Yoon, Biden to hold state dinner on April 26

  President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to pay a state visit to the US at the end of April at the invitation of US President Joe Biden, officials said on Tuesday night. President Yoon's state visit to the US will be made this year to mark the historic year of the 70th anniversary of the alliance of the two nations and it will be the first state visit to the US by a South Korea leader in 12 years since 2011 and the second since the launch of the Biden administration, according to a written st

March 8, 2023

Yoon's visit to Japan this month under strong consideration

President Yoon Suk Yeol could visit Japan this month for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following Seoul's decision to compensate wartime forced labor victims without Japanese firms' involvement, the presidential office said Tuesday. The visit is under strong consideration, the office said, making it the first time in four years detailed discussions are taking place over a South Korean president's visit to Japan. Kyodo News and other Japanese media outlets have re

March 7, 2023

US will continue to strengthen cooperation with S. Korea, Japan: State Dept.

  WASHINGTON-- The United States will continue to strengthen its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, a state department spokesperson said Monday, shortly after Seoul and Tokyo announced steps aimed at improving their bilateral ties. Department Press Secretary Ned Price said the US welcomes the "historic" steps taken by the two US allies. "The United States welcomes the historic announcement that bilateral discussions between the Republic of Korea and Japan to r

March 7, 2023

S. Korean foundation to compensate victims of Japan’s forced labor

South Korea said Monday it will compensate Korean victims forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II while awaiting Japanese participation in a potential fund meant to bolster ties, a decision that comes as Seoul looks to project global power by moving beyond a regional rivalry. The settlement, revealed by Foreign Minister Park Jin, is a “practical compromise” in the face of Japan’s refusal to recognize Korea’s 2018 Supreme Court ruling holding Japanese com

March 6, 2023

Yoon may visit Japan this month to mark landmark deal: sources

President Yoon Suk Yeol may visit Japan later this month to mark a historic deal between South Korea and Japan to resolve a long-standing dispute over compensation to forced laborers during Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, according to sources on Monday. The details of the visit are still being discussed and have not been confirmed by either side. Yoon’s visit is likely to be scheduled for the end of this month after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit

March 6, 2023

Deal reached on forced labor: sources

South Korea and Japan have reached a compromise settling a decadesold dispute over apologizing to and compensating Korean laborers forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II, sources said Sunday. Under the arrangement Seoul will cover the cost of compensating workers while Tokyo pays into a proposed fund aimed at expanding bilateral exchanges. The settlement, which comes 4 1/2 years after Japan refused to recognize Korea’s 2018 Supreme Court decision holding the Japanese lia

March 5, 2023

Nat'l security adviser says will discuss timing of Yoon's visit to US

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said Sunday he plans to finalize the timing and level of President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming visit to Washington when he meets with officials in the US capital this week. Kim made the remark to reporters at Incheon International Airport before departing for Washington on a five-day trip that will include meetings with US government officials and academics on issues related to North Korea and global and economic security. "I plan to meet with my cou

March 5, 2023

Bulgaria marks National Day

The Bulgarian Embassy celebrated its National Day on March 3, marking the nation's liberation from the Ottoman Dominion. Bulgarian Embassy commemorated Bulgarian volunteers who fought and liberated Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, leading to the re-establishment of Bulgarian statehood. Delivering welcome remarks at the ceremony, Bulgarian Ambassador Petko Draganov recalled his country’s diplomatic relationship with Korea forged 33 years ago in acknowledgment o

March 3, 2023

US supports Yoon's vision for S. Korea-Japan relations: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States supports South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's vision for cooperative relations between Seoul and Tokyo, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. Department Press Secretary Ned Price said the US also applauds both South Korea and Japan for their recent efforts to improve their bilateral relations. "Let me say generally that bilateral cooperation between the United States and our treaty allies is important, but so too is trilateral cooperation,&qu

March 2, 2023

US, S. Korea agree on need to strengthen extended deterrence: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea agree on the need to further strengthen US extended deterrence, a US defense department spokesperson said Tuesday, also reaffirming US commitment to deploying strategic assets to South Korea on a rotational basis. The remarks from Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder come after the countries held a Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise aimed at enhancing their joint deterrence against North Korean nuclear threats. "We did conduct a successful discu

March 1, 2023

Slovakia eyes more battery, EV cooperation with Korea

Celebrating 30 years of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Slovakia, the European country's top envoy in Seoul said the country expects more cooperation in the field of battery and electric vehicle production in the near future. Noting the rapidly developing automotive industry in the country, Slovakia's Ambassador to Korea Jan Kuderjavy said Korean companies could take advantage of a regional financial incentive scheme and a preferential tax regime for research and development. &

Feb. 28, 2023

Kuwait recalls Korea’s support during Gulf War on 62nd National Day

Kuwait’s top envoy to Seoul recalled the firm stance of Korea to support Kuwait during the 1990-1991 Gulf War while celebrating his country’s 62nd National Day in Seoul last week. Korea supported Kuwait's rights during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 by sending troops to Kuwait to help liberate the Gulf state. Kuwait’s national day, which falls on Feb. 25, marks the commemoration of the day Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the ruler of Kuwait in 1950. Al-Sabah

Feb. 28, 2023

Bangladesh Embassy celebrates annual International Mother Language Day

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO commemorated Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day 2023 in Seoul on Wednesday. The day is celebrated every year worldwide to promote linguistic and cultural diversity as well as multilingualism. In honoring Bangladesh’s efforts to protect their language, UNESCO also declared Feb. 21 International Mother Language Day in 1999. Delivering opening remarks at the event, Bangladesh Ambassado

Feb. 28, 2023

US has no hostile intent but N. Korea continues to provoke: state dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday, adding that North Korea, on the other hand, continues to make provocations. The remarks come after the North cited what it claimed to be US hostility toward the country, while warning that US provocations against the North will be considered a "declaration of war." "It is the DPRK that time and again at an unprecedented rate has engaged in provocations, including

Feb. 28, 2023

S. Korea, US making 'practical' progress in strengthening US extended deterrence: Amb. Cho

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States are making "practical" progress in enhancing the implementation of US extended deterrence, South Korean ambassador to the US Cho Tae-yong said Monday. Cho also said the allies will hold additional joint exercises to further strengthen the extended deterrence. Extended deterrence refers to US commitment to the defense of South Korea, using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons. "We have made practical

Feb. 28, 2023

Nat'l Assembly adopts resolution urging Japan to withdraw UNESCO bid for Sado mine

South Korea's National Assembly adopted a resolution Monday urging Japan to withdraw its bid to register a former gold mine linked to wartime forced labor as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Last month, the Japanese government submitted a recommendation letter again to the U.N. body for the listing of the mine on Sado Island, after the initial version, delivered in February last year, was deemed incomplete. Many Koreans were forced into hard labor in the mine during World War II, while Korea w

Feb. 27, 2023

US likely to limit S. Korean production of advanced chips in China: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States will likely limit the level of advanced semiconductors produced by South Korean companies in China to prevent the advanced technology from falling into the wrong hands, a ranking US official said Thursday. Alan Estevez, under secretary of commerce for industry and security, said the US is also working closely with South Korean companies that produce semiconductors in China to help minimize the potential damage to their business there. South Korean semiconductor pr

Feb. 24, 2023

[From Korea to Kyiv] 'War's nearing an end but peace talk with Putin will never happen'

The Russian war against Ukraine will reach a critical juncture in spring or early summer, and there is anticipation that the war will end within the year. But even if subsequent peace talks take place, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will be the last person that Ukraine would want to talk to, Ukraine’s top envoy to Seoul said in an interview with The Korea Herald. "I think the spring and early summer of 2023 will be decisive for the course of war. It is possible to win the war this year

Feb. 23, 2023

N. Korean nuclear, missile programs not helpful to China: state dept.

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's continued missile provocations and its nuclear development program are not helpful to any country, including China, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, two days after China blocked US-led efforts to condemn Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile tests. The department spokesperson, Ned Price, also reiterated that all United Nations member countries have the obligation to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. "The DPRK's ballisti

Feb. 23, 2023

S. Korea summons Japan envoy over Dokdo amid fresh tension

South Korea on Wednesday strongly denounced Japan’s fresh claim to the Dokdo islets, calling in Tokyo’s deputy envoy in Seoul in the latest flare-up in tension. “Historically, geographically and legally speaking, the islets -- Dokdo -- clearly belong to us and we urge Japan to stop repeating its unreasonable claims and face up to the history,” Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement released shortly after a high-ranking Japanese official took part in an event a

Feb. 22, 2023