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War, which saw Iran attack Qatar facility, has caused ‘high, volatile’ gas prices that could hit EU storage projections.

The European Union has urged member states to start early on meeting next winter’s gas storage targets after Iranian attacks on Gulf energy facilities caused prices to surge on global markets.

Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen sent a letter Saturday urging the bloc’s members to get to work “as early as possible” in the coming months to “mitigate pressure on prices and avoid [an] end-of-summer rush”, asking them to consider cutting their so-called filling target by 10 percentage points to 80 percent.

The move came days after Iran attacked Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City complex, which provides about 20 percent of global supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The attack, which came amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, was in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the Iranian South Pars gasfield.

State-owned QatarEnergy said that Iran’s attack on Qatar, which has been targeted throughout the duration of the war, knocked out 17 percent of Doha’s export capacity and would affect exports for up to five years.

The slowdown will mainly harm Asian buyers, including China, Japan, and India, which buy some 80 percent of QatarEnergy’s LNG.

But Europe, which only sources around 9 percent of its LNG from Qatar, will nevertheless be exposed to increased competition, with tanker traffic leaving the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz throttled by the war.

Natural gas prices in the EU have risen by more than 30 percent since the start of the war on February 28, spiking after Israel’s attack on Iran’s critical South Pars gasfield and subsequent Iranian attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan.

Jorgensen said that the EU’s gas supply, which has mainly been furnished by the United States since the bloc weaned itself off Russian energy over the Ukraine war, remained “relatively protected at this stage”.

“But, as a net energy importer on global markets, the resulting high and volatile global prices may also impact the EU gas storage projections,” he cautioned.

Jorgensen warned that developments “threaten regional and global security”, urging member states to refill stores early over a longer period.

The EU requirement for member countries to maintain gas reserves at 90 percent of capacity to meet winter heating and power demand underpins the region’s energy security.

Having cut that target by 10 percent, the energy commissioner noted that, in case of “difficult conditions” and a commission assessment, the countries could deviate by up to 20 percent.

Oil prices have also soared since the start of the war by more than 50 percent.

March 19 (Asia Today) — South Korean game companies are increasingly taking popular intellectual property beyond screens, launching immersive offline experiences to deepen engagement and diversify revenue.

The shift reflects efforts to reduce the industry’s reliance on new game releases, which can drive sharp swings in earnings. By combining well-known titles with venues such as aquariums and theme parks, companies aim to boost profitability while strengthening brand loyalty.

Experiential offerings typically include photo zones, merchandise sales and live events, creating both direct revenue and indirect benefits by encouraging players to return to games. Industry officials say the approach also opens the door to expansion into animation, performances and theme parks.

Devsisters will host “Cookie Run in Lotte World Aquarium: Ocean Adventure” from Thursday through June 7, transforming multiple floors of the aquarium into nine themed zones. The event blends eight signature Cookie Run characters with marine life, offering visitors an interactive storyline.

The exhibition also introduces an augmented reality stamp tour, allowing visitors to play mini-games on their smartphones and receive rewards such as character voice messages. Merchandise tied to the franchise will be sold on-site.

The company plans additional tie-ins, including a collaborative program at the “Sky Run,” a 123-floor vertical marathon at Lotte World Tower on April 19.

Nexon is pursuing a similar strategy with “MapleStory in Lotte World,” running through June 14 in Seoul’s Songpa district. The event features a themed “Maple Island” zone, along with recreations of in-game locations such as Henesys and Arcana.

Visitors can import or customize their in-game characters at dedicated experience zones. The event also includes retro gaming areas and themed products such as a “Red Potion” drink inspired by in-game items.

Other major firms are following suit. Krafton has operated pop-up stores based on “PUBG: Battlegrounds,” while Netmarble has hosted events featuring its “Kungya Restaurants” franchise.

“As pop-up stores, exhibitions and collaborations expand, game-based cultural content will become more diverse,” an industry official said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260319010005893

March 21 (UPI) — A fire at a Daejeon, South Korea, car parts factory Friday has killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more.

There were nearly 60 injured in the fire in a three-floor plant. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that some of the injured had inhaled smoke, and some were injured when they jumped from the building. It said 25 were seriously injured, but it didn’t say if any were in life-threatening condition. There were 170 people inside when the fire erupted.

Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, said almost all of the bodies were found inside a third-floor space that had been used as a gym locker room, The New York Times reported. Some bodies were so badly burned it will take DNA testing to identify them.

Nam said workers recovered more than 220 pounds of highly reactive chemicals from the site before firefighters could spray water on the fire, and some witnesses have reported that there was an explosion when the fire began.

All of those missing have now been found, The Guardian reported.

Officials said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Firefighters said they couldn’t enter the structure earlier for fear of collapse.

They used unmanned robots Friday to cool the structure and do a safety inspection before they were able to go in and search for missing workers.

Daejeon is in central South Korea.

March 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order forcing networks and the NCAA to avoid scheduling conflicts with the annual Army-Navy game in December.

The order would create an exclusive broadcast window for the college football game, played between the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. The game is usually played on the second Saturday in December, but College Football Playoffs and other post-season games have conflicted with the annual broadcast.

“Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War,” a White House press release titled “Preserving America’s Game” said. “Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that no college football game, specifically college football’s CFP or other postseason games, be broadcast in a manner that directly conflicts with the Army‑Navy Game.”

The order says that the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce must work with the NCAA, College Football Playoff and broadcasters to prevent scheduling conflicts during the usual time slot for the game.

“Nobody’s going to play football for four hours during that very special time of the year, in December. It’s preserved forever for the Army-Navy game,” Trump said just before signing the order. “Of course, we’ll probably get sued at some point,” he added.

The president was surrounded by Naval Academy midshipment as he signed the order. Navy won the game against Army on Dec. 13, 17-16.

“Thank you for signing that executive order protecting the sanctity of the Army-Navy game,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “It’s a game with a soul, and it deserves to be protected.”

Some have suggested the Army-Navy game be played on a different day or to broadcast other games at the same time.

Army head coach Jeff Monken told The Athletic in February that he would rather play the game on Thanksgiving weekend to avoid conflict with the playoffs.

“I think Army-Navy is a huge part of the history of college football, and what it is today, even,” he said. “Give us a four-hour block on Thanksgiving, or on Friday of Thanksgiving, or on Saturday of Thanksgiving, and give us a four-hour block, and just say nobody else plays during this four-hour block. That’s still protecting the game.”

Media law experts say the White House should be careful of intervening in college sports.

Jeffrey Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, wrote in an email to The Washington Post that the White House should have these important conversations.

“But, it should not be a ‘decider.’ If change is needed at the federal level, it should come from legislation.”

The Army vs. Navy game has been played annually since 1930. CBS Sports has the broadcast rights through 2038.

The game has traditionally been played on the last weekend of November or the first weekend of December, The Athletic reported. It moved to the second weekend of December in 2009 to bring more attention and ratings to CBS.

“We are deeply appreciative of President Trump’s executive order preserving a dedicated window for the Army-Navy Game — America’s Game — a tradition that represents far more than football by honoring our service academies and the mission of developing leaders for our nation,” Navy Athletic Director Michael Kelly said in a statement to The Athletic. “Maintaining its exclusivity ensures the country can come together to recognize the sacrifice, commitment and readiness that are essential to our military. We are also encouraged that this step helps create a pathway for Navy Football to participate in the College Football Playoff when earned, allowing us to both preserve tradition and embrace opportunity.”

“We’re grateful for the President’s leadership and for everyone working to protect, preserve, and unite around America’s game and the values it stands for,” Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis said in a statement.

March 21 (UPI) — A federal judge struck down the Department of Defense’s policy that led to the ouster of most journalists from the Pentagon last fall and replaced them with those who agreed to the department’s new rules.

Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of The New York Times, which sued the Department of Defense over the policy. Friedman ruled that the policy is unconstitutional and ordered the department to give back the credentials of the seven Times journalists who cover the Pentagon.

Though he didn’t order the restoration of other reporters’ credentials, he voided the policy that they refused to sign, allowing them to get credentialed again.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X: “We disagree with the decision and are pursuing an immediate appeal.”

In October, the Defense Department required that all credentialed journalists sign the policy. Signing it gave the Pentagon the ability to label the journalists “security risks” and revoke their credentials if the department decided they had endangered national security. They had to pledge to only publish approved information.

Most news outlets refused to sign, losing their press passes and desks inside the Pentagon. They were replaced with news outlets and people friendly to the administration. The Times then sued the department over its First Amendment rights.

“A primary purpose of the First Amendment is to enable the press to publish what it will and the public to read what it chooses, free of any official proscription,” Friedman wrote in his opinion.

“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech,” Friedman added. “That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now.”

First Amendment attorney Theodore Boutrous, who is representing The Times in the suit, told CNN: “The district court’s decision is a powerful rejection of the Pentagon’s effort to impede freedom of the press and the reporting of vital information to the American people during a time of war.”

“The district court’s opinion is not just a win for The Times, [Times reporter] Mr. [Julian E.] Barnes, and other journalists, but most importantly, for the American people who benefit from their coverage of the Pentagon,” Boutrous said.

Friedman also agreed with the Times that the policy violated its due process rights because it was vague and could be accidentally violated by reporters. Part of the policy prevented reporters from asking certain questions.

“A primary way in which journalists obtain information is by asking questions,” he wrote. “Under the policy’s terms, then, essential journalistic practices that the plaintiffs and others engage in every day — such as asking questions of department employees — could trigger a determination by the department that a journalist poses a security or safety risk.”

First Amendment advocates said they support the decision.

“The court affirmed that our security and liberty rely on the press’s freedom to publish and the public’s ability to access news about government affairs free from state control,” said Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, in a statement.

Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said the ruling is especially important right now.

“It’s unfortunate that it took this long for the Pentagon’s ridiculous policy to be thrown in the trash. Especially now that we are spending money and blood on yet another war based on constantly shifting pretexts, journalists should double down on their commitment to finding out what the Pentagon does not want the public to know rather than parroting ‘authorized’ narratives,” Stern said in a statement.

The fate of an Iranian woman caught in a US-Israeli bomb attack is unknown, after video emerged of the moments she filmed the bombardment on her phone.

March 20 (Asia Today) — This commentary is the Asia Today Editor’s Op-Ed.

With Seoul apartment values posting their biggest increase in five years, concerns are growing that a heavier property tax burden will spill into the Jeonse and monthly rental markets. Jeonse is a unique Korean housing lease system where tenants pay a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent, and get it back at the end of the lease.

Landlords are already showing signs of passing higher holding costs on to tenants through steeper rents and larger Jeonse deposits. If the government now moves to raise taxes further, including on single-home owners whose properties are deemed non-residential, it risks worsening instability in the rental market.

According to the Korea Real Estate Board, Seoul apartment Jeonse prices rose for a 57th straight week as of the second week of March, with the cumulative increase reaching 4.79%. Monthly rents climbed even faster. In February, the average monthly rent for an apartment in Seoul stood at 1.515 million won, or about $1,010, up 12.5% from a year earlier.

The sales market, by contrast, has cooled. Apartment prices in Seoul’s three Gangnam districts and Yongsan-gu have fallen for four consecutive weeks. But the Jeonse and monthly rental markets are becoming more unstable as new apartment supply shrinks and listings for existing units tighten. The shortage has been aggravated by the reinstatement in May of a capital gains tax surcharge on owners of multiple homes.

Against that backdrop, higher officially assessed home values are likely to add even more upward pressure on rents. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said this year’s official values for multifamily housing in Seoul rose 18.67% from a year earlier. That was the third-largest increase on record, behind only 2007 and 2021, both periods of sharp home-price gains.

In the three Gangnam districts and the Mapo-Yongsan-Seongdong area, where assessed values climbed more than 20%, many homeowners could see property tax bills rise by more than 50%. Even without a revision to tax law, the annual burden can increase by as much as 50%. Once local education taxes and the rural special tax are included, the actual increase can be even greater.

The number of single-home owners subject to the comprehensive real estate tax also rose sharply. Homes assessed above 1.2 billion won, or about $800,000, now total 487,362, up 170,000 from a year earlier.

For many elderly homeowners living on national pension payments, interest income or dividends, annual property taxes running from several million won to tens of millions of won can be difficult to absorb. Assessed values are also used to calculate regional health insurance premiums and can affect existing pension burdens, making the overall impact even heavier.

South Korea has already seen what happens when landlords shift tax costs onto tenants. During the previous progressive administration, rising tax burdens contributed to sharp increases in monthly rents and Jeonse deposits. Past data show that when the property tax rate rises by 1 percentage point, about 30% of the additional burden is passed on through Jeonse deposits and roughly 40% to 50% through monthly rent.

Even so, the government is considering higher property taxes or smaller long-term holding deductions to curb what it calls high-value single-home investments used for non-residential purposes. But real estate taxation can have broad collateral effects. If efforts to suppress housing prices go too far, tenants may once again end up paying the price.

The government should scrap any reckless plan to raise property tax rates on single-home owners.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260319010005978

No leakage of radioactive materials reported in the area in central Iran, Tehran’s atomic energy organisation says.

The United States and Israel have struck Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, according to its atomic energy organisation.

“Following the criminal attacks by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the … Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning,” the organisation said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency on Saturday.

It added that there was “no leakage of radioactive materials reported” at the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran, one of the country’s most important uranium enrichment sites, about 220km (135 miles) southeast of Tehran.

No radioactive material was released, Tasnim reported, quoting Iranian officials. There is no danger to the population living near the facility, according to the report.

The Natanz nuclear facility was also targeted by Israel in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025.

Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian nuclear organisation’s statement did not say how Saturday’s attack happened and what types of bombs were used in it.

“We know that Natanz is one of the key nuclear sites in Iran, towards the middle of the country, along with the Isfahan nuclear facilities,” he said.

“And we know a major goal of this war by the Americans and Israelis was about the nuclear programme of Iran, how to destroy it and prevent Iran from producing a nuclear bomb.”

Call for restraint

In a post on X, the International Atomic Energy ⁠Agency (IAEA) said Iran has ⁠informed it about the US-Israeli attack on the ⁠Natanz site.

No increase ⁠in off-site radiation ⁠levels was reported, the United ⁠Nations nuclear ⁠watchdog said, adding that it was looking into ‌the report.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi repeated his “call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident” during the war on Iran.

The White House has said a key objective of the war it launched alongside Israel on February 28 is to prevent Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Natanz site was previously hit in the first week of the 22-day war, and several buildings were damaged, according to satellite images at the time.

The UN nuclear watchdog said on March 3 that the nuclear site suffered “recent damage”, a day after Iran said the underground uranium enrichment plant was attacked.

Russia has condemned the latest attack ⁠on the Natanz facility, calling it “a blatant ‌violation of international law,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the US and Israel would intensify their strikes on Iran in the week starting Sunday.

“This week, the intensity of the strikes to be carried out by the IDF [Israeli army] and the US military against the Iranian terror regime and the infrastructure on which it relies will rise significantly,” Katz said in a statement on Saturday.

Owalai, Uganda – Martha Apolot navigates a dusty path through fields of cassava and millet under the searing hot sun. She carries a hoe on one shoulder, the blade carefully balanced, and over the other, her eight-year-old son, Aaron.

Every day, the 21-year-old mother takes Aaron to the fields where she works.

“Aaron is so weak, so I have to carry him from the house and lay him somewhere so I can work,” Martha says quietly, holding Aaron on her lap as she sits on the bare earth inside their tiny, single-room hut in Owalai, a rural hamlet in eastern Uganda.

They return home when it’s time to feed Aaron or when he has soiled himself, not when the tilling is done.

Aaron has an undiagnosed disability. He cannot walk, talk, eat solid foods or hold up his head without support. The back of his head is balding from lying down and prone to sores. He needs constant care, but Martha has no one else to look after him while she works.

Martha was 13 when a man lured her from her schoolyard and raped her. She did not know the man and never saw him again, she says. Her memories of that day are traumatic, and she goes quiet, breathing deeply and looking skyward.

Her pregnancy created an immediate rift within her family.

“My dad did not want me to come home, but my mother pleaded with my father to [let me] stay,” she explains after a long pause.

The seventh of eight children, Martha ran away, spending months at friends’ homes. Eventually, her older brother Paul, with whom she is close, tracked her down and told her their parents had accepted the situation and she could return home.

Aaron’s birth was long and complicated. After 15 hours of labour, doctors at the hospital in the city of Soroti admitted the teenager for an emergency caesarean section

Martha remembers the love she felt when she first saw her baby. “I felt so good, receiving my child. He was so handsome,” she recalls.

But Aaron was placed on oxygen shortly after birth. When he was taken away, she thought he had died. As he spent the first week of his life on oxygen, doctors warned Martha of future complications.

March 20 (Asia Today) — Kim Hyung-nam, a Seoul mayoral hopeful from the ruling Democratic Party, said Friday he would freeze rent increases and expand public rental housing if elected, framing housing insecurity as the city’s most urgent problem.

Kim, a former secretary-general of the Military Human Rights Center, told Asia Today he would seek to separate the sales market from the rental market to help stabilize housing costs in Seoul. He said he would pursue a temporary 0% cap on rent increases during his term.

Born in 1989, Kim described himself as a younger candidate but said he does not support a separate youth platform. He said problems facing younger residents should be treated as issues affecting all generations, arguing that unresolved housing and economic pressures on people in their 20s and 30s will eventually weigh on broader society.

At the center of his housing agenda is a proposal for the Seoul city government to buy villas and multifamily homes and secure 100,000 public rental units. Kim said public authorities must take the lead in the rental market to reduce housing instability and curb rent burdens.

He also criticized redevelopment policies around university districts, saying they failed to reflect steady demand for small rental units and helped drive up monthly rents by reducing supply.

On broader regional policy, Kim said Seoul’s high housing costs are worsening overcrowding in the capital region. He said people should move to other regions because of opportunity, not because they are priced out of Seoul. For that reason, he called proposals to absorb parts of Gyeonggi Province into Seoul a step backward rather than a fundamental solution.

Kim also pointed to his decade of activism on military human rights issues as evidence of his administrative ability, saying his experience in budget oversight and policy advocacy prepared him to move from criticism and proposals to planning and execution.

He said his broader political goal is to make Seoul a city where people can live without being pushed to the edge by housing and living costs, and pledged to protect what he called “citizens’ tomorrow.”

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260319010005894

March 20 (Asia Today) — Coupang interim CEO Harold Rogers joined an overnight to dawn delivery shift in Seongnam, south of Seoul, after accepting a lawmaker’s request at a National Assembly hearing to experience the job firsthand. Rogers worked from 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to 6:30 a.m. Thursday, taking part in the full process from loading to delivery, according to Coupang and local media reports.

The overnight shift followed a proposal made by Democratic Party lawmaker Yeom Tae-young during a parliamentary hearing in December, which Rogers agreed to at the time. Coupang said the experience was intended to deepen management’s understanding of field operations and strengthen trust by following through on that commitment.

Rogers and Yeom began at Coupang Logistics’ delivery camp in Yatap, where they completed safety training and helped load packages. They then rode with a directly employed Coupang delivery driver, known as a “Coupang Friend,” and delivered orders to apartments, villas and detached homes across Jungwon-gu.

Coupang said it would use the experience to accelerate workplace improvements and strengthen safety management by reflecting feedback from the field. Rogers said he was proud of all Coupang workers, including delivery staff, and pledged to continue building what he described as safe and advanced working conditions.

Separately, Coupang Fulfillment Services said it will begin holding job fairs Monday in Suwon, Daegu and other locations to recruit logistics workers as Rocket Fresh expands. The company said the events will use a one-stop hiring format covering consultation through interviews.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260320010006133

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has released a message for the Persian New Year saying that Iran’s unity had defeated the enemy. Khamenei’s message comes amid rumours over his health following US-Israeli strikes.

March 20 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s arms procurement agency has pledged a sweeping overhaul of its systems and export strategy as it pushes toward the government’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top four defense exporters. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, is South Korea’s defense procurement agency, and it is now led by Administrator Lee Yong-cheol.

Speaking at a briefing with defense reporters in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee said the agency would press ahead with faster decision-making, stronger export execution and greater technological self-reliance. He said the current moment amounted to a last chance to reform an organization long criticized for inefficiency and delay.

Lee said DAPA’s export drive must go beyond ceremonial overseas trips and focus instead on securing contracts and building practical business outcomes. But he also acknowledged that export growth alone is not enough if the underlying system remains slow and structurally weak.

One of the clearest examples, he said, was the long-delayed KDDX next-generation destroyer program. The project drifted for more than two years as authorities failed to make a policy choice between direct contracting and open bidding, exposing what Lee described as a deeper decision-making problem rather than a regulatory one.

Lee said South Korea also remains behind in drone warfare capabilities. While drones have become central to modern combat, the country’s military systems are still focused largely on reconnaissance, with limited strike and interception capacity and continued dependence on imported core components. He said DAPA plans to rely more heavily on rapid acquisition and early deployment of prototypes to speed fielding.

Defense semiconductors remain another major vulnerability. South Korea depends heavily on foreign technology for key components used in radars, guided weapons and communications systems, a weakness Lee described as an urgent national task. He said the answer lies in building stronger links between the civilian semiconductor sector and military demand while sustaining long-term investment.

Lee also pointed to Canada’s submarine procurement program as a major test of South Korea’s export competitiveness. He said the outlook was not unfavorable but remained uncertain, describing the bid as a national effort involving diplomacy, industry and military capabilities. Yonhap reported Friday that Lee sees the contest as essentially even, with South Korea competing against Germany for a contract covering 12 submarines.

DAPA said it will also seek structural reforms to prevent repeated delays, including penalties for intentional slowdowns and changes to procurement procedures that can trap projects in repeated failed bidding cycles. Lee has instructed staff to move from planning-based administration to execution-based management, with clear deadlines and accountability.

The agency’s challenge now is whether it can turn reform rhetoric into durable institutional change. For South Korea to become a top-tier defense exporter, industry officials say, speed, structure, technology and political resolve will all need to advance together.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260320010006140

Millions of people have rung in the ancient Persian New Year, Nowruz, as war grips the Middle East. The 3,000-year-old Zoroastrian-rooted celebration marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and is celebrated by 300 million people in Iran and Central Asia.

March 20 (Asia Today) — Kim Young-bae, a lawmaker and preliminary candidate for Seoul mayor from the ruling Democratic Party, said Thursday he would focus on practical policies to improve daily life for residents, promising to “give back one hour a day” by reducing commuting, caregiving and administrative waiting times.

Kim, a former Seongbuk district mayor and former presidential secretary, described himself as the most prepared candidate in the June 3 local election, citing experience in local administration, national politics and foreign affairs.

“What citizens really want is for someone to change even a small part of their lives,” Kim said in an interview with Asia Today. “The times call for practical politics and bread-and-butter politics focused on people’s lives, not ideology or division.”

Kim said his central campaign theme is “time inequality,” arguing that long commutes, caregiving burdens and inefficient public services leave residents with less time to plan their lives or pursue new opportunities.

As part of that agenda, he proposed high-density mixed-use development in four central Seoul areas – Yeongdeungpo, Sinchon, Cheongnyangni and the Dongdaemun Stadium area – to expand affordable housing near jobs. He also called for a better-linked public transit system connecting electric bikes, neighborhood buses, subways and city buses to create what he described as a more comfortable “10-minute station area.”

Kim said his strength over primary rivals lies in what he called a combination of administrative ability, political skill and global perspective. A two-term lawmaker, he currently serves as the ruling party’s senior member on the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and as secretary-general of the Korea-U.S. Parliamentary Alliance.

He also criticized incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, saying Oh should not seek another term after serving a combined 10 years in office. Kim pointed to a recent audit involving the Han River Bus project and argued that Seoul needs new leadership.

Among his other campaign proposals, Kim pledged to turn Seoul into a K-culture hub city and promote multi-core growth zones around gateway areas bordering Gyeonggi Province to reduce long commutes and ease congestion.

Kim said he wants to work with President Lee Jae-myung to usher in an era of practical politics that delivers tangible results for citizens.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260320010006220

March 20 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Industry Ministry has launched an audit of the Korea National Oil Corp. after about 900,000 barrels of crude stored under the country’s international joint stockpiling program were sold overseas without the state oil company exercising its priority purchase right, according to Asia Today and the ministry.

The oil had been owned by a foreign company and stored at a reserve facility in Ulsan under a program that allows overseas suppliers, including oil-producing countries and foreign firms, to use South Korea’s spare storage capacity. In an emergency, South Korea is supposed to have the first option to buy that oil.

The ministry said the Korea National Oil Corp. did not immediately exercise that right before the crude was sold abroad. It added that the audit would determine whether the company violated internal rules or procedures.

The international joint stockpiling program began in 1999 as part of efforts to stabilize domestic oil supply and demand.

The ministry said any confirmed violations would result in strict disciplinary action.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260320010006239

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque recorded his journey on the long road from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, Iraq as he deploys to cover the US-Israeli war on Iran. Along the 900km drive he found tight security and people largely unfazed by the conflict.

March 20 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s steel industry faces mounting pressure as Britain moves to tighten import restrictions, adding to growing trade barriers in the United States and Europe. Britain said it plans to cut steel import quotas by 60% and raise the tariff on volumes above the quota to 50% from 25%, with the new measures set to take effect July 1.

The tougher British measures have raised concerns about weaker exports and shrinking profitability for South Korean steelmakers. South Korea exported 640,000 metric tons of steel to Britain last year, accounting for 2.3% of its total steel exports, according to the industry ministry.

South Korean companies including POSCO and Hyundai Steel have shipped products such as heavy steel plate to Britain. POSCO said it is reviewing the situation and plans to respond after Britain releases more details on the affected products and volumes. The industry ministry said the move could violate World Trade Organization rules and the Korea-Britain free trade agreement, which provides for tariff-free steel trade, and pledged to work with London to limit damage to Korean companies.

The British action comes as other major markets also harden their trade defenses. The United States raised tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% in June 2025. The European Union is also pursuing a tougher steel regime that would cut tariff-free import volumes by 47% and double out-of-quota duties to 50%.

The broader protectionist shift has already hurt Korean producers. Industry officials say companies are increasingly reliant on government trade talks as barriers rise across major export markets.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260320010006218

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country is not seeking war with its neighbours, blaming the US and Israel for creating problems. Iran has justified its attacks on Gulf states as they host US military bases.

The US is moving military assets to the Middle East that are key to providing support for ground troop operations. Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett says it’s the clearest sign yet of potential US boots on the ground in Iran to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

March 20 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of allowing a so-called street preacher in Mississippi to challenge a law prohibiting where he can protest.

The high court said Gabriel Olivier can file a civil suit in response to a law in Brandon, Miss., that prevents public protests outside of designated areas. He said the law violates the 1st Amendment’s free speech protection.

Police in Brandon, Miss., arrested Olivier in 2021 as he and a group of protesters shouted slurs and insults at concertgoers as they entered an amphitheater. Some members of the group also held up graphic signs showing aborted fetuses.

He was convicted of violating the city’s laws banning protesters from coming within about 265 feet away of the amphitheater and from using loudspeakers that can be heard from more than 100 feet away, CNN reported.

Olivier pleaded no contest to the charges and was ordered to pay a fine and serve a year of unsupervised probation. Following his sentence, he sued the city, saying its law violated his free speech rights.

A 1994 Supreme Court ruling — Heck v. Humphrey — though says that a defendant convicted of a crime can’t then sue over the legality of their conviction. Otherwise, he and other defendants could be cleared of their convictions outside of the normal criminal appeals process, The Washington Post reported.

Olivier’s lawyers said his case should be allowed to proceed because success wouldn’t affect the result of his conviction, for which he wasn’t imprisoned. The Supreme Court agreed with a unanimous vote.

The ruling did not pass judgment on the constitutionality of the city of Brandon’s laws, only that Olivier is allowed to challenge them.

As US President Donald Trump pushes deeper into war with Iran, Europe is keeping its distance, calling it “not our war”. But as strikes on Gulf energy facilities send oil and gas prices soaring, that distance is being tested. In a rare joint move, leaders from across Europe and Japan have pledged to help stabilize energy markets and ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Can Europe stay out of the fighting while being pulled in by its economic consequences?

In this episode: 

• Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, Former EU Diplomat

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders and Chloe K. Li, with Spencer Cline, Sonia Baghat, Tuleen Barakat, Catherine Nouhan and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan.  Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. 

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