South

Chad le Clos says his apartment in South Africa was destroyed by a fatal fire – the night after the swimmer became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history.

Le Clos picked up his 21st medal to overtake Australia’s Emma McKeon as the athlete with the most medals in Commonwealths history, when South Africa took bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay in Glasgow last week.

It was the 34-year-old’s third medal of the 2026 Games, having won silver in the mixed 4×100 ⁠medley and bronze in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relays.

Only days later, Le Clos has revealed that a fire destroyed his home of more than a decade in Sea Point, Cape Town and killed one of his neighbours.

“It has taken me a while to process this heartbreaking tragedy,” the 2012 Olympic gold medallist wrote on Instagram, external.

“On the evening of 30 July, amid breaking the all-time Commonwealth record, a fire started in my apartment block, which quickly spread to my home. Sadly my home, where I’ve lived for more than a decade, burnt down and there is nothing left to salvage.”

In the post, Le Clos also paid tribute to his “neighbour of many years” who died in the fire, offering his “deepest and most sincere condolences” to the victim’s family and friends.

“No words can truly ease a loss like this, but I hope the family knows that the thoughts of an entire community are with them,” the Durban-born swimmer said.

According to reports, external, a 93-year-old resident died in the incident.

Le Clos added: “To my fellow neighbours whose homes and lives have been severely affected by this fire, please know that you are not alone. This is a tight-knit community and it is in moments like these that we lean on one another.”

Le Clos, who famously beat Michael Phelps to win 200m butterfly gold at the London Olympics in 2012, said he has launched a fundraising campaign to help his neighbours affected by the blaze.

Phelps was a 14-time Olympic champion and had not lost in the event since 2001 when the United States icon was beaten by Le Clos.

The South African won his first Commonwealth medal in Delhi in 2010 at the age of 18 and now has seven gold, five silver and nine bronze medals across five editions of the Games.

Over his career, he has won four Olympic medals, 16 world titles, seven Commonwealth golds and 10 African titles.

Aug. 4 (Asia Today) — More than half of the unresolved cases at South Korea’s anti-corruption agency have been pending for more than three months, raising concerns that chronic understaffing is undermining its ability to investigate alleged crimes involving senior government officials.

Data submitted by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials to People Power Party lawmaker Shin Dong-wook showed that 646 of its 1,243 unresolved cases had been pending for more than three months as of July 22.

The figure represented 52% of the agency’s unresolved caseload. The agency generally classifies cases pending for more than three months as long-running investigations.

The data showed that 597 cases had been pending for three months or less. An additional 252 cases had been pending for more than three months but less than six months, while 248 had been unresolved for six months to less than a year.

Another 146 cases had remained unresolved for at least one year.

The agency attributed the backlog primarily to a continuing increase in criminal complaints and accusations, along with a chronic shortage of personnel.

Under the law establishing the agency, it may employ 25 prosecutors, including its chief and deputy chief. It currently has 23 prosecutors, meaning it has not filled even its legally authorized staffing level.

The agency operates four investigative divisions, but only 18 prosecutors, including four division chiefs, are assigned directly to investigative work. Based on the total backlog, that is equivalent to more than 300 unresolved cases for each division.

The agency was launched in 2021 under the administration of former President Moon Jae-in to investigate alleged abuse of authority, bribery, violations of political funding laws and other crimes involving senior public officials and their family members.

Its creation was intended to strengthen oversight of powerful officials and root out corruption in government. Staffing shortages, however, have repeatedly been cited as a major limitation on the agency’s operations.

Legal experts said a prolonged backlog could damage public confidence not only in the agency’s investigative capabilities but also in the institution itself.

Cases involving high-ranking officials frequently involve complex facts, extensive questioning of witnesses and time-consuming efforts to obtain evidence. Excessive delays, however, can weaken the effectiveness of an investigation.

Concerns about South Korea’s overall ability to process criminal cases are also likely to increase as prosecutors face a growing number of unresolved investigations while long-pending cases accumulate at the anti-corruption agency.

“The number of long-running cases has increased because of the continuing rise in criminal complaints and accusations and the chronic shortage of personnel,” an agency official said.

“All members of the agency are making every effort to process cases promptly,” the 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=20260803010000486

July 28 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s elderly population exceeded 20% of the country’s total population for the first time in 2025, while the share of working-age residents fell below 70%, government data showed Tuesday.

The figures illustrate the accelerating transformation of South Korea’s population as low birth rates and rapid aging reduce the number of children and economically active adults.

South Korea’s total population stood at 51.817 million as of Nov. 1, up 12,000, or 0.02%, from a year earlier, according to the 2025 Population and Housing Census released by the National Data Agency.

The number of South Korean nationals declined by 50,000, but the foreign population increased by 70,000, preventing the country’s total population from falling.

Population growth has continued to slow. After declining in 2021 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the population increased 0.2% in 2023 and 0.1% in 2024. Growth slowed to 0.02% in 2025.

The number of South Korean nationals has fallen for five consecutive years since 2021, largely because of the country’s persistently low birth rate.

The foreign population rose 3.2% to 2.11 million, driven partly by increases in international students and seasonal workers. Foreign residents accounted for 4.1% of the total population.

Elderly population rises sharply

The number of people age 65 and older increased by 601,000, or 5.9%, to 10.723 million.

Older residents accounted for 20.7% of the population, exceeding the 20% threshold for the first time.

A country is generally classified as a super-aged society when at least 20% of its population is age 65 or older.

By comparison, the population age 14 and younger fell by 196,000 to 5.225 million, representing 10.1% of the total.

The number of older residents was more than twice the number of children.

South Korea’s working-age population, defined as people ages 15 to 64, decreased by 393,000 to 35.87 million.

The group accounted for 69.2% of the population, falling below 70% for the first time since the current census series began in 2015.

The decline could increase pressure on South Korea’s labor market, pension system and healthcare services as fewer working-age people support a growing elderly population.

People in their 50s were the country’s largest age group, accounting for 16.7% of the population. Those in their 60s represented 15.3%, followed by people in their 40s at 14.8%.

South Korea’s median age rose 0.6 year to 46.8.

Nearly 3 in 10 adults unmarried

The census also showed continuing changes in South Korea’s marriage patterns.

Of the country’s 43.234 million South Korean nationals age 18 or older, 12.789 million, or 29.6%, had never married.

The number of unmarried adults increased by 54,000, or 0.4%, from a year earlier.

The never-married rate among people in their 30s stood at 54.7%, meaning more than half of South Koreans in that age group had not married.

Among people in their 40s, the rate was 21.9%.

Seoul recorded the country’s highest never-married rate at 37.1%, while South Jeolla Province had the lowest at 22.2%.

— 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=20260728010010244

Aug. 2 (Asia Today) — Chung Cheong-rae rebounded in the South Korean ruling Democratic Party’s leadership race Sunday, defeating Kim Min-seok in the southeastern region after narrowly losing the opening contest in central South Korea.

Chung and Kim have each won one of the first two regional rounds ahead of the party’s Aug. 17 national convention, leaving the race for party leader virtually even.

Chung received 25,189 votes, or 46.65%, from eligible party members in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.

Kim finished second with 23,675 votes, or 43.84%, leaving Chung ahead by 1,514 votes, or 2.81 percentage points.

Former party leader Song Young-gil received 5,129 votes, or 9.49%. The officially reported percentages were rounded to 46.65% for Chung, 43.85% for Kim and 9.5% for Song.

Kim had narrowly won Saturday’s opening round in the Chungcheong region, which includes Daejeon, Sejong and North and South Chungcheong provinces.

Kim received 45.05%, compared with Chung’s 44.61%, a margin of 303 votes, or 0.44 percentage points. Song received 10.34%.

After the first two rounds, Chung held a narrow cumulative lead with about 45.5%, compared with Kim’s 44.5%.

The results announced during the regional contests represent only the first-choice votes of eligible party members. Delegate votes and the results of a public opinion survey will be announced at the national convention in Daejeon.

One-person, one-vote system raises importance of members

The Democratic Party finalized an electoral roll last week containing 17,667 delegates and more than 1.52 million dues-paying party members.

The leadership election is the first to apply a one-person, one-vote principle equally to delegates and eligible members, replacing a system in which individual delegate votes carried substantially more weight.

Combined votes from delegates and eligible party members will account for 70% of the final result, while a public opinion survey will make up the remaining 30%.

The large number of party members means their preferences are expected to play a decisive role.

The Chungcheong and southeastern electorates together represent less than 20% of the total party electorate, however, making it too early to predict the final outcome.

Chung told reporters after Sunday’s results that he had regained the lead.

“I have come from behind,” Chung said.

He compared his campaign with former President Roh Moo-hyun’s victory over Lee In-je during the 2002 presidential nomination race.

Chung said Roh defeated an opponent supported by an established political organization and numerous lawmakers despite having little comparable institutional backing.

“Just as Roh Moo-hyun defeated Lee In-je, who lined up organizations and lawmakers behind him, Chung Cheong-rae will defeat Kim Min-seok,” he said.

Chung also told party members during a speech at the BEXCO convention center in Busan that “organization cannot defeat a political wind.”

Candidates exchange accusations of factional betrayal

The close race has intensified a broader conflict over factions within the ruling party.

During a joint campaign speech in Ulsan, Kim called for an end to what he described as a damaging confrontation between factions aligned with President Lee Jae-myung and Chung.

“We must end the vicious cycle of the Lee-Chung conflict,” Kim said.

He said he would refer people responsible for improper factional activity during the campaign to the party’s ethics committee.

Chung responded by invoking Kim’s conduct during the 2002 presidential election.

Kim left Roh’s then-ruling party after joining lawmakers who pushed for Roh to form a unified presidential ticket with independent candidate Chung Mong-joon.

The group was widely criticized by Roh’s supporters as having abandoned the party’s presidential nominee.

“A person who betrays once will betray again,” Chung said, directing the remark at Kim.

The renewed dispute over the episode reflects the extent to which events from the 2002 presidential campaign continue to influence relationships and perceptions inside South Korea’s progressive political camp.

Song also criticized Chung’s attempt to return as party leader.

“The Democratic Party does not permit consecutive terms,” Song said. “Is there really a need to seek another term?”

Ranked-choice votes could determine winner

The Democratic Party is using a preferential voting system in the three-candidate leadership contest.

Voters rank the candidates by preference. Should no candidate receive a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate finishing last will be eliminated and that candidate’s second-choice votes will be redistributed to the remaining two contenders.

The redistribution process will continue until one candidate secures a majority.

The regional percentages released so far include only first-choice votes and do not show how Song’s supporters ranked Chung and Kim as their second choices.

With Chung and Kim each receiving less than 50%, Song’s redistributed votes could determine the winner if the close three-way pattern continues through the remaining regional contests.

The regional campaign will continue Saturday in Jeju and Incheon, followed by Gangwon Province, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province on Aug. 9.

Voting in the Honam region, covering Gwangju and North and South Jeolla provinces, is scheduled for Aug. 15. The final regional events will take place in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul on Aug. 16.

A 5% strategic-region bonus will apply in the traditionally conservative Yeongnam and Gangwon regions.

The party leader candidates are also scheduled to participate in televised debates on KBS on Wednesday and SBS on Aug. 12.

The final result will be announced at the Democratic Party’s national convention in Daejeon on Aug. 17.

— 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=20260802010000251

July 31 (Asia Today) — People Power Party floor leader Chung Jeom-sik on Friday accused South Korea’s governing party of seeking to abolish prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority to help President Lee Jae-myung avoid his criminal trials.

Chung called the proposed revision to the Criminal Procedure Act “an unprecedentedly harmful law” that would remain a disgrace in the country’s constitutional history.

He also demanded the withdrawal of a separate bill that would shorten the review period for legislation designated for fast-track consideration, calling it a measure that would turn the National Assembly into a rubber stamp.

“In a few hours, the filibuster will be forcibly ended through collusion by the broader governing bloc and this unprecedentedly harmful law will pass,” Chung said at a People Power Party floor strategy meeting.

He claimed that more than half of the public opposed eliminating prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority but that the Democratic Party was disregarding public opinion.

The bill would bar prosecutors from conducting additional investigations after police transfer a case to them. Prosecutors would instead be able to request that police conduct further investigative work.

Supporters say the measure would complete the separation of investigative and prosecutorial authority and strengthen defendants’ rights. Opponents say it could delay investigations and weaken protections for crime victims.

Chung focused particularly on a provision governing when courts may dismiss criminal indictments.

He accused the Democratic Party of quietly adding language during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee that could make it easier to terminate the president’s pending trials.

“Is the ‘working National Assembly’ advocated by the Democratic Party merely a legislature creating an escape route to erase President Lee Jae-myung’s trials?” Chung said.

The claim that the provision was designed to end Lee’s cases represents the opposition party’s interpretation of the legislation.

Chung said ordinary citizens could suffer from inadequate or delayed investigations if prosecutors lost their supplementary investigative authority while powerful figures could escape legal scrutiny.

He described the bill as “the end of the rule of law.”

Opposition plans second filibuster

Chung also criticized a revision to the National Assembly Act scheduled to follow the criminal procedure bill.

The legislation would reduce the maximum review period for fast-track bills from 330 days to 90 days.

“This is an authoritarian law intended to turn the National Assembly more quickly into a machine that raises its hand and follows orders,” Chung said.

The fast-track system was introduced to prevent legislation from being blocked indefinitely while preserving time for negotiations among political parties.

Chung said the Democratic Party’s proposal would destroy that balance and encourage the hasty passage of legislation.

“There is a saying that trying to arrive 10 minutes earlier can send you 10 years too soon,” he said. “If legislation is rushed, the country could suffer lasting consequences.”

He called the proposal a “rubber-stamp National Assembly law” and said it should be withdrawn.

The People Power Party planned to begin a second filibuster immediately after debate ended on the Criminal Procedure Act revision.

Choi Eun-seok, the party’s senior floor spokesperson, said the filibuster against the National Assembly Act revision was expected to begin at about 5 p.m.

Chung also rejected a demand from Democratic Party members of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee that People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook be removed from the committee.

He called the demand an improper attempt to interfere with the opposition party’s committee assignments.

“The Democratic Party must abandon its authoritarian belief that the National Assembly is its property or its plaything,” Chung said.

Election commission investigation

The People Power Party said it would move quickly to establish a recommendation committee for a special counsel investigation of the National Election Commission.

The National Assembly approved the investigation bill Thursday through an agreement between the governing and opposition parties.

The investigation is expected to examine a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections and other allegations involving the election commission.

Choi said the party was reviewing potential candidates from several perspectives.

“We will work to establish the recommendation committee and launch the investigation as quickly as possible,” he 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=20260731010011674

July 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s National Assembly passed legislation Friday eliminating prosecutors’ authority to conduct direct and supplementary investigations, advancing a major restructuring of the country’s criminal justice system.

Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the governing Democratic Party, said before the vote that the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act would mark the beginning of a new system rather than the end of prosecution reform.

“Today’s revision of the Criminal Procedure Act is not the end of prosecution reform but the beginning of a new criminal justice system,” Han said during a party Supreme Council meeting.

He said the government and governing party must prevent investigative gaps and ensure that crime victims and other citizens remain protected during the transition.

The legislation passed later Friday after lawmakers ended a filibuster by the opposition People Power Party.

Under the revised law, prosecutors will no longer be allowed to conduct their own investigations, including additional investigative work after receiving cases from police.

Prosecutors will instead be permitted to request supplementary investigations from judicial police officers.

Police generally must complete the requested work within one month and report the results to prosecutors. The period may be extended for up to one additional month when necessary.

The legislation also requires investigative information to be recorded in South Korea’s criminal justice information system.

Han said the Democratic Party would take responsibility for completing the regulations and institutional arrangements needed to launch the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency on Oct. 2.

The new Public Prosecution Office will be responsible primarily for indictments and maintaining prosecutions in court. The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency will investigate major offenses formerly handled directly by prosecutors.

“We will take responsibility until the end so that the two agencies can begin operating in a stable manner,” Han said.

Opposition lawmakers and some legal professionals have warned that eliminating prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority could create delays, weaken oversight of police investigations and leave victims with fewer avenues for redress.

The Democratic Party says the legislation includes safeguards intended to prevent cases from being ignored or delayed and to preserve the rights of victims and complainants.

Governing party promises further legislation

Han said the governing party would continue pursuing legislation dealing with public welfare and political reform.

“We will respond to people’s livelihoods with speed and to reform with results,” he said.

Han cited legislation authorizing a special counsel investigation of the National Election Commission and a proposal to shorten the review period for bills designated for fast-track consideration.

The fast-track proposal would reduce the maximum review period from 330 days to 90 days, including 60 days for consideration by the relevant standing committee and 30 days for review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

The People Power Party opposes the change, saying it would weaken opportunities for negotiation and allow the parliamentary majority to rush controversial bills through the legislature.

Han said the Democratic Party would work to create a more productive National Assembly in which legislation affecting people’s livelihoods is reviewed and passed without unnecessary delays.

“We will not avoid the responsibility entrusted to us by the public,” he said.

Party vows to address stock market volatility

Han also said the Democratic Party and the government would work together to reduce uncertainty in South Korea’s capital markets.

The comments followed heightened volatility linked in part to leveraged investment products tied to individual stocks.

Han said officials would examine whether adequate investor protections were in place when the products were introduced.

“We recognize the current market conditions and investors’ concerns with the utmost seriousness,” he said. “We will calmly and transparently review the introduction process and whether investor protection measures were sufficient.”

Han urged the People Power Party not to use investors’ concerns as political ammunition.

“Using investor anxiety for political attacks and increasing market uncertainty through unverified claims can undermine confidence in the South Korean stock market and cause serious harm to investors,” he said.

He said lawmakers should instead identify the causes of instability and develop effective measures to address them.

The Democratic Party’s special committee on South Korea’s capital markets will communicate with financial regulators and industry officials to evaluate policy measures and market reactions, Han said.

The party will also continue efforts to improve corporate value and governance at publicly traded companies, he 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=20260731010011686

July 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s arms procurement agency signed a contract with Hanwha Ocean on Friday for the detailed design and construction of the first KDDX next-generation destroyer.

The agreement moves the long-delayed naval program into its full design and construction stage after nearly three years of disputes over the selection of a shipbuilder.

The lead ship is scheduled to be delivered to the South Korean Navy by the end of 2032.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said KDDX will be South Korea’s first large destroyer built with a domestically developed hull, combat management system, multifunction radar and other core weapons systems.

Although the vessel is sometimes described in South Korea as a Korean-style Aegis destroyer or a mini-Aegis ship, it is not expected to use the U.S.-developed Aegis Combat System.

Instead, the destroyer will combine a South Korean integrated combat system with an indigenous phased-array radar to detect, track and engage aircraft, missiles, ships and other threats.

The contract for the detailed design and lead ship is valued at about 882.1 billion won, or about $617 million.

The entire program, including five additional destroyers, is expected to cost about 7.8 trillion won, or $5.46 billion.

The government has not determined which companies will build the five follow-on ships or how those contracts will be awarded.

Contract ends prolonged shipbuilder dispute

Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, completed the KDDX conceptual design.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries later conducted the basic design, leading to expectations that it would receive a negotiated contract for the detailed design and lead ship.

Hanwha Ocean instead called for a competitive bidding process, citing a military-secrets case involving HD Hyundai Heavy Industries employees.

The acquisition agency accepted that request and held a competition.

Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries were reportedly separated by less than 0.6 point in the final evaluation.

A 1.2-point security penalty imposed on HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was considered decisive.

Employees of the company had been convicted of photographing or improperly handling military secrets related to the KDDX program.

Hanwha Ocean was selected as the preferred bidder June 11. The company’s selection had previously been reported as part of a six-ship program valued at approximately 7.8 trillion won or $5.46 billion.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries challenged the evaluation but its objection was rejected in early July. Negotiations between the acquisition agency and Hanwha Ocean then led to Friday’s final agreement.

The contract was signed before all cost data were finalized. The final value may therefore be adjusted to reflect verified construction expenses.

South Korean systems to replace foreign equipment

The KDDX is expected to displace about 7,000 tons when lightly loaded and will be larger than South Korea’s Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers.

It will be smaller than the Navy’s Sejong the Great and Jeongjo the Great-class destroyers equipped with the American Aegis system.

The ship will feature a low-observable design and an integrated mast intended to reduce its radar signature.

Planned armament includes a 5-inch naval gun and South Korean vertical launch systems capable of carrying surface-to-air, anti-ship, land-attack and anti-submarine weapons.

The exact number of vertical launch cells has not been officially confirmed.

The acquisition agency said major systems, including the combat management system, sonar, multifunction phased-array radar and ship-launched surface-to-air missiles, will be developed domestically.

South Korea plans to apply technologies developed since the basic design was completed, including digital-twin construction, layered counter-drone defenses and a communications environment using 5G and integrated wired and wireless networks.

A digital twin is a computerized replica of the ship that can be used to test design changes, construction procedures and equipment performance before work is carried out on the physical vessel.

The Navy is also considering integrated electric propulsion to reduce noise and improve anti-submarine survivability.

Automation is expected to reduce the number of sailors required to operate the ship compared with older destroyer classes.

Schedule remains a challenge

The KDDX basic design was completed in December 2023 and the detailed design and lead ship construction were originally expected to begin soon afterward.

Disputes between Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries delayed the program by about two years.

The acquisition agency and Hanwha Ocean will now need to shorten portions of the development and construction schedule to meet the 2032 delivery target.

Jung Jae-jun, head of the acquisition agency’s force resources division, described KDDX as a national project bringing together South Korea’s shipbuilding and defense capabilities.

Jung said the government would examine several options for the construction of the follow-on vessels while seeking to deploy the new destroyers on schedule.

He said the program could also strengthen the international competitiveness of South Korean naval vessels.

Hanwha Ocean previously said it felt a significant responsibility after being selected as the preferred bidder and would work with the government to normalize the delayed program.

Competition between Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is expected to continue as the government determines how to award contracts for the five remaining destroyers.

— 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=20260731010011621

July 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea will launch a strategic investment fund worth more than 20 trillion won, or about $13.6 billion, next year to provide long-term capital to artificial intelligence, semiconductor and other industries considered vital to national security and economic growth.

The government said Friday that it would establish a separate strategic investment account within the Korea Investment Corporation rather than create an independent sovereign wealth fund.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance and Economy Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced the plan during an emergency economic meeting and a meeting of economic ministers at the Government Complex Seoul.

The new account will use KIC’s international investment network and asset-management expertise while expanding the corporation’s mandate beyond its traditional role of investing public foreign-exchange assets overseas.

The government plans to submit a revision to the Korea Investment Corporation Act to the National Assembly in August and complete the legislation before the end of the year.

The fund is expected to begin operating in 2027.

Government shares to provide initial capital

The fund will begin with more than 20 trillion won in assets.

The government plans to contribute more than 16 trillion won, or about $10.9 billion, in shares it holds in public financial institutions, including the Korea Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

It will also contribute about 4 trillion won, or $2.7 billion, in private-company shares received as payment for inheritance and gift taxes.

The government is considering accepting private donations intended to increase national wealth as another source of capital.

The fund will target artificial intelligence, semiconductors and other advanced strategic industries as well as data centers, critical infrastructure and overseas companies important to South Korea’s supply chains.

Unlike conventional policy financing, which often relies on loans, guarantees or subsidized credit, the fund will primarily make direct equity investments.

The government said the approach would allow it to remain invested in promising companies for longer periods and share in their growth.

The fund will also be able to exercise shareholder voting rights to promote corporate value, protect critical technologies and help companies defend themselves against hostile takeovers.

Fund to serve as an anchor investor

The government wants the strategic account to serve as an anchor investor capable of attracting global institutional investors to South Korean projects.

By committing public capital first, the fund could reduce perceived risk and encourage foreign sovereign funds, pension funds and private investors to participate.

The government also plans to connect the new account with existing policy funds.

Venture and growth funds usually must sell their holdings and return capital to investors within four to eight years.

Under a proposed relay-investment system, the strategic fund could purchase stakes in promising companies when those shorter-term policy funds reach maturity or begin liquidation.

The arrangement is intended to prevent companies with long development cycles from losing financial support before they become commercially established.

The model could be particularly important for semiconductor fabrication, artificial intelligence infrastructure, biotechnology and other sectors requiring large investments over many years.

Separate governance structure planned

The government said it would create governance safeguards intended to protect the fund’s investment independence.

KIC’s board structure would be divided between its existing foreign-reserve investment account and the new strategic account.

A dedicated investment committee and advisory committee would be established for strategic investments.

An operating committee would set broad policy and investment priorities but would not intervene in individual investment decisions, the government said.

The separation is intended to prevent short-term political considerations from determining which companies receive investments.

The plan also represents a change from an earlier proposal to establish a completely separate sovereign wealth fund.

The government instead decided to expand KIC’s mandate and use its existing personnel, investment systems and global relationships.

Long-term capital for industrial strategy

South Korea has introduced several public financing programs to support advanced industries, including funds targeting chips, artificial intelligence, batteries and biotechnology.

The new strategic account differs because it is designed to hold equity investments for extended periods rather than provide loans or exit investments according to fixed fund schedules.

The government expects the fund to support major national projects involving semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence and data centers while helping South Korean companies secure critical overseas supply chains.

It also hopes investment returns will gradually expand the fund’s assets and reduce its dependence on additional government contributions.

The success of the plan will depend on whether the government can maintain commercial investment discipline while pursuing broader industrial and national-security objectives.

It will also require clear rules governing voting rights, corporate intervention, investment losses and potential conflicts between financial returns and government policy.

— 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=20260731010011712

JOHANNESBURG — Oprah Winfrey says she will close the school for underprivileged girls she set up in South Africa two decades ago at the end of next year.

Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 after being inspired by conversations with former South African President Nelson Mandela about the transformative power of educating girls. He was among the guests at the school’s opening ceremony.

Winfrey’s charitable foundation ran and funded the school, but it was always part of the agreement that the academy campus near Johannesburg be ultimately handed over to the provincial education department, the academy said.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey said in a statement issued by the academy on Wednesday. “It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”

The academy said Winfrey’s commitment to educating South African girls would continue through an expanded national scholarship program supporting academically talented girls at leading schools across the country.

More than 500 girls have graduated from the academy and some have attended top universities in South Africa, the United States and Europe, according to the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre academy campus, which has 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a 10,000-volume library and a 600-seat theater. It did not immediately say what the plans for the property were.

Gauteng Provincial Minister for Education Lebogang Maile said those currently enrolled in the school will be able to complete their education with uninterrupted financial support.

The academy drew international attention shortly after opening in 2007 when several students accused a dormitory matron of physically and sexually abusing them.

Winfrey traveled to South Africa to meet with students and parents, publicly apologized, and commissioned an independent investigation.

The matron was acquitted of criminal charges in 2010.

Gumede writes for the Associated Press.

July 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s acting prosecutor general submitted his resignation Friday after the National Assembly passed legislation eliminating prosecutors’ authority to conduct supplementary investigations.

Koo Ja-hyun said he felt responsible for the overhaul of the country’s criminal justice system and had submitted his resignation.

“The revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, centered on abolishing prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority, passed the National Assembly today,” Koo said at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul.

“I also feel a strong sense of responsibility that the law was revised while concerns raised by legal experts, other professionals and the public remain unresolved,” he said.

The National Assembly passed the bill Friday under the leadership of the governing Democratic Party.

The legislation bars prosecutors from conducting additional investigative work after receiving cases from police. Prosecutors will instead be required to ask police to perform supplementary investigations.

The Democratic Party says the change completes the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers and prevents prosecutors from exercising excessive authority.

Opposition lawmakers, prosecutors and some legal experts have warned that the system could delay cases and weaken protection for crime victims.

Koo warns of investigative gaps

Koo said prosecutors needed to reflect deeply on their failure to earn public trust.

He said, however, that institutional reform should not undermine the prosecution’s responsibility to uncover the truth and protect victims and other people involved in criminal cases.

“Even when institutional reform is carried out for those reasons, the essential purpose of the prosecution system – discovering the substantive truth and protecting victims and other parties – must not be damaged,” Koo said.

Koo said he had repeatedly considered how the system could be changed while protecting citizens’ rights and safeguarding society from crime.

He said prosecutors had warned lawmakers that the revision could force them to make indictment decisions based only on written investigative records.

Under that structure, prosecutors could have difficulty independently checking disputed facts, identifying gaps in police investigations or responding directly to victims’ concerns, he said.

Koo also warned that repeatedly returning cases to police could create a more costly and inefficient process.

“Those concerns were not accepted and the amendment passed without change,” he said. “It is difficult to conceal my disappointment and sense of helplessness.”

Koo urged the government to conduct another review of possible gaps in the system after the legislation is formally transferred from the National Assembly.

“I sincerely hope our criminal justice system will develop in a direction that ensures every citizen is protected fairly under the law,” he said.

Prosecution faces another leadership vacancy

South Korea’s prosecution service has already been operating without a formally appointed prosecutor general.

Koo has led the organization in an acting capacity while serving as deputy prosecutor general.

His departure would leave the service under what South Korean media described as an “acting acting chief.”

If Koo’s resignation is accepted, Park Kyu-hyung, head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s planning and coordination department, is expected to assume the duties of acting prosecutor general.

The leadership vacancy comes as the government prepares to replace the existing prosecution service with a new Public Prosecution Office and establish a separate Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

The Public Prosecution Office will focus on indictments and courtroom prosecutions, while the new investigative agency will handle major crimes previously investigated directly by prosecutors.

The two agencies are scheduled to launch Oct. 2.

The transition will require the government to determine how pending cases, personnel, records and investigative responsibilities will be transferred.

— 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=20260731010011845

July 30 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s state-run housing guarantor failed to properly investigate debtors and recover claims after paying about 15 trillion won, or $10.3 billion, under defaulted guarantees over the past five years, a government audit found Thursday.

The Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation, commonly known as HUG, has yet to recover about 12 trillion won, or $8.2 billion, of that amount.

The Board of Audit and Inspection released the findings of its regular audit of the corporation, identifying problems in guarantee issuance, project financing reviews, debt collection and customer refunds.

HUG provides guarantees intended to protect tenants if landlords fail to return jeonse deposits.

Jeonse is a housing rental arrangement widely used in South Korea in which a tenant provides a large refundable deposit instead of paying, or in exchange for paying less, monthly rent.

Corporation undercharged guarantee fees

Auditors found that HUG undercharged a corporate rental business by about 2.77 billion won, or $1.9 million, when issuing guarantees covering 12,752 homes.

HUG’s rules required it to calculate the fee using the company’s credit rating on the date the guarantee was issued. Employees instead used an earlier, more favorable credit rating from the application date.

The audit board called for disciplinary action against the employees involved and instructed HUG to review ways of collecting the unpaid fees.

HUG has reported financial losses since 2022 as rental deposit guarantee defaults increased, including cases involving large-scale jeonse fraud.

Its operating loss grew from 242.9 billion won, or about $166 million, in 2022 to 2.19 trillion won, or about $1.5 billion, in 2024.

Weak reviews led to $261 million in PF guarantees

The audit also found deficiencies in HUG’s reviews of housing project financing guarantees.

Such guarantees rely largely on a developer’s projected income from future home sales, making an accurate assessment of expected cash flow essential.

Auditors found that HUG accepted financial data in which developers had arbitrarily delayed construction payments, improving the projects’ apparent debt-service capacity.

As a result, HUG approved a combined 382 billion won, or about $261 million, in guarantees for three projects that should have been rejected under its own standards.

HUG also incorrectly graded two other projects and collected about 1.64 billion won, or $1.1 million, less in guarantee fees than it should have.

Thousands of debtors were not investigated

The audit board also found major gaps in HUG’s efforts to identify assets belonging to debtors after paying claims on their behalf.

An examination of seven regional management centers found no record of an asset investigation for 2,915 of 9,003 debtors, or 32.3%.

The rate varied widely among regional offices. The Seoul Northern Center investigated the assets of only 21.6% of the debtors assigned to it, compared with 99.8% at the Seoul Western Center.

HUG’s headquarters failed to adequately monitor or address those differences, auditors said.

Tenants missed refunds

HUG also failed to refund fees to some tenants who had been enrolled in both a landlord rental deposit guarantee and a tenant jeonse deposit return guarantee.

The audit identified 1,699 cases involving about 173 million won, or approximately $118,000, in unreturned fees.

It also found 454 guarantee-default cases in which money owed to tenants had not been properly returned.

The audit board instructed HUG to analyze the causes of the problems and develop improvements in its core operations, including guarantee reviews, issuance procedures and debt recovery.

It also called for disciplinary or corrective action against employees responsible for improper decisions.

— 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=20260730010011338

July 30 (Asia Today) — South Korean police have referred a woman in her 20s to prosecutors on allegations that she spread false information about the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement on Instagram.

The Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul said Thursday that the woman, whose identity was withheld, was recently referred without detention on suspicion of violating a special law concerning the 1980 democracy movement.

The woman allegedly posted a comment May 15 describing the movement as an armed insurrection carried out by anti-state forces.

She posted the comment under an Instagram message promoting benefits offered in Gwangju and other areas to commemorate the anniversary of the movement.

She then captured an image of her comment and shared it through the Instagram Stories feature on her account, police said.

The May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement began in May 1980, when citizens protested martial law and military rule. Government troops violently suppressed the demonstrations.

South Korean law prohibits knowingly spreading false information about the movement through newspapers, broadcasts, the Internet or other publicly accessible channels.

A conviction can carry a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won, or about $34,200.

Police began investigating after receiving a complaint through the government’s online civil petition service May 21.

“Historical distortion concerning May 18 not only insults victims and their families and damages their reputations but can also create social confusion by spreading a false understanding of history,” a police official said.

Police said they would strictly investigate the deliberate creation and distribution of clearly false information that exceeds the legally protected boundaries of free expression.

— 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=20260730010011422

July 30 (Asia Today) — Residents near South Korea’s border with North Korea were briefly ordered to evacuate Thursday after the military detected an unidentified aircraft that was later confirmed to be a U.S. drone involved in a training exercise.

South Korean troops detected the aircraft south of a general outpost in northern Gyeonggi province and responded in accordance with established operational procedures, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

“After checking, it was confirmed to be a U.S. drone participating in training,” a Joint Chiefs official said.

The aircraft was detected by South Korean personnel using thermal observation equipment. The military initially could not determine whether it belonged to South Korea, North Korea or another operator.

Residents living north of the Civilian Control Line near Cheorwon in Gangwon province received emergency messages at about 2:30 p.m. telling them that a drone had been detected and instructing them to move to nearby shelters or leave a restricted checkpoint area.

The Civilian Control Line marks a restricted zone south of the Demilitarized Zone where civilian access is limited for security reasons.

The military identified the aircraft as a U.S. drone about an hour after the warning was issued and ended the emergency response.

U.S. Forces Korea later said the incident occurred during combined training involving U.S. Marines and South Korea’s 1st Marine Division.

“The U.S. Marine Corps is assessing the circumstances surrounding the incident and remains in coordination with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and relevant local authorities,” U.S. Forces Korea said.

It remained unclear whether the drone’s flight plan had been shared in advance with all South Korean units responsible for monitoring the border area.

South Korean military officials said further investigation was needed to determine the aircraft’s specific unit and why its operation was not immediately identified.

The incident raised the possibility that incomplete communication about the U.S. training exercise caused confusion among South Korean troops and local authorities.

— 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=20260730010011478

July 30 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s military began inspecting front-line Army units Thursday after a corps changed its guard procedures and stopped loading live ammunition into heavy weapons deployed near the border with North Korea.

The review follows concerns that the change could weaken the military’s ability to respond quickly during an emergency.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Army Ground Operations Command began an on-site inspection of the 1st Corps on Thursday and plans to examine other front-line corps under its command.

Military officials will consider additional measures after completing the inspections.

The Ground Operations Command oversees five regional corps – the Capital, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th corps – as well as the 7th Maneuver Corps. The inspections will cover front-line units in some of the five regional corps.

The 1st Corps, which is responsible for the western section of the inter-Korean border, reportedly changed its procedures during the first half of this year.

Under the revised procedures, soldiers at guard posts and general outposts did not load live ammunition into crew-served weapons, including K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers.

The ammunition was instead stored in ammunition boxes near the weapons.

South Korean front-line units are generally required to keep live ammunition loaded in weapons used for guard operations. The 1st Corps reportedly made an exception under the authority of its commander, Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung.

The measure was reportedly intended to prevent accidental discharges, but critics said it could delay the military’s response to a North Korean attack or other emergency in the heavily fortified border area.

Questions have also been raised about whether Han’s decision was influenced by an accidental discharge that occurred while he commanded the Army’s 25th Infantry Division last year.

During that incident, a K6 machine gun round was accidentally fired toward North Korea while soldiers at a general outpost were inspecting the weapon.

A military official said inspectors would examine whether it was appropriate for a commander to change ammunition-loading procedures at his discretion, along with other operational issues.

“The use of firearms at front-line guard posts and general outposts is based on the principle that live ammunition must be loaded,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The military said it would take necessary action after examining units operating under exceptions to that rule.

Detailed information cannot be disclosed because of operational security, it 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=20260730010011169

South Africa defender Olwethu Makhanya has become Rangers’ eighth summer signing, joining for an undisclosed fee from Philadelphia Union.

The 22-year-old centre-back played for the Major League Soccer side 53 times after breaking into the first team last year.

He has signed a four-year deal at Ibrox with the option of a further year.

“I can’t even explain how I am feeling right now, it is honestly a big honour and a huge blessing for me to join such a big club with so much history. I can’t wait to get started,” Makhanya said.

“For me, it has always been a dream to play football in Europe, ever since I was a kid, so to be here is a dream come true.”

Makhanya, who started his career with Stellenbosch in his homeland, was rewarded for his impressive club form by being included in South Africa’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The defender did not play at this summer’s finals, but Rangers boss Derek McInnes feels he has all the tools to thrive in Scotland.

“He’s got a lot of athleticism and good potential,” McInnes said prior to his side’s Scottish Premiership opener at Dundee United on Friday.

“And while he’s coming from the MLS, to a different country and a different type of football, we feel he’s got the attributes that can cope with that.”

July 29 (Asia Today) — Hanwha Aerospace said Wednesday it was formally selected to supply its Arion-SMET multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle to the South Korean military.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration notified Hanwha of its selection for the 49.6 billion won ($33.6 million) program, the company said.

Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem reportedly competed for the contract.

The Arion-SMET can carry a payload of about 990 pounds and is equipped with day-and-night surveillance systems that help distinguish friendly forces from potential threats. It is also designed for extended continuous operations.

The arms procurement agency’s defense project management committee previously reviewed and approved the Arion-SMET as the vehicle for the military’s multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle program.

The vehicle is considered a key component of Army TIGER 4.0, South Korea’s program to modernize Army units through artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and networked combat capabilities.

Hanwha Aerospace is also involved in projects to develop and deploy unmanned reconnaissance vehicles, explosive ordnance detection and disposal robots and manned-unmanned chemical, biological and radiological reconnaissance vehicles.

The company plans to sign a mass-production contract with the procurement agency as early as August.

“As South Korea’s leading UGV platform company, we will continue building a comprehensive manned-unmanned teaming portfolio that combines unmanned systems with existing platforms such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and infantry fighting vehicles,” a Hanwha Aerospace official said.

The official said the company would rapidly begin mass-production procedures to minimize any gap in military capabilities.

— 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=20260729010010793

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Washington powerbroker Sen. Lindsey Graham returned home to South Carolina for the last time Wednesday for his funeral and burial.

After Graham was eulogized Tuesday in the nation’s capital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia prepared to remember him Wednesday as the son of pool hall owners who never forgot his roots.

Graham seemed to know every small-town mayor and police chief and the location of every Chick-fil-A across South Carolina. His PAC made sure Republicans had money to run in legislative and local elections across the state.

Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his 71st birthday, and a visit to Ukraine as he negotiated punishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as a final gesture for their colleague.

Wednesday’s funeral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown church where his predecessor Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond was honored 23 years ago.

Graham’s body was first brought to the South Carolina Statehouse, where he started his political career in 1993, for a law enforcement ceremony and a flyover by military jets. A horse-drawn caisson then carried his casket to the church, where his family followed members of his family carrying it inside.

Graham’s burial Wednesday near his home in Pickens County was planned as a private ceremony.

On Tuesday, Graham’s flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican spent more than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleagues into action.

President Trump then joined foreign leaders at the Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage.

Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.”

Graham’s death has created opportunities for change in South Carolina. Graham had already won the Republican nomination as he ran for a fifth term. Gov. Henry McMaster named his younger sister Darline to hold his seat until January. Darline Graham then surprised many by deciding to run for the full six-year term herself.

State law has Republicans holding a special primary in two weeks to decide the new nominee. Eight others are competing, including former Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry.

Kinnard and Collins write for the Associated Press.

Taipei, Taiwan – China’s coastguard and civilian fleet are expanding their presence in the waters east of Taiwan, raising fears that Beijing may be rehearsing a containment strategy that would cut off the self-ruled island from outside trade and assistance.

Through June and July, China’s Maritime Safety Administration and coastguard staged multiple patrols and “special maritime law enforcement operations”, according to official government announcements.

While China regularly patrols the Taiwan Strait – the waterway with an average width of about 180km (112 miles) separating coastal China from the main island of Taiwan – this marks the first time the patrols have moved east of Taiwan in such quick succession, according to analysts.

K Tristan Tang, a nonresident fellow at the United States-based National Bureau of Asian Research, said the shift carries both strategic and symbolic weight for Taiwan.

“Beijing is signalling that it wants to extend its claimed administrative jurisdiction to Taiwan’s eastern waters, effectively surrounding Taiwan rather than only eroding Taiwan’s space in the strait,” Tang told Al Jazeera.

“Law enforcement operations” have included patrolling the area and requesting information from commercial vessels about their origin and destination, according to Taipei.

The shift east has also occurred amid a greater uptick in Chinese maritime activity around Taiwan and its outlying islands. Taiwan reported 55 sightings of Chinese coastguard and research vessel activity in June, up from 30 sightings in May.

These sightings included Chinese activity near the uninhabited Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, in the South China Sea.

Beijing has said the operations are a response to talks between Japan and the Philippines to set their maritime boundaries, which infringe on “territorial sovereignty as well as its maritime rights and interests”, according to Chinese state media.

Some of the waters around southern Japan and the northern Philippines overlap with Taiwan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles (370km) from its coastline.

On July 4, China’s coastguard announced that law enforcement activities to the east of Taiwan would continue to “firmly safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

China claims Taiwan as a province – which means it also views Taiwan’s EEZ as under its jurisdiction. It also claims large swaths of the nearby South China Sea and East China Sea, some of which are disputed by Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously told reporters that its activities near Taiwan are “legitimate actions to exercise China’s jurisdiction, safeguard regional stability and uphold order at sea in accordance with the law”.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, DC did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

‘Grey zone’ tactics

Ray Powell, founder and director of Sea Light, a maritime transparency project based at Stanford University, said he views the uptick in patrols as part of China’s “boa constrictor strategy that intends to squeeze Taiwan one coil at a time”.

China has pledged to annex Taiwan by peace or by force, and it employs a variety of pressure tactics, from cutting off access to international spaces such as the World Health Organization, drone and fighter jet incursions, to alleged cyberattacks, according to Taiwan’s National Security Bureau.

Known as “grey zone” tactics, these manoeuvres are designed to strain Taiwan’s limited resources and damage morale in order to convince its 23 million people that annexation is inevitable, according to Taiwanese officials.

Security analysts like Powell have warned that “law enforcement” activities could quickly escalate into a blockade or quarantine. Taiwan is particularly vulnerable to this type of pressure as an island that imports nearly all its energy supplies.

“One day we could look back at this and say this was in some ways the start of the quarantine,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Today it’s radio challenges; what is the next stage after that? When do we start to see them stop and inspect ships or reroute them? It’s not a very big step to start squeezing Taiwan on things it needs, like LNG,” Powell said.

China has already signalled that a blockade could be on the table in the future. Since 2022, Beijing has regularly staged large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including a simulated blockade of the island during its last round of exercises in December.

While coastguard activity is more low-profile than a naval patrol, Chauluen Lin, an expert in asymmetric warfare at Taipei’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told Al Jazeera the fleet could be considered a “second navy”.

China’s coastguard is not a civilian police force, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Military Commission as a division of the People’s Armed Police.

China’s coastguard patrols have been unusual enough to elicit a rare joint response from the United Kingdom, Germany and France, who said in late June that the “actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping”.

“We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion,” the statement said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington disagrees with the expanded patrols and that they undermine regional stability.

A distracted US

William Yang, the Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Northeast Asia, told Al Jazeera that Beijing may be taking advantage of a US distracted by the war in Iran and a president who appears ambivalent towards Taiwan.

Although the US does not recognise Taiwan as a country, it has pledged to help the island defend itself. Much of this assistance has come in the form of weapons sales, training and intelligence sharing.

US President Donald Trump also cast doubt on these commitments when he said US weapons sales could be a “negotiating chip” with China following a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

“The external environment has fundamentally changed in the Indo-Pacific region, at least from their perspective, with Washington very focused and tangled up in the Middle East,” Yang said.

“At the same time, the US has no bandwidth to really look at or respond to such an expansion of Chinese maritime operations in these sensitive waters,” he added.

Estuardo Mazariegos and Jose Ugarte, running against each other for a city council seat representing part of South Los Angeles, are immigrants from Latin America who arrived undocumented as children.

Both 40 years old, they grew up in the area and established themselves as community organizers.

And no matter which of them wins election on Nov. 3, it will be a historic change for Council District 9, which has been represented by a Black council member since 1963, even as its demographics shifted to a Latino majority.

Mazariegos and Ugarte both said they are committed to representing all their constituents equally, including Black residents who have expressed concerns about the change.

Jose Ugarte is the front-runner for City Council District 9 after getting 39% of the vote in the June primary.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Ugarte, who was until recently a deputy chief of staff to the current council member, Curren Price, got about 39% of the vote in the June primary to 26% for Mazariegos, in a six-candidate field.

Ugarte was born in Oaxaca and is Mazateco — an Indigenous group native to the Mexican state. He has spent most of his life in South L.A., where he was embraced by his Black neighbors and schoolmates. He wants to model himself after Price, who he said is known in the community as the most “pro-Latino Black councilman.”

“I want to be a voice for Black residents in my district,” Ugarte said at his campaign headquarters on Avalon Boulevard. “I want to be called the most pro-Black Latino council member that the city really has.”

Last year, Ugarte agreed to pay a $17,500 fine to the city’s Ethics Commission, later increased to $25,000, for repeatedly failing to disclose outside income he made from his lobbying and consulting firm while also working as a council staffer. He said the issue stemmed from “an unintentional clerical reporting error on my part.”

Mazariegos is the L.A. co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a statewide nonprofit that organizes lower-income Black and brown communities for progressive change. Born in Guatemala and brought to the U.S. by his parents, he also was shaped by growing up in racially diverse parts of South L.A. He said he’s reaching out to different sectors of the community, including Black organizations and churches.

Organizing is about “always having open ears to the community,” Mazariegos said while sitting outside Mercado La Paloma, a food hall in the district. “It’s fighting for, honoring the Black legacy and fighting for a Black future, and you do that by building together.”

In his early 20s, Mazariegos pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle. He said he was holding on to the gun for a friend and that the conviction makes him a better candidate because he can relate to people in the district who have had run-ins with law enforcement.

Council District 9 encompasses the Convention Center, USC and neighborhoods along the Harbor Freeway, including Vermont Square, South Park and Florence-Graham. In a district with the highest poverty rate in the city, residents are concerned about issues including illegal dumping, public safety, a dearth of grocery stores and a sense of being neglected by City Hall.

Price, who has represented the district since 2013, is terming out. He has been fighting corruption charges, with a judge deciding in January that there was enough evidence to move to trial on four counts of voting on matters in which Price had a conflict of interest, five counts of embezzlement and three counts of perjury.

Price said he never intended to do anything wrong and questioned the fairness of a prosecution over what he said was essentially a paperwork error.

The growth of the Latino population in a district that is now nearly 80% Latino has created political tensions for decades, said Manuel Pastor, a USC professor and author of “South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A.”

Four years ago, those tensions resurfaced after a recording emerged of a conversation among three Latino city council members and a labor leader that featured racist and disparaging remarks about Black people, Oaxacans and others. The revelations tested a fragile alliance of Black and Latino coalitions that organizers have sought to maintain.

More recently, some Black community leaders expressed concern that a proposal to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections would diminish Black political power. The City Council ended up sending the proposal to a committee for more study.

Pastor noted that Price made an effort to focus on Latino residents, who have grown up alongside Black residents and suffered the same disinvestment in their neighborhoods.

This election, Pastor said, will pit the strength of L.A.’s political establishment against the rising power of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Ugarte’s endorsements include Price and the L.A. County Democratic Party, while Mazariegos has been endorsed by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, City Controller Kenneth Mejia and the Democratic Socialists of America’s L.A. chapter, among others.

Through May 27, Ugarte had raised $510,000 in campaign contributions and Mazariegos had raised $254,000.

Ugarte has benefited from nearly $1 million in independent expenditures, which differ from campaign contributions, with Airbnb contributing $302,000 to support his candidacy and the California Apartment Assn. Housing Solutions Committee spending $230,000.

Mazariegos has received support from the political arms of United Teachers Los Angeles as well as his employer, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, which together spent about $118,000.

Jose Ugarte says, “I want to be called the most pro-Black Latino council member that the city really has.”

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

On a recent Sunday morning, Ugarte stopped by services at two predominantly Black churches. At McCoy Memorial Baptist Church in South Park, he accepted a warm hug from longtime Pastor R.A. Williams Jr., who endorsed his candidacy. Ugarte then traveled a few blocks to Experience Christian Ministries, where Pastor Shep Crawford also has endorsed him.

“I met him years ago, boots on the ground, in the streets making changes,” Crawford told the congregation.

That same day, about three miles north at Audio Graph Beer Co., Mazariegos was cheering at a World Cup final watch party that doubled as a fundraiser. He posed for photos with supporters, who wore buttons declaring him “the people’s candidate.” He credited making the runoff election to his years in the community advocating for anti-displacement measures for tenants and lowering the rent cap.

Angie Gonzalez, 22, said Mazariegos earned her support because of his work advocating for tenant rights.

“I like how Estuardo is trying to empower us,” she said.

Odilia Romero, a resident of District 9 and executive director of CIELO, an advocacy group for Indigenous people, said she is not endorsing in the race. But she acknowledged the importance of an Indigenous candidate, four years after the audio leak scandal.

After The Times broke that story, Ugarte said, he secured permits for a march from L.A. Trade Tech to City Hall, where Oaxacans and others rallied.

Ugarte said if he is elected, he’d become the first Indigenous Oaxacan council member. He wants to show anyone critical of immigration — including the Trump administration — that “immigrants are here to build things to make the country better.”

“I want to be a council member that came from another country, that came as an immigrant, that came from an Indigenous state, and that made a name for himself, that [improved] his community,” he said.

Organizing is about “always having open ears to the community,” Estuardo Mazariegos says. “It’s fighting for, honoring the Black legacy and fighting for a Black future, and you do that by building together.”

(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)

Mazariegos said that while he may not be a political insider, he makes up for it as a “community insider.”

“There’s a lot of mistrust for the status quo right now,” he said. His goal is “making sure that the 9th district has representation that actually fights for it.”

These days, he said, campaigning has turned into an all-day affair, meeting people as he walks with his family around the district.

Mazariegos has in recent months appeared at City Hall to advocate for charter reform, including increasing police accountability, expanding the size of the City Council and advocating for noncitizen voting. None of those measures made the November ballot.

Organizers in the district said that no matter who wins, they intend to hold the new council member accountable.

“We hope that whoever wins this race keeps working-class people and their issues on the forefront,” said Ron Gochez, a longtime district resident and organizer with Union del Barrio, which advocates for immigrants. “We will pressure whoever wins to do the right thing.”

July 27 (Asia Today) — Growing artificial intelligence demand and stronger trade barriers are rapidly reshaping the production and supply chains of South Korea’s major manufacturing industries, the Bank of Korea said Monday.

The central bank said Taiwan has become South Korea’s second-largest semiconductor export destination as the AI supply chain draws Korean memory-chip producers closer to Taiwanese manufacturers.

Meanwhile, South Korean automakers are increasing production in the United States and expanding hybrid vehicle exports as tariffs and U.S. industrial policies make direct exports less competitive.

The findings were included in the Bank of Korea’s Map of Production and Supply Chains for South Korea’s Major Manufacturing Industries. The report used data from 2024 and 2025 to examine 11 industries, including semiconductors, automobiles, steel, shipbuilding and petrochemicals.

South Korean semiconductor exports to Taiwan nearly tripled from $12.78 billion in 2022 to $36.77 billion in 2025.

Taiwan’s share of South Korea’s semiconductor exports increased from 9% to 19.9%, moving it from the fourth-largest export destination to the second largest.

China remained the largest destination, but its share fell from 53.1% in 2022 to 40.3% in 2025.

The central bank attributed the change to a shift in demand from conventional dynamic random-access memory chips to graphics processing units and high-bandwidth memory used in AI systems.

The AI semiconductor supply chain generally involves U.S.-based Nvidia designing graphics processors, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. producing and packaging the chips and Samsung Electronics and SK hynix supplying high-bandwidth memory.

That structure has increased the volume of South Korean semiconductor products shipped to Taiwan.

Semiconductors have also become more important to South Korea’s overall manufacturing sector.

Domestic semiconductor production rose from 74 trillion won in 2014 to 210.8 trillion won in 2024 ($50.4 billion to $143.6 billion). Its share of total manufacturing production doubled from 5% to 10.1% during the same period.

Production remains heavily concentrated in the greater Seoul area, which accounted for 82.3% of the national total. The Chungcheong region accounted for another 14.7%.

Major facilities in the Seoul metropolitan region include Samsung Electronics plants in Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek and Giheung and SK hynix’s plant in Icheon.

China’s growing influence was most apparent in South Korea’s automobile import market.

The share of vehicle imports from China increased from 3.5% in 2022 to 37.2% in 2025. Chinese-made vehicles accounted for about 70% of South Korea’s electric vehicle imports by value in 2025.

The report attributed the increase to China’s price competitiveness and its extensive supply chain covering vehicles, batteries and components.

The United States remained South Korea’s largest automobile export market in 2025. Shipments were valued at $30.15 billion and accounted for 41.9% of total finished-vehicle exports.

However, the United States’ share of South Korea’s electric vehicle exports fell from 33.6% in 2022 to 5.2% in 2025.

The central bank said U.S. subsidies, local production requirements and tariff barriers had weakened the competitiveness of electric vehicles manufactured in South Korea and shipped directly to the United States.

South Korean automakers have responded by expanding U.S. factory operations while increasing exports of hybrid vehicles.

Hybrids’ share of South Korea’s finished-vehicle exports rose from 11.6% in 2022 to 20.4% in 2025.

The shift reflects automakers’ efforts to respond to slowing electric vehicle demand and insufficient charging infrastructure by offering vehicles that combine electric motors with internal combustion engines.

— 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=20260727010009651

July 27 (Asia Today) — Nvidia plans to invest $1 billion in South Korean technology company Naver as the companies expand a partnership to build large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Naver said Monday it would issue about 7.24 million new shares to Nvidia through a private placement. The transaction would give the U.S. chipmaker a stake of about 4.5%, making it Naver’s third-largest shareholder.

Payment for the shares is scheduled for Oct. 30.

The investment would deepen a partnership announced in June to build global AI factories serving demand for sovereign AI, which refers to AI infrastructure and models operated under a country’s own laws and data controls.

The companies previously focused on supplying graphics processing units and cooperating on technology. Nvidia’s planned equity investment would broaden the relationship into a strategic partnership involving computing infrastructure, software, customers and capital.

Naver said Nvidia decided to invest because of the South Korean company’s full-stack AI capabilities, which include data centers, graphics processor clusters, cloud platforms, large language models and consumer services.

Naver operates graphics processor infrastructure at more than 20 locations across South Korea and plans to use that experience to expand its GPU-as-a-service and sovereign AI businesses.

Naver Cloud and Nvidia are also discussing an AI computing partnership that could include joint development of global AI factory projects.

The companies plan to combine Nvidia computing systems with Naver’s cloud, software and AI services rather than limiting their relationship to hardware purchases.

Nvidia said the proposed investment is subject to customary closing conditions and Naver securing at least $9 billion in committed project financing separate from Nvidia’s investment.

Brookfield has signed a nonbinding term sheet under which the global investment firm could provide up to $9 billion for computing infrastructure. The companies are discussing a structure in which Brookfield would develop or finance graphics processor systems and data centers for Naver’s use.

Naver’s own investment obligations have not been finalized.

The company plans to begin operating a 55-megawatt AI factory in the first half of 2027, expand capacity to 100 megawatts by the end of that year and reach 200 megawatts in 2028.

Its longer-term goal is to develop gigawatt-scale infrastructure.

Naver plans to begin the project at its GAK Sejong data center and later pursue sovereign AI customers in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Middle East.

The company is also seeking to improve shareholder returns. Its board voted Friday to cancel about 4.9 million treasury shares valued at approximately 1.02 trillion won ($694.5 million). The shares are scheduled to be retired Aug. 3.

“The investments by Nvidia and Brookfield will be an important turning point for Naver’s future growth,” Naver Chief Executive Officer Choi Soo-yeon said.

Choi said the company would work to secure AI factory customers and establish itself as a major global AI infrastructure provider.

Naver board Chairman Lee Hae-jin said the partnership would allow the company to take its data center technology and operating expertise to the global market.

“We will actively cooperate with companies around the world to create an AI ecosystem that respects the diversity of countries and communities,” Lee 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=20260727010009741