The country has passed the U.N. threshold of a "super-aged society," with one in five of the population now aged over 65.

Trump's return to office raises uncertainty over U.S.-South Korea relations as political turmoil in Seoul challenges effective leadership and diplomacy.

South Korea's military said on Monday it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

The lawyers for a former South Korean defence minister under investigation on insurrection charges said on Thursday a short-lived martial law decree imposed earlier this month was to raise alarm on opposition parties' abuse of the democratic process.

Despite recent political tensions and protests in South Korea, Brunei Darussalam travellers remain confident in their year-end holiday plans to the country, with no significant disruptions reported.

"Through various sources of information and intelligence, we assess that North Korean troops who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces have suffered around 1,100 casualties," the JCS said in a statement.

South Korea's consumer sentiment dropped sharply this month to hit the weakest level in more than two years on growing worries about political uncertainty following parliament's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korea's military has said that North Korea is preparing to continue aiding Russia in its war with Ukraine, despite casualties.

South Korea’s main opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo after he missed an opposition-set deadline to approve independent investigations into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife.

The protests calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment included rare statements of dissent from K-pop stars.

South Korea’s main opposition party submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach the country’s acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial law decree on Dec.