south korea

A protester holds a poster with an image of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol during a candlelight rally calling for the ouster of the president in Gwanghwamun in Seoul on December 5, 2024.

Are democracies doomed to gridlock and dysfunction?

From France to South Korea, US democratic allies are descending into political chaos

Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig 07 December 2024

Fans wait to pay for merchandise at a BTS pop-up store titled "Monochrome".

How South Korea’s ‘Hallyu’ cultural wave swept the globe

K-pop, Oscar-winning films and famous TV dramas have boosted the country's profile and owe much to government policies as well as spontaneous creativity

Najeeb Mubarak 04 December 2024

Han Kang’s 'We Do Not Part' offers new look at South Korea’s past

The Nobel Prize-winning novel takes readers on a journey through the landscape of memory and pain, revisiting an evil committed three-quarters of a century ago to illuminate the present

Samir Qasimi 24 November 2024

Han Kang, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature

Al Majalla

South Korean Nobel Laureate Han Kang: ‘Life is a wound’

The first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature has written eight novels, published three short story collections, and penned a wealth of poetry. Who is she—and what does she write about?

Emad al-Ahmad 16 October 2024

K-pop girl group New Jeans perform during “2024 Korea On Stage — New Generation," held at the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul on May 21, 2024.

Anthony WALLACE / AFP

Why South Korean pop culture rocks and North Korea’s does not

Dictatorship stifles creativity and joyrn

The Economist 04 June 2024

A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

North Korea Fires 3 Ballistic Missiles after Unprecedented Year of Tests

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, the South Korean military said. The launches were the latest in an unprecedented number of…

31 December 2022

People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile off its east coast, in Seoul, South Korea, December 18, 2022. REUTERS/ Heo Ran

North Korea Fires Two Ballistic Missiles, Escalating Tensions, Says South Korea

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles towards the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast on Sunday, said South Korea and Japan, prompting South Korea's presidential office to "strongly…

18 December 2022

Trucks are parked at a terminal of the Inland Container Depot in Uiwang, South Korea, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/ Heo Ran

South Korea Considers Ordering More Truckers Back to Work

The South Korean government was moving on Wednesday towards ordering more truckers to return to work as their national strike entered its 14th day. But the administration has so far failed to…

07 December 2022

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Round of 16 - Brazil v South Korea - Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar - December 5, 2022 Brazil's Richarlison celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

Sublime Brazil Crush Korea 4-1 With Attacking Masterclass

World Cup favorites Brazil produced a performance to delight fans and terrify potential opponents on Monday as they ripped through South Korea with four first-half goals to secure a hugely impressive…

05 December 2022

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - South Korea v Portugal - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - December 2, 2022 South Korea players celebrate after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stages REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

South Korea Leave it Late, Then Wait, Before Reaching Last 16

South Korea's Hwang Hee-chan scored in added time to snatch a 2-1 comeback win over Portugal on Friday but they then faced an agonising 10 minute wait on the pitch before discovering it was enough to…

02 December 2022

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Editor's Pick

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump at the White House, Washington, on 18 November 2025.

SPA

Politics

Saudi Arabia scores ally upgrade in Washington

19 November 2025

Trump elevates Saudi Arabia to 'major non-NATO ally' status, but bigger issues of normalisation with Israel and a binding security treaty need more time. Nonetheless, this is a huge step forward.

Abdullah F. Alrebh

Lina Jaradat

Business & Economy

Hezbollah money laundering risks sanctions on Lebanon

17 November 2025

Media reports show pro-Hezbollah charities using online platforms to solicit donations via digital wallets to circumvent sanctions. In Lebanon's cash economy, that is a dangerous game to play.

Thuraya Shahin

Al Majalla's Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Hamidi interviews Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 13 November 2025.

Axel Rangel Garcia

Politics

Asaad Shaibani on how Syria untangled its Russian knot

18 November 2025

In Part 1 of a two-part interview with Al Majalla, Syria's foreign minister explains how the Assad regime fell and how President Ahmed al-Sharaa went from a wanted man to a world leader

Ibrahim Hamidi

AL MAJALLA/ AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

50 years on, 'Grendizer' still stirs Arab hearts

23 November 2025

The Arab world's connection to the cartoon series remains uniquely intimate. No other animated comic hero has achieved the same level of fame, resonance, and longevity.

Shadi Alaa Aldin