Moon in Hawaii for alliance event after UN summit diplomacy

South Korean President Moon Jae-in flew to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday following a two-night stay in New York, during which he attended an annual session of the UN General Assembly. Moon is scheduled to join an alliance ceremony here Wednesday to transfer the remains of Korean and American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. It would be the first time for a South Korean president to attend such a remains repatriation ceremony held abroad, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon will also award

Sept. 22, 2021

UK, S. Korea agree COVID-19 vaccine swap deal

Britain and South Korea have agreed to swap over 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with each other, with the UK sending a first batch of Pfizer shots in the coming weeks and Korea returning the same volume by the end of the year. Britain said it would send Pfizer doses which it does not immediately need, so they can be used more quickly in South Korea. "By working closely with our friends in South Korea, this vaccine swap will maximize their rollout speed without having an impact on the UK

Sept. 22, 2021

Saudi Arabia marks 91st Anniversary of the National Day

Sept. 23 every year brings the memory of a glorious day in our national history where the founding King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Saud unified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With such a precious national occasion every year, the National Day is an important landmark in the history of modern Saudi Arabia. We celebrate and remember with pride, deep appreciation and dignity the efforts and sacrifices made by our ancestors in building, developing and serving the Kingdom. 　 This year we celebrat

Sept. 22, 2021

Fresh talks start for more Pfizer shots

President Moon Jae-in continued his vaccine diplomacy in New York, launching a fresh round of talks on securing more COVID shots from Pfizer and a new $52.5 million investment plan unveiled by US bioprocess vendor Cytiva to boost Korea’s vaccine production. Moon on Tuesday met with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to discuss multilateral ways on how Korea and the US vaccine producer can work together for vaccine cooperation, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon talked about securing additional vac

Sept. 22, 2021

Korea to provide over 1 million COVID shots to Vietnam in October

South Korea will provide more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam next month as the two countries emphasize cooperation as strategic partners, the presidential office said Tuesday. The commitment was made during President Moon Jae-in’s summit with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. It was not disclosed which COVID-19 vaccines would be provided. It was Korea

Sept. 22, 2021

S. Korea planning W23b aid project for war-torn Afghanistan

South Korea is planning to spend about 23.2 billion won ($19.5 million) in next year's official development assistance (ODA) projects for war-torn Afghanistan, a document showed Wednesday. The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Prime Minister's Office said in the document submitted to Rep. Tae Young-ho of the main opposition People Power Party that its committee handling the development aid has reached the decision on the 2022 ODA budget for Kabul, according to Tae's office.

Sept. 22, 2021

US seeks diplomacy to completely denuclearize Korean Peninsula: Biden

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his country seeks to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. The US president made the remark shortly after he said the US will return to full compliance of the nuclear deal with Iran should the Middle Eastern country chooses to do so. "Similarly, we seek serious and sustained diplomacy to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Biden said while delivering his first in-person remarks at the U.N. G

Sept. 22, 2021

US firm Cytiva to invest $52.5m in S. Korea for vaccine production

Cytiva, a US producer of vaccine materials, has decided to invest $52.5 million in South Korea for two years beginning next year, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. The announcement came at a ceremony in New York, attended by President Moon Jae-in, on partnerships between South Korea and the US, it added. Cytiva, which provides technologies to advance the development and manufacturing of therapeutics, has already submitted a report to South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for its plan

Sept. 22, 2021

Moon to meet Pfizer CEO in New York

President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourlar in New York on Tuesday, during his five-day trip to the US for the UN General Assembly, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the meeting, the president is expected to express his gratitude toward the US vaccine maker’s COVID-19 vaccine supply and ask support for future partnership. Moon has held a series of meetings with leaders of global vaccine makers, including Moderna, AstraZeneca and Curevac, in recent months as part of

Sept. 20, 2021

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Britain discuss climate change, Afghanistan

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke by phone with his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, on Wednesday and discussed joint efforts on climate change and other international issues, including Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said.    During the talks, the ministers welcomed that the two countries have been expanding cooperation into key global issues, like climate change and health security, and agreed to make efforts to boost the cooperation through high-level exchanges.  &n

Sept. 15, 2021

Vice FM meets Oman's top diplomat, discusses bilateral cooperation

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and discussed bilateral cooperation and other issues, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.    Choi paid the courtesy call on Albusaidi during his four-day Middle East trip that also took him to Qatar.    During the talks, Choi offered to reinvigorate various government channels, including the bilateral policy committee, and bolster cooperation at international stages. Albusaidi

Sept. 15, 2021

Chinese FM arrives in Seoul in latest effort to bolster regional ties

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Tuesday evening as part of a weeklong Asia tour that aims to bolster regional ties. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, China’s top diplomat will hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in before leaving for China later in the day. Wang last visited Seoul 10 months ago, in November last year. South

Sept. 14, 2021

S. Korea, Australia reaffirm commitment to Indo-Pacific stability

South Korea and Australia reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region during their foreign and defense ministers' talks Monday, casting themselves as "like-minded" democracies amid China's growing assertiveness and North Korea's renewed threats. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, Defense Minister Suh Wook, and their Australian counterparts, Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, respectively, held their countries' fifth biennial "two-plus-two"

Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea, Australia stress security cooperation to tackle mutual challenges

The foreign and defense ministers of South Korea and Australia held talks Monday and emphasized the importance of bolstering mutual security ties and strategic communication to tackle common challenges.  South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook together met with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton in Seoul for the so-called “two-plus-two” dialogue, where they discussed a range of issues including

Sept. 13, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold talks amid renewed tensions over NK missile launch

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Japan held talks in Tokyo on Monday to discuss cooperation in resuming dialogue with North Korea, amid renewed tensions caused by Pyongyang's recent cruise missile launches. The talks between Seoul's chief nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came on the eve of their trilateral meeting with the US special representative for the North, Sung Kim. Earlier in the day, the North's official Korean Central News Ag

Sept. 13, 2021

Second Vice FM Choi to visit Qatar, Oman this week

S econd Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon will visit Qatar and Oman this week for talks on bilateral cooperation, and regional and international issues, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his trip to the region from Monday to Thursday, Choi plans to meet senior officials in Qatar to express Seoul's gratitude to the country's cooperation over the withdrawal of its embassy staff from a war-torn Afghanistan and discuss related cooperation, the ministry said. After the Taliban's return to

Sept. 13, 2021

S. Korea, Poland agree to strengthen defense ties in vice-ministerial talks

South Korea and Poland agreed Friday to boost exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of defense and related fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his Polish counterpart, Marcin Ochiepa, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul, as Ochiepa visited South Korea to attend the annual security forum of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD). "The Polish vice minister expressed his country's will to expand and deepen the bilateral defense cooperation with

Sept. 10, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Tokyo next week

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, will visit Tokyo next week for bilateral and trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, the foreign ministry said Friday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.    Noh and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, plan to hold a trilateral meeting on Tuesday, as they strategize on reengaging with Pyongyang, amid concerns over signs of the reclusive regime

Sept. 10, 2021

Korea-Mongolia ties elevated to strategic partnership

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held a virtual summit Friday and agreed to elevate bilateral ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It was the first summit between the two leaders since the Mongolian president assumed the presidency in a landslide election win in June. Mongolia is a major partner for South Korea’s New Northern Policy, which is intended to bolster strategic ties with Central A

Sept. 10, 2021

Korea, China may be part of expert group monitoring Fukushima water release

The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a group of experts, possibly including some from South Korea and China, to the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in December to monitor the safety and transparency of Japan’s planned disposal of treated radioactive water, an official from the agency said Thursday.  Fishers in Japan and neighboring countries, including China and Korea, reacted angrily to the Japanese government’s decision in April to dump the 1.25 million ton

Sept. 10, 2021