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South Korea
This Week in Asia: September 29, 2023
The Diplomat’s weekly video round-up of Asia news.
South Korean Court Denies Arrest Warrant for Opposition Leader Lee in Corruption Allegations
By Kim Tong-hyung
The judge said the evidence collected so far raises “substantial suspicion” about Lee’s involvement in the Seongnam development case, but not to a level that warrants his detainment.
North Korea Says It Will Expel Travis King, US Soldier Who Crossed Into the Country in July
By Kim Tong-hyung
North Korea's decision to release King after 71 days appears relatively quick by the country's standards, especially considering the tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court Strikes Down Law Banning Anti-Pyongyang Leafleting
By Kim Tong-hyung
The law was crafted by the previous liberal government in Seoul, which desperately pushed for inter-Korean engagement.
South Korea Breezes Through First Day of League of Legends Competition in Asian Games Esports
By David Rising
Esports takes its place this year at the Asian Games as a competition sport for the first time.
South Korea’s Deepening Ties With Pacific Island States
By Troy Stangarone
In contrast to prior administrations, the Yoon administration has worked to integrate the region into its broader foreign policy strategy at the bilateral, trilateral, and regional level.
Does Japan’s Kishida Fumio Deserve the ‘Profiles in Courage’ Award?
By Jio Kamata
So far, South Korea's President Yoon has been more proactive in advancing the relationship – and more willing to tolerate political risks at home.
Realizing a South Korea-US Defense Partnership in Space
By Sam Wilson
The allies’ wide-ranging level of military cooperation has not typically extended to space. That may be about to change.
South Korean Lawmakers Vote to Lift Opposition Leader’s Immunity to Arrest
By Kim Tong-hyung
Despite the Democratic Party's majority, lawmakers voted to allow the party’s chair, Lee Jae-myung, to be arrested amid several corruption investigations.
South Korea’s President Warns Against ‘Illegal and Unjust’ North Korea-Russia Military Cooperation
By Hyung-jin Kim
President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to seek more international support for action against Pyongyang during the U.N. General Assembly.
What Tweets, Retweets and Emojis Tell Us About the Japan-South Korea-US Trilateral
By Saif Shahin and Kyungsun Karen Lee
The social media posts of South Korean, Japanese, and U.S. missions reveal what lies behind their recent public display of bonhomie.
Better Late Than Never: South Korea and New Zealand in the South Pacific
By Alexander C. Tan
Seoul and Wellington were late to the Indo-Pacific party, but now have a chance to demonstrate middle power agency.