Ukraine defiant as key port Mariupol teeters on brink

KYIV, Ukraine -- The battered port city of Mariupol appeared on the brink of falling to Russian forces Sunday after seven weeks under siege, a development that what would give Moscow a crucial success in Ukraine following a botched attempt to storm the capital and the loss of the Russian navy's Black Sea flagship.    The Russian military estimated that about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters holding out at a hulking steel plant with a warren of underground passageways provided the last pocket

April 17, 2022

President-elect Yoon to send delegation to Japan for policy consultation

South Korea's President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to send a delegation to Japan later this month for policy consultations on North Korea and pending bilateral issues, his transition team said Sunday. Led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's People Power Party, the delegation will visit Tokyo from April 24-28 to meet officials from the Japanese government and legislature as well as those from business circles, media and academia, according to the transition team's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin. The seven-

April 17, 2022

S. Korea decides to join CPTPP trade agreement

South Korea decided Friday to join a mega free trade agreement involving 11 Asia-Pacific nations as the country seeks to diversify its export portfolio amid heightened economic uncertainty. Late last year, the country launched the process to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The plan to join the CPTPP was approved at an economy-related ministers' meeting Friday, and the government will submit an official application after completing domestic p

April 15, 2022

Foreign Ministry to send relief goods for Koreans under lockdown in Shanghai

Seoul will send relief goods for Koreans under a massive mandatory COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. “While Shanghai City announced to ease the lockdown measures, some areas are still in lockdown so we are closely monitoring the situation and putting effort to resolve problems for the people in those neighborhoods,” the Foreign Ministry said. The South Korean consulate general in Shanghai has obtained two vehicle passes from the Chinese g

April 15, 2022

Foreign minister promises humanitarian support to Ukraine in phone talks

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed “serious concerns” over Russia’s alleged killing of civilians in Ukraine and promised to provide humanitarian support during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, his office said Friday. Speaking with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Chung explained how South Korea plans to provide humanitarian assistance of worth $30 million to Ukraine, in addition to the previous $10 million in support. Chung also exp

April 15, 2022

Dossier reveals diplomacy behind two Koreas' simultaneous entry into UN membership in 1991

The South Korean government made public a dossier Friday offering a glimpse into dramatic Cold-War era diplomacy by the two Koreas in connection with their historic simultaneous entry into full membership in the United Nations. The set of documents highlights Seoul's brisk efforts in 1991 to court Moscow and Beijing to support its push to join the world body, which played a key role in mobilizing US-led troops to help the South fight against the invading North in their 1950-53 war. It is part of

April 15, 2022

N. Korean provocations likely to continue for months: Jake Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is currently in a provocation cycle that may last for weeks or even months, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday. Sullivan also said the North will continue efforts to advance its nuclear and missile programs, but that the capability to hit the US mainland has yet to be proven. "A few weeks ago, they tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, which they had not done previously, they had not done since 2017. So yes, they are in a pattern of pr

April 15, 2022

US closely monitoring N. Korea for possible provocation: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is closely monitoring North Korea for possible provocations, a US state department spokesperson said Thursday. Ned Price made the remarks as Pyongyang celebrates the 110th anniversary of the birthday of its late founding leader Kim Il-sung on Friday (Seoul time). "What I can say and what we know is that the DPRK in the past has used the occasion of holidays and other notable occasions within the DPRK to engage in provocations," the spokesperson said in a

April 15, 2022

Yoon says will expand breadth of diplomacy based on stronger alliance with US: report

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's incoming administration will expand the country's diplomatic efforts based on a stronger US-South Korea alliance, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said in an interview published Thursday. Yoon also said he will seek to improve ties with Japan, calling current Seoul-Tokyo relations "the Achilles' heel" of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the US. "The current administration placed too much emphasis on the relationship with North Korea al

April 15, 2022

S. Korean trade chief, British envoy discuss CPTPP, supply chains

South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks on Thursday discussed ways of cooperation on joining a mega free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region and supply chains, Seoul's trade ministry said. During the meeting in Seoul, Yeo asked for Britain's support in South Korea's push for membership to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The Seoul govern

April 14, 2022

Biden looks forward to Asia trip but no details available: Psaki

US President Joe Biden is looking forward to his upcoming trip to Asia but the details of his proposed trip have yet to become available, a White House spokesperson said Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also declined to comment on Biden's possible visit to South Korea. "Not quite yet," said Psaki when asked if she could confirm Biden's upcoming trip to Asia, including a potential visit to South Korea. "I will tell you that, you know, of course, the president tal

April 14, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Japan’s Indo-Pacific, Vision, Region, or Strategy?

As the recent US-China competition intensifies, the strategic significance of the Indo-Pacific region is also rising. In this situation, major countries are presenting new Indo-Pacific Strategies with the purpose of strengthening their respective political, economic, and military influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The US Biden administration has set its Indo-Pacific vision as its main diplomatic policy in order to maintain the US’ influence within Asia and to check China’s growin

April 13, 2022

Incoming government to consider expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine: spokesperson

The incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is considering expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine, his spokesperson said Wednesday, after the country's president asked for weapons support. In a virtual address to South Korean lawmakers on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for military equipment support to help the country fight off Russia's invasion, though Seoul has already turned down a request for weapons. "We know that the current government has also exp

April 13, 2022

No details confirmed for Yoon-Biden summit: spokesperson

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's team has not received confirmation of details for a possible summit with US President Joe Biden, his spokesperson said Wednesday. A summit could take place in late May shortly after Yoon takes office if Biden stops in South Korea before or after a trip to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting around May 24. "On the timing and schedule, I believe the relevant departments are holding consultations," Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said

April 13, 2022

S. Korea to send additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine: source

South Korea plans to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal aid worth 2 billion won ($1.6 million) this month to help the war-torn country, an informed source said Wednesday. Seoul is preparing to start sending to Ukraine such items as bulletproof vests, helmets, medical supplies and meals, ready-to-eat (MREs), as early as next week, according to the source. The new package has been arranged following South Korea's shipment last month of non-lethal military and medical supplies -- worth 1 bi

April 13, 2022

Yoon-Biden summit likely to be held in late May in S. Korea: reports

US President Joe Biden could visit South Korea in late May and hold a summit with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol just weeks after his inauguration, according to local media outlets Tuesday. Biden is reportedly considering a visit to South Korea shortly after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting on May 24 in Japan. The four-nation international cooperative is made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US. If confirmed, Biden is likely to be the first foreign leader to officially meet

April 12, 2022

NK missile tests aimed at defeating US missile defense: CRS report

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's recent missile tests appear to be aimed at developing capabilities to evade US missile defense systems deployed in the region, a US congressional report suggested. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), however, said the actual capabilities of North Korean missiles remain uncertain in the report released Friday. "The recent advances in North Korea's ballistic missile test program appear to be directed at developing capabilities to defeat or degrade the effecti

April 12, 2022

Zelenskyy asks South Korea for arms support, denounces Russian atrocities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly pleaded for South Korea to provide arms as his country continues to fight against a Russian invasion. In a 15-minute livestreamed videoconference speech to South Korea’s parliament on Monday, the Ukrainian president asked the country to consider lending its support to fight off Russia’s clear violations of international law and human rights through military assistance. “South Korea can help Ukraine,” he said in the livestre

April 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] In France, it's Macron vs. Le Pen, again, for presidency

PARIS (AP) -- Incumbent Emmanuel Macron will face far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in a winner-takes-all runoff for the French presidency, after they both advanced Sunday in the first round of voting in the country's election to set up another head-to-head clash of their sharply opposing visions for France. But while Macron won t heir last contest in 2017 by a landslide to become France's youngest-ever president, the same outcome this time is far from guaranteed. Macron, now 44, emerged ahead

April 11, 2022

S. Korean FM joins NATO meeting on Ukraine, reaffirms support for Ukraine

South Korea's top diplomat told NATO members that Seoul plans to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid worth a total of $40 million and will consider an additional package. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong was attending a foreign ministerial session of NATO members and four Asia-Pacific partners in Brussels Thursday (local time), according to his ministry. He became the first South Korean foreign minister to be present at such a high-profile NATO meeting. During the session, Chung made public his

April 8, 2022