All posts tagged: Seoul

Trump tells South Korea to join Alaska LNG deal or pay more

Trump tells South Korea to join Alaska LNG deal or pay more

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 30: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he is joined by (L-R) Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, U.S. Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan (R-AK), U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House on September 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. The joint announcement unveiled a major $54 billion South Korean investment that includes the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump said he “didn’t jump the gun” in announcing South Korea’s participation in a $50 billion Alaska LNG project, warning Seoul could pay “double” if it does not sign on soon. His remarks come amid a discrepancy between Washington and Seoul over South Korea’s planned energy and infrastructure investments in the U.S., with Trump announcing projects that Seoul has said are not yet finalized. “If they don’t want to do it, that’s OK with …

South Korean President Lee warns of ‘measures’ against Ukraine

South Korean President Lee warns of ‘measures’ against Ukraine

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 22: President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which brings together leaders and senior representatives of UN member states in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday slammed Ukraine over its disclosure of handing North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, demanding a public apology and threatening “additional measures” against Kyiv. In a post on X, Lee said that Kyiv had unilaterally revealed that some captured North Korean soldiers had been sent to South Korea, despite having demanded confidentiality and later claiming there was no secrecy agreement, making the Korean leader look like a “liar.” “As this is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it,” he said in Korean, translated by Google. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reportedly described the row on Thursday as a “diplomatic misunderstanding,” which his country expects to resolve. Seoul …

Trump’s 0BN Korean “Investment” Is A Gas Plant With No Customers, Eight Reactors With No Sites, And A Pipeline Seoul Calls A “Future Discussion”

Trump’s $200BN Korean “Investment” Is A Gas Plant With No Customers, Eight Reactors With No Sites, And A Pipeline Seoul Calls A “Future Discussion”

Published by Jenni Sidey

A week ago, we wrote that South Korea had finally found a home for the first slice of the $350 billion it promised Trump: a $22.3 billion, 6.3GW gas plant in Encinal, Texas, with no customers, no PPA, and turbines that may not show up this decade. That left, as we put it then, “$328 billion to go.” That number is about to get a lot smaller, if only on paper. According to Bloomberg, at 3pm ET, Trump will announce from the Oval Office that Korea is committing $200 billion to US energy projects: eight large nuclear reactors, the Encinal plant, and the long-suffering Alaska LNG export venture, which Bloomberg earlier reported would get $54 billion of Korean backing. A White House official described it as the first tranche of projects to win approval under last year’s trade deal. One small detail: Seoul hasn’t publicly confirmed any of it. And according to Korean press, it doesn’t entirely agree. The math adds up… a little too well Recall how the deal is structured. Of the $350 …

North Korea fires unidentified projectile into East Sea: Seoul

North Korea fires unidentified projectile into East Sea: Seoul

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL: North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast on Sunday (Sep 20), South Korea’s military said, days after Pyongyang reaffirmed its status as a nuclear-armed state. The launch came eight days after North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea – also called the Sea of Japan – as part of what it later described as a joint firepower drill. It also followed Pyongyang’s rejection this week of a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog demanding that it halt its nuclear activities. “The North has fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea,” South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. The office of the Japanese prime minister also confirmed the launch, saying on X that the projectile was a “suspected ballistic missile”. Japan’s defence ministry later said the projectile had “already fallen”, without giving further details. North Korea accused “hostile forces” of seeking to end the country’s nuclear programme during this week’s General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A foreign ministry spokesperson said …

South Korea’s Lee to Host Central Asia Summit in Seoul Next Week

South Korea’s Lee to Host Central Asia Summit in Seoul Next Week

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, Sept 11 (Reuters) – South Korean ⁠President ⁠Lee Jae Myung ⁠said on Friday he would host the ​first South Korea-Central Asia summit next week, bringing together the ‌leaders of five Central ‌Asian countries as Seoul seeks to deepen ⁠economic and ⁠strategic ties with the resource-rich region. “Through this summit, relations ​between South Korea and Central Asia will be consolidated into a leader-level multilateral cooperation framework, and the New ​Northern Policy we have pursued is expected to gain ⁠momentum,” Lee ⁠said in televised ⁠remarks ​ahead of a presidential meeting. Earlier on Friday, the presidential Blue ​House said Lee ⁠will host the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon for talks on expanding cooperation. Lee is scheduled to hold ⁠separate bilateral meetings with each of the five Central Asian ⁠leaders from September 14 to September 16 ahead of the joint summit, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The summit will be the first leader-level multilateral meeting between South Korea and the five Central Asian nations and is aimed at strengthening cooperation …

China-Philippines tensions simmer after Beijing rebukes Manila over Seoul clash

China-Philippines tensions simmer after Beijing rebukes Manila over Seoul clash

Published by Sam Flores

08 September 2026, South Korea, Seul: Gilberto Teodoro (right), the Philippine Secretary of Defense, is participating in the Seoul Defense Dialogue. Thomas Maresca | Picture Alliance | Getty Images China-Philippines relations took a fresh hit after Beijing warned Manila to stop “theatrics,” following a top government official’s sharp rebuke to China at a recent defense summit. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. read a note slipped to him from the Chinese side at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on Tuesday, stunning the audience, and adding a fresh irritant to China-Philippines relations already frayed over the South China Sea. The message, handed to Teodoro mid-panel, laid out China’s position on the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, restating Beijing’s rejection of the verdict that favored Manila. Teodoro rebutted it on the spot, accusing Beijing of “coercion, bullying and aggression” in the South China Sea. The clip of his remarks went viral in the Philippines, while the reaction on Chinese social media was comparatively muted. “It is one of the rarest occasions when the PRC government was openly …

North Korea Preparing Further Russia Troop Deployments, No Sign Move Imminent, Seoul Says

North Korea Preparing Further Russia Troop Deployments, No Sign Move Imminent, Seoul Says

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Defence Ministry ⁠said ⁠North Korea was continuing preparations ⁠for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but had detected ​no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to a South Korean lawmaker’s ‌office. The assessment came after North ‌Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, last week ⁠denied Ukrainian ⁠President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s claim that Pyongyang planned to send up to ​50,000 more troops to Russia to fight for its ally. South Korea’s Defence Ministry said in a statement to lawmaker Yu Yong-weon that North Korea had continued to supply Russia ​with weapons systems, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to Yu’s office. North Korea is ⁠estimated ⁠to have supplied Russia ⁠with more ​than 15 million rounds of artillery ammunition, measured in 152-millimetre shell equivalents, it ​said. The lawmaker’s office, citing ⁠a South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, said North Korean missiles used in the war may have improved in accuracy through battlefield data, alongside Russian technical advice and component support. The ministry also said the development …

As Trump courts Kim, Pyongyang ups price and Seoul fears being sidelined : NPR

As Trump courts Kim, Pyongyang ups price and Seoul fears being sidelined : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

People at a train station in Seoul watch a TV screen on Thursday showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test. North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said Thursday, hours after President Trump said he would meet Pyongyang’s leader, Kim Jong Un, later this year. Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images SEOUL — North Korea rebuffed President Trump’s apparent bid to reengage with Pyongyang diplomatically this week, issuing rhetorical salvos aimed at Trump’s last-minute orders to shorten U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises. To reinforce its point, the North followed up Thursday with a barrage of about a dozen short-range ballistic missiles launched from around the capital, Pyongyang, eastward toward the sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The U.S. and South Korean militaries wrapped up their annual drills six days earlier than initially scheduled on Friday in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, though the North suggested the step isn’t enough to convince it to …

Trump scaling down U.S.-South Korea drills could risk more than just joint military readiness

Trump scaling down U.S.-South Korea drills could risk more than just joint military readiness

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – AUGUST 7: (L to R) Col. Lee Sung-jun, public affairs director of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) bump fists during the press briefing for the Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 exercise at the Defense Ministry on August 07, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. The 11-day Freedom Shield is part of an annual combined training with troops from South Korea and the United States. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Chung Sung-jun | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s move to sharply curtail U.S.-South Korean military exercises will not only affect they countries’ combat readiness, but also undermine the credibility of American commitments to its alliances. Lieutenant General Chun In-Bum, former commander of South Korea’s Special Warfare Command, was blunt: “scaling back joint exercises like Ulchi Freedom Shield while North Korean troops gain combat experience in Ukraine creates a dangerous operational disconnect.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said …