Blinken names new chief officer to tackle discrimination at State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday named a new official in charge of diversity and inclusion at the State Department, while commending the US embassy in Seoul for setting a good example. Blinken named Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley to fill the newly created post of chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), who "will be empowered to develop a "robust framework for fostering diversity and inclusion in our workforce." "From Me Too, to Black Lives Mat

April 13, 2021

White House says battery dispute settlement by LG, SK makes them more reliable suppliers

WASHINGTON -- The settlement of an electric vehicle battery dispute between two South Korean manufacturers will help build US confidence in their reliability, a White House official said Monday. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the conclusion of the dispute also marked great news for American workers. "The settlement we announced over the weekend...by SK Innovation and LG (Energy Solution) is a positive step that builds confidence in their reliability and responsibility as suppliers

April 13, 2021

Biden pledges more investment in meeting over semiconductor shortage

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said on Monday that his country will increase its investment in infrastructure to protect its supply chains, including the supply chain of semiconductors. His remarks came in a meeting with the top executive officers of 19 global firms, including South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics, to discuss ways to address the ongoing shortage of semiconductors. "Chips, like the one I have here, these chips, these wafers, our batteries, broadband, it's all

April 13, 2021

S. Korea, US agree to cooperate in promoting green energy, tackling climate change

South Korea and the United States on Monday agreed to make joint efforts to fight climate change and harness more sustainable energy. South Korea's Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo met his US counterpart, Jennifer Granholm, virtually, and shared visions on fostering low-carbon and eco-friendly industries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two countries also agreed to expand ties for the Leaders Summit on Climate, which will be hosted by the US later this month, in which

April 12, 2021

South Korea's PM: Iran's frozen funds should be quickly returned

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday South Korea should "quickly" return $7 billion in frozen funds to Iran in the latest diplomatic gesture to resolve the impasse between the two sides. The prime minister made the remark during a visit to Tehran, where he met Iranian officials amid tension over the funds locked up in South Korea under United States sanctions. "I have said before that this money is Iran's money and should be returned to its owner," Chung told reporters

April 12, 2021

S. Korea voices 'grave concerns' over Japan's expected decision to release Fukushima water into sea

South Korea's foreign ministry voiced "grave concerns" Monday over Japan's decision, expected this week, to release contaminated water from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.  Tokyo appears set to formally announce the final decision in a meeting of related ministers on Tuesday, according to media reports, despite strong opposition from the Japanese fishery industry and concerns from neighboring countries.  Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in

April 12, 2021

S. Korea willing to help Iran advance dialogue for restoring nuclear deal: PM

TEHRAN -- South Korea's prime minister said Monday his country is willing to provide "sideline" support for Iran to advance "productive" dialogue with partners in restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Chung Sye-kyun made the remarks during a joint press conference Sunday (local time) with Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri in Tehran following their 90-minute talks. Chung was visiting Iran for a three-day itinerary till Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties amid lingeri

April 12, 2021

Top S. Korean, German diplomats hold phone talks on bilateral ties, Korea peace efforts

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, held phone talks Friday to discuss bilateral ties and Seoul's efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. During the talks, Chung said that South Korea will contribute actively to international discussions on addressing climate change and public health issues when it attends the Group of Seven (G7) summit slated to take place in Britain in June. Chung also explained Seoul's conti

April 9, 2021

S. Korean PM to visit Iran next week amid lingering tension over frozen Tehran funds

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will visit Iran next week for talks on bilateral ties and other issues, his office said Friday, amid lingering tension over Tehran's call to unlock its funds frozen here under US sanctions. Chung's visit to Iran from Sunday to Tuesday -- the first such trip by a South Korean premier in 44 years -- follows Tehran's release this week of a Korean oil tanker and its captain about three months after its seizure over alleged oil pollution. "Through this visit, Prim

April 9, 2021

FM Chung, Indonesia defense chief agree to advance cooperation in joint fighter jet project

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on Friday and agreed to work together to move substantial cooperation between the two countries forward, including an ongoing joint fighter jet development project, the ministry said. The meeting took place as Prabowo was in South Korea to attend the rollout ceremony of a prototype of South Korea's first indigenous fighter jet, named the KF-X in the South and IF-X in Indonesia. "The ministers agreed to m

April 9, 2021

Iran releases seized S. Korean ship, captain

Iran released a South Korean oil tanker and its captain, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, about three months after they were seized over alleged oil pollution. The ship, with its captain and 12 other crew members aboard, left the port near Bandar Abbas on the southern coast, at around 6 a.m. (Iran time), the ministry said. The crew members had been released earlier but have remained on the ship for maintenance purposes. The ministry said the captain and the crew members remain safe and s

April 9, 2021

South Korea, US sign deal on shared defense costs

South Korea and the US on Thursday signed the recently concluded agreement on how to share the cost of the US military presence here, resolving an impasse in negotiations that lasted more than a year and put a strain on the decadeslong alliance. 　 Under the new deal that was reached last month, Seoul agreed to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.06 billion) this year for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. That is a 13.9 percent hike from the previous 2019 deal, the biggest annual rise for

April 8, 2021

White House denies ongoing discussions with allies to boycott Beijing Olympics

The White House on Wednesday denied any discussions with US allies to jointly boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Beijing as part of efforts to hold China accountable for its suppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States will work closely with allies for their shared interests but reiterated "no discussion" is under way. "Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. We have not discussed and are not discussing

April 8, 2021

Military training important to protecting US interest on Korean Peninsula: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- Defense readiness is especially crucial on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, highlighting the importance of military exercises there. John Kirby said the US goal remains the denuclearization of North Korea. "Training is important on the peninsula. We have to make sure that the alliance is sound and solid and ready to, obviously, defend our interests and the interests of our Korean allies on any given day," he said at a press briefing. South Kor

April 8, 2021

US prepared for diplomacy for denuclearization of N. Korea: White House spokeswoman

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to engage in some form of diplomacy with North Korea if it will lead to denuclearization on the peninsula, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday. She said the US remains committed to denuclearization of North Korea. "We have a clear objective as it relates to North Korea, which is denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," the spokeswoman said at a daily press briefing. "We are, of course, continuing to enforce sanctions. We are

April 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] US law students ask Biden to engage in ‘comfort women’ issue

Asian students in 15 US law schools including Harvard asked the White House to engage in the “comfort women” issue ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s US visit. The Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association said Tuesday that they sent a letter, co-signed by the Asian law student associations of 14 other universities such as Columbia, Stanford and Yale, requesting US President Joe Biden to raise the issue of Japan’s wartime sex slavery during h

April 7, 2021

US committed to improving S. Korea-Japan relations: Knapper

The US administration of President Joe Biden is very committed to improved relations between South Korea and Japan as cooperation between the allies is key to dealing with various regional issues, including a nuclear-armed North Korea, a US diplomat said Tuesday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, also said he feels very "optimistic" about Seoul-Tokyo relations. "I think we've seen very early on, I mean, absolute proof that this administration

April 7, 2021

N. Korea's decision to skip Olympics consistent with its COVID-19 response: Price

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's decision to skip the Summer Olympics appears to be in line with its strong measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesman for the US State Department said Tuesday. "We are aware of reports that North Korea has decided not to participate in the Summer Olympics, which would appear consistent, in fact, with the DPRK's stringent response to COVID-19," Ned Price said at a daily press briefing. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the

April 7, 2021

PM heading to Iran for talks on seized vessel

Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun is heading to Iran in the next few days for talks to release a seized South Korean oil tanker and its captain, according to his office and diplomatic sources Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the visit earlier in the day, but did not specify a date. With the two governments still consulting on the timing, the Prime Minister’s Office said it was seeking to arrange a meeting between Chung and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. In early January,

April 6, 2021

S. Korea willing to cooperate with Quad countries on issue-by-issue basis: official

South Korea is willing to cooperate with the member countries of the US-led Quad forum on an issue-by-issue basis, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday, amid speculation Washington wants Seoul to join the forum seen as a counterbalance to China's influence. Officials in Seoul have made it clear that there has been no formal request from the US to join the Quad, also involving Australia, India and Japan, stressing that the country would take part in an initiative of any form as long as it se

April 6, 2021