WASHINGTON — South Korea and the United States have concluded a multinational maritime mine warfare exercise off Korea's southeastern port city of Busan with 15 partner nations, according to the U.S. Navy. The ninth Multi-National Mine Warfare Exercise 2026 concluded Friday after bringing together mine countermeasures vessels, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, clearance divers and autonomous underwater vehicles, the U.S. Navy said in a press release. The exercise was aimed at strengthening mine warfare capabilities and interoperability among participating navies through combined maritime operations. It included mine-hunting operations, harbor clearance and port-entry scenarios, mine detection and neutralization, and seabed surveys using unmanned underwater systems. The U.S. Navy deployed USS Chief, an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, alongside expeditionary mine countermeasures companies and diving detachments. The South Korean Navy participated with mine laying and hunting vessels, supported by specialized clearance divers and underwater disposal teams. The exercise also i

The air forces of Korea and the United States will sign a letter of intent (LOI) on autonomous combat platform cooperation Thursday to bolster collaboration in the manned-unmanned combat systems, the Korean Air Force said. The LOI will be signed during a meeting between the chiefs of staff of the two countries' air forces — Gen. Son Sug-rag and U.S. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the South's armed force said in a statement. The autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) refers to an autonomous system designed to collaborate with manned aircraft and other unmanned assets to execute air missions. Such manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) is regarded as a cornerstone of next-generation air operations, reducing risks to pilots and significantly boosting the operational range and survival chances for airmen. The collaboration comes as the U.S. Air Force is pushing for the development and operational integration of the unmanned combat aircraft systems. Korea's Air Force is also working to lay the groundwork to secure operational capabilities for the MUM-T systems. Building on the collaboration, the two air fo

The commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea said his troops must be ready for deployment outside the Korean peninsula if ordered, arguing that it would be "irresponsible" to focus "myopically" on threats there. Lt. Gen. Joe Hilbert said that while his command's focus was on fulfilling U.S. commitments under its mutual defense treaty with Seoul, the Eighth Army's location did not limit the missions it could undertake. It would be "irresponsible to focus myopically" on threats on the Korean peninsula alone, he told the South China Morning Post by email, or to "suggest that we cannot do other things simply because we are in Korea." Describing the Eighth Army as part of a "global force" that trains for "readiness so that we can deploy where needed by our national command authority," Hilbert cited the Eighth Army's participation in multinational exercises across the Asia-Pacific as an example of its activities beyond the peninsula. "We view readiness as largely threat-agnostic. If we have a trained, ready force capable of executing the Army's assigned missions, we can apply that forc

Personal information belonging to about 10,000 Yonsei University students and graduates has been leaked in a hacking of the university's portal service, the university said Thursday. Yonsei University's information and communications office said it has confirmed unauthorized access to the portal by an external party, resulting in the exposure of personal information of some members of the university community. It apologized for the concern and inconvenience caused by the breach. The exposed data includes student ID numbers, mobile phone numbers and email addresses of current students and graduates, as well as certain system management information, the university said. However, sensitive personal information, such as resident registration numbers, was not compromised, it said. After discovering the hack, the university took steps to block the point of intrusion and requested a police investigation. The university said details of the breach, including the specific types of personal information exposed for each affected individual, will be available on its website from 1 p.m. Thursday.

BUSAN — Bukang-i the shark, which was guided out of a canal in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan after more than a month there, has returned to the waterway. The shark was seen swimming Thursday morning in a narrow space between a flat floating platform installed near the canal's exit to prevent it from coming back and a net set up as a second backstop, a day after it was successfully guided out of the canal. Observers say the fish could have swum its way into the canal under the floating platform, known as a pontoon. The shark -- named Bukang-i after Bukhang, Korean for North Port -- was first spotted in the canal Sept. 18. Since then, the canal park, located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has turned into a major attraction, drawing over 1.6 million visitors as of Sunday. After two previous attempts to guide the fish to the open sea failed, officials had waited for it to exit the canal on its own. But after it didn't, the officials made a third attempt over concern it could die if water temperatures fell further. On Wednesday, a joint team involving municipal and Coast

Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul will visit the graves of two former presidents, including controversial former dictator Park Chung-hee, the veterans ministry said Thursday, following through on his pledge to honor past leaders regardless of political differences. Kwon was set to attend a memorial ceremony later in the day marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Choi Kyu-hah, the 10th president, from December 1979 to August 1980, at the Daejeon National Cemetery and pay his respects, according to the ministry. Choi assumed office following the assassination of Park in October 1979 and resigned under pressure from then Army Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who took power through a military coup. Choi is the shortest-serving president in post-Korean War history. Kwon plans to visit the Seoul National Cemetery on Monday and pay tribute to Park, the ministry said. Kwon's moves are considered rare, as paying respects to controversial past leaders like Park has often drawn criticism, especially from the liberal bloc. Kwon, a Cabinet member in the liberal Lee Jae Myung government, has expressed a commitmen

The former reality television star makes a fresh bid for freedom after he was denied bail earlier this month over domestic violence allegations.

The journalist became part of the story when he and a bystander swam out to free a driver from a sinking vehicle in the midst of flooding north of Brisbane.

The journalist became part of the story when he and a bystander swam out to free a driver from a sinking vehicle in the midst of flooding north of Brisbane.

Marnus Labuschagne gifts South Africa his wicket with terrible shot selection.

A resident who allegedly fed a coyote in Atwater Village for months may now face a criminal charge after a toddler was bitten in the neighborhood.

Receivers of the Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel and the Four Points by Sheraton have agreed to sell the dual-branded complex, which together comprise the city’s third-largest hotel by room count, for HK$2.7 billion (US$344 million), Shimao Group announced on Thursday. In a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange, the distressed mainland Chinese developer said the buyer was Oceanfront Hong Kong Limited. Oceanfront is owned by, among others, investment vehicles associated with ParkCity Group,...

Red Metal has launched a 5000m drilling campaign at Sybella near Mount Isa, Queensland, aiming to grow its 4.795Bt resource ahead of a prefeasibility study.

Hong Kong has been ranked 24th in the latest global rule of law index, despite slipping slightly in the fundamental rights and criminal justice categories. The index, released by the World Justice Project on Wednesday, showed the city remained among the world’s top 10 for “absence of corruption” and “order and security”, rising to seventh in the latter category. The organisation said the global erosion of the rule of law slowed in 2026, but the overall decline continued, with 62 per cent of the...

This is the sixth in a series of factsheets about Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the 2026 policy address. Click here to view the other factsheets. The series has been produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will appear in the SCMP print edition on October 26. You can find the newspaper at newsstands and convenience stores. For inquiries, contact [email protected].

This is the fifth in a series of factsheets about Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the 2026 policy address. Click here to view the other factsheets. The series has been produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This factsheet will appear in the SCMP print edition on October 26. You can find the newspaper at newsstands and convenience stores. For inquiries, contact [email protected].

For many of us, artificial intelligence (AI) started out as something to play with. We asked it to write poems and arrange our calendars; we shared its more entertaining mistakes. Then it became something to believe in: an escape from drudgery, an assistant to every profession, even perhaps the start of a new industrial revolution. Now it is something to fear. The progression has been astonishing. Governments are scrambling to draw up AI strategies, companies are reorganising operations and...

A merger of Tesla and SpaceX makes a lot of sense for the world’s richest man, and his shareholders.

While a storm over Caboolture dumped 170 millimetres of rain on nearby suburbs, a second storm forms as an “unstable” system dominates the region.

While a storm over Caboolture dumped 170 millimetres of rain on nearby suburbs, a second storm forms as an “unstable” system dominates the region.

Roads across south-east Queensland have been closed as heavy rain causes flash flooding conditions.

Qantas frequent flyer program members can now earn status credits without flying. Here’s what you have to do.

Subscribers will get 80 regular-season games, selected playoff match-ups and NBA Finals games in five seasons, included with their existing subscription.

A fresh dispute has erupted between Beijing and Taipei over commemorations for Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary hero who is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Beijing on Wednesday lashed out at Taipei’s move to ban Taiwanese officials from attending events in the mainland Chinese capital marking the 160th anniversary of Sun’s birth on November 12. Sun brought an end to more than 2,000 years of imperial rule when he founded the Republic of China (ROC) in 1912, and he also founded the...

The ribbon cutting will be a relief for tens of thousands of commuters who have been forced to catch replacement buses each day for more than two years.

Prosecutors concede Masood Zakaria’s forced removal from Turkey to face a raft of serious charges, including murder, was not permitted.

A Perth cyclist killed in an alleged hit and run has been identified as Joseph Paratore.

The Australian sharemarket declined in early trade on Thursday, despite a strong lead from Wall Street where strong results from SpaceX and other big companies boosted sentiment.

Richard Buchanan, a reputed member of the Mexican Mafia from San Diego, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Kern Valley State Prison, authorities said Wednesday.

Experts have warned of the infection risks associated with an anti-ageing beauty treatment known as “cadaver-derived skin injection” amid growing interest in the treatment, as authorities crack down on beauty premises offering services with unregistered products. The warnings came a day after the Department of Health revealed it had seized vials of an injectable product called Elravie Re20, which claims to contain human tissue, following raids on four beauty premises in the city on Friday and...