Vice FM meets Oman's top diplomat, discusses bilateral cooperation

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and discussed bilateral cooperation and other issues, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.    Choi paid the courtesy call on Albusaidi during his four-day Middle East trip that also took him to Qatar.    During the talks, Choi offered to reinvigorate various government channels, including the bilateral policy committee, and bolster cooperation at international stages. Albusaidi

Sept. 15, 2021

Chinese FM arrives in Seoul in latest effort to bolster regional ties

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Tuesday evening as part of a weeklong Asia tour that aims to bolster regional ties. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, China’s top diplomat will hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in before leaving for China later in the day. Wang last visited Seoul 10 months ago, in November last year. South

Sept. 14, 2021

S. Korea, Australia reaffirm commitment to Indo-Pacific stability

South Korea and Australia reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region during their foreign and defense ministers' talks Monday, casting themselves as "like-minded" democracies amid China's growing assertiveness and North Korea's renewed threats. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, Defense Minister Suh Wook, and their Australian counterparts, Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, respectively, held their countries' fifth biennial "two-plus-two"

Sept. 13, 2021

South Korea, Australia stress security cooperation to tackle mutual challenges

The foreign and defense ministers of South Korea and Australia held talks Monday and emphasized the importance of bolstering mutual security ties and strategic communication to tackle common challenges.  South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook together met with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton in Seoul for the so-called “two-plus-two” dialogue, where they discussed a range of issues including

Sept. 13, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold talks amid renewed tensions over NK missile launch

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Japan held talks in Tokyo on Monday to discuss cooperation in resuming dialogue with North Korea, amid renewed tensions caused by Pyongyang's recent cruise missile launches. The talks between Seoul's chief nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came on the eve of their trilateral meeting with the US special representative for the North, Sung Kim. Earlier in the day, the North's official Korean Central News Ag

Sept. 13, 2021

Second Vice FM Choi to visit Qatar, Oman this week

S econd Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon will visit Qatar and Oman this week for talks on bilateral cooperation, and regional and international issues, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his trip to the region from Monday to Thursday, Choi plans to meet senior officials in Qatar to express Seoul's gratitude to the country's cooperation over the withdrawal of its embassy staff from a war-torn Afghanistan and discuss related cooperation, the ministry said. After the Taliban's return to

Sept. 13, 2021

S. Korea, Poland agree to strengthen defense ties in vice-ministerial talks

South Korea and Poland agreed Friday to boost exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of defense and related fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his Polish counterpart, Marcin Ochiepa, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul, as Ochiepa visited South Korea to attend the annual security forum of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD). "The Polish vice minister expressed his country's will to expand and deepen the bilateral defense cooperation with

Sept. 10, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Tokyo next week

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, will visit Tokyo next week for bilateral and trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, the foreign ministry said Friday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.    Noh and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, plan to hold a trilateral meeting on Tuesday, as they strategize on reengaging with Pyongyang, amid concerns over signs of the reclusive regime

Sept. 10, 2021

Korea-Mongolia ties elevated to strategic partnership

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held a virtual summit Friday and agreed to elevate bilateral ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It was the first summit between the two leaders since the Mongolian president assumed the presidency in a landslide election win in June. Mongolia is a major partner for South Korea’s New Northern Policy, which is intended to bolster strategic ties with Central A

Sept. 10, 2021

Korea, China may be part of expert group monitoring Fukushima water release

The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a group of experts, possibly including some from South Korea and China, to the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in December to monitor the safety and transparency of Japan’s planned disposal of treated radioactive water, an official from the agency said Thursday.  Fishers in Japan and neighboring countries, including China and Korea, reacted angrily to the Japanese government’s decision in April to dump the 1.25 million ton

Sept. 10, 2021

S. Korea, Mekong countries reaffirm commitment to health, economic cooperation amid pandemic

South Korea and five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River have reaffirmed concerted efforts for cooperation in health and economic fields to minimize COVID-19-driven impact and facilitate recovery. They made the pledge in a joint statement adopted after the 11th Mekong-South Korea foreign ministers' meeting Wednesday, stressing the importance of solidarity and multilateralism to advance shared goals, Seoul's foreign ministry said.  The meeting, held in a hybrid format, was c

Sept. 10, 2021

S. Korea, ASEAN nations agree to boost defense ties

South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Wednesday to boost exchanges and cooperation in security and defense fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. The meeting between Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his counterparts from 10 Southeast Asian nations took place via video links on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue which kicked off in the day for a three-day run. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, T

Sept. 8, 2021

Foreign ministry pushes for work system upgrade to allow remote working at diplomatic missions

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it will establish a "smart work system" to allow overseas-based diplomats to work remotely from home and elsewhere without returning to their offices as part of efforts to improve the working environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The current work system requires diplomats to access the ministry's network only from their missions connected via secure lines. That has caused difficulties as the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted direct contact or on-si

Sept. 8, 2021

Second batch of COVID-19 vaccines departs from Romania

The second batch of coronavirus vaccines South Korea plans to bring in from Romania under a swap deal has departed for Seoul, according to the Korean embassy in Bucharest on Wednesday.   A transport plane carrying 976,500 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines took off from the eastern European country Tuesday night (Romania time), the embassy said. It is expected to land at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 3 p.m. Of the incoming shipment, 526,500 doses are Pfiz

Sept. 8, 2021

US lawmaker urges Biden to consider providing COVID vaccines to N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- A US lawmaker has called on President Joe Biden to consider providing COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea as a way of improving relations between the two countries, an informed source said Tuesday. Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) also urged Biden to consider providing additional vaccine support to South Korea in a letter to the president, according to Kim Min-sun, president of the New York-based Museum of Korean American Heritage. "Because of your administration's work to secure over

Sept. 8, 2021

Post-Suga, no dramatic shift in Seoul-Tokyo relations expected

The Japanese government is set for a leadership change, but a dramatic turnaround in Seoul-Tokyo relations is unlikely, experts say. 　 In the wake of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s abrupt decision to step down last Friday, many here are wondering what the new Japanese leadership will mean for South Korea as an array of candidates vies to succeed Suga at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, set for Sept. 29. 　 The new LDP president is effectively assured of becoming

Sept. 7, 2021

Chinese foreign minister to visit Seoul next week

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make a two-day visit to Seoul next week to discuss bilateral relations and other pending issues, including North Korea, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The top Chinese diplomat will arrive here on Sept. 14 and hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Sept. 15. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in but both the ministry and Cheong Wa Dae said nothing has been confirmed yet.

Sept. 7, 2021

S. Korea to provide $3 million worth of humanitarian aid to Myanmar

South Korea will provide $3 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar to help the country cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry said it will make sure the aid is delivered to the people of Myanmar through "direct and transparent" means, suggesting that it will be provided through international organizations so as to prevent the aid from being diverted by the military. The aid comes amid the continuing political unrest in the S

Sept. 7, 2021

Five Eyes invitation may come with costs

South Korea has received a fresh invitation from the world’s most exclusive intelligence-sharing alliance, the so-called Five Eyes, but experts warn there is no such thing as a free lunch in diplomacy. Last week, the US House of Representatives submitted a draft bill to the National Defense Authorization for the 2022 fiscal year, asking the US administration to consider expanding the Five Eyes program that currently consists of five English-speaking democracies: the US, UK, Canada, Austr

Sept. 6, 2021

S. Korea denounces Houthi rebels' drone attack on Saudi airport

South Korea strongly denounces the recent drone attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on an airport in Saudi Arabia and urges the militants to take part in UN-led peace talks, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "We strongly denounce the attack by Yemen's Houthi rebel forces on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary. "We reaffirm our support for international efforts toward peace and ending the civil war in Yemen, and u

Sept. 2, 2021