Park Chan-Kyong

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Park Chan-Kyong

South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned on Thursday an earlier ruling that had cleared election front runner Lee Jae-myung of election law violation, throwing into doubt his eligibility to run for the presidency. Lee, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party which controls parliament, leads opinion polls to win a snap presidential election sparked by former conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal over his imposition of martial law.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Park Chan-Kyong

South Korean prosecutors raided the home of former president Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee on Wednesday, in a major escalation of a corruption probe into alleged influence peddling and back room deals linked to the former first couple. This marks the first time prosecutors have conducted a court-approved raid against the former presidential couple.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Park Chan-Kyong

North Korea’s public acknowledgement of its soldiers’ participation in the Ukraine war points to growing discontent among its wounded troops – and signals preparations for a Moscow summit between leader Kim Jong-un and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, analysts say. Until recently, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang had admitted to North Korea’s involvement in the conflict, despite mounting evidence.

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Park Chan-Kyong

With Yoon Suk-yeol gone and a snap election looming, South Korea finds itself ever more squeezed between Washington and Beijing as the trade war drums beat louder. The nation now faces a choice: lean closer to its security ally, the United States, or nurture its vital trade ties with China. Analysts, however, suggest that this political upheaval in Seoul is unlikely to fundamentally alter South Korea’s diplomatic balancing act.

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Park Chan-Kyong

South Korea is mulling potential countermeasures after confirming China has installed a large steel structure in contested waters of the Yellow Sea, raising fresh concerns over Beijing’s expanding maritime footprint. Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said on Monday that the government was preparing a “proportionate” response, which might include building similar facilities such as aquaculture infrastructure, depending on available funding.