Yoon, Danish PM discuss cooperation in energy, environment

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday and discussed cooperation in energy and the environment, his office said. During the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Madrid, the two leaders welcomed the countries' growing cooperation since their establishment of a "comprehensive green strategic partnership." In particular, they noted the investment and cooperation of the t

June 30, 2022

Korea, Poland agree to cooperate on defense

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed with Polish President Andrzej Duda agreed Wednesday to expand cooperation in energy and defense, indicating the likelihood that the European nation may procure Korean weapons soon. The two met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid. Afterward, Choi Sang-mok, senior secretary for economic affairs, said in a briefing that tangible results are expected soon in the defense sector. “The defense cooperation b

June 30, 2022

Yoon urges international community to strengthen denuclearization resolve

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol called on the international community to strengthen its determination to denuclearize North in a three-minute speech at the NATO summit Wednesday. It was the first time a South Korean president has spoken on the NATO stage. Yoon was the seventh to take the podium at the meeting of heads of state and government, following British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "North Korea’s nuclear and missile program clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions,&r

June 30, 2022

Korea, US, Japan close ranks against NK

MADRID -- Leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan expressed concern about the North Korean nuclear threat and reaffirmed their will to jointly devise a strong deterrent against North Korea, in a three way summit before the NATO allies and partners summit on Wednesday. The trilateral talk was the first in four years and nine months since the last held on the occasion of the UN General Assembly in September 2017. The three-way summit was organized against a backdrop of a prolonged Russian invas

June 29, 2022

Korea, US, Japan in sync on security cooperation against NK provocations

MADRID -- A trilateral meeting between leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan for the first time in nearly five years set for Wednesday has fanned speculations about the strengthening of three-way cooperation in economic and security issues. The meeting among South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the NATO summit was expected to be an opportunity for the three sides to affirm the need to raise the leve

June 29, 2022

Yoon, Dutch PM discuss cooperation in semiconductors

President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday and discussed ways to increase bilateral cooperation in semiconductors and other advanced technologies, his office said.  During the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, Yoon expressed hope the investment of Dutch semiconductor companies in South Korea, including by chip equipment maker ASML, will contribute to building stable supply chain

June 29, 2022

[News Analysis] Is Yoon’s team hinting at wider strategy veering away from China?　

Scaling down of economic ties with Beijing could be unavoidable if China continues to tie the economy to politics, experts say, as the new South Korean administration’s top officials hint at a change in Seoul’s China strategy that includes economic issues. On Tuesday, Seoul’s senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok said that Korea should reduce its reliance on China for exports, possibly hinting at a strategy that veers away from China in terms of th

June 29, 2022

S. Korea’s export boom through China coming to end, should diversify to Europe

MADRID -- South Korea‘s senior presidential secretary for economic affairs said the export boom era through China that South Korea has enjoyed over the past 20 years is coming to an end, adding South Korea needs to diversify its markets to Europe. “As you know, China’s growth is slowing and is shifting to a domestic-oriented strategy,” Choi Sang-mok, senior economic secretary, told reporters at Madrid, where the NATO summit is being held. There, member nations seek to

June 29, 2022

Yoon expresses hope for improved Seoul-Tokyo ties

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed hope of improving South Korea-Japan relations to his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, during a brief encounter at the NATO summit, Seoul’s presidential office said Wednesday. According to the presidential office, Yoon and Kishida had a short conversation at the dinner party hosted by Spain’s King Felipe VI on Tuesday. Yoon and Kishida, along with leaders of Australia and New Zealand, are in Madrid to attend the NATO summit as Asia-Pa

June 29, 2022

Yoon to promote export of S. Korean nuclear power plants, weapons

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol will seek to promote the export of South Korean nuclear power plants and arms during his bilateral meetings with world leaders in Spain this week, a senior presidential official said Tuesday. Yoon is in Madrid to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on Wednesday and has begun a series of bilateral summits on the sidelines, including with Australia's prime minister earlier Tuesday. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with the preside

June 29, 2022

First lady Kim visits Korean cultural center in Madrid

MADRID -- First lady Kim Keon-hee visited the Korean Cultural Center in Madrid on Tuesday and praised its staff for helping promote Korean culture. The Korean Cultural Center opened in the Spanish capital in 2011. Around 60 cultural programs are held at the center each year, including exhibitions, concerts, classes and film screenings. Currently, the center is hosting a Korean fashion exhibition, including clothes by designer Kim A-young, which the first lady toured. "I thank you for your h

June 29, 2022

Yoon's meeting with NATO chief postponed due to scheduling issue

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol's scheduled meeting with the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday has been postponed due to the NATO chief's previous meeting running longer than expected, Yoon's office said. Yoon was scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid, one day ahead of the NATO summit involving the organization's 30 member states and nine global partner nations. The meeting was pushed back, how

June 29, 2022

Yoon, Australian PM discuss cooperation on energy, N. Korea

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Madrid on Tuesday and shared their commitment to defending democratic values and expanding cooperation on energy, North Korea and other issues, Yoon's office said. Yoon and Albanese held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for Wednesday in the Spanish capital. The two leaders' participation in the NATO summit demonstrates South Kor

June 29, 2022

'More criticism and doubts’ if Korea no-show at NATO summit

MADRID -- A high-ranking official from the presidential office said that South Korea would have faced “much more criticism and doubts” if it had not attended the NATO summit, as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The remarks came amid escalating tensions between Western allies and Russia alongside China over the NATO summit in Madrid held on Wednesday and Thursday. There, NATO members will approve a new “strategic concept” that de

June 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] US abortion ruling ignites legal battles over state bans

Battles over abortion shifted to state courts on Monday after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide, as judges blocked statewide bans in Louisiana and Utah and clinics in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas sued seeking similar relief.  The six are among the 13 states with "trigger laws" designed to ban or severely restrict abortions once the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized right to th

June 28, 2022

Yoon arrives in Madrid, gears up for NATO summit

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Madrid late Monday night to attend the NATO summit. Despite being his first overseas trip, Yoon remained casual and calm with reporters on the presidential plane. Before touching down in the Spanish capital, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee surprised the press pool of about 100 journalists and video crew by meeting them in their section during the flight. He took turns shaking hands and talking with them for about 10 minutes. Kim later also greete

June 28, 2022

Ex-Pentagon chief Mattis to attend Seoul forum on S. Korea-US ties, economic security

Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis will attend a Seoul forum on the prospects of relations between South Korea and the United States under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, organizers said Tuesday. Mattis, who led the Pentagon from January 2017 to December 2018, plans to join a discussion session of the Seoul Forum 2022 on Friday. It is organized by the nonprofit Seoul Forum for International Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Korea Society. Led by

June 28, 2022

Korean Cultural Center in Washington offers K-pop dancing, vocal training

WASHINGTON -- The Korean Cultural Center in Washington is offering a special program to those in the U.S. to learn how to sing and dance to K-pop music. The K-Pop Academy DC will offer dance and vocal training to those who wish to learn and experience the global phenomenon of K-pop music. "Participants work with professional voice and dance trainers from Korea to learn the moves and sounds of the worldwide K-Pop music phenomenon alongside fellow fans, while also experiencing the work ethi

June 28, 2022

Seoul’s cooperation with NATO raises concerns on China ties

As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol heads to Madrid to attend the NATO summit, opponents here are raising concerns that his participation in the Western military alliance gathering may have negative impacts on the country’s standing with China. Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s emergency steering committee, expressed concerns on the president’s participation in the NATO summit, questioning if it would secure the national inte

June 27, 2022

Yoon leaves for Madrid to attend NATO summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol left for Madrid on Monday to attend the NATO summit and will be the first Korean president to participate in the Western military alliance gathering. He seeks to strengthen security ties with Western countries and to rally the international community’s support for North Korea’s denuclearization. South Korea was for the first time invited to the NATO summit, which takes place from Tuesday to Thursday as an Asia-Pacific partner along with Japan, Australia and N

June 27, 2022