How should S. Korea tackle growing China conundrum?

As US-China strategic competition has continued to intensify with expectations that it will likely persist, Seoul finds itself increasingly ensnared in a web of structural challenges in its relations with Beijing. With the rivalry itself serving as a key determinant that has caused challenges in critical areas such as economics and security, South Korea's already delicate and intricate China conundrum has become further complicated. South Korea-China relations have reached a pivotal crossro

Aug. 28, 2024

Trump demands NATO allies spend at least 3 percent of GDP on defense

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday called on member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to spend at least 3 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their defense, calling the current 2 percent guideline "the steal of the century." The former president's remarks added to speculation that should he return to the White House, he could put pressure on South Korea to increase its financial contributions to the stationing of the 28,500-stro

Aug. 27, 2024

Yoon, US Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the head of the U.S. Senate's armed service committee Monday to discuss ways to bolster the combined defense posture against North Korean threats, his office said. During the talks with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in Seoul, Yoon stressed the need to advance the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation involving Japan to effectively deter North Korean threats, the presidential office said. Yoon also asked for continued support from the U.S. Congress in st

Aug. 26, 2024

Hezbollah launches missile barrage after Israel strikes

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, the Iranian-backed movement said, as Israel's Cabinet met to prepare a response. Israeli jets hit targets in Lebanon shortly before the strikes, as the military assessed that Hezbollah was preparing to begin the barrage, the military said. Hezbollah said it had launched more than 320 Katyusha rockets toward Israel

Aug. 25, 2024

Presidential office says discussions with US taking place over nuclear plant project in Czech Republic

The South Korean presidential office said Saturday it is in close discussions with the US government to resolve a dispute between the two countries' companies over a nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic. "We are in talks with the US government through various channels to smoothly resolve the dispute," an official at the presidential office said, referring to the conflict between the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. and American energy firm Westinghouse

Aug. 24, 2024

Biz leaders to accompany President Yoon's Czech visit next month

A group of business leaders, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, will accompany President Yoon Suk Yeol on his visit to the Czech Republic next month, industry sources said Saturday. Yoon is arranging the visit to the Czech Republic to deepen bilateral economic ties after the European country selected a South Korean consortium in July for a major nuclear plant project. The South Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was named the preferred bidder for the Czech

Aug. 24, 2024

Ex-Trump official to visit Seoul for trilateral economic dialogue between S. Korea, US, Japan next month

A US senator, known for his close ties to former President Donald Trump, said Thursday that he will visit Seoul next month to attend an annual trilateral economic meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Sen. Bill Hagerty, who served as the US ambassador to Japan from 2017-2019 during Trump's presidency, plans to participate in the second annual Trilateral Economic Dialogue on Sept. 4 that will bring together private- and public-sector leaders from the three countries. The

Aug. 23, 2024

Senate committee chief expects Harris to seek Korean Peninsula denuclearization goal

The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee anticipated Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris would pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a foreign policy goal should she win the White House in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, a Democrat, made the remarks as questions have lingered over the omission of the denuclearization goal in the recently approved Democratic policy platform, which is expected to help set the tone for Harris' p

Aug. 23, 2024

Court of appeals orders Japan firm to compensate forced labor victim's children

A Seoul court of appeals, reversing a ruling by a district court, ordered Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. on Thursday to pay compensation of 100 million won ($74,750) to four children of a deceased South Korean victim of Japan's wartime forced labor. The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by the descendants of the victim, surnamed Jeong, who demanded 200 million won, claiming he was forcibly mobilized to work for the Japanese company�

Aug. 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] K-Wave a model for I-Wave: Indonesian diplomat

Joannes Ekaprasetya Tandjung, minister counselor for the creative economy and digital affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in South Korea, suggested Indonesian artists embrace Korean training and education as models to nurture the Southeast Asian country's creative industry. With an aim to promote Indonesian culture globally, Jakarta initiated the "Promoting Creative Economy for Sustainable Development" resolution at the 78th UN General Assembly in 2023. The initiative marks the firs

Aug. 21, 2024

Korea denuclearization would remain goal if Harris wins White House: campaign official

The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would remain a US policy objective should Vice President Kamala Harris win the White House race in November, a former Pentagon official said Tuesday, dispelling concerns about the exclusion of the goal in the Democratic Party's new policy platform. Colin Kahl, former undersecretary of defense for policy, made the remarks, saying that people appear to be "overreading" the platform. He is known to have participated in a process to write t

Aug. 21, 2024

Biden approved strategy to prepare against coordinated nuclear challenges from NK., China, Russia: NYT

President Joe Biden approved a secret strategy earlier this year to focus on China's growing nuclear threats and prepare the United States for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from North Korea, China and Russia, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Biden's approval in March of the revised strategy, called the "Nuclear Employment Guidance," came amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and Russia&

Aug. 21, 2024

Democratic National Convention opens to fete Harris as presidential nominee

The Democratic Party kicked off a national convention in Chicago, Illinois on Monday to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as its presidential and vice presidential nominees for the Nov. 5 general election. The four-day Democratic National Convention caps intense weeks of Harris' whirlwind campaign to rally once-dispirited Democrats behind her, reinvigorate the party's support base, build her war chest and clinch the party's nominat

Aug. 20, 2024

Trump touts tariff extension on S. Korean pickup trucks as policy feat

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump on Monday praised a tariff extension on South Korean pickup trucks as a key economic policy feat during his presidency, claiming that absent it, South Korea and China would be "destroying us." Trump made the remarks during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, referring to the extension of 25 percent import tariffs on South Korean pickup trucks until 2041 -- an outcome of the South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) revisio

Aug. 20, 2024

US to stand by S. Korea, other allies against N. Korean threats: 2024 Democratic platform

The United States will stand by South Korea and other allies to counter North Korean provocations, the Democratic Party's 2024 policy platform has showed, reiterating the party's commitment to cementing regional alliances for stronger deterrence. The party released the platform Sunday, the eve of the four-day Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are to be celebrated as the Democratic nominees for president and

Aug. 20, 2024

Leaders of S. Korea, US, Japan vow unity on ‘greatest challenges’

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and underscored their readiness to confront the world’s "greatest challenges" through trilateral cooperation. Seoul, Washington and Tokyo released a joint leaders' statement to "commemorate the tremendous progress" made in their trilateral cooperation over the past year, following the unprecedented standalone summit at Camp David

Aug. 18, 2024

US official hints at trilateral summit among leaders of S. Korea, US, Japan by end of this year

A White House official on Thursday suggested the possibility of holding a trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan by the end of this year, following the historic Camp David summit last year. Mira Rapp-Hooper, the senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council, made the remarks, emphasizing that the three countries will continue to build the partnership and put it on strategic footing for the long term, including by holding "

Aug. 16, 2024

Seoul condemns Yasukuni visit as an 'anachronistic act'

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the Japanese defense minister's tribute at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which Seoul views as glorifying Japan's militaristic past, calling it an "anachronistic act" and unfathomable behavior. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's visit to the shrine in Tokyo occurred on the same day Korea commemorated its liberation from Japan’s illegal colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. "Our gover

Aug. 15, 2024

[Hello India] India and S. Korea: Forging stronger ties for brighter future

As we commemorate the 77th anniversary of Independence Day for India, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all fellow citizens, the vibrant Indian diaspora in the Republic of Korea, and our esteemed Korean friends. This day also marks the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day for Korea, and I wish its people and government continued success, good health and prosperity. Over the years, the ROK has achieved impressive success across all fields of human endeavor, particularly advanced manufacturing, t

Aug. 15, 2024

Can South Korea, Japan move beyond historical disputes?

Seventy-nine years after Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule (1910-1945), the lingering scars of that turbulent history continue to cast a shadow over bilateral relations, complicating efforts to build future-oriented ties. Although historical disputes between South Korea and Japan remain unresolved, recent efforts by the Yoon Suk Yeol and Fumio Kishida administrations aim to move beyond the past and work towards the future, despite ongoing public debate over these initiative

Aug. 14, 2024