South Korea

South Korea is changing the way it sells coffee — at least when you buy it at a coffee shop. Starting next month, if you drink your coffee in a café, you won’t be using a disposable cup. And that’s already stirring some controversy.

On this Independence Day, there’s an unusual event marking the day on the Korean peninsula. It’s a basketball game involving teams from North Korea and South Korea—and a date that is significant for both sides.

Government officials from the United States and South Korea are still trying to figure out the details of President Trump’s promise to pull back from military exercises on the Korean peninsula. The development surprised military officials in both Washington and Seoul.

We’re about a month away from President Trump’s scheduled meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While residents in South Korea are closely watching developments, a survey shows they also have some surprising attitudes when it comes to their neighbors to the north. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The leaders of North and South Korea are scheduled to meet this Friday at the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two countries. Both countries are scrambling with last minute preparations this week—but in different ways. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The western side of the Big Island of Hawai‘i is getting some extra attention this week at an unlikely location. Kona is making headlines in South Korea—but not for reasons you might expect. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

As you’ve heard on NPR over the last couple of days, the United States and South Korea this week agreed on a new trade deal. It’s a revised version of the U.S. Korea Free Trade Agreement. But despite that arrangement, a major American company may be pulling out of the country. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Work-life balance is a familiar phrase in the modern workplace. While it sometimes is more a theoretical goal than a practical reality, one city in Asia is taking steps to improve its chances. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

President Trump will have a new Secretary of State advising him ahead of his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this spring. But while the headlines in the United States are focused on these bi-lateral talks, some coverage in Asia is already looking at another possible high-level meeting. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Government officials from the United States and South Korea will be meeting in Hawai‘i this week. They’ll be talking about cost-sharing when it comes to U.S. military forces based in South Korea. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

President Trump says he’ll make a formal announcement this week slapping tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Several U.S. trade partners in Asia produce steel, but the impact is likely to hit one regional economy the hardest. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

General Motors announced this week it is closing an assembly plant in South Korea. The company says the move is based on economics, but the story also carries a layer of politics. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis says diplomacy must take the lead in the effort to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The Winter Olympics get underway in two weeks in South Korea. A North Korean delegation will be coming—from athletes and cheerleaders to government officials. But one of the biggest challenges is facing a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

This weekend’s false alarm about a missile attack has refocused attention on security on the Korean peninsula, but also on diplomacy. And it’s been an active several days on that front. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

It’s a little over three weeks until the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in South Korea. As long as the details can be worked out, a team from North Korea will be there. But there are a lot of other uncertainties about the North’s participation in the games. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

South Korea has proposed a round of direct talks with North Korea in less than a week. A South Korean cabinet minister says one topic of the high level talks would be North Korea’s possible participation in the Winter Olympics. The history of talks between the two governments goes back decades, and has been uneven at best. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Unemployment in Hawai‘i hit a record low last month—at 2-percent. And as 2017 draws to a close, the state has one of the lowest jobless rates in the country—although wages still remain relatively low and the cost of living is near the top of the national charts. Heading into the new year, the employment situation is a very different story in South Korea. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The Winter Olympics are scheduled to open seven weeks from tomorrow. The games will be held in South Korea, and the government there is asking the United States to delay a set of annual joint military exercises until after the Olympics. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

This week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States would be open to direct talks with North Korea. The White House has played down the prospects for any immediate discussions, but regional diplomacy is on the agenda for another event this week involving two key players. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Here’s a thought for holiday shopping: wiping out the personal debt of some low-income people. That’s actually a government policy in one Asian country.  And it’s a program that’s going to be growing in the new year. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The state of Hawai‘i is heading for another record year for tourism. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism expects visitor arrivals to top last year’s figure of 8.9 million—with further growth next year. But it’s been a different story for tourism this year in Korea, both South and North. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Last week saw one of the most dramatic incidents in years at the border of North and South Korea. A North Korean soldier escaped to the South—dashing across the border in a shower of gunfire. He survived, but doctors treating his wounds were shocked by what they found. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

More than 1,500 South Koreans are still displaced following the country’s second worst earthquake on record. The government says at least 57 people were injured in the 5.4 earthquake which shook the southeastern city of Pohang on Wednesday. The quake has also disrupted an annual event around the country. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

You’ve probably heard about the naval exercises off the coast of South Korea, as three U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups conduct drills with South Korean warships, but a Japanese newspaper reports that South Korea rejected an American plan to include Japanese vessels in the maneuvers. We have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

North Korea is a critical topic during President Trump’s current travels in Asia. But there is another side to the military situation in the region that is also getting attention: U.S. arms sales. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Medical tourism is a booming business across Asia. When it comes to cosmetic plastic surgery, South Korea is a particularly popular destination. But some plans to expand that practice are coming under fire. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

It’s been a week with a focus on visitors as the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority wrapped up its Global Tourism Summit. One visitor market that state officials hope to cultivate is South Korea. It’s a country that’s seeing a rise in international travel with a special week of holidays coming up. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

We’ve heard a lot these past few months about North Korea’s new and more powerful missiles, but less about new missiles in development in South Korea. As you might suspect, they are also more powerful. We have more on the Korean Arms race from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

As you heard earlier on NPR, the United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed another round of trade sanctions against North Korea. The move won the support of China, which is having trade issues of another kind with SOUTH Korea. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.