Korea

• Noord-Koreaanse hackers, gesteund door de staat, zetten AI-tools in om blinde vlekken in de cybersecurity van doelnetwerken te scannen en uit te buiten, aldus een nieuw cybersecurity-rapport van Google. • Het rapport beschrijft hoe deze actoren generatieve AI gebruiken voor verkenning, waarbij ze de ontdekking van kwetsbaarheden op grote schaal automatiseren, wat verder gaat dan traditionele handmatige methoden. • Deze ontwikkeling onderstreept de dubbele rol van AI als zowel een defensief middel voor cybersecuritybedrijven als een offensief wapen voor tegenstanders vanuit natiestaten.

• Zuid-Korea bereidt nieuwe maatregelen voor om door AI aangedreven cyberaanvallen tegen te gaan na zorgen die zijn opgeroepen door Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview, volgens een cybersecurity-overzicht van 13 mei. • De gerapporteerde beleidsreactie weerspiegelt de toenemende vrees dat geavanceerde AI-tools de drempel voor phishing, de ontwikkeling van malware en geautomatiseerde intrusiepogingen kunnen verlagen. • Deze kwestie is van belang omdat Zuid-Korea een sterk gedigitaliseerde economie is met een grote blootstelling over overheids-, telecom-, financiële en productienetwerken.

• De Zuid-Koreaanse Kospi-index kelderde op 13 mei in het begin van de handel met wel 3,2% omdat Samsung Electronics geen loonakkoord kon sluiten met haar vakbond, maar herstelde zich vervolgens scherp met 2,6% om te sluiten op een recordhoogte van 7.708-7.844. • Het herstel werd ondersteund door overheidsinspanningen om de arbeidssituatie te beheersen en een breder AI-optimisme dat het marktsentiment deed herleven, ondanks Amerikaanse inflatiegegevens en spanningen met Iran. • Deze opvallende prestatie stond in contrast met gemengde regionale bewegingen, wat de volatiliteit van Korea benadrukte te midden van bedrijfskwesties rond arbeid en de kracht van de techsector.

• Mondiale hedgefondsen hebben hun investeringen in Azië opgevoerd, waarbij de wekelijkse aankopen van Zuid-Koreaanse, Japanse en Taiwanese aandelen in de week eindigend op 7 mei een dieptepunt in 10 jaar bereikten, aldus een rapport van Morgan Stanley. • De stijging, de sterkste in meer dan een decennium in nominale termen, werd gedreven door cliënten uit alle regio's en strategieën die zich richtten op de Aziatische technologiesector te midden van de AI-boom. • De netto-exposure van hedgefondsen in Japan, Zuid-Korea en Taiwan is gestegen naar het hoogste niveau sinds 2010 en beslaat nu ongeveer 19% van de wereldwijde positionering, met een focus op halfgeleiders en hardware in de AI-toeleveringsketen.

• Noord-Korea verpletterde Thailand met 6-0 in de kwartfinales op 11 mei in het Taihu Football Sports Center in Suzhou, China, waarmee ze een perfect record behouden van 4 wedstrijden, 27 gescoorde doelpunten en 0 tegengoals. • De regerend kampioen Noord-Korea neemt nu op 14 mei de wedstrijd op tegen China in de halve finales; de winnaar trekt door naar de finale op 17 mei in het Suzhou Sports Center Stadium. • Hun dominante reeks, door waarnemers als 'beangstigend' bestempeld, positioneert hen als favoriet voor een plek op het Wereldkampioenschap en bewijst de aanvallende kracht van hun jeugdteam.

• De Japanse premier overweegt een bezoek aan Zuid-Korea rond 19-20 mei 2026 voor topgesprekken, volgens bronnen geciteerd in Asia Daily op 11 mei. • De reis is erop gericht de betrekkingen tussen Japan en Zuid-Korea te versterken te midden van regionale veiligheidsuitdagingen in Oost-Azië. • Dit volgt op recente gezamenlijke militaire oefeningen met parachutisten uit Japan, de VS en het VK, wat wijst op een diepere defensiesamenwerking.

• iShares MSCI South Korea ETF en iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF zijn de afgelopen 12 maanden respectievelijk met 239% en 96% gestegen te midden van de AI-manie. • De KOSPI-index van Zuid-Korea bereikte maandag een recordhoogte van 7.899,32 met een stijging van 4%, terwijl de TAIEX van Taiwan vorige week voor het eerst sloot boven de 42.000. • Goldman Sachs voorspelt een BBP-groei van 2,5% voor Zuid-Korea in 2026, waarbij AI-gerelateerde export verdrievoudigt tot bijna 30% van het BBP; het BBP van Taiwan zal naar verwachting versnellen naar 10% met soortgelijke exportstijgingen.

• President Trump vertrekt maandag uit Washington voor een belangrijke reis naar Azië, waarbij hij Japan en Zuid-Korea bezoekt voorafgaand aan een top van twee dagen met de Chinese president Xi Jinping. • De reisplanning richt zich op diplomatieke betrokkenheid te midden van verhoogde spanningen tussen de VS en China en regionale veiligheidszorgen. • Naar verwachting zullen gesprekken over handel, veiligheidsallianties en bilaterale betrekkingen centraal staan tijdens deze risicovolle bezoeken.

• South Korea's Kospi index surged 78% year-to-date, with Taiwan shares among the world's top performers this month as investors redirect capital flows to Asian equities for the next leg of the global rally. • Morgan Stanley forecasts Asia's fixed asset investment will jump from $11 trillion in 2025 to $16 trillion by 2030, driven by AI infrastructure, energy security, and defense spending reshaping the region's industrial cycle. • Semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are key beneficiaries, with implied volatility for Taiwan and Korea climbing to peak levels versus the S&P 500 as option costs rise amid investor enthusiasm.

• Asia-focused ETFs representing Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan are outperforming in 2026, driven by a structural re-rating of Asian growth prospects as global investors seek alternatives to high-valuation U.S. mega-cap technology stocks. • Semiconductor and hardware infrastructure sectors are the primary beneficiaries of ongoing global AI expansion, with integrated supply chains across Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea attracting significant catch-up trades from international investors. • A broader stabilization in the U.S. dollar is acting as a tailwind for developed and emerging Asian equities, reducing the cost of dollar-denominated debt for regional corporations and improving competitive positioning.

• Shares in South Korea and Taiwan have rallied the most globally this month, with South Korea's Kospi index surging 78% year-to-date amid optimism for tech-driven gains. • Traders are positioning for Asia's technology leaders to lead the next phase of the worldwide stocks rally, focusing on semiconductor and electronics firms in these markets. • The outperformance underscores Asia's pivotal role in global equities, potentially sustaining momentum if U.S. and European markets stabilize.

• On May 7, 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced the formation of a national AI supercomputing grid, integrating 16 existing data centers into a unified platform with total processing capacity of more than 40 exaFLOPS. • The grid, funded with ₩12 trillion (about $9 billion), will provide subsidized compute access to domestic startups, universities, and automakers, with particular emphasis on training Korean‑language LLMs and autonomous‑driving models. • Seoul positions the grid as a counterweight to China’s state‑backed AI clusters and U.S. hyperscalers, while also tightening export controls on high‑end GPUs integrated into the network.

• Conservative opposition leader Han Dong-hoon on May 8, 2026, launched a fierce attack against progressive President Lee Jae-myung and his ruling Democratic Party. • He criticized the government's aggressive legal campaigns using special counsels against former President Yoon Suk-yeol and associates. • Key Democratic Party plans include dissolving the prosecution service and expanding the Supreme Court bench massively to consolidate judicial influence.

• The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hopes to keep politics separate from sports when women's clubs from North and South Korea face off in the AFC Women's Champions League semifinals on May 20 at Suwon Stadium, 30 km south of Seoul. • The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, pitting the two Korean teams against each other in a high-stakes encounter. • AFC officials emphasized maintaining focus on football amid historical tensions between the divided nations.

Advertised prices for new rental listings rising at fastest pace since October 2024. Follow updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s housing market is at its slowest for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties and abandon interest in the top end of the market.Figures today from the data firm Cotality show Melbourne and Sydney house prices fell 0.6% in April. Melbourne’s home values have now fallen 1.9% since November, with Sydney’s down 1%. Continue reading...

Leader mentions for first time lengths to which troops go to avoid falling into enemy hands while fighting for RussiaKim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades in order to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, confirming the existence of the extreme battlefield policy.Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated North Korean soldiers are explicitly told to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide to avoid falling into enemy hands. Continue reading...

The Seoul High Court found Kim Keon Hee guilty of manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealer, which it ruled a "collusive ... trading act constituting market manipulation".

In January, Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months for accepting gifts from the Unification Church, which sought political favors. (Image credit: Ahn Young-joon)

Regime used its isolation after closing borders to escalate killings when global scrutiny disappeared, NGO claimsNorth Korea dramatically increased its use of the death penalty after closing its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, using its isolation to escalate killings when international scrutiny disappeared, according to a report mapping 13 years of executions under the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un.The number of documented cases of executions and death sentences increased by 117% in the nearly five years after North Korea sealed its borders in January 2020 compared with an equal period before the closure, according to a report by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a human rights NGO in Seoul. Continue reading...

• North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Monday, prompting immediate condemnation from Seoul and Washington amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. • South Korea's military detected at least three missile launches, with analysts assessing the tests as part of Pyongyang's ongoing weapons development program. • The U.S. State Department condemned the launches as destabilizing and reiterated its commitment to defending South Korea and Japan through extended deterrence.

Foreign affairs minister begins another diplomatic tour to secure Australia’s fuel and energy supply chains. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, Nick Visser here to guide you through the day’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:The foreign minister, Penny Wong, will travel to Japan today, part of a diplomatic trip to secure fuel supplies that will also include visits to China and South Korea. She said the effort will help “ensure Australia is prioritised as a reliable energy partner”. Continue reading...

• North Korea has deployed an additional 10,000 troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine, escalating foreign involvement in the conflict as fighting intensifies along multiple fronts. • South Korean intelligence reports indicate the troops are equipped with advanced weaponry and are positioned in the Kursk region; this represents a significant expansion of Pyongyang's military commitment to Moscow. • The deployment raises concerns among US and allied officials about the global implications of expanding proxy conflicts and potential technology transfers between Russia and North Korea.

• North Korean-linked hackers executed a $290 million cryptocurrency theft from Kelp DAO, marking the largest digital asset heist of the year and demonstrating persistent threats to blockchain platforms. • The attack underscores vulnerabilities in decentralized finance infrastructure and the sophistication of state-sponsored cybercriminal operations targeting crypto assets. • Security experts warn of escalating coordination between criminal groups and nation-state actors targeting high-value cryptocurrency holdings globally.

One pilot ordered to repay some of the $600,000 of damage caused by collision in 2021South Korea’s air force has apologised for a 2021 mid-air collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident.“We sincerely apologise to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesperson said in a press briefing. The spokesperson said one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. Continue reading...

• North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile from its western region Tuesday evening, the sixth such test in the past three months despite frozen nuclear diplomacy with the US. • US officials assessed the missile demonstrated improved guidance systems, suggesting continued weapons development despite economic sanctions and international isolation. • The test complicates efforts to restart dialogue, with South Korea calling for emergency trilateral talks involving Japan to address escalating regional security threats.

Washington reportedly limits satellite data after minister spoke publicly about suspected facility in North KoreaThe US has partly restricted intelligence sharing with South Korea after the country’s unification minister publicly identified a suspected North Korean nuclear site, according to reports in South Korean media.Chung Dong-young told lawmakers in March that North Korea was operating uranium enrichment facilities in Kusong, a north-western area that had not previously been officially confirmed as a nuclear site alongside the known facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson. Continue reading...

Police seek warrant for Bang Si-Hyuk over allegations he illegally gained millions in investor fraud schemeSouth Korean police said on Tuesday they were seeking to arrest Bang Si-Hyuk, the chair of the agency behind the K-pop band BTS, as they expand an investigation into allegations that he illegally gained more than $100m (£74m) in an investor fraud scheme.The Seoul metropolitan police agency confirmed it had asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for arresting Bang, founder and chair of HYBE. Continue reading...

Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr, accounted for in 2025, given full burial honors and posthumous medals in New MexicoThe remains of a US soldier who went missing in action during the Korean war were identified by DNA analysis, and he was recently laid to rest in his hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, authorities said.US army Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr’s burial ended a decades-long saga that began with him being wounded while defending his post near the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir in North Korea and then being taken to an aid station on 30 November 1950. Chavez, 19, was then reported missing in action three days later, when enemy fighters attacked his convoy. Continue reading...