Vietnam reaffirms commitment to international peace, stability on 77th national day

Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to international peace, stability and cooperation with Korea celebrating National Day and the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-Korea diplomatic relations on Friday at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. Vietnam’s Independence Day, which falls on Friday, commemorates Vietnam’s declaration of independence from France and reading of the declarations of independence of Vietnam by Vietnam’s first President Ho Chi Minh at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi in 1945. Vietnam wa

Sept. 1, 2022

US promises to review impacts of IRA on Korean EV makers

The United States will look into the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on South Korean automakers, a Korean national security official said after a bilateral talk with his US counterpart on Thursday. South Korea's National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han held a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan on the sidelines of a trilateral security meeting involving Japanese national security adviser Takeo Akiba in Hawaii. "(Sullivan) said IRA does offer more of advantages than

Sept. 1, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] What comes after BTS?

  The prominent idol group BTS is something we cannot be unfamiliar with. They are a different type from a number of previous Korean idols and have become a global sensation. So many people around the world were fascinated by BTS dances and read into the messages of social reform in their lyrics. BTS was understood as the ultimate peak of K-pop and we saw the possibility of the Korean Wave being able to stand proudly in the mainstream of global culture. BTS is recognized as the spearhead o

Sept. 1, 2022

Li Zhanshu expected to visit Seoul, meet with President Yoon

High-ranking Chinese official Li Zhanshu is expected to visit South Korea in the middle of the month to meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to local media outlets citing political and diplomatic sources. Li, current chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, is the third-highest Communist Party leader. The two countries are reportedly coordinating Lee’s three-day visit to Korea, scheduled to begin on Sept. 15. The visit was at the invitation of Na

Sept. 1, 2022

S. Korea seeks joint responses with Britain to US inflation act

South Korea called on Britain on Thursday to boost consultations on how to deal with the United States' Inflation Reduction Act that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from tax credits, Seoul's trade ministry said. Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun made the request during a meeting with John Whittingdale, Britain's trade envoy to South Korea, in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The IRA, signed by U.S. President Joe Biden earlier thi

Sept. 1, 2022

China's No. 3 official expected to visit Seoul this month: sources

Li Zhanshu, China's third-ranked official and chief of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, is expected to visit Seoul later this month, sources said Thursday, amid speculation he could discuss the possibility of President Xi Jinping visiting South Korea. Li is arranging to visit Seoul at the invitation of Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. The two are expected to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and discuss ways to beef up c

Sept. 1, 2022

Joint military drills important for security on Korean Peninsula: Pentagon

WASHINGTON-- Joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States are important for maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday. South Korea and the US are currently conducting a regular joint exercise, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, which started last Monday. "What I would tell you is that these exercises do remain important, in terms of ensuring that our militaries can closely work together and be prepared to fight and defend

Sept. 1, 2022

US nods at need to address S. Korean concerns over Inflation Reduction Act: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States has given a positive response to South Korea's proposal to form a formal channel to discuss Seoul's concerns over the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a South Korean official said Wednesday. Deputy Trade Minister Ahn Sung-il also said the US fully understands South Korea's concerns over the new US law and that it is ready to discuss ways to minimize potential damage from the newly enacted law to South Korean firms. "They too were taking this issu

Sept. 1, 2022

Foreign Minister to meet with victims of Japan's forced labor

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is expected to meet with the victims of wartime forced labor by Japanese companies, as the country’s top court delayed its ruling on liquidating the assets of the firms.According to officials from the Foreign Ministry, Park is planning to meet with the Korean victims, who are currently waiting for the Supreme Court’s ruling that could start liquidation of the Japanese firms’ assets to provide compensation for them. Park’s plan to ho

Aug. 31, 2022

NSC chief to have trilateral talks with US, Japan on Thursday

South Korea’s national security adviser Kim Sung-han will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts in a two-day meeting in Hawaii to discuss North Korea, economic security and major regional issues, the presidential office said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Kim will meet bilaterally with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Japan’s national security adviser Takeo Akiba to hold trilateral talks the next day at the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu. The th

Aug. 31, 2022

[Newsmaker] Last Soviet leader Gorbachev, who ended Cold War and won Nobel prize, dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said. Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany. But his internal reforms helped weaken the Soviet Union to the point whe

Aug. 31, 2022

S. Korea ordered to pay Lone Star $216.5m in investor-state suit

  An international tribunal ordered South Korea to pay the US private equity firm Lone Star Funds $216.5 million, officials said Wednesday, bringing an end to a decadelong legal battle surrounding its sell-off of a local bank. The Washington, DC-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) delivered the verdict in the investor-state dispute settlement suit that Lone Star filed in 2012 to demand $4.68 billion in compensation from South Korea's government, accordin

Aug. 31, 2022

National security advisers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii

The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Hawaii this week to discuss North Korea's nuclear program and other areas of cooperation, the presidential office said Wednesday. National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, on Wednesday and Thursday in the first such meeting since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May. The three will have "in-de

Aug. 31, 2022

S. Korean, Polish leaders agree to boost cooperation in nuclear power, defense industries

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone conversation with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday, and discussed ways to develop the bilateral ties between the two countries and strengthen their cooperation in defense and nuclear power industries, the presidential office said. The two leaders recognized the two countries have been actively cooperating in economic security areas, particularly in energy, energy infrastructure and defense sectors. In particular, they agreed t

Aug. 30, 2022

Foreign Ministry, KOICA to launch Seoul ODA International Conference

South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korea International Cooperation Agency will hold the 15th Seoul ODA International Conference on Thursday to discuss the expansion of global development partnership. Held under the theme of “Expanding Horizons for Global Development Partnership,” this year‘s conference will address various aspects of ODA amid rising challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change to increasing regional conflicts. The conference will

Aug. 30, 2022

Seoul, Washington to hold formal talks on impact of US IRA: ambassador

As South Korea scrambles to respond to the potential impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act to Korean industries, Seoul agreed to hold formal talks with Washington over the issue. South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong said Monday (US time) the government has delivered strong concerns to the US that the IRA, which excludes electric vehicles built outside of North America from tax benefits, brings "unfair treatment" to Korean electric vehicle makers. "We stres

Aug. 30, 2022

S. Korea, US agree to launch formal talks on US Inflation Reduction Act: Amb. Cho

WASHINGTON -- The US government has agreed to launch formal talks with South Korea on ways to minimize the adverse effects of the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on South Korean electric vehicles, Seoul's ambassador to the US said Monday. Amb. Cho Tae-yong also said the US understands the reasons behind South Korea's concerns and that they are justified. "We have especially stressed that the discriminative measures against electric vehicles from South Korea, an ally

Aug. 30, 2022

Korea, Mongolia to strengthen strategic partnership, cooperate on rare earth supply

South Korea and Mongolia vowed to join efforts for peace in the region and agreed to bolster their strategic partnership in their first bilateral foreign ministers’ meeting held in eight years in Ulaanbaatar on Monday. 　 South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with his Mongolian counterpart, Batmunkh Battsetseg, to agree on establishing a joint center on rare earth metals, aimed at boosting their bilateral ties in regards to economic security field. They also discussed on a range of i

Aug. 29, 2022

Korean delegation travels to Washington to negotiate US IRA

The South Korean government is sending a delegation of negotiators to Washington to discuss the US Inflation Reduction Act, which excludes electric vehicles built outside of North America from tax benefits, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. The move comes as the US inflation law signed last week sparked concerns among EV makers, as it would get rid of tax subsidies given to EVs assembled in Korea. The act, signed into law by US President Joe Biden last week, also requires the batteri

Aug. 29, 2022

Youths of Korea, ASEAN, US discuss peace, prosperity of Indo-Pacific region at camp

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and the Asia Exchange Association launched a youth exchange program to bring together young people of Korea, the United States and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. According to the ministry, it held the opening ceremony of the Youth Camp for ASEAN and Friends’ Engagement (YCAFE) inviting 43 students of different nationalities, kicking off the five-day camp program in S

Aug. 29, 2022