South Korea
Tashkent-Khiva high-speed rail opens with Hyundai Rotem train never before seen outside Korea
Reaching a top speed of 250 km/h, service cuts travel time in half to around 7.5 hours.
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Has the Third World War started – in Asia?
As history has demonstrated many times to date, the ‘start’ of a world war is less a moment than a process, and Asia today is beginning to look uncomfortably similar to Europe of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Asian trade jitters spark fresh Malacca Strait monetisation push
The collapse of maritime stability in the Middle East has cast a long, overdue shadow over the busiest maritime chokepoint in Asia: the Strait of Malacca.
With Washington’s reliability shifting daily, Northeast Asia’s security order frays
US policy is increasingly variable, shaped by domestic politics, transactional needs, and at times which side of the bed its leader wakes up on.
South Korean finance giants hit record $4.2bn profit
The record-breaking performance masks a deepening fracture in the Korean financial landscape: while parent groups are thriving, core banking units are hitting a wall.
Inside the municipal scramble for Seoul’s nuclear future
Regional authorities across South Korea are currently engaged in a high-stakes struggle to secure the nation's debut small modular reactor installation, lured by the promise of vast financial dividends.
Asia-Pacific defence spending hits post-2009 high as China-Taiwan tensions drive regional build-up
Military expenditure the Asia-Pacific region increased sharply in the last year, reaching a total of $681bn - an increase of 8.1% year on year and the largest annual expansion in military spending since 2009
Korea growth rebound driven by chips but energy shock looms
South Korea’s economy rebounded sharply in the first quarter, driven by strong semiconductor demand, though policymakers are warning that a global energy shock is likely to weigh on activity in the months ahead.
Trump’s Iran gambit leaves APAC region ‘Quad’ dead in the water
The European Union has already, for all intents and purposes broken away from the US. It is only a matter of time before the Quad either ceases to function or decides to go its own way, without the US.
India-South Korea summit unveils new agreements
South Korea has also formally joined the India led International Solar Alliance and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, and reciprocally India has agreed to join the Global Green Growth Institute.
India-South Korea summit puts shipbuilding, tech at the forefront
Bilateral merchandise trade between India and South Korea surpassed $25.1bn in 2024, following the implementation of a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2010.
Taiwan to significantly outpace South Korea by widening GDP per capita margin
South Korea’s real GDP per capita is projected to fall more than $10,000 behind Taiwan’s within five years, underscoring a widening divergence between the two export-led economies.
South Korean industry faces crisis over critical material shortages
South Korea’s semiconductor and pharmaceutical sectors face critical supply disruptions as uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint deepens.
ADB projects slower growth in all of Asia
According to an outlook forecast report by the Asian Development Bank, the broad Asia region including its many developing high growth economies are facing what can be best described as the most complex set of headwinds in years.
Seoul’s missing $7.8bn central bank surplus
The move has raised transparency concerns as the administration appears to be shielding a multi-billion dollar windfall from legislative oversight.
Naphtha shortages leading to petrochemical plants force majeures and record prices
Petrochemical producers across Asia have begun shutting down operations after disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz reduced supplies of the critical naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) feedstocks.
Seoul shares fall 4.5%
Trading volume reached 1.42bn shares, valued at KRW32.95 trillion ($21.72bn), with 814 stocks declining and 90 rising.
Jurong Island’s output cut triggers $1.64 petrol spike in Australia
Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor.
ASIA BLOG: China wins while Iran burns
The world needs a stable Asia – East and West – and would be better served by the removal of the current Iranian regime. Only in the removal of said regime will Beijing be forced back into a more constrained, less opportunistic global role.
Chinese refiners eye Iran oil under temporary US waiver
China’s state-owned refiners are reviewing potential purchases of Iranian crude after Washington allowed limited sales of cargoes already loaded on tankers to ease supply pressures from the Middle East conflict.