US, allies and China vie for influence through Pacific security deals

South China Morning Post - Oct 23, 2026

Strategic competition between China and the US and its allies is intensifying across the Pacific islands, with both sides pursuing a growing range of security agreements to expand their influence, according to an interactive mapping tool released this week by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank. The tool details 56 security arrangements among 14 Pacific island countries and the US, Australia, New Zealand, mainland China and Taiwan in a bid to map...

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Pharmacies emerge as new K-beauty stops for foreign tourists

Oct 24, 2026

Pharmacies emerge as new K-beauty stops for foreign tourists

In Seoul's bustling Namdaemun Market, a group of American tourists stepped out of a pharmacy and opened their shopping bags to show their haul: a box of Bacchus energy drinks and three packages of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) skin care products. Inside, other foreign shoppers queued at the counters with acne treatments, scar gels and cosmetics in hand. Pharmacists in white coats scanned their purchases at the registers. Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common as Korean pharmacies emerge as a new stop on the K-beauty tourism route. Foreign visitors are seeking both over-the-counter (OTC) dermatological drugs available only at pharmacies and pharmacy-sold cosmetics promoted through social media. “Foreign tourists now account for 40 to 50 percent of our sales,” Park Jun-sun, who runs one of the pharmacies in Namdaemun Market, told The Korea Times. “There weren’t that many when I opened two years ago, but the number suddenly started rising about a year ago.” Even at larger pharmacies that cater mainly to Korean customers, foreign shoppers have become more visible. Staff

North Korea's diversifying missile arsenal complicates South's defense

Oct 24, 2026

North Korea's diversifying missile arsenal complicates South's defense

North Korea is displaying an increasingly diverse missile arsenal this year, firing from different platforms — on land, aboard warships and, according to Pyongyang, underwater from a submarine — while testing weapons designed to carry heavier warheads, maneuver to evade interception and inflict damage over wider areas. The frequency of missile tests has also increased, with 16 ballistic missile launches recorded through Oct. 12, which exceeds the six recorded in all of 2025 and 12 in 2024. But what's more threatening than the frequency of ballistic missiles is diversification, with cruise missile tests added on seven occasions through Oct. 14, involving land-based launchers, destroyers and, purportedly, a submarine. The expanding arsenal gives North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s military more options to approach targets from different directions and coordinate strikes, placing greater demands on South Korean and U.S. defenses even as questions remain over Pyongyang's technological claims. Widening range of weapons This year's ballistic launches began near Pyongyang on Jan. 4 with susp

Spring comes earlier, autumn foliage later as climate change alters forests

Oct 24, 2026

Spring comes earlier, autumn foliage later as climate change alters forests

If you are planning a fall foliage trip this year, you may need to set off a little later than expected. The peak autumn foliage season is forecast to arrive later than usual. According to the Korea Forest Service, fall colors will spread gradually from the central to southern regions, starting with Mount Seorak on Oct. 20. Foliage is expected to reach its peak nationwide only in late October, with peak dates forecast for Oct. 28 at Mount Songni, Nov. 4 at Mount Naejang and Nov. 6 at Mount Halla. The average peak date for maples and oaks nationwide is expected to be Oct. 31, about 0.8 days later than the average peak date over the past five years. The delayed foliage season is not an isolated development this year. As temperatures rise, spring is arriving increasingly early while autumn is shifting later, a pattern that researchers have consistently observed in Korea's forests. The seasonal clock that we have long taken for granted is changing. A 2021 study by researchers at the Korea National Arboretum and Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies tracked 25

Birdwatching takes off among young Koreans

Oct 24, 2026

Birdwatching takes off among young Koreans

As you stroll among the trees, you hear a rustle and stop to listen. You raise your binoculars and quietly scan the spot where the sound came from. After waiting patiently, you may finally catch a glimpse of something rarely encountered in everyday life: a small, precious bird. Birdwatching, or birding, is emerging as a new hobby among Korea’s millennials and Gen Z. Until recently, it was largely seen as a pastime for middle-aged and older people, requiring expensive equipment and specialized knowledge. But smartphones have made the activity accessible to almost anyone. With celebrities, including actress Kim Tae-ri, author Chung Se-rang and model Lee So-ra, sharing their interest in birdwatching, it has even gained a reputation as a trendy hobby. Taking off during COVID-19, with smartphones lowering the barrier to entry Content about birdwatching has recently proliferated on social media. On Instagram, posts tagged “birdwatching" number approximately 144,000, while those tagged “birdwatching records" and “birdwatching life” number around 17,000 and 14,000, respectively. A gro

N. Korea's Kim calls for 'strongest army' in speech for military meeting in Pyongyang

Oct 24, 2026

N. Korea's Kim calls for 'strongest army' in speech for military meeting in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for the regime's military to build the "strongest army" as he addressed a meeting of commanders in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Saturday. Kim made the remarks as he supervised a meeting of company commanders on Oct. 22 and 23 in the North's capital, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim told the commanders that "the main spirit of the Third Meeting of Company Leaders of the Korean People's Army is to build the strongest army and accelerate the Korean-style military revolution by training the strongest companies," the KCNA reported. Kim also instructed company commanders to "firmly carry forward the true nature of our army as the army of the Party and the army of ideology and core elements." The meeting was the first gathering of the North's entire army after Pyongyang's Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, the KCNA reported.

US Army activates air defense battalion in Guam amid N. Korean, Chinese missile threats: report

Oct 24, 2026

US Army activates air defense battalion in Guam amid N. Korean, Chinese missile threats: report

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has activated an air defense battalion in Guam to bolster the island's defenses against regional missile threats, including those posed by North Korea and China, a U.S. military news outlet reported Friday. The 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, held an activation ceremony on Oct. 16 at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and will assume the air defense responsibilities previously carried out by Task Force Talon, according to USNI News. Task Force Talon began its rotational mission in 2013 to counter potential North Korean ballistic missile threats, but its responsibilities have since expanded amid China's growing missile capabilities, the report said. The newly activated battalion is expected to operate Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Intermediate Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) systems as part of a layered defense network against ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft and drones. "Guam's strategic location makes it an important part of U.S. military operations throughout the region by supporting joint force operatio

Export push seeks to breathe new life into Korea's hollowed-out mining towns

Oct 24, 2026

Export push seeks to breathe new life into Korea's hollowed-out mining towns

Deep in the rugged, forested mountains of Gangwon Province, the hollowed-out shafts of abandoned anthracite mines stand as quiet monuments to Korea’s industrial birth. During their mid-20th-century heyday, these bustling towns fueled the nation’s postwar economic miracle, powering domestic hearths and heavy manufacturing alike. But as Korea’s energy needs shifted toward oil and gas in the 1980s, the region entered a long, steep decline. While a handful of major mines remained operational into the 2020s, the last state-run mine officially closed its shafts in mid-2025 — leaving behind steep valleys marked by demographic collapse and crumbling local economies. Now, trade officials and local leaders are trying a new approach to revive these quiet valleys: connecting their remaining small businesses directly to overseas markets. Rather than relying solely on local tourism or government aid, a national trade showcase last week in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, brought small-town entrepreneurs face-to-face with international buyers. At the center of the event was a targeted exhibition flo

How a Dubai trip to see his mom launched a film career

Oct 24, 2026

How a Dubai trip to see his mom launched a film career

James Durias Arieta came to Dubai with no plan other than to be with his ‘TNT’ mother, a visit that unexpectedly launched his career in cinematography

[Vantage Point] High barriers, high stakes: The SEC’s liquidity gambit

Oct 24, 2026

[Vantage Point] High barriers, high stakes: The SEC’s liquidity gambit

The Philippines needs to turn its moribund stock exchange into an engine for genuine capital formation

When the Ifugao rice terraces rest

Oct 24, 2026

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DepEd finishes 391 disaster-resilient school buildings; 150 being built

Oct 23, 2026

DepEd finishes 391 disaster-resilient school buildings; 150 being built

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has completed nearly 400 prefabricated school buildings designed to withstand super typhoons and strong earthquakes, significantly cutting down construction time from years to a matter of weeks. According to DepEd, 391 modular school buildings have been completed while 150 more units are currently under construction. “Our children

US-China strategic competition to keep escalating as world watches on, Rudd says

Oct 23, 2026

US-China strategic competition to keep escalating as world watches on, Rudd says

Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and a former Australian prime minister, described US-China strategic competition as full-on and multidimensional at a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics event on Friday. “There is a full-blown strategic competition under way in every dimension of national political power and influence, militarily, economically, trade and investment and technology, in foreign policy, in ideology,” said Rudd, a noted China scholar. “It’s across the world,...

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