How can South Korea leverage its UN Security Council seat?

JEJU ISLAND -- As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, South Korea is uniquely positioned to address not only North Korean issues but also pressing global challenges, leveraging its strengths — successful experiences and significant global contributions in areas such as food security and peacekeeping operations, senior UN officials and experts emphasized on Thursday. Furthermore, South Korea's direct concern with the impact of human rights violations on security —

May 31, 2024

What role should Asian countries play amid Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

JEJU ISLAND -- South Korea and other Asian countries should take a realistic approach and explore feasible options for de-escalating the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while acknowledging the limitations of their influence on the matter, Asia-based experts said Thursday during the Jeju Forum. "The Korean government should soberly evaluate the extent of its leverage in shaping its stance on the issue," Ma Young-sam, who served as South Korean ambassador to Israel as well as the inaugural h

May 31, 2024

NATO-S. Korea ties, ‘powerful signal’ against rule breakers: Stoltenberg

JEJU ISLAND -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the increasing cooperation between the North Atlantic alliance and its Indo-Pacific partners including South Korea, sends a "powerful signal" against active attempts by countries including Russia to "rip up" the rules-based international order. "These ties matter today more than ever. We live in a dangerous world," Stoltenberg stated in a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the

May 30, 2024

Defense chief to meet with US, Japanese counterparts in Singapore

Shin Won-sik, South Korea’s Minister of National Defense, will attend this year’s Asia Security Summit in Singapore — also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue — where he is scheduled to meet with his counterparts from the US, Japan and other key partner countries. The annual summit hosted by the UK think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies gathers leaders and experts in defense and diplomacy. Held since 2002, this year’s summit marks the 21st anniversary

May 30, 2024

Yoon to send special envoys to inauguration of El Salvador president

President Yoon Suk Yeol will send former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong and ruling party lawmaker Kang Min-kuk as special envoys to the inauguration ceremony of incoming President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Yoon's office said Thursday. Won and Kang of the People Power Party will attend the inauguration ceremony on Saturday and convey Yoon's congratulations to Bukele while also delivering a letter from Yoon expressing his wish to closely cooperate to further strengthen the friendly and c

May 30, 2024

Yoon, UAE president adopt joint statement pledging more investment

President Yoon Suk Yeol and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan adopted a joint statement Thursday, pledging to invest more in each other's countries and urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. The statement was adopted on the occasion of the Arab leader's state visit to Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which the leaders held summit talks and the two countries signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement freeing up trade. In the statemen

May 30, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] South Africa seeks to diversify exports to Korea: ambassador

South Africa intends to broaden its export horizons with South Korea to include value-added products, a strategic shift deemed by the country essential for enhancing the economic partnership between the two countries, the South African ambassador to South Korea said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Ambassador Zenani Mandela-Dlamini said the bilateral trade relationship spans a diverse range of products, from minerals and semi-finished goods to high-tech electronic products. South Africa fe

May 29, 2024

UAE becomes 1st Arab country to sign free trade pact with S. Korea

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday officially signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement aimed at enhancing trade openness, expanding market access and fostering investment during the first state visit of the UAE president to South Korea. The UAE is the first Arab country to sign such an agreement with South Korea. Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-Geun and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, attend the signing ceremony hel

May 29, 2024

US restates need for China's 'productive' role in addressing N. Korean threats

A US State Department spokesperson reiterated the need Tuesday for China to play a "productive" role in countering North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, after South Korea, China and Japan did not include the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a shared goal in their joint summit statement. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, made the remarks during a press briefing in response to a question regarding the outcome of the rare trilateral summit that Sout

May 29, 2024

Trade ministry, ASEAN vow cooperation in digital transition, clean energy

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to expand cooperation in digital transition, clean energy and other areas. Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo met ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Seoul to discuss cooperation on areas of mutual interest, including trade, supply chains and development, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. During the meeting, Cheong noted that the Southeast Asian bloc stands as South

May 28, 2024

UAE president to make state visit to S. Korea

United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will make a state visit to South Korea on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand cooperation in energy, defense and other areas. Mohamed will visit South Korea for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol and meetings with business leaders Tuesday and Wednesday. It marks the first state visit to the country by a UAE president. Four Air Force fighter jets will escort the UAE's presidential jet, and Yoon will host a welcome dinner. On Wednesd

May 28, 2024

Turkmenistan honors poet Magtymguly Fragi in Seoul

The Turkmenistan Embassy in Seoul honored Magtymguly Fragi, a prominent Turkmen poet and philosopher, celebrating the 300th anniversary of his birth on May 14. Hosting a conference and exhibition, the embassy showcased Fragi‘s profound impact on Turkmen cultural heritage. Delivering remarks at the event, Turkmenistan Ambassador to Korea Begench Durdyyev heralded the poet and philosopher as a beacon of Turkmen literary tradition and philosophy, who shaped cultural discourse. Turkmenistan ha

May 28, 2024

Foreign ministry shakes up units to bolster strategies, intelligence

The South Korean foreign ministry said Tuesday it revamped its units to bolster regional strategies and intelligence gathering, while downsizing the bureau handling North Korean nuclear issues, in a major shakeup amid the deadlock in nuclear talks with Pyongyang. In March, the ministry announced the reorganization plan centering on downsizing the bureau in charge of North Korean issues and revamping other units, citing the changing diplomatic and geopolitical landscape. Under the new structure,

May 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korea, model for Indonesia’s creative economy: minister

Indonesian leader Joko Widodo has asked his administration to learn from the South Korean government's drive to bolster the creative economy as part of the Southeast Asian country's effort to pursue its future growth engine, according to an Indonesian Cabinet member. "President Joko Widodo has tasked us with emulating the Korean government's approach to bolster the creative industry," said Sandiaga Uno, Indonesian minister for tourism and creative economy in a recent int

May 27, 2024

Azerbaijan marks Independence Day, seeks climate action with S. Korea

The Azerbaijan Embassy said it hopes to join hands with South Korea on climate action while marking its Independence Day in Seoul on Wednesday. The annual event commemorates the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918, which ended nearly two centuries of Iranian and Russian rule and marked the restoration of Azerbaijan's statehood. "It (Azerbaijan) was the first republic ever in the entire Muslim world. It granted its female citizens the right to vote, ahead

May 27, 2024

Tajikistan builds solar panel production with Korean investment

Tajikistan, with substantial support from South Korea, started its first solar panel production facility in the Danghara Free Economic Zone on Saturday, according to the Tajik Embassy in Seoul. The project spearheaded by the Korean company Global Solar Wafer, is set to unfold in four stages investing $2 billion and boosting local employment in Tajikistan, the embassy said. The facility is also expected to provide over 8,000 jobs, it added. In a move to woo foreign investment in the country, the

May 27, 2024

Indian embassy to hold festivities for Yoga day

The Indian Embassy in Seoul will hold festivities across the country to celebrate the International Day of Yoga, slated for June 21. The International Day of Yoga was designated by the United Nations General Assembly through resolution 69/131 and received endorsement from a record 175 member states in 2014. Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the 10th International Day of Yoga on Thursday, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar introduced yoga as an ancient heritage from India, that embodies th

May 27, 2024

China's use of 'denuclearization' in summit statement significant despite dilution: Seoul

The South Korean government on Monday underscored the significance of China's consent to include the phrase "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" in the joint summit declaration released earlier in the day, given the shifts in the geopolitical landscape including growing US-China rivalry and Beijing's deliberate avoidance of explicitly mentioning the phrase. The joint declaration followed the first trilateral summit in around 4 1/2 years, hosted in Seoul, where South Kor

May 27, 2024

[Africa Forum] Korea-Africa summit to open new chapter in ties: AGA dean, Herald president

As South Korea and African countries combat threats from existing global economic risks and the climate crisis, the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit will serve as an opportunity to open a new chapter in ties, the dean of the African Group of Ambassadors and the president of the Herald Media Group said Thursday. “Through the upcoming (first-ever) Korea-Africa Summit (scheduled for June 4-5), the relations between South Korea and Africa will enter a completely new chapter from where it stands no

May 26, 2024

[Africa Forum] Korean, Tanzanian students paint future of co-prosperity

Students from South Korea and Tanzania stressed the importance of achieving a sustainable future through co-prosperity at the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum held Thursday. Pearl Mavura, a 15-year-old student from Tanzania, and Ra Jian, a 16-year-old student attending an international school here, took turns expressing their hopes for a better future, in line with the potential partnership that could form through the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit scheduled June 4-5. Mavura kicked off her spe

May 26, 2024