EDITION : English/Korean

Nav
Updated

Reporter : Jason

U.S. Capitol — via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

US - Sep 25, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

White House Tells Agencies to Ready Mass-Firing Plans if Shutdown Hits—What It Means for Services and Korean Americans

With a partial U.S. government shutdown days away, the White House ordered federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force (RIF) plans that could permanently eliminate positions in programs that would lose funding next week, according to new guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The instructions raise the stakes well beyond familiar furloughs and come as negotiations over a stopgap bill remain stalled on Capitol Hill.

Imjingak, DMZ — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

US - Sep 25, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Seoul Says North Korea Is Running Four Uranium-Enrichment Sites, With Up to Two Tons of HEU

South Korea's government says North Korea is operating four uranium-enrichment facilities and may have accumulated as much as two tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU), a combination that points to a larger, more resilient bomb-fuel pipeline than previously acknowledged. The disclosure, delivered in Seoul on Thursday, builds on years of outside reporting about clandestine sites beyond the well-known Yongbyon complex and comes with an explicit warning that the

HICO, Gyeongju — Gyeongju City News (KOGL Type I)

US - Sep 24, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Korea–U.S. Tariff Talks Edge Back Into Motion as APEC Gyeongju Nears

South Korea and the United States have nudged their tariff negotiations back into motion, with Seoul signaling that an agreement before or during next month's APEC Leaders' Week in Gyeongju is still on the table. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, traveling with President Lee Jae-myung in New York, told reporters the government is "keeping the summit in mind," adding that if common ground emerges,

Key Messages for Hurricane Gabrielle — NOAA/National Hurricane Center (Public Domain)

US - Sep 24, 2025 AM EDT - Jason

Hurricane Gabrielle Sends Dangerous Swells to U.S. East Coast: What Korean American Families Should Know Today

Major Hurricane Gabrielle is racing across the North Atlantic with a hurricane warning for the Azores. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) says large swells will pound the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina northward over the next couple of days, producing life-threatening surf and rip currents. As of this morning's advisory, Gabrielle carried maximum sustained winds near 115 mph and was

USCIS office, Georgia. Photo: Gulbenk/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

US - Sep 24, 2025 AM EDT - Jason

H-1B $100,000 Fee and Wage-Priority Plan: What Korean Firms and Talent Need to Know Right Now

The new $100,000 H-1B fee for new petitions and a revived wage-priority selection plan are reshaping the U.S. skilled-worker pipeline. Here's the practical impact for Korean companies, students, and visa holders. The U.S. has moved fast to remake how employers bring in high-skilled workers. Over the weekend, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that a one-time $100,000 fee applies to new H-1B petitions filed on or after Sept. 21, 2025, while

Oracle Headquarters, Redwood Shores — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

US - Sep 23, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Oracle to Oversee TikTok’s U.S. Algorithm Under Expected Executive Order — What Changes for Creators and K-Content

The White House is preparing an executive order that would green-light a deal keeping TikTok online in the United States while placing Oracle at the center of U.S. oversight for the app's recommendation algorithm and data security, according to multiple outlets. Under the framework, Oracle would host U.S. user data and supervise a U.S.-run, licensed copy of TikTok's ranking system; the arrangement still awaits final government approvals

Hyundai (Courtesy of HMGMA - Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America)

US - Sep 23, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Hyundai to Spend $2.7B Expanding Georgia EV Complex Despite ICE Raid, Targeting 500,000 Units by 2028

Hyundai Motor Group said it will invest $2.7 billion to expand production at its Ellabell, Georgia manufacturing campus, reaffirming its U.S. build-out just weeks after an immigration raid disrupted the site's battery project. The company aims to lift annual capacity by 200,000 vehicles to 500,000 by 2028, part of a broader localization push to assemble over 80% of U.S.-sold vehicles domestically by

Bank of Korea, Seoul — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

US - Sep 23, 2025 AM EDT - Jason

Lee Warns U.S. Tariff Talks Are Rattling Korea’s FX, Seeks a “Commercially Rational” Deal

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said in New York that ongoing negotiations with Washington over tariff relief are affecting foreign-exchange sentiment in Korea, while adding that both sides can still reach a "commercially rational" outcome. Lee delivered the remarks during meetings with U.S. lawmakers on the sidelines of the UN week, noting that a large U.S.-bound investment packag

Oracle Headquarters, Redwood Shores — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

US - Sep 22, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Oracle to Oversee TikTok’s U.S. Algorithm — What It Really Changes for Creators and K-Content

The White House is moving ahead with a framework that would keep TikTok live in the U.S. by putting Oracle at the center of a "U.S. algorithm" plan. Under the proposal, Oracle would host American user data and oversee a licensed copy of TikTok's recommendation engine that is inspected and retrained in the U.S., with the administration preparing an executive order that pauses enforcement for 120 days while

Frances Perkins Building — Shawn T. Moore / U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 2.0)

US - Sep 22, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

H-1B $100,000 Fee: What’s Changing — And How It Hits Employers, Global Talent, and Korean Stakeholders

After a flurry of weekend headlines, the U.S. government has now clarified how the new $100,000 H-1B fee will work. According to USCIS, the payment must accompany any new H-1B petition filed on or after 12:01 a.m. ET, Sept. 21, 2025. It does not apply to existing H-1B holders or renewals. Early media summaries framed the impact as starting with the 2026 cap; in practice, the USCIS text captures any new filing from Sept. 21 onward-including cap-exempt petitions filed this fall. Employers should budget and

U.S. Capitol (West Front) — Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

US - Sep 22, 2025 AM EDT - Jason

Government Shutdown Risk Rises as Senate Leaves Until Sept. 29 - What Korean Americans Should Know Before Sept. 30

Since our Sept. 21 story, the shutdown odds have ticked up. On Sept. 19, the Senate failed to advance both a Republican stopgap bill and a Democratic alternative, and as of Sunday night lawmakers indicated the Senate won't return for votes until Sept. 29, leaving only hours before funding runs out at midnight going into Oct. 1 (ET). The House is currently out but is slated to convene again this week ahead of the deadline, according to the Clerk's schedule.

HICO, Gyeongju — Gyeongju City News (KOGL Type I)

US - Sep 21, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Trump and Xi to Meet at APEC in Gyeongju — Trade, Chips and TikTok Shape a High-Stakes Handshake

President Donald Trump says he plans to meet China's Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju next month, their first in-person encounter since 2019 and the centerpiece of a crowded leaders' week in South Korea. The host schedule places the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, within Leaders' Week running Oct. 27-Nov. 1 at the Gyeongju Hwabaek

U.S. Capitol (West Front) — Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

US - Sep 21, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

White House Clarifies $100,000 H-1B Fee for New Petitions Only — What Korean Employers and Workers Should Do Now

The White House says the newly announced $100,000 charge tied to H-1B will apply to new petitions rather than to the installed base of current H-1B workers. The clarification comes after a confusing rollout that left employers and visa holders unsure whether the levy would be annual, whether it would affect extensions, and how it would interact with existing fees. With the focus now on first-time sponsorships,

USCIS office, Georgia. Photo: Gulbenk/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

US - Sep 21, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

Government Shutdown Risk: What Korean Americans and Korean Nationals in the U.S. Need to Know

With the federal funding deadline set for September 30, Congress remains at loggerheads and the odds of a partial government shutdown are rising. If funding lapses on October 1, immigration and employment-verification services will not grind to a total halt, but the impact will vary by agency. For Korean Americans, Korean employers, students, and visitors, the practical question is what can still move forward

U.S. Capitol (West Front) — Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

US - Sep 20, 2025 PM EDT - Jason

White House Clarifies $100K H-1B Fee: New Petitions Only, Not Current Holders

The White House clarified on Saturday that the newly announced $100,000 fee for H-1B visas will apply only to new petitions, not to current H-1B holders, renewals, or re-entry of existing beneficiaries.

1 2 3 4
Connect with us : facebook twitter google rss

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Real Time Analytics