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      North Korea Sends More Trash Balloons South

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      Hundreds of propaganda balloons ferrying trash have landed in South Korea in recent days, where officials say they typically do not pose a threat.Hong Yoongi was walking near South Korea’s Parliament building in Seoul when he spotted the interloper from North Korea.The trespasser on Thursday was a balloon that had floated dozens of miles across the inter-Korean border and the Han River in the South to land near the National Assembly complex. But the authorities were on the case, and on the scene. Some military personnel wore white protective gear, masks and gloves to deal with the trash that had scattered on impact.Over the past five days, North Korea has sent hundreds more drifting toward the South with payloads of trash like waste paper and used plastic bottles. This salvo follows a barrage of thousands of similar North Korean balloons earlier this summer. Pyongyang has said it was provoked by North Korean defectors in the South, who launched their own balloons carrying leaflets criticizing the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and USB sticks with K-pop music and K-dramas.The South’s military has said that North’s balloons do not carry “harmful substances.” But they have become a nuisance, landing in farms, public parks in the capital and in residential areas. In July, some came down inside the grounds of the presidential office in Seoul.Mr. Hong had seen another one of the balloons a few months earlier, near his home in Bundang, south of Seoul. But, he said, “the balloons haven’t affected my daily life at all.”Living next to a nuclear-armed adversary is the reality for millions of South Koreans, who often shrug off provocations from the North.“The most annoying part about the balloons is the countless warning texts I get from the government,” said Ahn Jae-hee, a resident of Seoul.In recent days, officials in the South have sent more than a dozen safety alerts, warning residents to inform the authorities about the balloons and not to touch them. The alerts, sent to mobile phones across the country, give the general location of the balloons.The South’s military has said it waits for the balloons to land before inspecting them, rather than blast them ​— and scatter their​ suspicious payloads ​— from the sky. Seoul has responded by blaring anti-North Korean propaganda and K-pop across loudspeakers stationed near the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries.“The balloons are low-intensity provocations from the North, and South Koreans have no real reason to react to them,” said Wooyeal Paik, the deputy director at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies. So far, he said, there was no indication of espionage, unlike the balloons from China seen over the United States last year, nor did they seem to carry weapons.Propaganda balloons also flew on the Korean Peninsula during the Cold War. Both sides used them to scatter leaflets condemning each other’s governments. Those tactics had largely faded until their revival this year.“The balloons have become the new normal,” Mr. Hong said. More

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      Samsung Recalls 1 Million Stoves That Started 250 Fires and Killed Pets

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      Thirty models of Samsung stoves were part of the recall over fires started by accidental contact.A recall has been issued for more than one million Samsung stoves after hundreds of reports of them being turned on accidentally, leading to fires that injured dozens and killed at least seven pets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement on Thursday.Customers who own one of the 30 recalled models of Samsung electric ranges that the company has been selling since 2013 will be able to get a free set of knob locks or covers to minimize the risk of ignition by accidental contact with humans or pets, the company said in a statement announcing its voluntary recall on Thursday.More than 1.1 million electric ranges were included in the recall. The ranges were involved in about 250 fires, which led to about 40 injuries. Eight of the injuries needed medical attention, and there were 18 instances of “extensive property damage,” the commission’s statement said.When asked exactly how many pets died, and why it took 11 years since the company started selling the flawed ranges before the recall was issued, a spokeswoman for the commission declined to comment, referring to Samsung and the commission’s website for questions.Christopher Langlois, a spokesman for Samsung, said consumers should be mindful of the risks of accidental contact with range knobs for any stove. They should keep their stove tops clean and clear, keep children and pets away, and make sure that stoves are turned off after cooking, the company said in a statement.Samsung is asking people who have aone of its ranges to contact the company to see if they are eligible for the free, self-install knob locks or covers that reduce the possibility of accidental ignition.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      South Korea Reports Leak From a Top Intelligence Agency

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      It’s highly unusual for the nation’s authorities to publicly acknowledge a leak from the command​, which is one of South Korea’s top two spy agencies.South Korea was investigating a leak from its top military intelligence command​ that ​local news media said had caused a large amount of sensitive information, including personal data on the command’s agents abroad, to end up in North Korea, its military said Saturday.The military said in a brief statement that it planned to “deal sternly with” those responsible for the leak. But it declined to confirm the local media reports, pending its investigation of the Korea ​Defense Intelligence Command,​ where the leak took place.The command, a secretive arm of the South Korean military, specializes in gathering intelligence on North Korea, a heavily militarized country that often threatens ​its southern neighbor with nuclear weapons.It’s highly unusual for the South Korean authorities to publicly acknowledge a leak from the command​, which is one of South Korea’s top two spy agencies, along with the National Intelligence Service.The intelligence command runs a network of agents, including those disguised ​as South Korean diplomats or using other undercover identities, in China and other parts of Asia.The agents often spend years recruiting North Koreans overseas as their contacts. The information they collect augments the intelligence that the United States and its allies collect on North Korea through spy satellites or by intercepting electronic communications.If personal data about the agents ended up in North Korea, that could seriously damage South Korea’s ability to gather intelligence on the North.The last time a major breach of security was reported at the command was in 2018, when an active-duty military officer affiliated with the command was found to have sold classified information to foreign agents in China and Japan through a retired ​South Korean intelligence officer. The information he sold reportedly included data on the command’s agents in China or data on North Korean weaponry.North and South Korea run vigorous intelligence and counterintelligence operations against each other. South Korea still occasionally ​arrests people accused of spying for North Korea. In recent years, North Korea has also used an army of hackers to attack computer networks in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere to steal information or cryptocurrency.On Thursday, the United States, Britain and South Korea issued a joint advisory warning that North Korea​’s hackers have conducted a global cyber espionage campaign to steal classified military secrets to support​ its nuclear weapons program​.The U.S. Justice Department said ​on Thursday that a North Korean military intelligence operative had been indicted in​ a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, U.S. military bases and international entities, stealing sensitive information and installing ransomware to fund more attacks​. A reward of up to $10 million has been offered for information that could lead to ​the arrest of the alleged North Korean operative, Rim Jong Hyok​. More

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      Founder of Kakao, South Korean Tech Giant, Arrested Over K-Pop Deal

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      Kim Beom-Su, the billionaire behind Kakao, was taken into custody on Tuesday on allegations of stock manipulation during a bidding war over a major K-pop agency.The billionaire founder of South Korean technology giant Kakao, Kim Beom-Su, was arrested on Tuesday on allegations of stock manipulation related to the company’s investment in one of the country’s largest K-pop agencies.A high-profile bidding war broke out over the agency, SM Entertainment, early last year. Prosecutors allege Kakao manipulated SM Entertainment’s stock price to hinder Hybe, the company behind BTS, from acquiring the agency, whose roster of artists includes Girls’ Generation.Last year, prosecutors indicted Kakao’s chief investment officer and the company itself on stock manipulation charges. The Seoul Southern District Court confirmed that Mr. Kim had been arrested on Tuesday morning.Mr. Kim, who has not been formally charged, has denied the allegations.In a statement released last week, Kakao said that during a company meeting, Mr. Kim had said, “The allegations are not true. I have never instructed or condoned any illegal acts.”Asked for comment about Mr. Kim’s arrest, a Kakao spokeswoman said that “the current situation is unfortunate.”Kim Beom-su is a founder of one of South Korea’s biggest technology companies, Kakao.Agence France-Presse, via Getty ImagesKakao’s messaging and payment apps have become crucial infrastructure in South Korea, and the company is worth about $13 billion in market value. KakaoTalk, a messaging app, is installed on over 90 percent of phones in South Korea.The deal with SM Entertainment was intended to help Kakao establish a foothold in K-pop and expand abroad, tapping the South Korean culture wave. Around the time of the deal, Kakao said the investment would help accelerate its “vision of going ‘Beyond Korea’ and ‘Beyond Mobile.’” More

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      Ex-White House official accused of working as South Korea agent in exchange for luxury goods

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      A foreign policy specialist who once worked for the CIA and on the White House national security council (NSC) has been indicted on US charges she worked as an unregistered agent of South Korea’s government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.Sue Mi Terry advocated South Korean policy positions, disclosed nonpublic US government information to South Korean intelligence officers, and facilitated access for South Korean government officials to their US counterparts, according to an indictment made public on Tuesday in a Manhattan federal court.In return, the South Korean intelligence officers allegedly provided Terry with Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more than $37,000 in “covert” funding for a public policy program on Korean affairs that she ran.Terry’s alleged work as an agent began in 2013, two years after she left US government employment, and lasted a decade.She is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, according to the thinktank’s website, and an expert on east Asia and the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea.Terry did not immediately respond to a request for comment but her lawyer, Lee Wolosky, said in a statement: “These allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States.”“In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf. Once the facts are made clear it will be evident the government made a significant mistake,” he added.The Council on Foreign Relations put Terry on unpaid administrative leave, and will cooperate with any investigation, a spokesperson said.South Korea is not a defendant. Its Washington embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The office of US Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan did not immediately respond to similar requests.According to Terry’s online biography, she is a frequent guest on TV, radio and podcasts, and has testified multiple times before congressional panels.Born in Seoul and raised in Virginia, Terry was a senior CIA analyst from 2001 to 2008, and director of Korean, Japan and Oceanic Affairs at the NSC from 2008 to 2009 under Republican president George W Bush and Democratic president Barack Obama.She now lives in New York, her biography says.The indictment charges Terry with failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and conspiring to violate that law.It says she acknowledged in a voluntary June 2023 FBI interview that she was a “source” for South Korea’s intelligence service, “meaning that she provided valuable information.” More

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      Samsung Union Workers Launch Indefinite Strike

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      The tech giant’s largest union escalated its dispute with management after failing to reach an agreement over pay and working policies.Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics said Wednesday they would go on an indefinite strike, an escalation of a rare labor dispute that could disrupt the technology giant’s world-leading chip business.An estimated 6,500 workers walked off the job on Monday for a planned three-day strike over pay and working conditions. The Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union decided to extend the strike after “hearing no word” from the company, according to Lee Hyun Kuk, the vice president of the union, which represents 28,000 workers, or a fifth of the Samsung’s global work force.Samsung, South Korea’s biggest private employer, has long been the world’s largest maker of memory chips, which help computers and other electronics equipment store information. The company is also a leading manufacturer of logic chips, which make computers run, behind only Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.The union said it has been negotiating with Samsung since January over vacation days and wages. The union said its work stoppage this week has slowed some Samsung operations and production. A Samsung representative said the strike has not affected production and that the company remained “committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union.”In June, workers went on a one-day strike, the first in the company’s history.Union workers are demanding a wage increase by 3.5 percent, improved bonus policies and an extra day of vacation. It also wants Samsung to agree to compensate workers for any lost wages during the strike.“We won’t go back until all of the demands are met,” Mr. Lee said.Last week, Samsung said that it would report a larger-than-expected jump in operating profit for the second quarter, of $7.5 billion. The company’s stock has recently set a series of multiyear highs as demand for chips to power A.I. applications has soared.For decades, Samsung was known for its aversion to organized labor, and unions have organized workers at the company only in the past several years.Labor strikes in South Korea are not uncommon. Since February, over 10,000 doctors walked off the job in protest of government plans to increase the number of admitted medical students. Last spring, thousands of construction workers rallied over discontent with the country’s labor policies. More

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      After Escaping China by Sea, Dissident Kwon Pyong Faces His Next Act

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      Kwon Pyong recounted for the first time the series of gambles that got him out of China by jet ski, and almost a year later, out of South Korea.The dissident’s lone regret after his 200-mile escape across the Yellow Sea was not taking night vision goggles.Nearing the end of his jet ski journey out of China last summer, Kwon Pyong peered through the darkness off the South Korean coast. As he approached the shore, sea gulls appeared to bob as if floating. He steered forward, then ran aground: The birds were sitting on mud.“I had everything — sunscreen, backup batteries, a knife to cut buoy lines,” he recalled in an interview. He was prepared to signal his location with a laser pen if he became stranded and to burn his notes with a lighter if he were captured. He also had a visa to enter South Korea, and had intended to arrive at a port of entry, he said, not strand himself on a mud flat.It wasn’t enough.Mr. Kwon, 36 and an ethnic Korean, had mocked China’s powerful leader and criticized how the ruling Communist Party was persecuting hundreds of pro-democracy activists at home and abroad. In response, he said, he faced an exit ban and years of detention, prison and surveillance.But fleeing to South Korea did not offer the relief he expected. He was still hounded by the Chinese state, he said, and spent time in detention. Even after he was released, he was in legal limbo: neither wanted nor allowed to leave. More

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      Jin of BTS Completes His Military Service

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      The K-pop group is still on hiatus until 2025, when the last of its members finish their mandatory enlistment in South Korea’s military. But the celebrating has begun.The K-pop juggernaut BTS is one step closer to a reunion.The first member of the boy band to enlist in South Korea’s army, Jin, 31, was discharged on Wednesday morning, BTS’s label said. Over the next year or so, his bandmates are expected to complete their military service, which is required of nearly all South Korean men.BTS shocked its own Army — as the seven-member group’s fervent following is collectively known — in June 2022 when they said they would go on hiatus to enlist. Jin, the group’s eldest member, whose birth name is Kim Seok-jin, began his 18-month stint in the military that December. His enlistment came after much public debate about whether BTS should get an exemption from the draft, as Olympic medalists and some classical musicians do.Still, the group was given some leeway. Most men in South Korea have to enlist before they turn 28. Days before Jin reached that milestone, lawmakers revised the conscription law to allow pop artists who have bolstered the nation’s reputation to postpone their enlistment for two years. Researchers say BTS’s global success has contributed billions of dollars to the South Korean economy.The group’s music also seems to have become a military asset. Earlier this week, South Korea blasted K-pop music, reportedly including the BTS hits “Dynamite” and “Butter,” into North Korea in retaliation for the hundreds of trash balloons that Pyongyang has been sending south.South Korean soldiers setting up propaganda loudspeakers near the border with North Korea this week, in an image released by South Korea’s defense ministry. The Defense Ministry, via ReutersIn recent days, the band’s label pleaded with fans to refrain from flocking to the military site outside Seoul where Jin was to be discharged. Fans weren’t the only ones who have been waiting for this day: Jin posted a “D-100” countdown on social media in March.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More