PyeongChang to host 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in December

PyeongChang, the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangwon Province, will hold the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates from Dec. 12-14, according to the local government on Tuesday. The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is a forum initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, in which Nobel Peace Prize laureates, experts on peace and conflict resolution and representatives from peace organizations gather together for dialogue. Since its inaugural edition in Rome in 1999, the annual event

Oct. 4, 2022

Indonesia highlights dynamics of bilateral ties with Korea on 77th independence day

Indonesia embassy highlighted dynamics of bilateral ties with Korea celebrating its 77th independence day in Seoul on Sept. 28. Commemorating the independence day under the theme of ‘Recover Faster, Rise Stronger,’ the embassy invited Korean government officials, parliament members, diplomatic corps, businessmen, academics, and friends of Indonesia numbering more than 300 guests at the Floating Island Convention Center in Seoul. Dressed in traditional Javanese Jawi Jangkep, Indonesia

Oct. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Ukraine says key eastern town 'cleared' of Russian troops

MYKOLAIVKA, Ukraine -- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Lyman, a key town located in one of four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia, had been "cleared" of Moscow's troops. The latest development in Ukraine's weeks-long counter-offensive against Moscow's invasion comes as Russia pushed forward with finalising the annexation of captured Ukrainian territories despite condemnation from Kyiv and the West. The recapture of Lyman -- which Moscow's forces pummelled for

Oct. 3, 2022

S. Korean envoy on NK human rights to visit US this week

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's new envoy for North Korean human rights will make her first visit to the United States this week since taking office, officials said Sunday. Lee Shin-hwa plans to meet officials of the State Department and the White House, as well as experts and activists, in Washington, DC, during her four-day trip starting Wednesday to discuss various pending issues, including Pyongyang's nuclear threat and missile provocations. Lee, a political science professor at Korea

Oct. 3, 2022

Yoon rejects motion to dismiss foreign minister

  President Yoon Suk-yeol rejected a call to dismiss South Korea's top diplomat on Friday, defying pressure from the main opposition party that controls parliament. In a note sent to the media, Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential press secretary, said Yoon will not accept a parliamentary no-confidence motion to hold Foreign Minister Park Jin accountable for what the Democratic Party (DP) claims was a disastrous overseas trip by the president. No further explanation was provided. On Thursday,

Sept. 30, 2022

President’s overseas trip was not ‘diplomatic disaster,’ political strife should end: foreign minister

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Friday refuted the main opposition party’s claim that the president’s overseas trip this month was a “diplomatic disaster,” and expressed disappointment after lawmakers passed a motion calling for his dismissal. At the same time, Park said he would "carefully" take in the criticisms and do his best to carry out his duty as foreign minister. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and others have taken issue with P

Sept. 30, 2022

South Korea, US, Japan hold consecutive calls, strongly condemn NK missile launches

Following North Korea’s latest missile launch on Thursday, the top nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan and the United States again held bilateral talks over the phone to reaffirm their united efforts to counter Pyongyang’s military threats, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the western inland town of Sunchon in South Pyongan Province toward the East Sea on Thursday, marking the third launch in less than a week. Imm

Sept. 30, 2022

Seoul, Tokyo, Washington tighten bonds as Pyongyang ramps up military provocation

South Korea, Japan and the US are tightening trilateral bonds as Pyongyang is ramping up military provocations. After North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday evening, Seoul’s top nuclear envoy immediately held talks over the phone separately with his US and Japanese counterparts to affirm bilateral and trilateral cooperation to counter the North’s nuclear threats. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, Kim Gunn, Seoul's special re

Sept. 29, 2022

[Newsmaker] Study: Heat wave led to unprecedented melt of Swiss glaciers

GENEVA -- Switzerland's glaciers are melting like never before, an academic study released Wednesday found, with their ice volume declining by 6% this year amid rising concerns about global warming and a summer heat wave that swept across Europe. The Swiss Academy of Sciences reported that the shrinkage of ice in the country's glaciers topped a previous record retreat nearly a generation ago. "2022 was a disastrous year for Swiss glaciers: all ice melt records were smashed by the great dear

Sept. 29, 2022

Unification minister to visit Germany next week

South Korea's top point man on North Korea will visit Germany next week to seek support for Seoul's regional peace and denuclearization efforts, his office said Thursday. Unification Minister Kwon Young-se plans to leave for Germany on Sunday for a four-day trip at the invitation of the German government, according to the ministry. It would be his first overseas trip since taking office in May. Kwon is scheduled to attend a ceremony in the eastern city of Erfurt on Monday to commemorat

Sept. 29, 2022

US condemns N. Korean missile launch, urges Pyongyang to engage in dialogue

WASHINGTON -- The United States condemns North Korea's latest missile launch but remains open to dialogue, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. The remarks come hours after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launches," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "T

Sept. 29, 2022

[Hwang's China and the World] Seeking new Korea-China relations: Evaluating defense and military

Now is the time for Korea and China to look back on the past, face the present and talk about the future. Over the past 30 years, Korea-China relations have developed explosively. The establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations was an important turning point in advancing the new era of prosperity in Northeast Asia. And now both Korea and China have grown into the core countries in the international community. China has grown into a major powerhouse in the international community, and Korea

Sept. 28, 2022

NATO approves of South Korea's establishment of diplomatic mission to NATO

South Korea established its first diplomatic mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, after it received an official acceptance from the North Atlantic Council. The North Atlantic Council said Tuesday that the allies agreed to accept Seoul’s request to designate its embassy to Belgium as the country’s diplomatic mission to NATO. According to the council, the NATO allies agreed to "strengthen dialogue and cooperation with new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific to tackle cross

Sept. 28, 2022

S. Korean PM meets with Japan's Kishida, urges to improve relations

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Tokyo on Wednesday, agreeing to seek further dialogue on outstanding issues. At the meeting, Han called on Korea and Japan to work toward better relations, saying it serves their common interests, and Han and Kishida agreed to continue discussions on issues involving forced labor victims and sexual slavery, Seoul's Prime Minister's Office said. Han talked with Kishida for around 20 minutes on Wednesday m

Sept. 28, 2022

Tim Berners-Lee wins Seoul Peace Prize for promoting data sovereignty

World Wide Web Consortium Director Tim Berners-Lee won this year’s Seoul Peace Prize for his work promoting data sovereignty and leading the movement to “decentralize” the web dominated by tech giants. The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, headed by Yeom Jae-ho, made the announcement on Wednesday. According to the foundation, a selection committee consisting of eight members conducted a rigorous, objective and in-depth selection among many leader figures around the world

Sept. 28, 2022

Harris' trip to DMZ will highlight US commitment to security of S. Korea: US official

WASHINGTON -- US Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will underscore the US' commitment to the defense of South Korea, a senior US official said Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the trip had been planned for weeks, despite the sudden announcement of plans this week. "The key messaging that she's talking about on this trip is how our defense commitments are ironclad," the administration official said of

Sept. 28, 2022

PM attends Abe funeral in Tokyo, holds talks with US, Japan leaders

The South Korean delegation led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Tuesday. Before the funeral, Han met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was also visiting the country for the occasion. About 4,300 were to attend the ceremony that kicked off at 2:00 p.m. at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, with at least 48 current or former government officials, including the US vice president. Before the funeral, Han met

Sept. 27, 2022

Leaders of S. Korea, US reaffirm commitment to resolve EV tax credit issue: ambassador

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden have reaffirmed their commitment to resolving issues and concerns from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Seoul's top diplomat in the US said Monday. Amb. Cho Tae-yong also said the countries are discussing various ways to offset any potential damage caused by the new US law to South Korean carmakers. "President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden met three times during the U.N. General Assembly and discussed

Sept. 27, 2022

OECD cuts South Korea's 2023 growth outlook to 2.2%

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday lowered its outlook for South Korea's growth for next year, citing uncertainties in the global economy.  In its interim report on next year's world economy, the Paris-based organization said South Korea's gross domestic product is expected to grow 2.2 percent in 2023, 0.3 percentage point lower than its previous forecast of 2.5 percent.  The estimate is lower than the Seoul government's forecast of 2.5 percent and

Sept. 26, 2022

Top-level talks with US, Japan, Britain this week, after Yoon's tour

A number of top-level discussions on alliance, security and the economy are expected to take place this week, as top officials, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, are set to visit Seoul. The meetings will be follow-ups to the talks South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had with world leaders during his seven-day trip to Britain, the US and Canada last week. Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday that Prime Minister Han Duk-soo will be traveling to Japan on Tuesday to

Sept. 26, 2022