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Korea First Staff

Reporting and analysis from the Korea First editorial desk.

Latest by Korea First Staff

A man sits at a hearing table behind a nameplate reading Dr. Cha while speaking into a microphone.

Trump May Be Ready to Simply Accept North Korea as a Nuclear State, CSIS Expert Says

By Korea First Staff

An illustration shows a woman and a man seated across a table, each beneath a circle of icons representing scales of justice and career symbols.

In Korea, Young Daters Are Screening Partners for Politics Before Chemistry

By Korea First Staff

Wrapped artworks and a wooden crate sit on a gallery floor as camera crews film in the background.

China Warns Gwangju Biennale's Taiwan Pavilion Name Could Spark Another THAAD-Style Standoff

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung sits beside a bespectacled man indoors as others stand in the background.

Behind the Feud: Why Lee and Chief Justice Cho Are Really Fighting Over a Court Seat

By Korea First Staff

A grid of six official portrait photos shows the ministerial nominees named in President Lee's cabinet reshuffle.

Lee Reshuffles Cabinet, Nominates Six Ministers Including Youngest-Ever Pick

By Korea First Staff

A man in a suit walks briskly away from a car with an escort behind him outside a courthouse.

Lee Rejects Chief Justice's Supreme Court Pick, Opening Rare Rift Between Branches

By Korea First Staff

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac speaks at a podium marked Cheong Wa Dae during a press briefing.

Top Security Adviser Says Any US-North Korea Talks Must Deliver Real Progress on Nuclear Issue

By Korea First Staff

Students and company representatives sit across from each other at booths inside a crowded career fair hall.

Hanyang's Career Fair Grows Fivefold as International Students Chase Korean Jobs

By Korea First Staff

BOK Governor Signals More Hikes Ahead After Rate Rises to 3 Percent

By Korea First Staff

KB Financial Narrows Chairman Race to Three as Yang Seeks Another Term

By Korea First Staff

Constitutional Court justices sit side by side on the bench beside the national flag in the main courtroom.

Constitutional Court Rules Korea Must Let Foreign Children Register Their Births

By Korea First Staff

The Bank of Korea sign is mounted on the building's facade above a statue in the foreground.

Bank of Korea Delivers Second Straight Rate Hike, Pushes Base Rate to 3 Percent

By Korea First Staff

A speaker stands on stage in front of a large screen reading 2026 CEO Investor Day, Hyundai Motor Company.

Hyundai Sets Sights on 100 New Models and a 9 Percent Margin by 2030

By Korea First Staff

An aerial view of Incheon Global Campus in Songdo shows university buildings, a stadium, and tennis courts among the city's towers.

Stanford's Songdo Center Closes After 12.3 Million Dollars in Korean Support

By Korea First Staff

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shake hands in front of South Korean and American flags.

Seoul and Washington Pledge Close Coordination as North Korea Diplomacy Heats Up

By Korea First Staff

Investigators examine debris and equipment near a stone wall under palm trees at a search site in Jeju.

Body Found in Jeju Believed to Be Missing Woman, Police Cite No Signs of Foul Play

By Korea First Staff

A granite marker with the Financial Supervisory Service name in Korean and English stands in front of the agency's building in Seoul.

Most FSS Staff Say They Would Quit Over a Move to Sejong

By Korea First Staff

Kakao's Spin-Off Plan Hits a Wall of Investor Skepticism

By Korea First Staff

President Trump speaks at a lectern in the White House with an aide standing behind him.

Denuclearization Is Off the Table, a Veteran Korea Adviser Argues

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung presides over a senior secretaries meeting with staff seated at a long table at the presidential office.

Seoul Welcomes Trump's Summit Push While Pyongyang Keeps Its Guard Up

By Korea First Staff

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands in front of the South Korean and Chinese flags.

China's Top Diplomat Pitches Beijing as a Steady Hand on the Korean Peninsula

By Korea First Staff

Military vehicles covered in green tarps sit lined up behind a chain-link fence at a base.

Shortened War Games Leave Korea's Wartime Command Handover in Doubt

By Korea First Staff

Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Je-myung speaks at a lectern before a Korean government backdrop.

LG, SK Telecom and Upstage Survive the Latest Cut in Korea's Sovereign AI Race

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a meeting in a yellow jacket before the national flag.

Why Lee Wants Korea to Take Back Wartime Command Before His Term Ends

By Korea First Staff

Portraits of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife Roh Soh-yeong side by side.

A Demand for Cash Reportedly Pushed SK's Chairman to Appeal a 666 Million Dollar Divorce Bill

By Korea First Staff

A commission meets around a conference table stacked high with bundles of documents.

Korea Revives Its Hunt for the Fortunes of Japanese-Era Collaborators

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech at a lectern before a blue and purple backdrop.

On Liberation Day, Lee Offers North Korea Talks to End the War and Freeze Its Nukes

By Korea First Staff

TerraPower board chairman Bill Gates shakes hands with HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun.

HD Hyundai and SK Back Bill Gates' TerraPower in a Push into Small Reactors

By Korea First Staff

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo hold a framed robot figure together.

LG and Nvidia Team Up on a Humanoid Robot Due Early Next Year

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a meeting, hands clasped, before the presidential standard.

Lee Pushes Selective Enlistment to Build a Smaller, Tech-Heavy Military

By Korea First Staff

The land minister speaks at a government briefing.

Government Plans 230,000 New Homes for the Seoul Area to Tame Housing Prices

By Korea First Staff

Shoppers crowd the aisles of a reopened Homeplus store.

Homeplus Reopens to Crowds and Half-Price Beef, but the Court Still Looms

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung listens to an explanation of a nuclear reactor model in a glass case at the presidential office.

Korea Bets 10 Trillion Won on Seven Technologies to Power Its Next Growth Engines

By Korea First Staff

A man points and speaks in front of a dark background.

Inside One Broker's Network Smuggling Defectors and Their Money Past a Hardening Border

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung stands between US Ambassador Michelle Steel and her husband before the Korean flag and the presidential standard.

Lee Receives New US Envoy's Credentials, Hoping Steel Becomes a Strong Bridge

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a meeting in front of a large image of Gwanghwamun gate.

Prosecution Reform and Housing Taxes Drag Lee's Approval to a Record Low

By Korea First Staff

A man in a bucket hat looks out over a dense skyline of high-rise apartments in Gyeonggi Province.

Gyeonggi Presses Seoul to Extend Jeonse Fraud Relief to Foreign Victims

By Korea First Staff

The four members of BLACKPINK pose for a selfie holding pink bouquets.

BLACKPINK Marks 10 Years With a Small Fan Meeting, and a Wave of Complaints

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks into a microphone at a meeting with the national flag behind him.

Facing a Youth Revolt, Lee Orders a Rushed Review of ISA and Marriage Policies

By Korea First Staff

Workers wave white flags at an outdoor union rally.

Rich Chip Bonuses at Samsung and SK Are Unlikely to Become a Korean Norm

By Korea First Staff

A man in a dark suit walks through a hotel lobby.

Why the US Is Unlikely to Bring Tactical Nuclear Weapons Back to Korea

By Korea First Staff

Students study at desks in a cram school beneath a poster counting down 200 days to the CSAT.

Korea Weighs Letting AI Grade Essay Answers on Its High-Stakes College Exam

By Korea First Staff

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan gestures with both hands while speaking into a microphone at a podium.

Trade Minister Says US Lawmakers Misread Coupang as a Pipeline for American Goods

By Korea First Staff

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol speaks at a Ministry of Finance and Economy briefing beside a sign-language interpreter.

Korea's Tax Overhaul Zeroes In on Costly Second Homes While Sparing Owner-Occupiers

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung rests a hand near his face with a pensive expression during a meeting.

Lee's Approval Sinks to a New Low as Housing and Markets Rattle Voters

By Korea First Staff

Heat haze shimmers over a Seoul road as cars and pedestrians cross under a blazing sun.

Seoul Hits Its Top Heat Alert for the First Time as Records Fall Nationwide

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung stands with his spouse, who wears a hanbok, hands over their hearts at an event.

In Frankfurt, Lee Casts Korean Firms and Residents as a Bridge to Germany

By Korea First Staff

The members of BTS perform choreography on a red stage.

Grammys Pull BTS Performance Videos From Their Site as the Rift Widens

By Korea First Staff

Singer and actor Cha Eun-woo, dressed in a white shirt, looks toward the camera at an airport.

Cha Eun-woo Appeals His Tax Bill Months After Paying 9 Million Dollars

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung and his spouse walk down the aircraft stairs onto a red carpet on returning to Korea.

Lee Comes Home With Deals Abroad and a Long List of Problems Waiting

By Korea First Staff

Two people look at a currency exchange board displaying dollar, euro, yen and yuan rates at a booth in Korea.

The Won Posts Its Best Month Since 2009 as Dollars Flow Back In

By Korea First Staff

Crowds of beachgoers pack Haeundae Beach in Busan on a summer day.

A BTS Concert Helps Busan Pull in 2.4 Million Foreign Tourists in Six Months

By Korea First Staff

Students line up outside a university job support center in Seoul.

Most Young Koreans Expect Their Country to Be Worse Off in 20 Years, Survey Finds

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung shakes hands with Argentine President Javier Milei between the two nations' flags at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires.

Korea and Argentina Pledge Deeper Ties on Lithium and Oil as Lee Ends South America Tour

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a lectern during a gathering with the Korean community in Santiago.

In Santiago, Lee Recalls Chile as the Country That Signed Korea's First Trade Deal

By Korea First Staff

The seven members of BTS pose together on a stadium field before a crowd.

Grammys Stand by New Asian Pop Award as BTS Sits Out the Race

By Korea First Staff

An electronic board at a Seoul dealing room shows the KOSPI at 5,593.56 and the won at 1,437.50 against the dollar.

A Leveraged ETF Blowup Puts Lee's Economic Team on the Defensive

By Korea First Staff

US Ambassador Michelle Steel smiles at a lectern before American flags at the US Mission in Seoul.

New US Ambassador Michelle Steel Calls the Korea Alliance One of the World's Strongest

By Korea First Staff

Foreign seasonal workers in conical hats harvest potatoes and load them into crates in a Korean field.

Foreign Residents Cross 4 Percent of Korea's Population as the Workforce Grays

By Korea First Staff

Commuters watch a television news report on Yoon Suk-yeol's election-law verdict at a station in Seoul.

Ousted President Yoon Convicted Under Election Law, Leaving His Party a 27 Million Dollar Bill

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung shakes hands with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as Korean and global tech executives line up at the San Francisco AI summit.

How the 950 Billion Dollar Chip Pacts Cement Korea's Grip on the AI Supply Chain

By Korea First Staff

Korean and global tech executives clasp hands together over a small robot at a waterside gathering in San Francisco.

Korean and Global Tech Giants Seal 950 Billion Dollars in AI Cooperation Deals

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at the San Francisco AI Summit.

Lee Courts Anthropic's Amodei in San Francisco Push to Draw AI Investment to Korea

By Korea First Staff

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stands outdoors in a dark suit and green tie.

A Five-Term Seoul Mayor's Career Now Rests on an Appeal

By Korea First Staff

A woman stands before a large screen showing the KOSPI index at 7,096.89, up 4.40 percent.

KOSPI Storms Back Above 7,000 as Alphabet Reignites the AI Trade

By Korea First Staff

A man walks through the glass entrance of a government building as officials look on.

Investigators Raid Election Commission Over Alleged Doctoring of Turnout Figures

By Korea First Staff

The Hyundai Motor and Kia headquarters towers in Seoul under a clear sky.

A Supplier Fire Cuts Into Hyundai's Second-Quarter Profit

By Korea First Staff

Executives from Samsung and Qualcomm shake hands on stage in front of a Qualcomm backdrop.

Samsung Hands Its Galaxy Watch Chip to Qualcomm, Retiring Exynos

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a public forum on housing policy, seated before a microphone.

Lee Floats a Steep Rise in Property Holding Taxes to Cool Housing Speculation

By Korea First Staff

Stacked shipping containers and cargo cranes at a South Korean port terminal.

Korea's Economy Beats Expectations With 0.6 Percent Growth in Second Quarter

By Korea First Staff

A figure overlaid with streams of code and data, evoking the blurred line between media and machine intelligence.

Is Arcana Mace a Media Marketplace or a Shadow Defense Technology Platform?

By Korea First Staff

Deputy Defense Minister Kim Hong-cheol speaking into a microphone at a policy forum, with Korean flags and a banner behind him

Defense Official Pushes to Merge the Three Service Academies Before Korea Takes Wartime Command

By Korea First Staff

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a dark suit and green tie walking through a courthouse corridor amid aides and security

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Fined Over Polling Costs, and the Amount Could Cost Him His Office

By Korea First Staff

An official speaking at a Korea Sport and Olympic Committee press conference in front of a sponsor backdrop

Six-Month Ban on Paichai Baseball Team Cut to One Month After Apology

By Korea First Staff

President Lee Jae Myung and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung seated together at a table decorated with flowers during an official event

President Lee Sells Seongnam Apartment for 2.9 Billion Won After Five Months on the Market

By Korea First Staff

A trading floor display showing the KOSPI index alongside Samsung Electronics and SK hynix quotes, all marked with downward arrows

Tighter Rules on Leveraged Chip ETFs Draw Anger From the Investors They Protect

By Korea First Staff

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol speaking into a microphone at a government meeting, papers in front of him

Finance Minister Turns to Summit Deals as Washington Weighs a 12.5 Percent Tariff

By Korea First Staff

Delegates seated in the plenary hall of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, with screens overhead reading Adoption of Busan Declaration

UNESCO Adopts the Busan Declaration, Adding Collaboration to Its Heritage Strategy

By Korea First Staff

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back seated at a government meeting table with a microphone and laptop in front of him

Defense Minister Rejects Claims Over a Gap in His 1980s Service Record

By Korea First Staff

The Samsung Biologics headquarters building, a dark glass facade photographed from below against a blue sky

Samsung Biologics Buys Swiss Peptide Maker PolyPeptide in a $1.8 Billion Cash Deal

By Korea First Staff

Hanwha Solutions Settles on a 1.2 Trillion Won Rights Offering, Half Its Original Plan

By Korea First Staff

Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon speaking into a handheld microphone at a ministry briefing

Government Plans a Security-Focused AI Model for Public Agencies by Year End

By Korea First Staff

A modern research laboratory with robotic equipment and stainless steel benches along a bright corridor

Nine in Ten Koreans Want Harsher Punishment for Leaking Technology Abroad

By Korea First Staff

A bank employee counting a fan of 50,000 won notes behind stacked bundles of cash

Foreign Investors Will Be Able to Hold Won Abroad Without a Korean Bank Account

By Korea First Staff

Government economic officials seated at a podium during a joint policy briefing, with a sign language interpreter behind them

A Chip-Led Export Surge Puts Per Capita GDP Within Sight of $40,000

By Korea First Staff

Government ministers seated at a policy briefing table, one speaking while others listen

Free AI for Every Citizen Is Promised by December, and the Industry Is Asking Who Pays

By Korea First Staff

KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seok shaking hands with Saudi official Haitham AlOhali in front of a painted folding screen

Korea and Saudi Arabia Move Toward Commercial Space Ties as Vision 2030 Opens a Market

By Korea First Staff

KT employees seated with laptops in a conference room facing a stage with a screen reading kt times Palantir Agent Camp

KT and Palantir Run an Internal Hackathon to Put AI Agents Into the Telco's Core Operations

By Korea First Staff

Lee Han-woong, chief executive of Santen Pharmaceutical Korea, standing before a wall displaying the company's values and mission statement

Santen Korea's Lee Han-woong Named Among Korea's Most Respected CEOs

By Korea First Staff

Lee Joo-ho, chief executive of Gowoonsesang Cosmetics, in a linen jacket with arms folded against a neutral backdrop

Gowoonsesang's CEO Builds a Workplace Around an Idea He Calls Protectorship

By Korea First Staff

Chung Seung-wook, general manager of Herbalife Korea, in a grey suit against a pale studio backdrop

Herbalife Korea Rebuilt Its Culture After Its Own Staff Survey Fell Short

By Korea First Staff