifting to Sejong. The government announced Thursday, September 3, that central administrative agencies still based in the Seoul metropolitan area will begin relocating from the first half of 2027, putting fresh momentum behind a de

September 3, 2026

Entertainment

Red Velvet’s Joy Turns 30 in Style: 10 Fashion Looks That Prove She Owns the ’90s and Y2K Revival

Red Velvet’s Joy is officially 30—and if her fashion evolution is anything to go by, the K-pop star is entering the next chapter of her career with a wardrobe that refuses to be boxed into a single aesthetic. Born Park Soo-young on September 3, 1996, Joy has spent more than a decade moving between polished glamour, relaxed streetwear, nostalgic ’90s minimalism and unmistakable Y2K styling. Tatler Asia recently revisited 10 of her standout fashion moments, highlighting just how effortlessly the

September 3, 2026

Entertainment

Korean Adventure Reality Shows To Watch After Take a Hike: From Snowy Mountains to Survival Battles

If you enjoy watching Korean celebrities leave their glamorous lives behind and struggle through mountains, wilderness and unexpected challenges, Netflix’s new reality series Take a Hike may be exactly the kind of show to add to your watchlist. The series takes four celebrities who have little or no interest in hiking and sends them into Korea’s snow-covered mountains during winter. Instead of presenting hiking as a peaceful sightseeing trip, the program turns the journey itself into the challe

September 3, 2026

South Korea

South Korea Ended Jail for Conscientious Objectors — So Why Are They Still Spending 36 Months Inside Prisons?

SEOUL — South Korea created an alternative military-service system to stop conscientious objectors from being sent to prison for refusing to bear arms. Six years after the program began, however, a new case is reviving an uncomfortable question: Did South Korea end the punishment — or simply redesign it? A conscientious objector identified as Lee told The Korea Herald that he spent three years performing alternative service in correctional facilities despite having previously received a Grade

September 3, 2026