Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan condemn N. Korea's missile launch

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch during their phone talks earlier this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. The North test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday in its first ballistic missile launch this year, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It came after North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells near the inter-Korean mari

Jan. 15, 2024

Trump says America was 'safe' while boasting ties with N. Korean leader Kim

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday boasted his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he had built during his presidency, stressing America was "safe" then. Trump made the remarks during a rally in Indianola, Iowa, on the eve of the first vote of the Republican Party's nomination contest in the lead-off state. Hours earlier, Pyongyang fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea in its first missile launch this year. "Kim Jong

Jan. 15, 2024

Taiwan election result could put S. Korea-China relations to test

The victory of Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party in the presidential election on Saturday will put the relationship between South Korea and China to the test, given Seoul's unique geopolitical position and the need to strike a balance between Beijing and Washington, according to experts in Seoul on Sunday. As China effectively refused to accept the result of the high-stakes election, concerns are mounting as South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been

Jan. 14, 2024

S. Korea says it hopes for continued peace, stability across Taiwan Strait after presidential election

South Korea hopes to see peace and stability maintained across the Taiwan Strait, a foreign ministry official said Sunday, following the election of a U.S.-friendly president. Lai Ching-te, vice president of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president of the self-ruled democracy on Saturday, defeating his China-friendly rival from the main opposition party. "We expect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait to be maintained and the peaceful development of cross-strai

Jan. 14, 2024

Biden gives greetings on Korean American Day

US President Joe Biden issued a message to celebrate Korean American Day on Saturday, highlighting Korean Americans' "immense contributions" to the United States and their efforts to "enrich" the country. Korean American Day honors the Korean American community's contributions and marks the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the US on Jan. 13, 1903. In 2005, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions for celebration of the day. "Thro

Jan. 14, 2024

Blinken, senior Chinese official discuss N. Korea, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a visiting senior Chinese official held talks in Washington on Friday over a range of issues concerning North Korea, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and the Middle East, a State Department spokesperson said. The talks between Blinken and Liu Jianchao, minister of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, came just before Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday. "The secretary reiterated

Jan. 13, 2024

North Korea to welcome Russian tourists, the country's first since the pandemic, report says

Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since its borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown. The report, published Wednesday by the Russian state-run Tass news agency, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang . It also follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East. Ta

Jan. 12, 2024

In Taiwan's election Saturday, who are the 3 candidates trying to become president?

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is holding its presidential election on Saturday, a race that China has called a choice between war and peace. China considers the self-ruled island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off its east coast a breakaway province and has threatened to take control over it, by force if necessary. Taiwan's election is closely watched internationally due to the potential for rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait. At home, voters are concerned with m

Jan. 12, 2024

Japan successfully launches an intelligence-gathering satellite to watch for North Korean missiles

TOKYO (AP) — Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and to improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part of Tokyo’s reconnaissance effort to rapidly build up its military capability. The governm

Jan. 12, 2024

Top priority for new FM: 'Economic-security integrated diplomacy'

The primary strategic focus of the South Korean Foreign Ministry is to strengthen diplomatic capabilities to enhance economic security, especially at a time when security and the economy are intricately entwined amid the US-China tech rivalry, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Friday. "I will seek to strengthen the capabilities of economic and security integrated diplomacy, aligning with the contemporary context where the US-China competition for technological hegemony ha

Jan. 12, 2024

S. Korean, US top diplomats agree to cooperate on N.K. threats, peace in Taiwan Strait, South China Sea

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together to address North Korean threats and support peace in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea in their phone call Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held the first phone conversation with his new South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, since Cho assumed office this week to succeed Park Jin. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cho also agreed to continue workin

Jan. 12, 2024

US slaps sanctions on 3 Russian entities, 1 individual over arms transfers with N. Korea

The United States imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual for their involvement in the transfer and testing of North Korean ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The sanctions came after the White House said that the North has provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used to strike Ukrainian targets on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Saturday. "The entities and individual were co

Jan. 12, 2024

US notes China's role in curbing N. Korea's 'provocative' activity

The United States on Thursday took note of China's role in curbing North Korea's "provocative" and "harmful" activities amid international criticism over Pyongyang's transfers of weapons to Russia and its evolving military threats. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks in response to a reporter's question over whether China -- with close relations with the North and Russia -- is responsible for its apparent inaction regarding t

Jan. 12, 2024

N. Korea using Ukraine as 'test site' for nuclear-capable missiles: Seoul

South Korea raised the alarm at the UN Security Council that Russia's use of North Korean missiles has opened the door for North Korea to use Ukrainian territory as a "testing site of its nuclear-capable missiles," posing new security challenges. The 15-member Security Council convened Wednesday to discuss the grinding war in Ukraine after the US disclosed North Korea's illicit transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles t

Jan. 11, 2024

White House official not aware of any indications about N. Korea-Hamas military cooperation

A White House official said Wednesday that he has not seen any indication of military cooperation between North Korea and the Hamas militant group, despite the South Korean spy agency's assessment that North Korean-made arms are being used by the group. John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks after Seoul's National Intelligence Service confirmed last week's Voice of America report that Hamas fighters have used an F-7 roc

Jan. 11, 2024

48 countries, EU unite in condemning NK-Russia arms transfer

A united front of 48 countries, alongside the European Union, unequivocally expressed their condemnation in the "strongest possible terms" against North Korea's export of ballistic missiles and Russia's recent use of the ballistic missiles in the assault on war-torn Ukraine. The joint statement, featuring endorsements from foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, Japan, Ukraine, and other participating countries, was issued on Wednesday, Seoul time. "Our gove

Jan. 10, 2024

Security advisers of S. Korea, US decry N. Korea's missile transfer to Russia for use in Ukraine

The national security advisers of South Korea and the United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms" North Korea's transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine during a phone call on Tuesday, the White House said. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his new South Korean counterpart, Chang Ho-jin, to discuss the North's increasing military cooperation with Russia and its provocative actions along the Demilitarized Zone separating the tw

Jan. 10, 2024

Outgoing FM says S. Korea-Japan ties 'completely normalized' thanks to Yoon

Foreign Minister Park Jin left office Wednesday after nearly two years of juggling a set of diplomatic tasks, ranging from addressing escalating North Korean provocations to ramping up the alliance with the United States and improving ties with its neighboring countries. At his farewell ceremony, Park touched on the ministry's achievements during his term, saying South Korea has realized the "complete normalization" of its ties with Japan owing to the "big decision" of P

Jan. 10, 2024

US presidential election top global risk in 2024: report

The US presidential election could be the foremost global risk, with anticipated effects extending more broadly and profoundly across global security, stability and economic outlook than any other event, according to a report. The biggest challenge in 2024 is the "United States versus itself," marked by the presidential election scheduled in November, Eurasia Group, a New York-based political risk consulting firm, said in its annual forecast report that listed the top 10 risks to the w

Jan. 9, 2024

China trust needed but priority remains on US: FM nominee

Cho Tae-yul, the nominee for South Korean foreign minister, said Monday that the country should manage its relations with China in a way that does not compromise the Korea-US alliance. Cho said the core of South Korea's approach to China is to "define its position amid the strategic competition between the US and China." "During our response to it, the focus should be on the Korea-US alliance," Cho said during his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assemb

Jan. 8, 2024