Moon arrives in Austria for state visit

VIENNA -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Vienna on Sunday for a three-day state visit after attending the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Britain. He became the first South Korean president to travel to Austria officially since the two sides established diplomatic ties in 1892. He plans to have summit talks Monday with President Alexander Van der Bellen and hold a meeting with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on improving bilateral relations. Kurz made a trip to South Korea in 2019. Mo

June 14, 2021

G-7 welcomes Washington’s diplomacy towards Pyongyang: communique

The Group of Seven nations on Sunday issued a joint statement calling for the complete denuclearization of North Korea, while welcoming the commitment of Washington under President Joe Biden to engage with Pyongyang through diplomacy. In a joint communique adopted at this year’s G-7 summit in the southwestern British county of Cornwall, the countries called for the complete denuclearization of North Korea and urged Pyongyang to give up its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missil

June 13, 2021

Moon, Macron discuss bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge technology industries

The leaders of South Korea and France on Sunday shared hopes to strengthen bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge technology industries, such as semiconductors and electric vehicles, Cheong Wa Dae said. President Moon Jae-in met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in the southwestern British county of Cornwall. During the 45 minute “pull aside” meeting, the two leaders shared their countries' measures against the coronavirus pa

June 13, 2021

Moon holds summit talks with British PM

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had separate talks here Sunday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of a Group of Seven summit. They noted that the two countries are maintaining close political and economic cooperation even after the so-called Brexit, Moon’s office said. They agreed to keep working together in various sectors, including trade and investment, as the bilateral free trade agreement took effect as of Jan. 1, it added. The two shared the view that the equit

June 13, 2021

Moon meets Suga at G-7, but bilateral session not in the cards

CORNWALL, England/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in exchanged greetings with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday at the G-7 summit in the UK. But a separate session does not appear to be in the cards this time, amid speculation that the two leaders might get together for a bilateral meeting or a trilateral one with the US. 　 Moon and Suga “exchanged greetings” just before the start of an expanded session of the G-7 summit at Carbis Bay Hotel and Estate

June 13, 2021

‘G-7 invitation signifies Korea’s elevated status’

CORNWALL, England/SEOUL -- Korea’s invitation to the G-7 summit signifies that it has risen to the ranks among developed countries standing shoulder to shoulder with global leaders, Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday. The Group of Seven is an organization of leaders from some of the world’s biggest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The G-7 members meet annually to discuss global issues and coordinate policies.    Ho

June 13, 2021

Moon pledges $200 million to tackle global COVID-19 vaccine shortage

SEOUL/CORNWALL, England -- South Korea will provide $200 million in aid through next year to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in lower-income countries, President Moon Jae-in said Saturday. During a plenary session on health during a Group of Seven summit, Moon vowed to offer $100 million in grants this year, according to a statement from the presidential office. Another $100 million will be provided next year through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a financing framework estab

June 13, 2021

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US reaffirm peninsula denuke goal, cooperation on vaccines, Myanmar

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed the goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to deepen cooperation on vaccine distribution and Myanmar, the foreign ministry said Sunday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, held talks on the margins of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Britain on Saturday to discuss an array of issues, including follow-up measures to last month' summit between Presidents Mo

June 13, 2021

Moon holds talks with EU leaders on COVID-19, climate

CORNWALL, Britain -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Saturday with the leaders of the European Union and had discussions on COVID-19, climate and other pending global issues, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon had the talks with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the annual Group of Seven (G-7) summit that opened here the previous day. The two sides discussed such global challenges as COVID-19 and climate change, wa

June 13, 2021

Moon joins G-7 summit, vows financial support for global vaccine supply

CORNWALL, Britain -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a Group of Seven (G-7) summit Saturday and unveiled plans to help lower-income nations procure COVID-19 vaccines. He stressed the importance of swiftly expanding vaccine supply to ensure "equitable access" in order to overcome the pandemic, while attending a plenary session on health on the second day of the summit, his office said. "President Moon emphasized that an early expansion of vaccine supply is the most n

June 13, 2021

Moon meets Suga, Biden at G-7 summit

CORNWALL, Britain -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Saturday with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden, as they attended a Group of Seven (G-7) summit here. Moon "exchanged greetings" with Suga just before the start of an expanded session of the summit at Carbis Bay Hotel & Estate in Cornwall, Britain, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. It marked the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since Suga took office las

June 13, 2021

Moon, Merkel agree to cooperate on equitable global vaccinations

CORNWALL, Britain -- The leaders of South Korea and Germany agreed Saturday to work together for the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Cheong Wa Dae said. President Moon Jae-in met with Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit under way in the southwestern British county of Cornwall. Moon said it is meaningful that South Korea has an opportunity to discuss major international issues along with Germany and other G-7 member states. Merkel welcomed M

June 13, 2021

S. Korea joins US, Japan for Red Flag Alaska air drills

South Korea is joining a trilateral air drill involving the United States and Japan that is now in full swing in Alaska after the annual exercise was scaled down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Indo-Pacific Command said Saturday. The Red Flag exercise hosted by the US Pacific Air Forces runs from June 10-25 in Alaska to improve the three countries' interoperability and support security in the Indo-Pacific Region, the US command said. "A series of commander-directed field t

June 12, 2021

Moon arrives in Britain for G-7 summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Cornwall, Britain, on Friday to attend an annual Group of Seven summit. He is joining the session as a guest invited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the first major multilateral summit since the outbreak of COVID-19. During the two-day "expanded" G-7 forum to be held till Sunday in this southwestern county, Moon plans to have discussions on how to address such global challenges as a health crisis, climate change and

June 12, 2021

US will lead with diplomacy to mitigate NK behavior: US defense chief

While calling North Korea “a country with the ambition to be capable of striking the US homeland,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US will continue to work on North Korea, leading with diplomacy. “Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, posing an increasing threat to regional allies and partners and with ambitions to be able to strike the US homeland,” Austin said in his prepared remarks for a US Senate Armed Services Committ

June 11, 2021

Peruvian Embassy commemorates Flag Day in S. Korea

The Embassy of Peru in South Korea marked Flag Day on Monday, the 141st anniversary of the Battle of Arica between Peru and Chile. Officially called the Day of Renewal of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, the holiday was established in 1905 to commemorate the soldiers who did not surrender but fought for their ideals and their country. The ceremony -- attended by the Peruvian ambassador to Korea, the defense and military attache, military personnel and officials posted to the diplomatic m

June 11, 2021

Moon heads to Britain for G-7 summit

President Moon Jae-in departed Friday for Britain to attend an annual Group of Seven (G-7) summit, the outset of his weeklong trip to Europe that will take him to Austria and Spain as well. He is joining the G-7 session as a guest invited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the three-day event to take place until Sunday at the Carbis Bay Hotel in the southwestern county of Cornwall. At the "expanded" forum on Saturday and Sunday, Moon plans to have discussions on how

June 11, 2021

[#WeFACE] Transnational cooperation key to achieving climate goals, global leaders say

Transnational cooperation is key to finding solutions to avert a climate catastrophe and creating a sustainable future, global leaders stressed Thursday. During the first session of Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum in Seoul, three international figures from South Korea, Colombia and the UK gave remarks on the importance of government policies, international cooperation and political leadership in tackling climate change. Opening the session, Yun Sun-jin, co-chairperson of Korea’s 2

June 10, 2021

China hopes relations with S. Korea are unaffected by Sino-US rivalry: top Chinese envoy

China hopes its relations with South Korea will move forward unaffected by the country's growing rivalry with the United States, the top Chinese envoy here said Thursday. Ambassador Xing Haiming made the remark in a radio interview after China expressed discomfort over the mention of the Taiwan Strait in last month's summit statement adopted by President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden. "Our relations have developed over the past 30 years. We should value that, and I think it wou

June 10, 2021

S. Korea to offer $300,000 to DR Congo to help people displaced by volcanic eruption

South Korea plans to offer $300,000 in humanitarian aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help its people displaced by last month's volcanic eruption, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "The government hopes that our support will be helpful to the people in the country suffering from the unexpected natural disaster," the ministry said in a press release. The May 22 eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world's most active volcanoes, killed about 30 people and displaced m

June 10, 2021