Blinken to visit S. Korea next week for democracy summit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea next week to attend a session of the Summit for Democracy, a US-led multination gathering formed to boost solidarity and shared values among democratic countries. Blinken is expected to arrive at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday, and take part in the ministerial segment of the forum Monday, according to people with knowledge of the matter. He will also hold bilateral talks with his South Korean counte

March 13, 2024

Germany shares results from recent inspection of its embassy in N. Korea

A senior German official briefed a South Korean official on the outcome of his delegation's recent inspection of its embassy in North Korea, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Earlier in the day, German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Thomas Bagger also discussed bilateral ties and regional security in his talks with First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun in Seoul. Last month, the German delegation visited Pyongyang to inspect the site of its embassy for the first time si

March 12, 2024

S. Korean detained in Russia for alleged espionage is missionary

A South Korean citizen who Russian authorities claim has been detained on charges of espionage since earlier this year is a Christian missionary focused on aiding North Korean people in Russia's Far East region, according to sources on Tuesday. The South Korean individual, first reported by Russia's state-run media outlet TASS as Baek Won-soon and later corrected as Baek Kwang-soon, had been actively involved in missionary efforts for North Koreans in Vladivostok, according to database

March 12, 2024

[Photo News] Ambassador for a Day

Ewha Womans University student Lee Yae-won (left) poses for a photo with Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto during the "Ambassador for a Day" initiative on Friday. The initiative is part of the annual International Women's Day celebration that selects a Korean university student based on an essay competition to work with the Italian ambassador for a day. Lee's essay titled "Empowering Change: Why Eliminating Violence Against Women Will Contribute to the Wellbeing of Men&q

March 12, 2024

[Photo News] Economic Outlook 2024

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2024 German Ambassador to South Korea Georg Schmidt (fourth from right, front row) and participants attend the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) Economic Outlook 2024 event in Busan on Thursday. Acknowledging the challenges of the year ahead, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza and North Korean threats, the event, themed "Building Bridges," was hosted by KGCCI and Busan Metropolitan City, attended by over 100 business leade

March 12, 2024

German Embassy, Women in Korea advocate for gender equality

The German Embassy in Seoul and Women in Korea (WIR), a leadership group under the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, advocated for gender equality to mark International Women's Day on Friday. Aligned with the theme for this year's International Women’s Day, "Inspire Inclusion," the gathering emphasized inclusive leadership to drive sustainable development in businesses and society. Delivering remarks at the event, German Ambassador Georg Schmidt talked abo

March 12, 2024

[BRIDGE TO AFRICA] Ties with Africa to grow with Korea’s support: Ivory Coast envoy

The upcoming Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul will increase cooperation with Korea and expand support for Africa's progress, according to Allou Wanyou Eugene Biti, Ivory Coast's ambassador to South Korea. “Ivory Coast holds significant influence in West Africa and across the entire continent,” said Biti, highlighting the importance of Korea's involvement in advancing the process to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) treaty. “Ivory Coast will

March 12, 2024

Foreign ministry says providing consular assistance to S. Korean national arrested in Russia

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it has been providing consular assistance to a South Korean national arrested in Russia reportedly on espionage charges. Russia's TASS news agency reported Monday that South Korean citizen Baek Won-soon has been held in the Lefortovo detention facility in Moscow since late February, and a court extended his detention until June 15, citing a law enforcement official. Baek was arrested by Russian law enforcement earlier this year in the Russian Far East city

March 12, 2024

S. Korean national arrested in Russia on espionage suspicions: TASS

A South Korean citizen arrested in Russia earlier this year on suspicion of spying is to remain in custody until mid-June, Russia's state news agency Tass said Monday. The news agency said it is the first time that a South Korean has been arrested for espionage in Russia. Tass said the man, identified by the agency as Baek Won-soon, was detained “at the start of the year” in the far eastern city of Vladivostok and was taken to Moscow at the end of February. He is being held in L

March 12, 2024

S. Korean citizen detained in Russia for spy charges: report

A South Korean citizen has been detained by Russian authorities on charge of espionage, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported late Monday. If confirmed, it would mark the first time a South Korean has been pressed with spy charges by Russia. According to the Tass, the individual was transferred from Vladivostok, where he had been detained, to Moscow for further investigation. He was detained earlier this year on alleged charges of passing the "top secret" information of Rus

March 11, 2024

Philippines, S. Korea recall cooperation that forged 75 years of ties

The Philippines marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties with South Korea on Tuesday, recalling the cooperation and sacrifices that have strengthened the bilateral relationship. Stressing the exceptional strength of Philippine-Korea diplomatic ties, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the majority of diplomatic relations with Korea can be traced back approximately 60 years or less, but Korea’s relations with the Philippines predate the Korean War. The Philippines contri

March 10, 2024

Biden, Trump issue dire warnings of the other, as rematch comes into view in Georgia

ATLANTA -- President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump warned of dire consequences for the country if the other wins another term in the White House as the pair held dueling rallies in Georgia Saturday fresh off strong wins in Super Tuesday contests that positioned them for an all-but-certain rematch this November. The state was a pivotal 2020 battleground — so close four years ago that Trump finds himself indicted here for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overtu

March 10, 2024

Biden: Netanyahu 'hurting Israel' by not preventing more civilian deaths in Gaza

WILMINGTON, Del. -- President Joe Biden said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza. The US leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.” Biden has for months warned that I

March 10, 2024

China trumpets rising car exports to Russia as its envoy holds talks in Ukraine

BEIJING (AP) — In Beijing and Kyiv, the divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, his boss, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, trumpeted a sharp rise in China-Russia trade — which the West sees as providing an economic lifeline to Moscow that undermines the sanctions it has imposed to try to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. “Russian natural gas has entered thousands o

March 9, 2024

Military's Ospreys are cleared to return to flight, 3 months after latest fatal crash in Japan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Osprey, a workhorse aircraft vital to US military missions, has been approved to return to flight after an “unprecedented” part failure led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in Japan in November, Naval Air Systems Command announced Friday. The crash was the second fatal accident in months and the fourth in two years. It quickly led to a rare fleet-wide grounding of hundreds of Ospreys across the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. Befor

March 9, 2024

S. Korean, Philippine FMs discuss stronger ties in phone talks

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, on Friday and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations, Cho's office said. It was the first talks between the two top diplomats since Cho's inauguration in January. During the talks, Cho noted the 75th anniversary of the two nations' establishment of diplomatic ties this year and the recent exchange of congratulatory letters between their leaders, according to Seo

March 8, 2024

S. Korea names new envoy for Indo-Pacific affairs

The Foreign Ministry said Friday it appointed a senior diplomat as the country's special envoy for Indo-Pacific affairs, a new position created under a shakeup plan to broaden diplomacy into regional and other challenges besides North Korea. Chung Kee-yong, previously the ambassador to Morocco, will be in charge of promoting South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy, and working with key partner countries in and outside of the region to strengthen cooperation in related issues, the ministry

March 8, 2024

Foreign Ministry to disband peninsula peace bureau amid NK threats

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday unveiled plans to restructure the office responsible for negotiations on North Korean nuclear issues and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, amid escalating North Korean nuclear threats and a prolonged absence of nuclear talks. The Foreign Ministry announced its decision to rebrand the Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, tentatively renaming it the Office of Diplomatic Strategy and Intelligence in Korean.

March 7, 2024

US focus on 'interim' steps with N. Korea raises questions about policy direction

US officials' recent focus on the idea of "interim steps" for a path towards North Korea's ultimate denuclearization is raising a flurry of questions about their intentions and the direction of America's policy on the recalcitrant regime. The idea has come into the spotlight in South Korea as some observers see it as a potential sign of Washington's greater desire for dialogue with Pyongyang amid little progress in its diplomacy to the North and security concerns he

March 7, 2024

Korea, Uzbekistan implement customs protocol

A mutual protocol that requires South Korea and Uzbekistan to provide administrative assistance in customs matters to each other was put into effect as of Feb. 24. The protocol, signed in September by top customs officials of the two countries, facilitates the exchange of mutual information on goods and vehicles transported across customs borders and enables cooperation in law enforcement to simplify the flow of goods between the two countries. The protocol also aims to bolster bilateral coopera

March 6, 2024