Late at night in South Korea and Japan, millions of young people are talking to AI characters. For @theobserveruk.bsky.social I reported on Zeta, a role-play chatbot that’s blurring the line between fiction and reality, and why experts are worried about it. observer.co.uk/news/interna...

Miari Texas — Seoul’s last red-light district — faces forced demolition. Sex workers resisting eviction say state aid requires them to register as trafficking victims. Ifang Bremer examines the policy gap behind the standoff: cstu.io/b1593e

I spent time in Miari Texas, Seoul’s last red-light district, where sex workers have welded steel over their doors to resist eviction. Their fight isn’t only about survival, but about dignity and the right to a home.

🚀 I’ve launched my new website. Social media come and go, so I wanted a space to share and update my work consistently. It’s a selection of stories + images that mean the most to me—and a way to connect as I look ahead to new opportunities. Take a look and reach out anytime 👉 ifangbremer.com

🇰🇷🇺🇸 U.S. lawmakers take luxury trips to Seoul. On paper, it’s all funded by a U.S. nonprofit. But I found that a South Korean gov’t-related foundation appears to be funding these trips, acting on orders from parliament. My latest for @koreapro.bsky.social: koreapro.org/2025/07/how-...

INVESTIGATION: The Korea Foundation funneled at least $9.4M to U.S. think tanks from 2019-2023 - making it one of the top global funders of American policy research in the world - while avoiding foreign agent registration requirements. w/ @IfangBremer: koreapro.org/2025/07/how...

I just got an email from a University of Kansas professor who claims ‘South Korean zombie dramas helped stop the coup.’

My shot of Yoon leaving the presidential residence to move back to his private apartment after being impeached. He wore a Make Korea Great Again hat. Today, he’s scheduled to attend his criminal trial over his marital law declaration. Licensable via Alamy News www.alamy.com/president-yo...

Yoon Suk Yeol will soon move out of the presidential residence. His supporters have gathered. A few hundred people can come close to him to greet him. They’re asked to show ID and go through metal detectors. Press not allowed near. Some elderly pro-Yooners are saying to let young people in first.

Scouted the terrain around the Constitutional Court one last time ahead of the ruling tomorrow. I’ll be covering the scenes unfolding outside the court as the judges decide over Yoon Suk Yeol’s fate.

Lots of police buses now arriving at the court and traffic is being restricted around Anguk Station. Officers are inspecting their riot gear. So far it’s peaceful.

I’m in Andong to cover the South Korea forest fires. This man showed me the place where his centuries-old family home used to stand. The wildfires have turned it to ashes. The destruction is just immense.

Police stopped a tractor of pro-impeachment protesters. Progressive groups resisted. Pro-Yoon protesters then came to the site, leading to physical clashes. The pro-impeachment supporters are now blocking a key road in downtown Seoul leading to Gwanghwamun while police continues to guard the tractor

Breaking: Constitutional Court dismisses impeachment of Prime Minister Han. Outside court things are quiet.

Thread: I attended the finale of this year's US-ROK springtime exercise. While held annually, this year’s Freedom Shield drill took place amid a leadership crisis in South Korea and questions about US President Donald Trump’s commitment to Seoul’s defense. 📷/Ifang Bremer

A little March surprise snow here in Seoul.

Big turnout tonight at the pro-impeachment camp protest. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court still has not announced when the ruling will be... 📷/Ifang Bremer

As the impeachment case against Yoon Suk Yeol is coming to a close, protests are becoming bigger— on both sides. People have flocked to Gyeongbokgung after work to call for Yoon’s removal.

It seems I've also been placed on leave, just like the rest of my VOA colleagues. Truth is, I can't know for sure, because when I woke up this morning in Seoul, I'd already been locked out of all VOA-related systems and accounts.

Several prominent Yoon Suk Yeol opponents have started hunger strikes, calling on the Constitutional Court to officially remove Yoon from office. Among them former S. Gyeongsang governer Kim Kyoung-soo, who is now on his fourth day and set up a tent in front of Gyeongbokgung palace. 📷/Ifang Bremer

Me and other journalists were just attacked by pro-Yoon supporters outside of Yoon's Hannam residence. Out of the blue a group suddenly turned on us, first pushing us to leave and then trying to take our cameras. Police then intervened eventually and got us away.

Police and Yoon supporters are flocking to Hannam-dong, where the presidential residence is located.

Quite concerning -- this new documentary by German public broadcaster ARD pretty much uncritically repeats conspiracy theories of widespread election fraud through Chinese and North Korean operations in South Korea, Yoon's defense for declaring martial law. www.ardmediathek.de/tv-programm/...

Police preparing for "worst-case scenarios" ahead of Yoon impeachment verdict. Acting police chief Lee Ho-young confirms plan to use collapsible batons and pepper spray if needed, with highest emergency alert level being "positively reviewed" for total mobilisation.

New update in the case of Sue Mi Terry: her attorneys filed pretrial motions seeking to dismiss the US government’s case alleging that she worked for South Korean spies, arguing that the prosecution is legally flawed and based on coerced statements. www.nknews.org/2025/02/nort...

Conservative commentator Gordon Chang claimed at CPAC that Korean pro-impeachment protesters had "faces that were not Korean" but were "like my wife, Chinese." He suggested some "strange looking policemen" might be Chinese operatives. koreapro.org/2025/02/cpac...

SCOOP - US blocking G7 statement for the third anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine, refusing to agree language that refers to Moscow’s “aggression” With the brilliant @christopherjm.ft.com @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/7380...

Treasury has frozen National Endowment for Democracy funds, putting North Korean human groups under threat. NGOs warn they’ll be forced to shut down within months, cutting off vital support for defectors and human rights advocacy.

🚨 North Korean authorities have demolished and completely rebuilt at least two political prisons and expanded a third, new high-resolution satellite imagery reveals, providing evidence that the DPRK is increasing its capacity to detain citizens. www.nknews.org/pro/satellit...

A family photo reportedly found on a North Korean soldier killed fighting for Russia features Gaejugi, a popular South Korean meme dog. This points to spread of 🇰🇷 culture in 🇰🇵 and offers insights about troops fighting for Russia. My latest with colleague Seung-Yeon: www.nknews.org/2025/01/fami...

@yvonnejewkes.bsky.social dear professor, I've sent you an email with a request for comment. Look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much.

Police is much better prepared today to prevent another riot. Access to the Constitutional Court, where Yoon is attending his impeachment hearing, is blocked off with panels and buses, and officers carry helmets. Small fights here and there, but generally a much smaller crowd than Saturday.

In our latest for @koreapro.bsky.social, @joonhawrites.bsky.social and I explore the forces behind Saturday's rare attack on a Seoul court by Yoon-supporters, which could mark a turning point amid South Korea's political chaos. koreapro.org/2025/01/poli...

Yoon supporters now in front of constitutional court, trying to enter just like yesterday at the Seoul Western District Court. Police is parking busses inches next to each other to prevent another breach

Today's protests by pro-Yoon supporters led to 30 arrests, with charges including illegal entry into court premises and attacks on a prosecutor's vehicle. It appears to be the most intense clash since Yoon's martial law declaration, a grim picture of what may lie ahead. 📷/me

Protestors are gaining ground.

I’m outside the Seoul Western District Court where Yoon is expected to attend his arrest warrant hearing any moment now. Angry crowds in support of Yoon gathering outside. Some arrests.

Beyond this platform, I post most of my photojournalism on Instagram. Let’s connect there too 📸 www.instagram.com/ifangbremer?...

This story is wild. Can hospitals in Korea just deny emergency care? And does this also mean if a foreigner needs life-saving treatment but is unconscious and unable to immediately prove they're insured (e.g. not carrying ID), they could just be left to die? www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2...

Story live: North Korea opens border city of Rason to almost all travelers, according to tour agency This would mean that starting today, non-Russian tourists, excluding from US and ROK, can visit the special economic zone for first time in 5 years Updates to follow www.nknews.org/2025/01/nort...

North Korea's Rason has reopened to international tourists (not just Russians), according to DPRK tour agency Young Pioneer Tours. More soon @nknewsorg.bsky.social

Breaking: Suspended and arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol has completed his first interrogation at corruption office after 10-hour session, now being transferred to Seoul Detention Centre. He reportedly remained silent throughout. Questioning resumes tomorrow. 📹: YTN

Zuid-Korea's president is gearresteerd. Sommige mensen zijn opgelucht, anderen boos. Maar net zoals de ochtend nadat hij de staat van beleg afkondigde, gaat het leven hier gewoon door. Er moet gewerkt worden en men is moe van de chaos. De blik vooruit.

Bizarre situatie. President Yoon heeft nog wat -- waarschijnlijk gewapende -- beveiligers die hem helpen niet gearresteerd te worden. Het OM heeft Yoon's arrestatie voorlopig uitgesteld na een patstelling in zijn compound. Is natuurlijk een verloren strijd. koreapro.org/2025/01/stan...

🇰🇵 What was life like for ordinary North Koreans in 2024? While arms trade and trash balloons made headlines, millions of ordinary people navigated their lives in quiet determination. My year-end feature: www.nknews.org/2024/12/what...

Exclusive: here's our report detailing the dramatic evacuation of North Korean diplomats from their embassy in Damascus in the wake of the collapse of the Assad regime, a key partner for Pyongyang. Photos and on-the-ground reporting by Heidi Pett, words by me. www.nknews.org/2024/12/smok...

De stemming over het afzetten van president Yoon Suk Yeol is nu gaande. Ongekend spanned moment voor Zuid-Korea. Het land heeft nu praktisch geen leider. Er staat ontzettend veel op het spel, en als er niet genoeg stemmen zijn om Yoon af te zetten, is de chaos compleet.

'Credible political leadership is more essential than ever. South Koreans have shown they cherish democracy. They must be allowed to exercise it now.' Some good points in this editorial. But beyond that, one underdiscussed issue is the lack of access to politics for young people in South Korea. 1/3

Yoon just gave a long speech justifying his declaration of martial law. Restated his claim that the opposition party is an anti-state force. Chinese spies. Drugs ruining the country. Pro-North Korea. Election commission hacked. It was like listening to far-right YouTube.