https://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com en 2026 - VOA 60 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:33:30 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Beijing’s next moves may be cautious, though, analysts say https://www.voanews.com/a/china-criticizes-us-tariffs-and-presents-itself-as-a-responsible-major-power-/8002188.html https://www.voanews.com/a/china-criticizes-us-tariffs-and-presents-itself-as-a-responsible-major-power-/8002188.html Fri, 07 Mar 2025 06:47:27 -0500 China Newswebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — At least 15 people were injured when two South Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed a populated village during training exercises Thursday, according to South Korean officials and media reports. Two KF-16 fighter jets each "abnormally dropped" four 227-kilogram MK-82 bombs outside a designated fire range in Pocheon during a live-fire exercise at about 10 a.m. local time, Ministry of National Defense officials said. The fighter jets were participating in... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-jet-accidentally-drops-bombs-on-village-injuring-seven/8000717.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-jet-accidentally-drops-bombs-on-village-injuring-seven/8000717.html Wed, 05 Mar 2025 23:53:28 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) China on Wednesday set its economic growth target at 5%. That figure is unchanged from last year, despite mounting economic challenges, including escalating trade tensions with the United States. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-aims-high-on-growth-but-challenges-loom/7998444.html https://www.voanews.com/a/china-aims-high-on-growth-but-challenges-loom/7998444.html Wed, 05 Mar 2025 05:46:54 -0500 China Newswebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — Conservative South Korean lawmaker Kim Sang-wook has received so many threats since December that his children no longer tell classmates who their father is. Already sidelined in the ruling party, many colleagues want Kim expelled altogether. In his home district of Ulsan, he finds himself shunned by former friends and allies. Welcome to the life of a conservative politician who has chosen to break ranks with the People Power Party, or PPP, which has swung sharply to... https://www.voanews.com/a/as-yoon-remakes-south-korea-s-right-a-lonely-conservative-pushes-back/7991595.html https://www.voanews.com/a/as-yoon-remakes-south-korea-s-right-a-lonely-conservative-pushes-back/7991595.html Fri, 28 Feb 2025 10:29:10 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The vast majority of human rights groups focused on North Korea face an existential crisis after receiving notices from the U.S. government that their grant funds have been frozen, according to several sources among the predominantly Seoul-based NGOs.  The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, established by Congress to strengthen democratic institutions globally, and the State Department’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau, which provide most of the groups’... https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-rights-groups-face-collapse-amid-us-funding-halt/7981751.html https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-rights-groups-face-collapse-amid-us-funding-halt/7981751.html Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:09:06 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) Seoul — As a high school junior in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, Daneel Kutsenko never gave much thought to China. Last month, though, as the U.S. government prepared to ban TikTok – citing national security concerns about its Chinese ownership – Kutsenko downloaded RedNote, another Chinese video-sharing app, which he felt gave him a new perspective on China. “It just seems like people who live their life and have fun,” Kutsenko told VOA of RedNote, which reportedly attracted... https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-apps-face-scrutiny-in-us-but-users-keep-scrolling/7973393.html https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-apps-face-scrutiny-in-us-but-users-keep-scrolling/7973393.html Thu, 13 Feb 2025 06:36:15 -0500 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) Seoul, South Korea — When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, his goal, according to Japanese officials, will be straightforward: reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance and build a strong rapport with Trump. But many in Tokyo see Ishiba’s goal as even simpler: to avoid a diplomatic disaster with a newly re-elected Trump, whose “America First” foreign policy has returned with even greater intensity than during his first... https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-s-ishiba-faces-balancing-act-in-first-meeting-with-trump/7964943.html https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-s-ishiba-faces-balancing-act-in-first-meeting-with-trump/7964943.html Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:21:24 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Japanese officials say they want to reaffirm the US-Japan alliance and build strong personal ties between Ishiba and Trump. VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul, South Korea. Camera: Bill Gallo https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-s-ishiba-to-tread-cautiously-in-first-meeting-with-trump/7964857.html https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-s-ishiba-to-tread-cautiously-in-first-meeting-with-trump/7964857.html Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:02:49 -0500 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — When Chinese startup DeepSeek released its AI model this month, it was hailed as a breakthrough, a sign that China’s artificial intelligence companies could compete with their Silicon Valley counterparts using fewer resources. The narrative was clear: DeepSeek had done more with less, finding clever workarounds to U.S. chip restrictions. However, that storyline has begun to shift. OpenAI, the U.S.-based company behind ChatGPT, now claims DeepSeek may have improperly... https://www.voanews.com/a/deepseek-vs-chatgpt-fuels-debate-over-ai-building-blocks/7958031.html https://www.voanews.com/a/deepseek-vs-chatgpt-fuels-debate-over-ai-building-blocks/7958031.html Fri, 31 Jan 2025 05:52:21 -0500 Technologywebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday. The move ends a weeks-long standoff over the current status of Yoon, who is being investigated for insurrection related to his short-lived declaration of martial law. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul. https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-yoon-detained-in-first-for-country/7937414.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-yoon-detained-in-first-for-country/7937414.html Wed, 15 Jan 2025 03:14:56 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday, the country’s anti-corruption agency announced, following a tense, five-hour standoff at his heavily guarded mountain compound in Seoul.   Yoon’s motorcade arrived at the anti-corruption office, where he underwent questioning in an insurrection investigation related to his short-lived martial law declaration last month. He was later taken to a detention center near the... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-investigators-arrest-impeached-president-yoon/7937321.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-investigators-arrest-impeached-president-yoon/7937321.html Tue, 14 Jan 2025 21:21:48 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities are making a fresh effort to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, days after he evaded the first attempt to enforce a court-approved warrant with the protection of presidential security and military forces. A team of investigators arrived before dawn Wednesday at the heavily fortified presidential compound in central Seoul. Yoon has been holed up there as he pushes against a government insurrection investigation related to his short-lived... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-police-raid-yoon-s-residence-in-fresh-detention-effort/7936934.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-police-raid-yoon-s-residence-in-fresh-detention-effort/7936934.html Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:58:31 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — In late 2021, the wife of then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol appeared exasperated by several journalists she insisted were treating her husband unfairly. In a leaked phone call with a left-leaning reporter, Kim Keon-hee vowed to have “all of them” jailed if her husband won the presidency.  The comment drew little attention, overshadowed by the scandals and mudslinging typical of South Korea’s elections. In hindsight, analysts say it hinted at how Yoon, now... https://www.voanews.com/a/how-yoon-s-martial-law-bid-complicates-us-south-korea-ties/7932206.html https://www.voanews.com/a/how-yoon-s-martial-law-bid-complicates-us-south-korea-ties/7932206.html Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:56:53 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities Friday suspended their attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol following a tense six-hour standoff between investigators and security forces loyal to the embattled conservative president. In a statement, the joint investigative team trying to detain Yoon said it was "practically impossible" to proceed with the execution of the court-approved detention warrant considering resistance and the safety of personnel on-site. In... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-investigators-try-to-detain-impeached-yoon/7922885.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-investigators-try-to-detain-impeached-yoon/7922885.html Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:03:18 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A South Korean court has approved a detention warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces insurrection charges over his attempt to impose martial law in December.   The Seoul Western District Court issued the warrant on Tuesday, marking the first time a sitting South Korean president has faced arrest, according to local media.     Yoon was impeached in mid-December, suspending his presidential powers while the Constitutional Court reviews the case.   In... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-court-issues-detention-warrant-for-yoon/7919499.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-court-issues-detention-warrant-for-yoon/7919499.html Tue, 31 Dec 2024 02:54:54 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces insurrection charges over his attempt to impose martial law earlier this month.  The Seoul Western District Court issued the warrant on Tuesday, marking the first time a sitting South Korean president has faced arrest, according to local media.  Yoon was impeached in mid-December, suspending his presidential powers while the Constitutional Court reviews the case.  In... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-court-issues-arrest-warrant-for-yoon-/7919426.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korean-court-issues-arrest-warrant-for-yoon-/7919426.html Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:26:41 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean lawmakers have impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law, a high-stakes move that must now be approved by judges. In a Saturday vote, 12 conservative lawmakers joined opposition forces to impeach Yoon, who is just halfway through his single five-year term. The impeachment suspends Yoon’s powers until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office. In the interim, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-parliament-votes-to-impeach-president-over-martial-law-order-/7901206.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-parliament-votes-to-impeach-president-over-martial-law-order-/7901206.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:35 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) South Korean lawmakers have impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law. In a vote Saturday, 12 conservative lawmakers joined opposition forces to impeach Yoon, whose powers will now be suspended until the country’s Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office. Here is more from VOA's Bill Gallo in Seoul. https://www.voanews.com/a/conservatives-join-opposition-to-impeach-yoon/7901349.html https://www.voanews.com/a/conservatives-join-opposition-to-impeach-yoon/7901349.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 10:11:19 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s defense ministry insisted that President Yoon Suk Yeol remained in charge of the country’s armed forces on Monday, even as the justice ministry enforced a travel ban against him following his attempt to declare martial law last week.  The developments deepened what legal scholars described as an extraordinary constitutional crisis. Although Yoon is being investigated for treason, and the head of his own party has said he would no longer be involved in... https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-leadership-unclear-as-yoon-struggles-to-retain-power/7892280.html https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-s-leadership-unclear-as-yoon-struggles-to-retain-power/7892280.html Mon, 09 Dec 2024 05:11:34 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo, Lee Juhyun) South Korean lawmakers failed Saturday to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law — which was lifted within hours — this week. But opposition lawmakers say they will hold another impeachment vote as soon as next week. VOA's Bill Gallo reports from Seoul. https://www.voanews.com/a/yoon-survives-impeachment-opposition-vows-another-vote-within-days/7891083.html https://www.voanews.com/a/yoon-survives-impeachment-opposition-vows-another-vote-within-days/7891083.html Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:51:16 -0500 East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo)