Why China is likely to be cautious about recent Trump-Putin diesel deal

South China Morning Post - Oct 12, 2026

China is likely to view the latest US dealings with Russia as “transactional”, according to observers, who said Beijing was likely to wait and see what the longer-term impact would be given the possibility that Donald Trump might abruptly change course again. The US president announced that under a deal with Vladimir Putin, Russia would “immediately” supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global markets. He wrote on social media that another 500,000 tonnes would follow in...

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Cheong Wa Dae urges N. Korea to immediately halt illegal missile launches

Cheong Wa Dae urges N. Korea to immediately halt illegal missile launches

The presidential National Security Office (NSO) demanded Monday that North Korea immediately stop its ballistic missile launches, calling them a grave violation of international sanctions. The NSO issued the call during an emergency meeting, shortly after the South Korean military detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area over the East Sea. "North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches are grave acts that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and are of no help to managing the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, and (the NSO) demanded they be halted immediately," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. The meeting brought together officials from the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reviewed the country's readiness posture and security situation in light of North Korea's recent successive missile launches, according to the spokesperson. The NSO called for taking all necessary measures while analyzing and assessing the latest launch's impact on South Korea's security. North Korea last fired a ballistic

Russian delegation visits Pyongyang to discuss cooperation on disaster management

Russian delegation visits Pyongyang to discuss cooperation on disaster management

A delegation from Russia's emergency ministry visited Pyongyang to discuss ways to expand cooperation in disaster management, the North's state media reported Monday. The delegation, led by Aleksandr Kurenkov, minister of extraordinary situation, arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The delegation was greeted by Kim Chol-nam, the North's minister of disaster management, and Vladimir Topekha, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Russian Embassy in North Korea. The same delegation visited Pyongyang in July last year, inspected the North's disaster prevention and response sites and held discussions on cooperation in science and technology. Pyongyang and Moscow have stepped up cooperation in a number of fields, including military and economy, following back-to-back summits between their leaders in September 2023 and June 2024. The ongoing visit by the Russian delegation comes after the Russian ministry and the North's corresponding ministry signed an agreement on specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation in December. North Korea,

Xdinary Heroes explores desire, youth in 9th mini album 'IMPULSE'

Xdinary Heroes explores desire, youth in 9th mini album 'IMPULSE'

K-rock band Xdinary Heroes is making a bold return to the global music scene with the release of its ninth mini album "IMPULSE" on Monday. The five-member group — Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon — has established a unique footprint in modern rock with their explosive instrumentals and self-produced tracks. The band has also performed on prominent stages — from Lollapalooza Chicago to opening for British rock icons Muse in Korea. Xdinary Heroes is releasing its newest mini album alongside the lead single, "Obsessed with Youth." Centered on raw instincts, longing and the chaotic beauty of youth, the seven-track project reflects the band's growth both visually and musically. Below, the members share the inspiration behind the album, their songwriting process and memories from their biggest performance milestones. Q: With your new mini album "IMPULSE," you explore instinctual emotions. What message did you want to share most, and how have your music and visuals evolved since your last release, "DEAD AND"? Xdinary Heroes: We wanted to use "desire" as a keyword to express a wide s

ATEEZ announces 2027 world tour, sets January kickoff in Incheon

ATEEZ announces 2027 world tour, sets January kickoff in Incheon

K-pop group ATEEZ will return to the global stage in 2027 with a world tour spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas, extending its momentum ahead of a new album scheduled for release next month. KQ Entertainment announced the tour, titled “2027 ATEEZ WORLD TOUR ‘ZERO TO ALL,’” on its official social media accounts on Saturday, unveiling a poster outlining the initial schedule. The tour will open with three concerts in Incheon from Jan. 22-24, before moving to Tokyo on Feb. 2 and 3 and Kobe on Feb. 13 and 14. ATEEZ will then travel to Europe in April, North America from July to August and South America in September, with additional dates and cities expected to be announced. The tour’s name reverses “All to Zero,” a phrase from the group’s debut album, “TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero,” released after ATEEZ debuted in 2018. The title reflects the group’s journey of continued challenges and growth since its debut, while raising expectations for new music and performances on the upcoming tour. ATEEZ demonstrated strong ticket demand during its previous “IN YOUR FANTASY” wor

NCT WISH drops new mini-album 'I SPY' ahead of landmark Gocheok Sky Dome concert

NCT WISH drops new mini-album 'I SPY' ahead of landmark Gocheok Sky Dome concert

Boy group NCT WISH will drop its fourth mini-album, "I SPY," at 6 p.m. Monday, followed by its debut performance at Seoul’s iconic Gocheok Sky Dome in January, according to its management agency SM Entertainment. The six-track album will be available on streaming platforms, with physical copies on sale the same day. Along with the title track of the same name, it includes “We Own This Street,” “UPGRADE,” “Super Major,” “Hubble Time” and “Like A Dream.” The agency described “I SPY” as a hybrid dance-pop song about the moment of falling for someone, when every sense turns toward that person. The lyrics convey excitement, curiosity and a wish to invite the other person into one’s own world, it said. Ahead of the release, the group held a fan event titled “I SPY YOU” on Saturday and Sunday at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul. The three shows drew a combined 11,400 people, the agency said. The venue was set up as a physical version of “WISH LAND,” a fictional digital world used in the album’s promotion, with six rooms — one for each membe

BOK chief to attend G20, IMF-WBG meetings in Bangkok

BOK chief to attend G20, IMF-WBG meetings in Bangkok

Korea's top central banker will attend a meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bank chiefs to be held in Thailand this week, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Monday. BOK Gov. Shin Hyun-song will join the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, set to take place in Bangkok, where participants will discuss global economic conditions, growth and global imbalances, according to the central bank. He will also attend the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group (IMF-WBG) meetings, where discussions will focus on the global economic outlook and financial stability. While in Bangkok, the BOK governor is scheduled to hold separate talks with high-ranking officials from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other major central banks to exchange views on recent international developments. He will also participate in CNN's Global Perspectives, a live event series convening leaders, CEOs and innovators for conversations on issues covering culture, technology and business, along with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria, director-general of the World T

Foreign suspects in violent crimes up 12% in 5 years

Foreign suspects in violent crimes up 12% in 5 years

The number of foreign nationals suspected of committing violent crimes in Korea has risen by nearly 12 percent over the past five years, increasing from 689 in 2021 to 771 last year. A total of 645 foreign suspects had been apprehended for violent crimes between January and September this year, according to the Korean National Police Agency. By nationality, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest number of violent crime suspects last year, at 250, followed by Uzbekistan nationals at 62, U.S. nationals at 60 and Vietnamese at 53. The number of foreign nationals suspected of crimes overall increased as well. The figure rose more than 7 percent, from 32,470 in 2021 to 34,760 last year. By nationality, Mongolian suspects recorded the largest increase, rising around 38 percent from 1,007 to 1,397. Meanwhile, the number of Thai suspects fell over 20 percent, from 2,482 to 1,979. Police mainly attribute the rise to the growing number of foreign nationals living in Korea, not necessarily to a higher rate of offending. The number of foreign nationals residing in Korea increased 42.2 percent,

From sharks to otters: How Busan's Gen Z is turning urban wildlife into viral sensations

From sharks to otters: How Busan's Gen Z is turning urban wildlife into viral sensations

BUSAN — A woman in her 20s sits quietly with her dog along the safety fences of North Port Waterfront Park in Busan, patiently scanning the artificial waterway for any sign of "Bukangi." Kim Yeon-ji, a local middle school student who also visited the site the day before, chatted animatedly with a friend while waiting nearby. "Sometimes you only have to wait 20 to 30 minutes, or at most an hour, before Bukangi appears," Kim said. "This isn't a shark trapped in an artificial facility like an aquarium. When else would we get the chance to see a wild shark up close like this? I come here with my friend almost every day after school just to see Bukangi." When a distinct dorsal fin finally broke the surface, several onlookers gasped in excitement, shouting, "It's here!" Some began running along the perimeter of the channel, keeping pace with the shark's movements. The long queues of spectators waiting for a glimpse of the creature evoked the dedicated fans waiting outside a K-pop idol concert. "I had no idea there would be this many people," said Choi Ho-yoon, an office worker visiting from

Overseas piracy of K-content nears 500 mil. cases in 2025: lawmaker

Overseas piracy of K-content nears 500 mil. cases in 2025: lawmaker

The number of Korean content that was illegally distributed overseas reached nearly 500 million cases last year, the highest number since 2022, a lawmaker said Monday. The number of reported cases hit 493.6 million in 2025, up 19.2 percent from the previous year, according to the data submitted to Rep. Jeong Jun-ho of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea by the Korea Copyright Protection Agency. The figure is the highest since 477.1 million in 2022, when the agency began compiling relevant data. Of the total, piracy cases involving webtoons accounted for the majority at 66.5 percent, followed by films and broadcasts at 33.5 percent. By language, 46.6 percent of the reported cases involved content distributed in English, followed by Chinese at 20.4 percent and languages of Southeast Asian nations at 15.7 percent. While the number of content illegally distributed in English fell 17 percentage points on-year, the portion of those distributed in languages of Southeast Asian and European nations, such as Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish and French, rose. Despite a surge in digital piracy cases, the nu

N. Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles after S. Korea's hypersonic weapon test

N. Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles after S. Korea's hypersonic weapon test

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday, South Korea's military said, in an apparent show of force against the South's recent successful test-fire of a hypersonic missile. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch at about 9:20 a.m. from the Pyongyang area and that at least one of the missiles flew more than 900 kilometers. "Initial analysis suggests (Monday's launch) was seen as a protest against the successful launch of our hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) and a display of the North's achievements under its five-year plan to bolster defense capabilities and a deliberate show of its missile capabilities," JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young told a press briefing. When asked if the missiles launched were hypersonic or intermediate-range missiles, Jang declined to comment, saying the military needs to further analyze the specifications of the launch. South Korea conducted its first test launch of a HGV on Thursday in an apparent show of force against North Korea following the Sept. 21 mine blast on the South's side of the Demilitarized Zon

Nearly 8 in 10 school violence cases face only mild penalties: report

Nearly 8 in 10 school violence cases face only mild penalties: report

New forms of school violence, including one that forces those bullied into physical fights, are on the rise but many of those responsible for such violence go nearly unpunished, a lawmaker said Monday, citing relevant data from the education ministry. According to the data submitted to Rep. Han Byung-do of the ruling Democratic Party, 490 cases of such violence have been subject to a review by school disciplinary committees between 2024 and August this year. A total of 1,961 disciplinary measures were taken against 1,232 students involved, but 77.7 percent, or 1,523, of those measures taken are those considered "light" as they leave no official records of the incidents or their punishment, according to the lawmaker. Such measures include requiring a written apology and orders to keep a distance from victims. Less than 10 percent, or 193, of the measures involved a suspension or school transfers. The report comes amid an apparent spread of the so-called yacha rule, where victims are pushed into unwanted physical fights under the guise of mutual agreement. "There needs to a detailed guideli

Military manpower agency chief voices regret over Asian Games footballers' gloating about military exemption

Military manpower agency chief voices regret over Asian Games footballers' gloating about military exemption

The head of South Korea's military manpower agency voiced regret Monday over South Korean footballers glorying in their exemption from mandatory military service following their win at the recent Asian Games. Military Manpower Administration (MMA) Commissioner Hong So-young made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, after some of the gold medalists gloated about their exemptions in media interviews and on social media, sparking strong public backlash and reigniting calls for policy overhaul. "I deeply regret this unfortunate situation," Hong said. "I take heavily to heart the sense of loss felt by young men serving their military duties, as well as the public's calls for reform." After clinching the gold medal in men's football at the Asian Games on Oct. 3, Yang Min-hyeok, one of the players on the national team, told media he played the match to earn the exemption rather than winning a medal or trophy. Park Seung-soo, another member on the team, uploaded a photo of himself wearing a cap typically worn by men who have completed their military service. Their actions have sparked widesp

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