S. Korea, Italy agree to boost future-oriented cooperation

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, on a state visit to South Korea, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. “Italy is a country that had helped us during the Korean War with medical support. … Together we share values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law. I look forward to strengthening exchanges in the future,” Yoon said at the meeting Wednesday. Rome was one of five countries that deployed

Nov. 8, 2023

Yoon to attend APEC, visit UK, France, Netherlands

President Yoon Suk Yeol is slated to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the United States next week, to be followed by visits to the United Kingdom and France later in the month and the Netherlands in December, the presidential office said Wednesday. Yoon will visit San Francisco from Nov. 15-18 to attend the APEC summit, during which he will share South Korea’s stance on various global issues, Deputy National Security Director Kim Tae-hyo said in a press briefing. This

Nov. 8, 2023

US to suspend key Cold War-era security treaty obligations in December following Russia's pullout

The United States will suspend the operation of its obligations under a late Cold War-era security treaty next month following Russia's withdrawal, a senior White House official said Tuesday. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the announcement as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization decided to suspend its obligations of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe aimed at limiting key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe. The suspension came as prospects

Nov. 8, 2023

S. Korea to open 10 new embassies

South Korea will open 10 new embassies overseas next year to provide manpower and resources increasingly needed to support its rising global profile, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. Countries that will see the new Korean diplomatic missions are: Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Jamaica, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Zambia. Among the ten nations, Georgia and Jamaica will see their previous embassy-level offices promoted to official embassies. Seoul

Nov. 7, 2023

[Photo News] Independence Day

Nov. 7, 2023

Marking independence, Poland highlights ties with Gyeonggi Province

Poland highlighted growing ties with Gyeonggi Province in Korea, marking the 105th anniversary of Polish independence on Monday. Poland reappeared on the world map after a 123-year absence and reestablished its independence on Nov. 18, 1918. The country celebrates Independence Day to commemorate the restoration of Poland's sovereignty in 1918. “Losing the statehood does not mean losing the identity — and this is the solid foundation of the power and will for life,” said Po

Nov. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] Korea-Georgia FTA, way forward to win-win diplomacy: deputy minister

A Korea-Georgia free trade agreement would bring substantial benefits for Korea and Georgia, Genadi Arveladze, the Caucasus nation's deputy minister of economy and sustainable development, told The Korea Herald on Friday, as Georgia and Korea embarked on negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement. “The agreement would not only help expand trade and investment but also provide a comprehensive institutional framework for a wide range of bilateral cooperation,” Arveladze

Nov. 7, 2023

Lawmaker calls for specifying China's responsibility in UN resolution on NK human rights

A North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker of South Korea's ruling People Power Party called Monday for a UN human rights resolution to include a phrase stipulating China's responsibility for the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees. Rep. Tae Yong-ho made the remark during a meeting with South Korean correspondents in New York as discussions are under way to adopt an annual UN General Assembly resolution on the North's human rights situation. The discussions came after hundre

Nov. 7, 2023

Central Asia, S. Korea pledge to strengthen youth cooperation

Foreign ministers from South Korea, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing youth cooperation during the 16th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the host nation's embassy said Friday. According to the embassy, the meeting underscored a sustainable future for both Central Asia and South Korea, recognizing the potential of youth in both regions and the need to formulate policies and strategi

Nov. 6, 2023

FM makes final pitch for World Expo 2030 in France

Foreign Minister Park Jin made a final pitch in France this week to win support for South Korea's bid to bring the 2030 World Expo to its southeastern city of Busan, his ministry said Saturday. During a visit to Paris on Thursday and Friday, Park held luncheons and dinners with the ambassadors of 12 nations likely to take part in the vote that will decide the host of the World Expo, as well as with representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the body responsible for overse

Nov. 4, 2023

S. Korea, Thailand to hold consular talks amid complaints over immigration services for Thai nationals

South Korea and Thailand will soon hold consular talks to discuss recent complaints by Thai nationals of their allegedly unfair treatment by South Korean immigration services, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday. The two sides agreed to hold the talks between the directors-general for consular affairs at their respective foreign ministries, after the complaints spread on social media, with the hashtag "ban Korea travel" trending on the platform X in Thailand. According to the p

Nov. 4, 2023

S. Korea thanks countries near Gaza for assisting in evacuation of S. Korean family

SEOUL -- The foreign ministry expressed gratitude Friday to countries near the besieged Gaza Strip for their efforts in helping a South Korean family evacuate from the war-torn region via a border crossing into Egypt. "The government expresses gratitude to the governments of Qatar, Egypt and Israel for their efforts in ensuring the safe evacuation of five South Korean nationals," foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a commentary. "In particular, we extend our thanks t

Nov. 3, 2023

Japan returns favor again by flying 15 S. Koreans out of Israel

Japan has brought back 15 South Korean nationals and one foreign national family member from Israel to Tokyo on a Japanese military plane, reciprocating for the second time Korea’s rescue flight last month that included Japanese nationals. According to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, the plane landed at Haneda International Airport on Friday evening. Aboard the aircraft are 20 Japanese nationals, four Taiwanese citizens, one Vietnamese national and their five foreign national family members

Nov. 3, 2023

Following an Israeli airstrike, crowded Gaza hospital struggles to treat wounded children

BUREIJ REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) — The gray film covering the faces of children rushed to Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza Thursday made it hard to distinguish between the living and the dead. After two Israeli airstrikes flattened an entire block of apartment buildings in the Bureij refugee camp and damaged two UN schools-turned-shelters, rubble-covered Palestinians big and small arrived at a hospital too packed to take them. Tiny, motionless bodies lay flat against the hospital&rsq

Nov. 3, 2023

PM wraps up World Expo campaign tour in Norway, Finland

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited Norway and Finland on the final legs of a five-nation tour aimed at rallying support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, his office said Friday. Han arrived in Norway early Thursday after completing visits to Malawi, Togo and Cameroon, and met with Norwegian businesspeople to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation. Later in the day, he held talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and expressed hope for deeper

Nov. 3, 2023

Kazakhstan marks Republic Day, touts growing ties with Korea

The Kazakhstan Embassy in Seoul stressed the importance of promoting both high-level and people-to-people ties with Korea, marking the 32nd anniversary of Kazakhstan's declaration of sovereignty on October 25. Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991. Delivering remarks at the event, Kazakhstan Ambassador to Korea Nurgali Arystanov lauded South Korea's pivotal role as a friendly strategic partner to his country, contributing to a dynamic economy, vibran

Nov. 2, 2023

5 S. Koreans from Gaza arrived in Egypt via Rafah border: ministry

A South Korean family living in Gaza crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border Thursday, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Media reports earlier said, quoting authorities from Gaza, that around 600 foreign nationals, including South Koreans, were allowed to leave through the Rafah border Thursday, the second such departure since the border opened up to foreigners and aid workers Wednesday for the first time since the armed conflict between Israel and the Islamic militant Hamas group. "A

Nov. 2, 2023

Biden picks top Asia aide as nominee for deputy secretary of state

US President Joe Biden chose his top Asia aide as the nominee for deputy secretary of state, the White House said Wednesday, as Washington maintains its strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific despite growing tensions in the Middle East and Russia's war in Ukraine. The White House said Biden expressed his intent to designate Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, for the State Department's No. 2 post that has been left vacant since former Deputy

Nov. 2, 2023

FM Park, Blinken to meet in Seoul next week

Foreign Minister Park Jin will discuss North Korea’s nuclear threats and other key issues with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the US diplomat’s two-day trip to South Korea from Nov. 8, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Wednesday. The visit, the first in two and a half years, comes as South Korea doubles down on the importance of the US nuclear umbrella to prevent a North Korean strike. The two allies agreed on giving Seoul a bigger say in how Washington deliv

Nov. 1, 2023

US lawmaker submits bill requiring Pentagon report on allies' defense contribution

A US Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill requiring the Pentagon to annually submit to Congress a report on contributions that South Korea and other allies make to "common defense" efforts, his office said Tuesday. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) submitted to the House the Allied Burden Sharing Report Act, which calls for the report on contributions by South Korea, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Arab Gulf allies and all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Or

Nov. 1, 2023