### [2026-08-27](/feed/2026/08/27/index.md)

##### South Korea
# South Korean company SK Gas pays a record US$5.3 million for priority passage of the LPG tanker "G. Spirit" through the Panama Canal before El Niño-related transit restrictions reduced daily crossings. 




### Sources:

1. [AFP via France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260828-tanker-pays-record-5-3-mn-to-transit-panama-canal-administrator)

### Related:

1. [El Salvador declares a nationwide red alert for meteorological and agricultural drought, while Panama declares an El Niño emergency as severe dry conditions damage crops and reduce traffic through the Panama Canal. ](/feed/2026/08/25/el-salvador-declares-a-nationwide-red-alert-for-meteorological-and-agricultural-drought-while-panama-declares-an-el-nin.md) _Context: El Niño, Panama Canal_
2. [A "Tyrannosaurus rex" skeleton nicknamed Gus sells for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York City, United States, setting an auction record for a dinosaur fossil. ](/feed/2026/07/14/a-tyrannosaurus-rex-skeleton-nicknamed-gus-sells-for-us-501-million-at-sotheby-s-in-new-york-city-united-states-set.md) _Context: US$_
3. [A South Korean court sentences former justice minister Park Sung-jae to 25 years in prison for being involved in former president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. Prosecutors state that Park assisted preparations for implementing the measure. ](/feed/2026/06/22/a-south-korean-court-sentences-former-justice-minister-park-sung-jae-to-25-years-in-prison-for-being-involved-in-former.md) _Context: South Korea_
4. [The South Korean data protection commission fines e-commerce company Coupang ₩624.68 billion (US$408 million) for a data breach that the commission says exposed personal data from millions of user accounts. ](/feed/2026/06/11/the-south-korean-data-protection-commission-fines-e-commerce-company-coupang-w62468-billion-us-408-million-for-a-data.md) _Context: South Korea, US$_
5. [South Korean president Lee Jae Myung names Han Seong-sook as the new prime minister. If parliament approves her appointment, she will become the first woman in twenty years to hold the post. ](/feed/2026/06/7/south-korean-president-lee-jae-myung-names-han-seong-sook-as-the-new-prime-minister-if-parliament-approves-her-appointm.md) _Context: South Korea_
6. [The Seoul High Court reduces former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo's prison sentence from 23 years to 15 years for crimes related to former president Yoon Suk Yeol's 2024 martial law declaration, citing a lack of evidence that Han played a leading or premeditated role in the declaration. ](/feed/2026/05/7/the-seoul-high-court-reduces-former-south-korean-prime-minister-han-duck-soo-s-prison-sentence-from-23-years-to-15-years.md) _Context: South Korea_
7. [Japan's Nikkei 225 stock market index surpasses 60,000 points for the first time in a historic high, while South Korea's KOSPI also reaches a record high amid gains in technology shares. ](/feed/2026/04/23/japan-s-nikkei-225-stock-market-index-surpasses-60000-points-for-the-first-time-in-a-historic-high-while-south-korea-s.md) _Context: South Korea_
8. [The Seoul Central District Court issues an arrest warrant for former South Korean first lady and Yoon Suk Yeol's spouse Kim Keon Hee on three charges related to stock manipulation, allegations of accepting luxury gifts, and illegal political funding during the 2022 by-election. It is the first time in the country's history that a former presidential couple has been taken into custody. ](/feed/2025/08/12/the-seoul-central-district-court-issues-an-arrest-warrant-for-former-south-korean-first-lady-and-yoon-suk-yeol-s-spouse.md) _Context: South Korea_
9. [U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to Panama in his first foreign trip in the position and urges Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino to reduce Chinese influence in the Panama Canal. In response, Mulino said that his country won't renew its contracts with China's Belt and Road Initiative when they expire. ](/feed/2025/02/2/us-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-travels-to-panama-in-his-first-foreign-trip-in-the-position-and-urges-panamanian-pre.md) _Context: Panama Canal_
10. [Anti-corruption officials and police attempt to breach the residence of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol for a second time in order to execute an arrest warrant, while facing resistance from the Presidential Security Service, People Power Party lawmakers, and pro-Yoon protesters. Following a five-hour standoff, Yoon is arrested, becoming South Korea's first sitting president to be arrested. ](/feed/2025/01/15/anti-corruption-officials-and-police-attempt-to-breach-the-residence-of-impeached-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-f.md) _Context: South Korea_
