South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has rejected calls from US President Donald Trump to deploy military forces to the Middle East in support of US war efforts against Iran. Lee stated he would not send troops or military assets that could draw South Korea into the conflict, though Seoul is reviewing a potential role in safeguarding regional navigation.
North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, prompting trilateral consultations between senior diplomats from the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The launch came hours after President Donald Trump announced plans to meet with Kim Jong Un and a day after Seoul said it was scaling back military drills with the US.
President Trump directed the Pentagon to substantially scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing Seoul's refusal to join the war in Iran and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The decision comes despite warnings from military officials about the North Korean threat.
A South Korean court sentenced Delio CEO Jeong Sang-ho to 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of defrauding customers of approximately $50 million in cryptocurrency assets. The Seoul Southern District Court also convicted him of using false documents to register as a virtual asset provider.
President Lee Jae Myung declared South Korea's deadly heatwave a national disaster after temperatures reached 42.5°C in Yangsan—the highest in 122 years of weather observations—and at least 19 people died. Seoul received its first-ever severe heatwave warning as authorities ordered emergency measures including halting outdoor work.
South Korea has implemented AI-powered cameras on Seoul's Han River bridges to detect potential suicide attempts, while researchers in the U.S. are developing AI algorithms that use physiological signals and emergency room data to identify individuals at risk of suicide.
Dozens of cryptocurrency investors lost millions of XRP tokens after being duped by a fraudulent website impersonating the Flare Network. Seoul police are investigating the scam, with losses potentially continuing to rise.
South Korean police arrested three individuals behind a fraudulent XRP staking platform that stole 3.4 million XRP (worth $8.5 million) from 71 investors by impersonating Flare Network and promising fixed monthly returns.
Korea's Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Ministry of Science and ICT have launched a project to build deposit token-based payment infrastructure, expanding the Bank of Korea's 'Project Hangang' CBDC pilot results into the private payment sector. The initiative was officially kicked off at a joint ceremony in Seoul on July 22, 2026.
Cosmos Labs, the core development team behind the Cosmos blockchain ecosystem, has acquired the Mintscan block explorer product suite and launched Cosmos Labs Korea Co., Ltd., a new Seoul-based subsidiary to expand infrastructure and strengthen its presence in the Korean market.
A vessel operated by South Korean shipping company HMM experienced a fire and explosion in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The incident occurred in the strategically crucial waterway amid heightened regional tensions.
