China and South Korea signed a free-trade agreement that went into effect in 2015, but discussions over the second phase to further open their service sectors had stalled until a meeting earlier this month.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration has taken a hardline stance toward North Korea, backed sanctions against Russia and moved to diversify trade away from China.

Japan says apart from the risks to a woman’s health, an underweight body mass index could endanger newborn babies.

Making the prevention of anorexia a matter of ensuring healthy babies reduces women to their ability to bear children. The focus should be on tackling what is prompting many women to become obsessed with their weight, including media images that valorise thinness.

Analysts say even a marginal acceleration of Chinese demand could cushion the growth drag on Asia from slower shipments from the US. But China’s economy faces numerous headwinds that threaten to throw it off course.

South Korea joined the US-led Minerals Security Partnership earlier this month alongside the likes of Germany, France, Britain, Australia and Japan in a move designed to reduce its dependency on China for key resources, including rare earths.

Japan’s shrinking population has long been an obsession, but its East Asian neighbours of South Korea and China are now facing the same problem as fertility rates, births and marriages fall, creating an economic headache for both Seoul and Beijing.

Hong Kong’s testing authority will allow students to submit scores from the Test of Proficiency in Korean in the foreign language category of the city’s university entrance exam starting from 2025.

North Korea is facing a potentially dire food situation this year, which has been exacerbated by disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In May, its monthly imports of Chinese soybeans surged.

South Korean companies in Shanghai or with exposure to its supply chain are desperate to get business back on track after the city lifted its two month lockdown this week.

No Rae, who set up a Taekwondo gym in 2016, said around 75 per cent of his students have returned after mandatory Covid-19 closures.

South Korea under new president Yoon Suk-yeol wants to diversify trade away from China and boost ties with Indo-Pacific economies, as it looks to bolster supply chain resilience amid an uncertain geopolitical environment.

In this issue of Global Impact, we look at what lies ahead for South Korea's new president as he jumps straight into the game of geopolitics.

Tensions between the West and China have forced a reassessment of global supply chains, and the European Union sees promising opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trade between South Korea and Hong Kong is expected to accelerate if the city successfully joins the RCEP trade pact, despite recent concern over its anti-pandemic controls and political situation.

A new Korea International Trade Association report says China’s role as a go-to source of production among global companies has diminished over the last five years, but it still remains an important and lucrative market for some.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is widely seen as an effort by the US to counter China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region, but it differs from a traditional trade bloc based on free-trade agreements.

North Korea’s trade with China totalled US$318 million in 2021, down by 41 per cent from the previous year and by 90 per cent from levels before the coronavirus.

South Korean and Chinese shipbuilders rank among the industry’s top players, but the impact of the geopolitical decisions made in both Seoul and Beijing are starting to filter through.

Popular South Korean dramas such as Something in the Rain are being approved by China’s broadcaster, but there are concerns that South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol could invite Beijing’s ire.

South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is looking to reset relations with China, the country’s most important trading partner, while deepening ties with the United States.

Beijing’s crackdowns on big tech companies have raised questions, but China’s fintech sector looks to remain competitive, according to experts.