Find similar content

🇰🇷🇸🇦Saudi Arabia Pledges Priority Oil Shipments to Seoul Saudi Arabia has committed to allocating oil shipments to South Korea on a priority basis, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on April 12. Seoul is working to dispatch five Korean-flagged vessels to the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu to establish alternative supply routes after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed amid the Middle East conflict. Kim said the government is preparing to allow South Korean vessels to use the Red Sea route, including the possible deployment of the Cheonghae unit's Dae Joyoung destroyer for escort operations. The ministry is also considering increasing crude oil purchases from the United States and Kazakhstan to diversify import sources. Oil prices rose following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, adding pressure on South Korea's economy given its heavy reliance on Middle East energy supplies. Kim described securing energy resources as a priority alongside economic considerations. #SouthKorea#SaudiArabia @asianomics

🇸🇦SAUDI ARABIA The ancient city of Al-Diryah was the first capital of Saudi Arabia. According to the records in the chronicles of Najd, this is where the oldest ruling family of the country originates from. In 2010, the central district of Al-Turaif was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and became an open-air museum. #SaudiArabia @voyage

🗺Saudi Arabia🇸🇦 In the ancient oasis of the desert canyons of the Ashar Valley, Saudi Arabia, a stunning eco-resort named Habitas AlUla has opened. This 5-star resort is nestled among mesmerizing sandstone cliffs and ancient Nabatean settlements, where trade routes passed as early as the 1st century AD. The eco-resort is located near famous attractions, including the Old Town of AlUla and the mirrored Maraya Concert Hall. #SaudiArabia @voyage

🇰🇷Seoul Secures 273M Barrels Via Alternative Routes South Korea's presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced that the country had secured 273 million barrels of crude oil and 2.1 million tons of naphtha from four nations by year-end, following an eight-day diplomatic mission to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kazakhstan. Kang stated the crude oil volume is sufficient to sustain the economy for more than three months under normal operating conditions. Saudi Arabia, South Korea's largest crude supplier, committed to supplying 200 million barrels, including 50 million barrels to be shipped through an alternative Red Sea port between April and May. Qatar, which had previously declared force majeure on its long-term LNG contracts with Seoul due to Iranian missile strikes on its facilities, confirmed it would fulfill its obligations and treat South Korea as a top priority. All crude oil and naphtha will be routed through alternative shipping lanes not passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the US-Iran conflict began in late February. Kang also said his delegation held discussions on establishing crude oil storage facilities outside the strait, and Oman's Deputy Prime Minister expressed willingness to assist the safe passage of 26 South Korea-related vessels currently stranded there. #SouthKorea#SaudiArabia#Kazakhstan @asianomics

#SouthKorea: Donald Trump ha accusato il Governo sudcoreano di non rispettare gli accordi commerciali intrapresi con gli Stati Uniti e per questo imporrà dazi del 25% sul Paese.

❗️Il presidente sudcoreano dichiara la legge marziale - Martedì il presidente Yoon Suk Yeol ha imposto la legge marziale d'emergenza, accusando l'opposizione di essere simpatizzante del Nord e di condurre attività "anti-stato". - Ha promesso di "eliminare le forze anti-stato il più rapidamente possibile e di normalizzare il Paese". - Gli eventi seguono il tentativo dell'opposizione di mettere sotto accusa diversi procuratori e il rifiuto della proposta di bilancio del governo. - Il leader del Partito Democratico di Corea, all'opposizione, Toburo Lee Jae Myung, ha definito "incostituzionale" la decisione del presidente di dichiarare la legge marziale. - Il leader del partito conservatore People Power Party del presidente Yoon, Han Dong-hoon, ha definito "sbagliata" la decisione di imporre la legge marziale e ha promesso di "fermarla insieme al popolo". #SouthKorea

South Korean scientists have developed a gas battery that converts greenhouse gases into electricity Researchers in South Korea have made a breakthrough in environmentally “clean” energy. A research team from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul has developed a gas battery capable of converting greenhouse gases into electricity during the process of their capture. The device, referred to by the developers as a “Gas Capture and Electricity Generation” (GCEG) system, uses an asymmetric configuration combining carbon electrodes with hydrogel materials. When gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen oxides (NOx) come into contact with the system, they are adsorbed onto the electrode surface, triggering microscopic reactions including charge redistribution and ion migration. Unlike conventional carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) systems, which require significant external energy input, the new gas battery converts the energy released during gas adsorption directly into electrical power. The device generates a continuous direct current without the need for additional external energy sources. According to the lead researcher, Associate Professor Ji-Soo Jang of Sungkyunkwan University, the technology could lead to a new class of self-powered devices. These may include battery-powered air quality sensors, distributed Internet of Things devices operating in remote or energy-constrained environments, as well as industrial systems that simultaneously reduce emissions and generate energy from exhaust streams. “Capturing greenhouse gases while simultaneously generating electricity offers a new paradigm for climate change mitigation,” the researchers note. According to them, atmospheric pollutants effectively become a “fuel” for electricity generation, simultaneously cleaning the environment and supplying energy. The development is particularly relevant given that, according to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), global greenhouse gas emissions reached approximately 58.6 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024. China, the United States, and India remain the world’s largest CO2 emitters. The study was published in the prestigious scientific journal Energy & Environmental Science. The researchers hope their development will become an important step toward carbon neutrality and the creation of sustainable energy systems of the future. #SouthKorea

📍 South Korea, Space Walk 🇰🇷 Space Walk, the first artistic installation in Korea designed like a roller coaster for walking, has attracted about 110,000 visitors in approximately 50 days since its opening in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. 🎢🚶 Space Walk loops like a roller coaster track. This artistic installation, with a "ribbon" length of 333 meters, width of 60 meters, height of 25 meters, and an area of 3,420 square meters, was built in Hwanho Park, in the Buk district on the north side of Pohang. As visitors walk the path, it sways like a roller coaster, giving the sensation of riding one. 🌀🌟 #SouthKorea @voyage

🇰🇷South Korea Eyes Suicide Drones at Battalion Level The South Korean Army is reviewing deployment of loitering munitions down to battalion-level units and below, alongside a plan to field over 50,000 operational drones by 2029 and introduce 11,000 training drones this year. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha framed the shift as foundational — comparing drone access to personal firearms for all combatants. The push falls under the Army TIGER initiative, launched in 2018 to build manned-unmanned teaming systems capable of multi-domain operations, with full transformation of Army units targeted by 2040. Separately, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has disclosed plans to cut border unit troop strength from 22,000 to 6,000 by 2040, replacing personnel with AI-powered surveillance — a move that has raised concerns over potential gaps in coverage. The combined trajectory points to a structural reorientation of South Korea's ground forces away from manpower-intensive deployment toward autonomous and remotely operated systems. #SouthKorea @asianomics

🇰🇷South Korea Breaks Ground on Second Combat Support Ship A steel-cutting ceremony was held at Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje on April 29, marking the start of construction on South Korea's second auxiliary oil, ammunition and equipment ship (AOE-II), as reported by DAPA. The program, valued at ₩531.5 billion (~$360 million), was launched in 2024 as a follow-on to the 10,000-ton logistics vessel Soyang, commissioned in 2018. The new ship will feature a domestically-developed integrated engineering control system managing propulsion, power, and auxiliary systems through a single network. The vessel reflects a broader push to deepen South Korea's naval logistics capacity, with upgraded surveillance, noise reduction, and improved crew systems built in from the design stage. DAPA explicitly framed the program as a platform to expand South Korean shipbuilding export opportunities, including in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) — a sector where Korean yards are actively competing for international contracts. The AOE-II program positions Hanwha Ocean as a key node in South Korea's defense-industrial base, reinforcing the dual civil-military shipbuilding model Seoul has been scaling. #SouthKorea @asianomics

🇰🇷South Korea Exports Rise 11th Straight Month A Reuters poll projects South Korean exports rose sharply again in April, marking an 11th consecutive month of growth. The expansion is driven by a surge in semiconductor demand tied to AI investment. Chip strength is absorbing headwinds from the Middle East conflict, which would otherwise weigh on trade flows. The poll result points to sustained outperformance in South Korea's export sector despite external shocks. Continued AI-driven chip demand positions South Korea's semiconductor exporters as a primary beneficiary of global technology investment cycles. #SouthKorea @asianomics

🇰🇷Seoul Probes Four Firms for Syringe Hoarding South Korean police on April 28 announced they are investigating four medical device distributors suspected of violating a national ban on syringe stockpiling, following a complaint by the food and drug safety ministry. The ban, imposed in April, prohibits companies from holding more than 150% of average monthly 2025 sales volumes in syringes and needles for five or more consecutive days. The supply crunch traces to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted naphtha shipments — a petrochemical feedstock essential for producing plastic medical components. The disruption has cascaded across Asia's petrochemical sector, forcing governments to intervene as firms reportedly exploited shortages by stockpiling and reselling at inflated prices. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency vowed to expand inspections across the full supply chain to deter further violations. #SouthKorea @asianomics