South Korea
Follow the latest South Korea news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
June 12, 2024 at 4:39 PM

BTS members embrace bandmate Jin after he's discharged from South Korean military

RM played the trumpet as fellow BTS members J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook lined up to embrace Jin, who was discharged from his mandatory service in the South Korean military.
June 12, 2024 at 4:39 PM
RM played the trumpet as fellow BTS members J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook lined up to embrace Jin, who was discharged from his mandatory service in the South Korean military.
June 11, 2024 at 4:30 PM

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp journeys to South Korea in sixth overseas trip

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is on his way to South Korea in his sixth overseas trip as governor
June 11, 2024 at 4:30 PM
FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during the official groundbreaking for the Hyundai Motor Group plant on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 in Ellabell, Ga. The Republican Kemp left on Monday, June 10, 2024 for a 10-day economic development trip to South Korea to visit with officials from Hyundai and other South Korean businesses. (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News via AP, File)
June 10, 2024 at 6:38 PM

South Korea says North Korea is installing its own loudspeakers along the border

South Korea’s military says it’s detecting signs that North Korea is installing its own loudspeakers along their border, a day after the South blared anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts over its speakers for the first time in years
June 10, 2024 at 6:38 PM
Visitors use binoculars to see the North Korean side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, June 9, 2024. South Korea announced Sunday it would resume anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation to the North sending over 1000 balloons filled with trash and manure over the last couple of weeks. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
June 10, 2024 at 3:10 AM

South Korea to restart anti-North broadcasts in retaliation against trash balloons

South Korea has resumed anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation for the North sending over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure over the last couple of weeks
June 10, 2024 at 3:10 AM
This photo provided by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and released by South Korea Defense Ministry, shows a balloon presumably sent by North Korea, on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, June 9, 2024. North Korea flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea again in its third such campaign since late May, the South’s military said, just days after South Korean activists floated their own balloons to scatter propaganda leaflets in the North. (South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff via AP)
June 6, 2024 at 2:46 PM

Japan, US, South Korean coast guards hold 1st joint drill off Japan's coast as China concerns rise

Japanese, U.S. and South Korean coast guard vessels have conducted their first three-way drill off Japan’s coast as the countries strengthen their maritime ties in response to increased assertiveness by China in pressing its territorial claims
June 6, 2024 at 2:46 PM
This photo provided by the Japan Coast Guard shows its patrol vessel Wakasa, from bottom, U.S. Coast Guard's cutter Waesche and (South) Korea Coast Guard's patrol vessel Taepyongyang 16 as a helicopter (in red) flies at right during a drill in waters off the northern coast of Maizuru, Japan, Thursday, June 6, 2024. The three countries' coast guard vessels conducted their first three-way drill on Thursday off Japan's coast as the countries strengthen their maritime ties in response to increased assertiveness by China in pressing its territorial claims. (Japan Coast Guard via AP)
June 4, 2024 at 3:50 PM

North Korea's trash balloons deepen tensions with the South. Here's what's happening between rivals

North Korea's recent launches of trash-carrying balloons have sharply increased animosities with rival South Korea
June 4, 2024 at 3:50 PM
The trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea, is seen on a road in Incheon, South Korea, Sunday, June 2, 2024. North Korea launched hundreds of more trash-carrying balloons toward the South after a similar campaign a few days ago, according to South Korea’s military, in what Pyongyang calls retaliation for activists flying anti-North Korean leaflets across the border. (Im Sun-suk/Yonhap via AP)
June 2, 2024 at 4:38 PM

South Korea vows retaliation against North Korea over its launch of trash balloons

North Korea says it will stop sending trash-carrying balloons into South Korea, claiming that its campaign left the South Koreans with “enough experience of how much unpleasant they feel.”
June 2, 2024 at 4:38 PM
An officer wearing protective gear collects the trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea, in Siheung, South Korea, Sunday, June 2, 2024. South Korea said Sunday it’ll take strong retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of trash-carrying balloons and other provocations on South Korea. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
3 months ago

Police chase runaway ostrich in South Korea

An ostrich escaped from a zoo in South Korea on Tuesday and ran wild in the streets for about an hour until being safely captured, officials say.
3 months ago
VIDEO: Police chase runaway ostrich in South Korea
5 months ago

South Korean ruling party lawmaker attacked in Seoul, aide says

Bae, a member of the People Power Party and a former TV journalist, was hit with a palm-sized rock on the back of her head, an aide said.
5 months ago
People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on May 31, 2023.
5 months ago

South Korea passes ban on dog meat

South Korea's National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote.
5 months ago
South Korea's National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote.
5 months ago

South Korean assembly bans dog meat trade, consumption

Dog meat consumption in South Korea will be prohibited by law starting in 2027.
5 months ago
Animal rights activists attend a protest rally supporting the government-led dog meat banning bill at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
5 months ago

South Korean opposition leader in ICU after attack at press conference

South Korean Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung was hospitalized after being attacked during a press conference in Busan, South Korea, police said.
5 months ago
South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks to reporters as he visits the site of a new airport in Busan on Jan. 2, 2024.
5 months ago

South Korean opposition leader stabbed, rushed to hospital

South Korean Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung was hospitalized after being attacked during a press conference in Busan, South Korea, state media reported.
5 months ago
South Korean Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung was hospitalized after being attacked during a press conference in Busan, South Korea, state media reported.
5 months ago

South Korean opposition leader stabbed, rushed to hospital

South Korean Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung was hospitalized after being attacked during a press conference in Busan, South Korea, state media reported.
5 months ago
South Korea's opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during his visit to Busan, South Korea, Jan. 2, 2024.
6 months ago

Lee Sun-kyun, star of Oscar-winning film 'Parasite,' dies, police say

"Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun has died, police in South Korea confirmed to ABC News.
6 months ago
South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun arriving at a police station in Incheon for police questioning in December 2023 (Photo by Yonhap / YONHAP / AFP)
7 months ago

North Korea redeploys troops to surveillance posts along DMZ, South Korea says

The North Korean military has been spotted re-installing surveillance posts according to surveillance footage provided by the South Korean military Monday.
7 months ago
North Korean military personnel are seen in a guard post within the DMZ in an undated photo released by the South Korean Military on Nov. 27, 2023.
7 months ago

South Korea fights off unprecedented bedbug infestation

South Korean officials have been detecting and exterminating bedbugs for the last two weeks as a major disinfection of transportation and public facilities is on the way.
7 months ago
FILE PHOTO: A bed bug is seen on a glove of a biocide technician from the company Hygiene Premium who treats an apartment against bed bugs in L'Hay-les-Roses, near Paris, France, September 29, 2023.
7 months ago

South Korea fights bedbug infestation

The first bedbug outbreak was reported in October at a public bath house in Incheon.
7 months ago
The first bedbug report was in October at a public bath house in Incheon.
10 months ago

Biden holds milestone summit with Japan and South Korea

The president's historic summit in Camp David is where Japan and South Korea agreed to expand security and economic ties.
10 months ago
VIDEO: Biden holds milestone summit with Japan and South Korea
10 months ago

Biden holds landmark trilateral meeting with Japanese, Korean leaders

ABC News’ Selina Wang is at Camp David where President Joe Biden is set to hold a trilateral meeting with Japanese and South Korean leaders.
10 months ago
VIDEO: Biden holds landmark trilateral meeting with Japanese, Korean leaders
1 year ago

US nuclear-armed submarine makes rare appearance in South Korea

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reports on the U.S. nuclear submarine in South Korea on “This Week.”
1 year ago
VIDEO: US nuclear-armed submarine makes rare appearance in South Korea
1 year ago

Exclusive: Inside the US nuclear missile sub in South Korea

Martha Raddatz reports from inside the first U.S. nuclear sub to visit South Korea, in four decades.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Exclusive: Inside the US nuclear missile sub in South Korea
1 year ago

ABC News Exclusive: Inside the US nuclear ballistic missile submarine in South Korea

Martha Raddatz reports from the first such sub to visit near North Korea.
1 year ago
Commander Lee "Randy" Fike talks with ABC's Martha Raddatz aboard the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine, anchored at the Busan Naval Base in Busan, South Korea, July 20, 2023.
1 year ago

Inside look of nuclear US submarine in South Korea

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz goes aboard the U.S.S. Kentucky, a nuclear ballistic missile submarine and first of its kind to travel to the country in more than four decades.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Inside look of nuclear US submarine in South Korea
1 year ago

North Korea fires 'unidentified ballistic missile,' South Korean military says

North Korea fired "an unidentified ballistic missile" toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
1 year ago
A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's missile launch with a file image during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, June 15, 2023. North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Thursday, hours after South Korean and U.S. troops ended a fifth round of large-scale live-fire drills near the Koreas' heavily fortified border.
1 year ago

Seoul musicians protest Ukraine war with music

More than a hundred cellists have played in front of the Russian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, since March 2022.
1 year ago
More than a hundred cellists have played in front of the Russian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, since March 2022.
1 year ago

State dinner surprise: South Korean president sings 'American Pie'

Yoon's visit marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S. and South Korea’s alliance.
1 year ago
President Joe Biden reacts as South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol sings the song American Pie by Don Mclean in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 26, 2023, following the State Dinner.
1 year ago

Group of North Koreans defect, cross border into South Korea

A group of North Koreans crossed the Northern Limit Line in a fishing boat on May 6, South Korean authorities confirmed Thursday.
1 year ago
A South Korean Navy Incheon-class frigate (back) is seen from a ferry traveling to South Korea's eastern island of Ulleungdo in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on November 3, 2022.
1 year ago

South Korean President Yoon delivers remarks during joint meeting of Congress

ABC’s Elizabeth Schulze reports on South Korean President Yoon’s message of democracy before a joint meeting of Congress, as well as the latest GDP report and the GOP House vote on the debt ceiling.
1 year ago
VIDEO: South Korean President Yoon delivers remarks during joint meeting of Congress
1 year ago

South Korean president sings 'American Pie' at White House State Dinner

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol stole the show with his rendition of Don McClean’s “American Pie.”
1 year ago
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol stole the show with his rendition of Don McClean’s “American Pie.”
1 year ago

Yoon tells Congress the US-South Korea alliance is 'stronger than ever'

The U.S. and South Korea are marking the 70th anniversary of their alliance as they face North Korean aggression and Chinese expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
1 year ago
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waves before addressing Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023.
1 year ago

Chip and Joanna Gaines attend President Joe Biden's South Korea state dinner

The "Fixer Upper" stars, along with other celebrities like Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox, were in attendance at the White House event for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Chip and Joanna Gaines attend President Joe Biden's South Korea state dinner
1 year ago

Biden calls relationship with South Korea 'success story'

ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze provides analysis on the bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the two leaders celebrate their close relationship.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Biden calls relationship with South Korea a “success story”
1 year ago

Biden touts relationship with South Korea as 'great success story'

The state visit comes as the U.S. and South Korea mark the 70th year of the countries' alliance.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Biden touts relationship with South Korea as 'great success story'
1 year ago

Biden welcomes South Korea's president to White House

This comes ahead of a joint press conference between the two leaders and a state dinner at the White House.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Biden welcomes South Korea's president to White House
1 year ago

Biden welcomes South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to White House

The visit comes as the White House announced steps designed to deter North Korea from launching a nuclear attack on South Korea.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Biden welcomes South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to White House
1 year ago

South Korea exporting arms to Poland amid controversy over lethal aid to Ukraine

South Korea has confirmed the exports deal to Poland will continue after President Yoon Suk Yeol signaled his intentions to possibly send weapons directly to Ukraine.
1 year ago
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol gives a speech in front of students at Keio University on the sidelines of his visit to Tokyo on March 17, 2023.
1 year ago

South Korea increases its arms exports as Russia-Ukraine war rages on

The country exported a record $17.3 billion in weapons last year, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.
1 year ago
The country exported a record $17.3 billion in weapons last year, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.
2 years ago

K-Pop stars face challenges of military conscription

ABC News' Joohee Cho reports from South Korea about K-Pop boy band members enlisting in mandatory military service and speaks with K-Pop star Siwon Choi about his experience.
2 years ago
VIDEO: K-Pop stars face challenges of military conscription
2 years ago

North Korea fires 4 ballistic missiles

North Korea launches four new missile tests as a response to joint exercises between the U.S. and South Korea.
2 years ago
VIDEO: North Korea fires 4 ballistic missiles
2 years ago

US, South Korea warn North Korea following missile launches

The U.S. and South Korea issued a warning to North Korea following intensifying missile launches.
2 years ago
VIDEO: US, South Korea warn North Korea following missile launches
2 years ago

South Korean police reveal emergency calls began hours before deadly crowd surge

South Korean police reveal that emergency calls for help began nearly four hours before the deadly crowd surge that killed at least 156 people.
2 years ago
VIDEO: South Korean police reveal emergency calls began hours before deadly crowd surge
2 years ago

The search for answers after deadly South Korean crowd surge

ABC News’ Matt Gutman reports from Seoul with the latest on the investigation into the crowd crush that killed 155 people during a Halloween celebration over the weekend.
2 years ago
VIDEO: The search for answers after deadly South Korean stampede
2 years ago

Calls were made 4 hours before deadly crowd crush, police say

Delayed police responses and an illegal street obstruction were contributing factors to the weekend’s crowd crush in Seoul, officials said on Tuesday.
2 years ago
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol looks at messages of mourners a makeshift memorial for the victims of the deadly Halloween crowd surge, outside a subway station in the district of Itaewon in Seoul on November 1, 2022.
2 years ago

Seoul crowd crush exemplifies need for event control: Experts

Crowd control experts tell ABC News that there are protocols to prevent crowd crush incidents.
2 years ago
Rescue officials and police gather in the district of Itaewon after a Halloween stampede in Seoul, Oct. 30, 2022.
2 years ago

South Korea’s national police apologize after deadly crowd crush

Police said they only deployed 137 officers to handle a crowd of about 100,000 partygoers.
2 years ago
Police said they only deployed 137 officers to handle a crowd of about 100,000 partygoers.
2 years ago

Halloween crowd crush: 2 Americans among those dead

At least 153 people were also injured in the crowd crush, South Korean officials said.
2 years ago
Medical staff attend to a person on a stretcher at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2022.
2 years ago

At least 153 crushed to death in South Korean crowd surge

ABC News' Matt Gutman reports on the deadly crowd surge that killed at least 153 people and injured over 80 during Halloween festivities in Seoul.
2 years ago
VIDEO: At least 153 crushed to death in South Korean crowd surge
2 years ago

South Korean president declares national mourning period after Seoul crowd crush

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed the crowd crush that left at least 153 dead during Halloween festivities in in Seoul.
2 years ago
President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks in the briefing room of the Presidential Office in Seoul on October 30, 2022, after a Halloween stampede late October 29 killed at least 149 people. - At least 149 people were killed and scores more were injured in a stampede at a packed Halloween event in central Seoul late on October 29, officials said, in one of South Korea's worst peacetime accidents. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP) / - South Korea OUT / NO ARCHIVES -  RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIPTION USE (Photo by -/YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images)
2 years ago

More than 150 killed in Seoul crowd crush

Officials estimate that more than 100,000 revelers crowded the streets the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, for Halloween festivities.
2 years ago
VIDEO: More than 150 killed in Seoul crowd crush