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(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President-elect Joe Biden assured the leaders of Japan and South Korea of his commitment to alliances with the two Asian nations in phone calls on Thursday morning, signaling that he will pursue a markedly different strategy from Donald Trump. Japan's Ultimate Insider Faces Test Navigating U.S.-China Feud Chinese and Japanese government vessels constantly chase one another around the islands, which are known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border, in an explosive rebuke to Seoul that appeared designed to draw maximum global attention with little immediate risk of war. The move represented North Korea's most serious provocation in years and follows an escalating series of threats against South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border Tuesday, South Korea said, shortly after threatening military action in the region over anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent into its territory. "North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office", South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a text message, confirming what many had begun to expect after media reports of an explosion in the area. [Extracted from the article]

Korea Crushed a Huge Virus Outbreak. "We've learned a few things from how the virus has been trending", said Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, referring to recent outbreaks. "Covid-19 landed in South Korea when we had the system in place for such disease control and we had trained for it for years", said Jung Ki-suck, a former director of the Korea CDC now teaching pulmonology at Hallym University Medical Center. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- A top official at a global human rights organization criticized South Korea for trying to shut down two activist groups who sent anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets by balloon across the border into North Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korea's leader, previously accused South Korea of tolerating a "sordid and wicked act of hostility.". [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Both North Korea and left-leaning supporters of South Korean President Moon Jae-in want him to restore economic ties broken by security tensions. North Korea's relations with Moon haven't been the same since Trump walked out of a summit with Kim in February 2019 in Hanoi. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea tested the patience of South Korea by delaying a regularly scheduled phone conversation at a liaison office, after saying it was abolishing the project that once allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock. Last week, North Korea lashed into South Korea for allowing anti-Pyongyang leaflets to be sent across the border and said it was considering taking decisive measures to completely destroy contact spaces with its neighbor. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea was not answering the phone at a liaison office with South Korea for the first time since it opened in 2018 after saying it was abolishing the project that once allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock. Last week, North Korea lashed into South Korea for allowing anti-Pyongyang leaflets to be sent across the border and said it was considering taking decisive measures to completely destroy contact spaces with its neighbor. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's financial authorities will provide one trillion won ($828 million) in liquidity to Korean Air Lines Co. by issuing government-guaranteed bonds as early as the end of this month, Yonhap News reported. The move to aid Korean Air follows the government's recent meeting on how to run the five-year fund and issue bonds, Yonhap said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea reported its biggest spike in new coronavirus cases in nearly two months, raising fears of a second wave of infections that challenges its highly touted testing and contact tracing strategy to stem the pandemic. Second Waves That Are Hard to Trace Plague Asia's Virus Recovery Coupang said in a statement Thursday that an employee at another distribution center northwest of Seoul was confirmed with the virus, leading the company to shut down the facility. Rather than taking severe measures such as lockdowns and banning travel, South Korea has focused on massive testing and contact tracing to find infections and treat them before the virus can spread further. [Extracted from the article]

South Korea Probes Group for Wartime "Sex Slaves", Daily Says (Bloomberg) -- South Korea's top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into financial fraud allegations made against a support group for women who were forced to work in colonial-era Japanese military brothels, a local newspaper reported. Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday that President Moon Jae-in's ruling Democratic Party wants Yoon Mee-hyang, recently elected to parliament as a ruling party member, to address the allegations made against the group that she once led. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Huawei Technologies Co. has sought high-level assurances from Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. they will continue to supply memory chips despite mounting pressure from the U.S. to isolate the Chinese telecommunications company, the Korea Economic Daily reported. Huawei is one of the five biggest clients for Samsung and SK Hynix, spending around 10 trillion won ($8.1 billion) to buy DRAM and NAND flash memory chips from the Korean companies every year, the newspaper said. [Extracted from the article]

The schools are reopening in stages, with high school seniors returning first on Wednesday and middle and elementary students slated to go back to school in the following weeks. Education officials said that a school would be shuttered immediately if an infection is confirmed among the school's students, faculty and staff. [Extracted from the article]

The schools are reopening in stages, with high school seniors returning first on Wednesday and middle and elementary students slated to go back to school in the following weeks. Education officials said the plan would be scraped immediately and all schools shuttered if a single infection is confirmed among students, faculty and school staff. [Extracted from the article]

The "come forward, get tested" strategy that's helped South Korea contain the coronavirus has run into an obstacle: the country's longstanding homophobia. After the Korean government revealed in its push alerts the names of the bars that the coronavirus positive patient had visited, anti-gay comments accumulated on the Facebook page of Seoul-based King Club. [Extracted from the article]

The Trump administration has cited success stories in South Korea and Austria as it calls for Americans to return to work -- but those countries moved faster than the U.S. to combat the pandemic and have been more cautious in reopening their economies. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have said in the past two weeks that the Trump administration is monitoring those three nations as it plans for the U.S. to reopen. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The "come forward, get tested" strategy that's helped Korea contain the coronavirus has run into an obstacle: the country's longstanding homophobia. Following an outbreak linked to gay clubs in central Seoul, health officials are trying to track more than 5,500 people who visited the bars between April 24 and May 6. [Extracted from the article]

The Trump administration has cited success stories in South Korea and Austria as it calls for Americans to return to work -- but those countries moved faster than the U.S. to combat the pandemic and have been more cautious in reopening their economies. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have said in the past two weeks that the Trump administration is monitoring those three nations as it plans for the U.S. to reopen. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is unlikely to have undergone surgery during his 20-day absence from public events, Yonhap News reported, citing an official at South Korea's presidential Blue House. The official also denied reports that Kim had had a simple operation, Yonhap reported. [Extracted from the article]

South Korea said the North's action was in violation of a 2018 military agreement to suspend hostile actions that could prompt tensions and conflict. "In past cases, the North tended to notify the South that it was an accident, if it was a real accident", said Kim, who was part of South Korea's military leadership in charge of the central border in 2003. "Our military, through the military communication line, is taking actions with the North to figure out the situation and also to prevent additional actions from taking place, while maintaining military readiness", the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean and North Korean troops exchanged gunfire in the demilitarized zone between the nations Sunday morning, and the two sides are now in talks via a military communication line. North Korea fired at a South Korean military guard post several times around 7:41 a.m. local time, prompting it to shoot back twice and send out a verbal warning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean and North Korean troops exchanged gunfire at their border Sunday morning, and the two sides are now in talks via a military communication line, Yonhap News reported. The exchange started after North Korea fired at a South Korean guard post, and it responded with a warning shot, the report said, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- President Moon Jae-in may have delivered a crippling blow to South Korea's opposition, but he also turned a prime minister who once served him into a potential rival within a more powerful ruling party. "Moon's own political bloc will split off between those who believe in Lee's potential, aligning themselves with Lee, and others who don't trust Lee's loyalty", said Park, of MIN Consulting. [Extracted from the article]

South Korea posted the fewest number of new coronavirus cases since an outbreak at a religious sect in late February spiked daily infections to almost 1,000. South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday it confirmed eight new cases in a 24-hour period, the lowest since Feb. 20 when the number of infections began rising exponentially after a parishioner of the 212,000-member Shincheonji church was confirmed with the virus. [Extracted from the article]

South Korea posted the fewest number of new coronavirus cases since an outbreak at a religious sect in late February spiked daily infections to nearly 1,000 and set off a massive testing and tracing regime credited with curbing the virus's spread. South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it confirmed eight new cases in a 24 hour period, the lowest since Feb. 20 when the number of infections began rising exponentially after a parishioner of the 212,000-member Shincheongji church was confirmed with the virus. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's ruling party may have won an outright majority in parliament in elections held Wednesday, in a show of confidence for President Moon Jae-in's handling of the pandemic that gives him fresh momentum to reshape the economy. South Korea was holding the biggest election since the coronavirus pandemic spread around the globe -- and the apparent win for Moon might spur other world leaders with good poll numbers to follow suit. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea is the first major country to hold a general election in the throes of a coronavirus crisis. The easing Covid-19 tally has helped Moon's Democratic Party of Korea rebuild support battered by an economic slowdown, corruption scandals involving presidential aides and resurgent tensions with North Korea. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea asked its people to refrain from joining any group activities related to religion, sports and entertainment for next two weeks as health officials warned of a rising fatality rate from the coronavirus after a lull in new cases. Chung's appeal to the public comes hours after South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of a rising fatality rate. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Kim Jong Un sent South Korean President Moon Jae-in a letter expressing condolences over the coronavirus outbreak, in the North Korean leader's first public overture to his counterpart in more than four months. The letter was the latest indication that Kim may be ready to resume geopolitical maneuvering with Washington and Seoul, after focusing in recent weeks on his own efforts to prevent any coronavirus outbreaks in North Korea. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea warned its fragile economic recovery is under threat from the coronavirus that has spread dramatically across the country over the past week, and pledged action to minimize the fallout. The Samsung case is troubling because Gumi has a number of facilities operated by Samsung, LG Electronics, LG Display, Toray Group and other companies. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and other companies in South Korea are taking precautions against the coronavirus after a rising number of cases in the country, including the infection of a Samsung employee at a local production facility. The Samsung case is troubling because Gumi has a collection of facilities operated by Samsung, LG Electronics, LG Display, Toray Group and other companies. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and other companies in South Korea are taking precautions against the coronavirus after a rising number of cases in the country, including the infection of a Samsung employee at a local production facility. The Samsung case is troubling because Gumi has a collection of facilities operated by Samsung, LG Electronics, LG Display, Toray Group and other companies. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co. will shut down operations at a plant in Gumi City, South Korea, after an employee was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. Samsung has two production lines in Gumi, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Seoul, for some of its smartphones. [Extracted from the article]

An obscure religious sect in South Korea is drawing global attention after being linked to a sudden spike in coronavirus infections. The country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that it is examining the ties between branches of the sect in South Korea and in areas of China including Hubei province. [Extracted from the article]

An obscure religious sect in South Korea is drawing global attention after being linked to a sudden spike in coronavirus infections. Hong Yeun-ho, who has been leading an anti-Shincheonji campaign after his daughter joined the sect for two years, said hundreds of the church members sit on the floor in a tightly woven line. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Japan should take faster measures to lift export curbs on key semiconductor components. Japan removed South Korea from its list of trusted export destinations last year, which threatened the latter's semiconductor and display sectors because of uncertainty over imports of key materials. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the vulnerability of South Korea's companies, such as the LG Display Co. plant located in the city of Paju, to the nuclear program of North Korea run by President Kim Jong Un. Topics include the economic impact of potential attacks on commercial sites in South Korea, and the potential target of South Korea's shipyards where the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries are located.

(Bloomberg) -- With the clock ticking on South Korea's withdrawal from a security pact with Japan in November, President Moon Jae-in sent a blunt-speaking aide on a secret mission to Washington. Kim demonstrated his penchant for getting tough with Japan in 2007, when he was tapped by then-President Roh Moo-hyun to handle negotiations on a trade deal between the two countries. Moon, who was previously Roh's chief of staff, picked Kim for his own administration to help navigate a delicate relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and increasing trade and security demands from U.S. President Donald Trump. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in wants to punish the country's top prosecutor, who is heading an investigation into former and current officials government, for disobedience, local TV outlet Channel A reported, citing an unidentified government official. Yoon also sent investigators to Moon's office Friday to request "crime-relevant materials" but the Blue House rejected, presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said in a text message. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government reassigned three top prosecutors overseeing corruption into his administration, prompting cries from the opposition that he crossed a red line months before national elections. The list included three prosecutors recently named to senior posts under Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a graft-buster who's overseeing probes surrounding indicted former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. denied a report that it's demanding South Korea pay as much as 20% more to host American troops, as funding talks between the two nations continue. The talks with South Korea could affect other countries that host U.S. troops, as the Trump administration is seeking funding increases from other American allies. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry called in the South Korean ambassador last month to demand payment of 7 trillion won ($6 billion) for oil it sold to the Asian country, Chosun Ilbo reported, citing officials it didn't identify. Iran expressed "strong regret" over Seoul's failure to complete the payment, which has been deposited at two South Korean banks without being transferred to Iran's central bank for years due to U.S. sanctions against the Middle Eastern country, the newspaper said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Koo Cha-kyung, the LG Group former chairman who helped his father's nascent cosmetics business grow into one of South Korea's biggest conglomerates, has died. Koo died Saturday at 10 a.m. of a chronic ailment, LG said in a statement, without providing details. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Top South Korean and Japanese diplomats will likely meet on the sidelines of a gathering of Asian and European foreign ministers later this month to discuss a resolution to a year-long dispute, Yonhap News reported. Kang and Motegi last met in late November, just hours after Seoul temporarily and conditionally suspended a termination of the military information pact with Japan. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- The Seoul Central District Court will Monday open a hearing on ride-hailing provider Tada, Yonhap News said, amid criticism of the company from traditional taxi services and allegations its operations break Korean law. In October, however, prosecutors indicted Park Jae-wook, chief executive of Tada service provider VCNC Inc., and Lee Jae-woong, the head of its parent SoCar, for allegedly violating the passenger transport service act. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's exports, a closely watched bellweather for world trade, fell more than expected in November, dealing a blow to nascent optimism that a prolonged slump in global demand may be bottoming out. Shipments to China dropped 12.2% in November from a year earlier, reflecting slowing growth in the world's second largest economy and South Korea's biggest export destination. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Japan and South Korea agreed Saturday to work toward a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon Jae-in next month -- a breakthrough that came a day after the last-minute rescue of a military pact between the two nations. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi agreed to co-ordinate the summit on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with China, a Japanese official told reporters. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to meet her Japanese counterpart Saturday, less than 24 hours after Seoul reversed a decision to sever a military information pact with its neighbor. Japan said all such issues were settled under a 1965 treaty, while South Korea said the treaty didn't cover emotional pain and suffering. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Japan and South Korea struck a last-minute deal to rescue their expiring intelligence-sharing pact, after a high-powered push from the Trump administration averted a blow to U.S. efforts to strengthen its Asian alliance network. The pact was set to formally cease to exist at 12 a.m. Saturday, three months after South Korea moved to end the deal amid a history-laden dispute with Japan. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Japan and South Korea struck a last-minute deal to rescue their expiring intelligence-sharing pact, after a high-powered push from the Trump administration averted a blow to U.S. efforts to strengthen its Asian alliance network. The pact was set to formally cease to exist at 12 a.m. Saturday, three months after South Korea moved to end the deal amid a history-laden dispute with Japan. Esper and Pompeo faced the difficult task of asking South Korea to compromise with Japan, while carrying Trump's demands for a five-fold increase in military funding. [Extracted from the article]