South Korea

The year was 1987, but thanks to the tenacity of many young people, South Korea, the land of the "economic miracle”, won a truly democratic constitution, making it a leader in Asia. Yet today, it must contend with deep polarisations that threaten to undermine the common good.

On 29 October, Seoul will mark the anniversary of the crush that claimed the lives of 159 young people on Halloween. The victims’ families continue to this day to call for clarity regarding who was responsible for the disaster, and demand that the memorial to the victims (currently hidden inside a building in Jongno district) become a proper, dedicated site of remembrance.

Starting today, groups can register on the organising committee’s website to participate in the global gathering of young people in Seoul, on 3-8 August. Addressing a congress on school-based pastoral care, the pope said that, “Beneath the armour that many teenagers build for themselves to avoid suffering lies a deep desire to love and to be loved.”

The diplomatic crisis involving Ukraine is getting tangled up with President Lee Jae-myung’s overtures towards Russia. South Korea hopes that the Kremlin might facilitate fresh talks with the North; however, contacts with Moscow are fuelling suspicions in Washington and risk jeopardising relations with Kyiv and South Korea’s European partners.

The Japanese MMX mission is designed to bring samples from one of Mars’ moons back to Earth by 2031, the same year that materials collected on the moon by China’s Tianwen-3 mission are also expected to return. India and South Korea are investing in new technologies, infrastructure, and satellites. The commercial importance of space is growing.

While 51 per cent of South Koreans claim no religious affiliation, the sacred is still present in many aspects of life. While Buddhism faces a crisis in a society, the social role of Confucianism persists amid the rise of new religious movements (along with the tensions they bring). Among the various religions, Christianity, all denominations included, now make up 31 per cent of the population.

From reforestation in China to sustainable coffee in Indonesia, and free-diving fisherwomen in South Korea: the FAO has selected 100 women who are contributing to food security, environmental protection and the development of rural communities. However, the sector is still marked by significant gender inequalities.

The Indian delegation, led by Father Joseph Thermadom, a deaf Catholic priest, shares its hopes. For him, we “must not let our Deaf brothers and sisters leave the Catholic Church because they did not understand.” The South Korean capital is home to the only church in Asia designed specifically for the deaf, a model to be emulated.

Bishop Ri Iong-Hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, spoke to AsiaNews from Rome, where he is taking part in a gathering convened by Pope Leo XIV, about the challenges facing families in his country. In his view, “the Church should not simply tell young people to marry and have children. We must first listen to their hopes, fears,” while the family and children should be seen “as a subject of evangelization.”

Starting today, every Monday, AsiaNews will feature voices, stories, and in-depth reports to explore, step by step, the South Korea that will welcome young people for World Youth Day (WYD) next August. The perspective will be one of “memory and hope” focused on the mission, an approach suggested today by Pope Leo XIV to South Korean priests and religious sisters living in Rome.

President Lee Jae-myung wants to provide all of South Korea's 51 million people with free, unlimited access to an AI assistant powered by domestic models. The initiative aligns with the state-business collaboration model that has underpinned the country’s development, but it has to contend with the massive costs of the necessary infrastructure.

The school, which has been seeking a permanent home for twenty years, is facing protests from residents of Gangseo. Arrivals from the North are at their lowest level in recent years, but due to tensions following the mine explosions and the transfer of two North Korean soldiers from Ukraine, Seoul is struggling to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang.