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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung leaving after giving a speech
What We're Watching

South Korea’s Lee wins big in local election, Bolivia’s domestic crisis deepens, White House goes back to tariff policy

South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party is poised to win 11 of 16 municipal races, a reversal from four years ago when the now-disgraced PPP dominated. But Lee’s surging popularity has foreign policy ramifications.

PM Takaichi and President Lee Jae Myung shaking hands at a press event
Analysis

Seoul mates? South Korea and Japan get chummy

Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meet this week for a two-day summit focused on security, energy, and critical minerals. The two leaders appear to differ on China’s engagement in the future of the region.

North Korea: The cult that outlasted Stalin and Mao
GZERO World Clips

North Korea: The cult that outlasted Stalin and Mao

Wall Street Journal Beijing bureau chief Jonathan Cheng argues that North Korea is best understood not as a nation state but as a religious society, built on the most durable personality cult in modern history.

​He Weidong, Zhang Youxia, and Li Shangfu swear oaths as they are selected as China's Central Military Commission members during the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2023.
Hard Numbers

China’s mass military purge, Louvre director quits, South Korea’s fertility rate inches up, Trump’s record SOTU speech

100: The estimated number of senior officials who’ve been sidelined or have disappeared from China’s military since 2022, according to a study released on Tuesday.

​People in support of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Feb. 19, 2026. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment the same day for leading an insurrection with his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Middle East

Hard Numbers: Former South Korean President sentenced to life, New insurgent group in Nigeria, Air power build up in the Middle East, and Bankers need sleep too

65: The age of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of plotting an insurrection when he declared martial law in 2024.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing (R) arrives at a polling station in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw on Dec. 28, 2025.
Hard Numbers

Hard numbers: Myanmar’s military-backed party set to win sham election, Trump threatens to raise tariffs on South Korea, Silver prices spike, & More

​South Korea's former prime minister Han Duck-soo arrives at Seoul Central District Court to receive a first-instance verdict on insurrection-related charges, in Seoul, South Korea on January 21, 2026.
Hard Numbers

Hard numbers: Another South Korean leader sentenced over Martial law, US and China to finish TikTok sale, Guinea-Bissau announces election date, & More

23: The years to which former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced in jail over his role in helping former President Yoon Suk Yeol impose Martial law in late 2024.

​Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea, July 9, 2025.
Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: South Korea’s ex-leader sentenced, Ugandan opposition supporters killed after election, Canada and China trade cars for canola, Brazil’s Bolsonaro can cut his sentence with a book

5: The number of years South Korea’s ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced in prison today, on charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law last year.

Protesters demonstrate against poor economic conditions in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025.​
What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: Iran’s protests won’t end, Starmer eyes closer EU relations, South Korea’s Lee visits Beijing

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the National Diet in Tokyo, Japan, on November 12, 2025.
Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: Japan’s PM organizes 3 a.m. meeting, Exam day for South Korea’s students, US government shutdown ends, & More