Is this the best time for US strategists to push for abandoning ambiguity on Taiwan?

South China Morning Post - Oct 13, 2026

For nearly five decades, the United States’ Taiwan policy has centred on strategic ambiguity by not declaring whether it would intervene militarily in a potential Taiwan conflict. This policy – designed to deter Beijing from using force while preventing Taipei from formally declaring independence – is being challenged by realist US strategists amid a broader debate over America’s role in the world, growing constraints on US military might and a shifting regional balance of power driven by...

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Last off-limit mountain trail near Cheong Wa Dae to open to public after nearly 60 years

Last off-limit mountain trail near Cheong Wa Dae to open to public after nearly 60 years

The Presidential Security Service (PSS) will open a 1.32-kilometer-long mountain trail near the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae to the public, nearly six decades after it was designated off-limits, officials said Tuesday. The upcoming public opening of the trail in the southwestern part of Mount Bukak, located behind Cheong Wa Dae, marks the latest and final opening of the three major trails on Mount Bukak previously off-limits to the public, according to PSS officials. A 2.2-km trail in the northern part of Mount Bukak was first opened to the public in 2020, followed by a 3-km trail in the southeastern part of the mountain in 2022. The public will be allowed access to the new southwestern trail around the clock starting on Saturday, according to the PSS. With the upcoming opening, Mount Bukak will be fully open to the public, PSS chief Hwang In-kwon noted.

Seoul museum gives discarded festival banners second life as designer accessories

Seoul museum gives discarded festival banners second life as designer accessories

Discarded festival banners are getting a second act as limited-edition accessories, with the Seoul Museum of History transforming last year’s European Film Festival promotional materials into card wallets and mini bags that combine distinctive designs with a push toward sustainability. The museum will begin selling the upcycled merchandise at its museum shop on Thursday, using recycled materials to reduce waste from exhibitions and cultural events. The products were developed in collaboration with Van a Banner, an upcycling company led by Lee Ban-seok, which helped turn the used polyvinyl chloride banners into practical everyday items. Recycled fabric is used for the products’ linings and mesh components, extending the reuse effort beyond the original banner material. Because different sections of the banners are cut and incorporated into each item, the finished products vary in color and pattern, making each piece unique, the museum said. The card wallet features a mesh pocket for cards and a zippered compartment for small belongings, while the mini bag has a magnetic flap designed f

Business Incubation Center helps local startups enter global markets

Business Incubation Center helps local startups enter global markets

Jeonbuk National University's Business Incubation Center is helping promising local startups enter global markets by developing overseas sales channels and strengthening their brand competitiveness. The university said the center is working to expand growth opportunities for local businesses by turning meetings with overseas buyers into export partnerships and providing follow-up support. These efforts are part of the 24th World Korean Business Convention Participation Support Project, which is being carried out under the 2026 Specialized Capacity BI Support Program. The project is jointly run by the Business Incubation Center, the Jeonbuk Institute for Food-Bioindustry, the Korea Institute of Convergence Textiles and Jeonbuk Science College. The initiative aims to identify and nurture promising local businesses with innovative products and strong entrepreneurial capabilities and help them expand into domestic and overseas markets. Three participating companies — JK Nanobio, Global Clam and CellCore — met with overseas buyers at the 24th World Korean Business Convention in Incheon las

44 government agencies to relocate to Sejong by 2031

44 government agencies to relocate to Sejong by 2031

The foreign, unification and defense ministries will relocate from Seoul to the central administrative city of Sejong by 2031 as part of a broader government agency relocation plan affecting nearly 10,000 public servants, the interior ministry said Tuesday. The ministry announced the plan following last month's decision to relocate some government ministries and public institutions to Sejong, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul, starting next year. A total of 44 ministries and agencies will relocate in phases between next year and 2031, depending on the requirements of the particular agency and the availability of office space. "The relocation of central administrative bodies to Sejong is a key national strategy aimed at overcoming the capital area-centered system and efficiently using our land to achieve sustainable growth and a new leap forward," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said at a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul. Of the 44 subject to relocation, 27 ministries and agencies will start moving to temporarily rented office spaces in Sejong next year. In the first half

[COVER STORY] Why Gyeonggi Province is under financial strain

[COVER STORY] Why Gyeonggi Province is under financial strain

Gyeonggi Province, Korea's most populous province, narrowly averted disruptions to essential welfare programs with the passage of a supplementary budget on Monday. But restoring funding for the rest of 2026 has not resolved the fundamental problem behind the crisis: falling revenue, growing spending obligations and fewer resources to bridge the gap. With the provincial government required to submit next year’s budget proposal by Nov. 11, residents and welfare providers remain concerned and question whether the province's Gov. Choo Mi-ae can prevent further funding shortfalls. What did Monday’s agreement resolve? The provincial council approved the supplementary budget after last-minute negotiations restored 21.6 billion won ($16 million) for livelihood-related programs, including support for child care and postpartum care. The agreement broke a monthlong impasse over funding needed to keep essential services running through the final quarter. Some welfare programs had been allocated only nine months of funding, leaving them facing suspension this month and prompting protests by child

Process begins to select Lee administration's 1st prosecutor general

Process begins to select Lee administration's 1st prosecutor general

The Lee Jae Myung administration on Tuesday began the process of selecting its first prosecutor general, a post that has remained vacant for one year and three months. The justice ministry announced the formation of a nine-member committee, including a chairperson, to recommend candidates for prosecutor general in accordance with the law. Former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il, who served as the first prosecutor general under the former Moon Jae-in administration, will chair the committee, the ministry said. The post has remained vacant after former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who was appointed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol, resigned in July last year. The new prosecutor general will head the Prosecution Service, which was launched Oct. 2 as part of a recent reform aimed at stripping prosecutors of their independent investigative powers. The prosecutor general will serve a two-year term, as before. The justice ministry will accept public recommendations for candidates for eight days from Wednesday. Candidates must have at least 15 years of experience in the legal profession. The r

8 injured in Incheon knife attack

8 injured in Incheon knife attack

One person went into cardiac arrest and seven others were injured after a man went on a stabbing spree in a supermarket building in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, police said. The suspect, believed to be in his 60s, attacked people with knives fastened to both his hands at 1:40 p.m. while moving on an escalator between the second basement floor — where a Homeplus supermarket is located — and the second floor above ground, according to Namdong Police Station. The man was subdued by shoppers and later apprehended by police officers, who were questioning him in custody. All eight victims were taken to hospitals. An emergency medical center has been set up on the building's first floor in case of additional casualties.

2 caught cheating using AI glasses during college entrance exams

2 caught cheating using AI glasses during college entrance exams

Two college applicants were caught cheating this month by wearing prohibited artificial intelligence (AI) glasses while taking college entrance exams at two different schools in Seoul, sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, a test-taker at Yonsei University in western Seoul wore normal glasses before the start of the mathematics essay portion on Saturday but switched to AI glasses after the exam began. Proctors reported the student to the school, and the person admitted to having worn AI glasses, the sources said. Yonsei University is currently reviewing possible action against the examinee. A similar incident occurred during an entrance exam at the University of Seoul on Oct. 3 where an applicant wore regular glasses while supervisors checked the IDs of test-takers and switched to smart glasses later. The University of Seoul immediately removed the student from the test site and banned the applicant from taking its entrance exam for the next three years.

Rival parties spar over adoption of resolution condemning N. Korea for DMZ mine blast

Rival parties spar over adoption of resolution condemning N. Korea for DMZ mine blast

The rival parties clashed Tuesday over the adoption of a parliamentary resolution condemning North Korea over recent land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) called on the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to swiftly adopt the resolution, while the PPP called for further discussions to change details of the resolution, including explicitly describing the blasts as an act of provocation by the North. "Our government's position on North Korea's provocation is too ambiguous, calling it an accident or an unfortunate incident," PPP Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said during a plenary session of the National Assembly's defense committee. The PPP and DPK each submitted a resolution over the land mine explosions on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, respectively, with the committee seeking to draw up a final version for adoption. "Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has even said it cannot be conclusively determined whether the incident was a deliberate mine attack by North Korea," he added. Rep. Lim also criticized the

Special counsel urges appeals court to uphold Yoon's election law conviction

Special counsel urges appeals court to uphold Yoon's election law conviction

A special counsel team on Tuesday asked the Seoul High Court to uphold a lower court's conviction of former President Yoon Suk Yeol for violating the election law, a ruling that, if finalized, would invalidate his 2022 presidential election and force his former ruling party to cough up nearly 40 billion won ($29.8 million). Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team made the request during a hearing at the appeals court, urging it to dismiss Yoon's appeal. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Oct. 27. In late July, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon to a 1 1/2-year prison term, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of making false statements as the People Power Party (PPP)'s presidential candidate ahead of the election in March 2022. Yoon was indicted for falsely claiming during a 2021 press event that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official. Yoon was also accused of lying in an interview in January 2022, claiming that a party official had introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae and denying that he had met Jeon together with his wife, Ki

Lee says Arctic sea route development to comply with int'l sanctions

Lee says Arctic sea route development to comply with int'l sanctions

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday reaffirmed Korea's push to develop a new shipping route through the Arctic Ocean, saying it will be pursued in compliance with international norms and sanctions. The president made the pledge at a ceremony celebrating Korea's successful voyage to Europe through the Arctic Ocean by a container ship, as the country seeks to operate summer-season container shipping services linking Asia and Europe. The PanStar Acro, a Korean container ship, returned to the southeastern port city of Busan on Sunday after sailing via the Arctic Ocean north of Russia to Britain, the Netherlands and Poland, 50 days after leaving Busan. The pilot voyage marks the first successful trip by a Korean container vessel via the Arctic Ocean, a route which is riskier due to polar ice, but offers faster shipping than routes via the Suez Canal. Growing international use of the Arctic route has, however, raised concerns that cooperation with Russian entities could undermine international sanctions imposed on Russia over its war with Ukraine. "First of all, (Korea) will move to open the Arc

Busan to devise measures to keep sharks at bay amid 'Bukangi' visit

Busan to devise measures to keep sharks at bay amid 'Bukangi' visit

The Busan city government said Tuesday it will devise measures to keep sharks at bay to protect beachgoers amid the animal's unusual visit to one of the city's canals. "Bukangi" — which was named after Bukhang, or North Port, where it was first spotted on Sept. 18 — has refused to leave the canal at a waterfront park in the southeastern city despite authorities' repeated rescue attempts. The shark has drawn throngs of visitors to the park, with the number reaching nearly 1.35 million as of Sunday. A meeting to evaluate authorities' operation of beaches this year is scheduled for Nov. 17, and the city government said it will also discuss measures to prevent sharks from reaching the shores. Among the plans is including sharks in the harmful marine life category, along with toxic jellyfish, for which authorities have typically installed nets along beaches. Busan's beaches are a popular attraction and drew a record 22.5 million visitors this year, up 2.54 percent from last year, according to the city government.

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