Biden arrives in Japan with no response on outreach to North Korea

TOKYO (AFP) -- President Joe Biden arrived Sunday in Japan for the second leg of an Asia trip underlining US commitment to the region but overshadowed by concern that North Korea will test a nuclear weapon after ignoring Washington‘s attempt at outreach. Biden, making his first trip to Asia as president, flew from South Korea into Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo, where he will meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and emperor on Monday, as well as unveiling a US-led multilat

Foreign AffairsMay 22, 2022

Bulgarian embassy, Busan co-host exhibition on creation of Cyrillic

To commemorate Bulgarian alphabet day, the Bulgarian embassy in Seoul, Bulgaria’s Education and Culture Ministry and Busan metropolitan city is co-hosting an exhibition titled “The Letters of Bulgaria - Alphabet of Europe.” The exhibition runs from May 16-30 and aims to introduce ancient Cyrillic script, which originated in the ninth century. According to the Bulgarian embassy, visitors will be able to Cyrillic-inspired art, learn how Bulgaria helped spread Orthodox Christi

Diplomatic CircuitMay 22, 2022

S. Korea to accept rapid antigen test results for international arrivals

South Korea will accept rapid antigen tests for people boarding a flight to Korea and entering the country starting on Monday, the country’s health authorities said Sunday. Under the new entry rule, arrivals with a RAT result will be accepted if the test was taken no more than one day prior to travel. Arrivals with a negative polymerase chain reaction test result will continue to be accepted. The RAT results, however, must have been conducted under professional supervision. Results fro

Social AffairsMay 22, 2022

Oh envisions Seoul as ‘Asian financial capital’ in bid for 4th Seoul mayor term

Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayoral candidate of the ruling People Power Party, says he will strive for more foreign investment and will transform Seoul into a “leading Asian financial center” if elected for the fourth time as Seoul mayor. “Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, is the heart and engine of the country, and managing the city’s affairs is no less significant than running the country,” Oh said during an interview with The Korea Herald on May 17. Oh, who

PoliticsMay 22, 2022

Biden departs after full show of alliance

US President Joe Biden concluded his trip to South Korea after visiting a joint airspace control center on Sunday before leaving for Japan. During his three-day stay here, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to military and economic alliances and agreed to step up deterrence against North Korea. Before ending his trip, Biden visited the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at the US Air Force Base in Osan, where the two nations’ militaries work to direct and control aerospace o

Foreign AffairsMay 22, 2022

S. Korea aligns with US Indo-Pacific strategy

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol formalized the country’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a US-led regional initiative, during his first summit with US President Joe Biden. As the two leaders have announced plans to elevate their strategic cooperation in economic and security areas, experts here say the South Korean administration is making an official shift in policy by supporting Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, for its bigger role in the region. I

Foreign AffairsMay 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] Number of metaverse users hits lowest point after social distancing rules lifted

The number of metaverse users across major virtual world platforms in South Korea has dropped sharply since social distancing measures were lifted, a report showed Sunday. According to big data analysis firm Mobile Index, the number of Roblox’ weekly active users recorded 773,678 during the period between May 9 and 15, a nearly 18 percent drop from the previous weekly figure. It was the lowest number recorded since the last week of June 2021. During the same period, the amount of time s

Social AffairsMay 22, 2022

Hana Financial Group aims to expand support for youth startups

Hana Financial Group is expanding its project to help youth startups nationwide, as it has signed the first regional partnership with the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, the group said Sunday. According to the group, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding at the KNUCH in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province on Friday. They agreed to provide support for startup ideas related to traditional culture, co-create educational content and offer hands-on experiences for local c

Social AffairsMay 22, 2022

Democratic Party’s prospect for local elections success dims further

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s chances in the local elections appear to be dimming, with many opinion surveys favoring candidates from the ruling People Power Party while major political events work in favor of the ruling bloc. A survey of 880 voters of a constituency in Gyeyang-gu of Incheon from Thursday to Friday found Lee Jae-myung, chief of the Democratic Party’s local elections campaign committee and one of the central figures in the liberal party, trailing be

PoliticsMay 22, 2022

New infections fall below 20,000 for 1st time in 6 days

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 for the first time in six days on Sunday in a downward trend in virus cases amid the government's effort to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 19,298 new infections, including 24 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,957,697, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally jumped to 35,104 cases on May 17 from the previous day's 13,290 but continued to

Social AffairsMay 22, 2022

N. Korea reports 186,000 new suspected COVID-19 cases, one more death

North Korea said Sunday around 186,000 new cases of fever and another death have been reported, as it announced a COVID-19 outbreak on its soil earlier this month. More than 186,090 people showed symptoms of fever, with one additional death reported, over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It raised the death toll to 67, with the fatality rate standing at 0

North KoreaMay 22, 2022

Yoon, Biden to visit Air Force operations center

President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden are set to visit an Air Force operations center Sunday on the last stop of Biden's three-day trip to South Korea. The two are scheduled to visit the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to be briefed on its work, and to encourage American and South Korean troops stationed there. The visit is expected to underscore the allies' firm readiness against North Korea's nucle

Foreign AffairsMay 22, 2022

Former president Moon, Biden forge friendship in phone call

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke with US President Joe Biden, who is in Seoul for a summit, Moon’s close aide said on Saturday. According to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Moon and Biden held a phone conversation lasting about 10 minutes from 6:52 p.m. on Saturday, and exchanged friendly messages. Youn said that Biden referred to Moon as a “good friend,” and Moon welcomed the US leader and said “I appreciate this c

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022

Yoon, Biden agree to strengthen comprehensive strategic alliance

The leaders of South Korea and the US have agreed to develop the Korea-US relationship into a global comprehensive strategic alliance, reaffirmed the shared goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea, and formalized Korea’s participation in the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework during their first summit in Seoul on Saturday. At a joint press conference after the summit that lasted more than 100 minutes, President Yoon Suk-yeol said, “At the summit, the two of us shared

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022

Biden, Yoon pledge to step up military drills, strengthen US extended deterrence against N.Korean threats

The leaders of South Korea and the United States on Saturday agreed to step up combined military exercises against North Korea’s mounting threats and reinforce the US’ extended deterrence. During their first summit, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden discussed ways to strengthen their combined defense posture at a juncture when North Korea has continued pursuing the development of nuclear weapons and missiles.  "President Yoon and I committed

DefenseMay 21, 2022

Seoul-Tokyo relationship will change amid ‘competition between democracies and autocracies’

US President Joe Biden said there is room for improvement for Seoul and Tokyo’s strained relationship, and stressed on the importance of building strong ties in the wake of growing competition between democracies and autocracies, Saturday. Speaking at a press conference following the first summit talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, Biden said he spoke about Korea’s relationship with Japan with Yoon in “generic terms,” and explained how he thinks

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022

Yoon, Biden agree to newly launch ‘economic security dialogue’ to boost cooperation

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his US counterpart Joe Biden agreed Saturday to launch a new communication channel between their offices for “frequent” communication of the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation on economic security. Recognizing how the future of the alliance between the two countries will be defined by their common efforts to address the challenges ahead, they also pledged to deepen and broaden cooperation on critical and emerging technologies

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022

Korea, US to expand mutual investment in battery, chip: Yoon

South Korea and the US will expand mutual investment and cooperate to stabilize the supply chain in strategic industries such as semiconductor and batteries, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said during a summit with US President Joe Biden on Saturday. “Currently, we are living in an era of economic security where the economy is security and security is the economy,” Yoon said. “Changes in the international trade order and disruptions in supply chains directly impact peo

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022

Mongolian deputy foreign minister meets North Korean ambassador

Mongolia‘s Deputy Foreign Minister Munkhjin Batsumber received North Korean ambassador to Mongolia O Sung-ho in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Friday and expressed the importance Mongolia attaches to promoting relations with North Korea. Mongolia said it was ready to assist North Korea in the North’s efforts to fight against COVID-19, either through bilateral or multilateral arrangements. North Korean ambassador to Mongolia O Sung-ho applauded the offer and expressed willingness to work

Diplomatic CircuitMay 21, 2022

Yoon, Biden begin first summit at Yongsan presidential office

A 90-minute summit between the US and South Korea began as US President Joe Biden arrived at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul around 1:30 pm on Saturday. When the vehicle arrived in front of the main gate of the presidential office building, President Yoon Suk-yeol greeted Biden in person. The two leaders shook hands at the entrance and entered the building side by side. The Korea-US summit was held on the fifth floor of the presidential office, and included a talk with a small n

Foreign AffairsMay 21, 2022