Samsung is reportedly developing a new foldable phone with a relatively wider screen as it seeks to strengthen its position in the foldable smartphone market. The South Korean technology company is considering a display better suited to video viewing following the commercial success of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The report says the potential device could reach the market in 2027.

According to Engadget, citing South Korean outlet ET News, the device may use a display aspect ratio different from Samsung's existing Fold series. It could move away from the Galaxy Z Fold 8's 4:3 ratio toward a format closer to 16:9 or 16:10, although Samsung has not officially announced details. The redesign is intended to reduce the large black bars visible above and below widescreen videos on a 4:3 display.

ET News also reported that Samsung may plan to release five foldable devices by 2027, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, a successor to the Galaxy Z Flip 8, and a new-generation Galaxy Z TriFold. Their official announcement could come at a Samsung Unpacked event in July 2027, based on the company's recent launch schedule.

The annual US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise is ending on Friday ahead of schedule after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce it “significantly,” the report said. About 18,000 South Korean troops, along with US forces and personnel from 11 allied countries, had been participating. Trump described the drills as inappropriate and hostile toward North Korea and costly for the United States.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the move resulted from mutual understanding between the two countries, while acknowledging that South Korean officials had not been informed in advance of Trump’s decision to scale back the exercise. Atlantic Council senior fellow Joe B. Yun said the unilateral and sudden decision could strain South Korean confidence in the United States.

The report said concerns have grown that Washington could also reduce its roughly 27,000 troops stationed in South Korea or alter its longstanding policy of seeking North Korea’s denuclearization without consulting Seoul. North Korea launched ballistic missiles toward Japan days before the exercise and again on Thursday. Pyongyang said reducing the drills was not an issue deserving its interest or comment.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for stronger national defense self-reliance after US President Donald Trump decided to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. Lee said Seoul should expand its own defense capabilities while maintaining its strong military alliance with the United States. He identified the return of full wartime operational control, or OPCON, of South Korean forces from the United States as an important objective.

Trump recently ordered a substantial reduction in joint drills with South Korea, citing his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and saying the exercises could be limited under current circumstances. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise involves about 18,000 South Korean troops as well as personnel from the United States and the UN Command.

One purpose of the exercise is to prepare for the transfer of wartime operational control and assess military capabilities. Lee said the US alliance and independent defense capacity are not contradictory, and that both are needed to make South Korea stronger and more self-reliant. Analysts fear reduced drills could affect joint readiness and the ability to address threats from North Korea.

US President Donald Trump announced a significant reduction in the scale of joint military exercises with South Korea, citing Seoul’s refusal to join the United States in what he described as Iran’s “nuclear disarmament” process. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday, August 17. He said the drills were costly, with the United States bearing much of the expense, and described them as sending an inappropriate and hostile message.

Trump said it was too late to cancel the exercises because the annual drills were scheduled to begin Monday. Last week, US and South Korean military officials announced the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, saying it would proceed as in previous years and involve about 18,000 South Korean troops. South Korea said its joint exercises with the United States would continue on the planned schedule.

About 28,500 US troops are currently deployed in South Korea. North Korea condemned the drills on Friday as preparations for an aggressive war, while Pyongyang had made no new comment on Trump’s announcement. Trump also halted the exercises in 2018 during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Dhaka Residential Model College’s Arup-Bit team won the secondary-category championship at South Korea’s education ministry-organized 16th e-Icon World Contest. The final competition was held on August 7. The team included ICT department lecturer Syed Mahbub Hasan Amiri, Grade 12 student Md. Shafiul Alam Siddiqui Shreshtho, and SSC examinee Aranya Abir Khan Prapyo. The college disclosed the achievement in a press release on Sunday.

The contest received 242 projects from 37 countries, with 10 selected for the final. Finalist projects included teams from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Rwanda, Moldova and Uzbekistan. The competition required participants to develop web applications to support implementation of SDG-3. Professors from three well-known South Korean universities and senior Samsung officials served as judges.

The contest had two stages. From July 1 to 31, the Bangladeshi team collaborated online with a Korean team; from August 2 to 7, it travelled to South Korea to present its project. Arup-Bit’s web application, Light House, focuses on reducing students’ screen time. It uses AI hardware intended to assist students, help prevent excessive workload-related problems, and encourage them to stay away from screens. The app is available at arupbit.com.

Seoul police searched and seized materials at the Korean Football Association’s offices on Thursday as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the appointment of former national team coach Hong Myung-bo. Hong took charge of the national team for a second time in 2024, but his selection had faced questions from the outset.

The association reportedly halted a lengthy search for a foreign coach and appointed Hong after a short meeting. A later Sports Ministry investigation found that the KFA had broken appointment rules, although the ministry did not order Hong’s contract cancelled because it found no evidence of a criminal offence.

South Korea, described as having a golden generation including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in, exited the World Cup in the group stage after a 1-0 loss to South Africa under Hong. His decision to leave Son on the bench in the first half of that match drew controversy. Hong resigned in June after the World Cup, while a July parliamentary hearing also raised questions about his reported salary of 38 billion won, a figure he disputed.

South Korean authorities recovered 15 suspected North Korean landmines from several coastal locations in the northwestern border county of Ganghwa, officials said Friday. Ganghwa civil defense chief Choi Young-ran said the mines were found between July 23 and August 3 and were believed to have floated in from the inter-Korean border area during the monsoon season and recent heavy rainfall. All 15 mines were safely removed.

The Demilitarized Zone, established after the 1950-53 Korean War, divides North and South Korea and is among the world’s most heavily mined areas. Military information cited by Yonhap estimates that about 800,000 landmines are buried in and around the DMZ. Most were laid during the war, although mine-laying has continued in recent years.

South Korea’s military warned last month that explosives carried by swollen border rivers into low-lying areas could cause major damage. Local officials said Wednesday that the possibility of more mines washing ashore could not be ruled out. A Ganghwa resident said the risk could endanger people who collect shellfish by hand, while also raising concerns about local tourism.

South Korea has recorded 16 deaths during this summer's severe heatwave, while more than 2,000 people have fallen ill from excessive heat. The country's Interior Ministry released the figures in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, 2,025 people suffered from various heat-related illnesses between May 15 and August 2. Sixteen of those affected died during the period covered by the ministry's statement.

The continuing heatwave across South Korea has disrupted daily life. With health risks rising because of high temperatures, authorities urged residents not to go outside unless necessary and to follow precautions, including drinking sufficient water.

An unprecedented heatwave is continuing across South Korea, where severe heat alerts remained in force across most areas, according to a report published on August 3. Temperatures have surpassed previous records, while heat-related illnesses have increased and raised public-health concerns. The Korea Meteorological Administration said temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several parts of the country on July 29.

In the southeastern city of Daegu, the temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time since August 1942. Nearby Yangsan recorded a high of 42.5 degrees Celsius the previous day, the highest temperature since modern weather observations began in 1904. The report described the reading as a record-breaking national high.

At least 14 people have died during the heatwave since mid-May. On Monday, a 40-year-old man died in Incheon with a body temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. Two farmers, aged 60 and 80, were also found dead in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend. The weather administration attributed the prolonged heatwave to multiple high-pressure systems over the Korean Peninsula and intense sunlight under clear skies.

A Seoul district court has sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to two years in prison for violating the country’s political funding law. According to the court ruling, Yoon accepted public opinion polling services worth about 270 million won (approximately 179,800 US dollars) from a political broker without payment. The court found that he benefited from 14 such polls and later used his political influence to secure a party nomination for a former lawmaker in return. Yoon has consistently denied the allegations, claiming he neither requested the surveys nor made any promises in exchange.

The verdict contrasts with earlier court decisions involving former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, where no evidence of mutual benefit or exchange was found. The court noted that Yoon retains the right to appeal the latest ruling to a higher court.

Yoon, aged 65, is currently facing multiple legal cases. He was previously sentenced to life imprisonment in February for involvement in a 2024 coup-related case and received a separate seven-year sentence for obstructing an arrest attempt, which the Supreme Court recently upheld.

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former president Yoon Suk Yeol, confirming lower court rulings related to his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024. The verdict, delivered on Thursday, rejected appeals from both prosecutors and Yoon’s defense team, stating that no legal errors were found in earlier judgments. Yoon remains imprisoned and is also serving a separate life sentence for leading a rebellion through the declaration of martial law.

The case centered on allegations that Yoon obstructed full cabinet discussions before declaring martial law, used a forged signature of the prime minister, and ordered the destruction of related documents. He was also accused of directing misleading press releases and instructing a military commander to delete secure communications data. Prosecutors had sought a ten-year sentence, while lower courts initially imposed five years, later increased to seven by the appellate court.

Yoon’s lawyers expressed deep regret over the Supreme Court’s decision, claiming the case was resolved without sufficient review. They announced plans to challenge the ruling on constitutional grounds.

South Korea is set to launch its fourth medium-sized Earth observation satellite on Tuesday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the United States, using a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. According to South Korean media reports, the satellite weighs about 500 kilograms and has completed all functional tests and fueling over the past month. It is now fully prepared for launch.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) stated that the satellite will separate from the rocket approximately two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff. About 31 minutes later, it is expected to make its first contact with the ground control center via the Svalbard ground station. The satellite carries several domestically developed instruments, including a camera capable of capturing images of the entire Korean Peninsula every three days.

The satellite will support applications in agriculture and forest management, monitoring of forest changes, disaster response, climate change analysis, and public safety enhancement.

At RoboCup 2026 in Incheon, South Korea, humanoid robots played football autonomously without human control. The event showcased major advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics, as the robots made their own decisions during matches. Human involvement was limited to relaying referee instructions to the robots.

RoboCup, established in 1997, aims to develop a fully autonomous robot football team capable of defeating a FIFA World Cup champion team by 2050. Researchers believe that rapid progress in AI is bringing this goal closer to reality. Spectators also expressed confidence that robot football could become a popular sport with its own fan base in the future.

The competition highlighted the growing intersection of robotics and sports, suggesting that autonomous systems may soon achieve complex teamwork and decision-making comparable to human athletes.

South Korea’s National Assembly has approved Han Seong-sook as the country’s new prime minister. The appointment was formally passed in a vote held on June 30, marking a significant leadership change under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration.

Han Seong-sook is widely recognized for her extensive experience in the technology and business sectors. She previously served as the chief executive officer of Naver, one of South Korea’s leading internet-based companies. Before assuming the prime minister’s role, she worked as the minister for small and medium enterprises, where she implemented initiatives to support industrial development, innovation, and small entrepreneurs.

Analysts believe Han’s background in technology and corporate management could positively influence South Korea’s economy, industrial policy, and innovation-driven growth. Her appointment is viewed as a strategic step toward accelerating the nation’s technology-based economic expansion.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung announced that 24 of the 26 South Korea-linked vessels previously trapped in the Hormuz Strait have successfully exited the area. The ships had been stranded since February 28, following a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran that escalated tensions in the region. Only two vessels remain in the strait, according to the president’s statement.

The conflict had initially left around 11,000 sailors stranded aboard 600 ships. Under an operation led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approximately 115 ships carrying 2,500 crew members managed to leave the strait last week. However, renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran forced the UN-affiliated organization to temporarily suspend the rescue mission.

The situation underscores the continuing volatility in the Hormuz Strait, a critical global shipping route, as international efforts to ensure maritime safety remain disrupted by regional tensions.