Ukraine seeks S. Korea's participation in reconstruction projects: senior official

Ukraine expects South Korean companies to participate in various reconstruction projects, particularly regarding nuclear power and other energy fields, a ranking Ukrainian government official said Wednesday. Rostyslav Shurma, deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, made the remarks during a forum held in Seoul, where Ukraine's eight-member delegation explained a mid- to longer-term reconstruction plan after the war with Russia to major firms here, including POSCO International

May 17, 2023

S. Korea, Canada vow stronger ties in push for shared Indo-Pacific strategy

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau agreed to build on common economic and security priorities set out in their Indo-Pacific strategies at a summit in Seoul on Wednesday. The highlight of the three-day trip by Trudeau that ends Thursday comes as Yoon seeks economic partners while attracting support for his efforts for North Korean denuclearization. “We have jointly denounced growing nuclear threats from North Korea, which thwart regional peace and stability. W

May 17, 2023

PM rules out water sampling by Seoul's Fukushima inspection team

SEJONG -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the inspection team will not take wastewater samples from earthquake-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan, amid political opponents' calls on the team to take more proactive actions including water sampling. Sampling activities by an inspection team from a certain country could breach the independence of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Han told reporters in a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong.

May 17, 2023

'Washington Declaration' a huge but not last step in deterring N. Korean provocation: experts

WASHINGTON -- The recent agreement reached between South Korea and the United States on strengthening US extended deterrence is a significant step in dealing with North Korea's evolving nuclear threat but possibly not the last step to be taken by the allies, US experts said Tuesday. They also insisted that while the agreement, dubbed the Washington Declaration, may enhance the allies' joint deterrence against North Korea, it may fall short of preventing future provocations by the rec

May 17, 2023

Ukraine first lady calls for ‘radical’ war support, visit by Yoon, Kim

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska called for “more radical” support to push back against Russia’s war in the country, saying a visit to her country by its friends like President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee would rally Ukrainians. "Indeed, when there is a criminal in the house, the owners clearly need not only humanitarian aid, food and medicine, but something more radical to drive the criminal out," she said in a written interview with Yonhap News

May 16, 2023

Uzbekistan, a diverse, ancient cultural crossroads

Uzbekistan is home to rich cultural diversity, fresh organic food and spiritual sites for some of the world's oldest religions. The country has all the potential of a world-class tourism ecosystem with its harmonization of cultural diversity, efficient connectivity and ongoing infrastructure development under the "New Uzbekistan" vision. The ancient civilization of Uzbekistan was a crossroads of advanced cultures. Uzbekistan's cities such as Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiv

May 16, 2023

Peru is Korea's gateway to Latin America, says vice FM

Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister Ignacio Higueras urged South Korea to partner with the Peruvian government’s "Con Punche Peru" measures in an interview with The Korea Herald last month. Con Punche Peru is a rapid execution plan initiated by the Peruvian government with investments of $1.5 billion. The plan aims to create 130,000 jobs by 2023 and recover from a critical economic situation by focusing on families, as well as the regional and national economy, to reactivate Peru&rsqu

May 15, 2023

Forced labor victim's family accepts govt compensation, withdraws legal action against Japanese firm

The bereaved family members of a wartime forced labor victim have withdrawn their request for a court order to dispose of a Japanese company's assets after accepting the Seoul government's compensation plan, legal sources said Monday. The four family members of the late victim, Yeo Un-taek, on April 27 submitted a letter of withdrawal to the Supreme Court, which was reviewing the case, they said. Yeo was one of the four forced labor victims who initiated a compensation suit against Nip

May 15, 2023

S. Korea, US conduct joint analysis on possible Korean War remains

South Korea and the United States began joint regular identification work Monday on possible remains of American soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's defense ministry said. The two-day examinations on the remains suspected to be those of four US soldiers got under way between officials from the ministry's war remains excavation team and the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency at the team's office in southern Seoul. DPAA Laboratory Director John Byrd joined this

May 15, 2023

S. Korea-US-Japan to hold summit in Hiroshima without joint statement

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of Seven summit to be held in Hiroshima, Japan, to discuss ways to cooperate on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, according to the presidential office on Sunday. The trilateral summit comes six months since the three leaders' meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November last year. It marks the third such meeting since Yoon

May 14, 2023

Visit to Fukushima plant agreed as concerns over water release persist

South Korea and Japan agreed on a visit by Korean experts to the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant ahead of releasing the plant’s treated but still radioactive water, amid lingering health concerns over the diluted water. The delegation, decided on at a nearly 12-hour meeting in Seoul that ran past midnight Saturday, has yet to finalize details like the facilities it will review, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said following the meeting. Korea has said the tour is meant to “revi

May 14, 2023

G7 finance chiefs move to diversify supply chains

The G7 plans to launch a partnership scheme to diversify supply chains this year, ministers from the group said Saturday following finance talks in Japan ahead of a major summit next week. The ministers did not directly mention efforts to reduce reliance on trade with China or Russia as motivation for the new framework, which focuses on clean energy technology. But after meeting her Japanese counterpart, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pointed to recent shocks to the global economy. "S

May 13, 2023

Blinken says retiring deputy secretary Sherman helped deepen US relations with key allies, including Korea

The top US diplomat expressed his gratitude to outgoing Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday, also praising the first female deputy secretary of state for having deepened US relations with key allies including South Korea and Japan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted Sherman had broken barriers at the department as the first female deputy secretary. "Wendy has helped lead our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the region where the history of the 21st century will be wr

May 13, 2023

S. Korea, Japan agree on Seoul team's four-day visit to assess nuclear water release plan

Korea and Japan have agreed that a delegation from Seoul will visit Japan for four days to assess Tokyo's plan to discharge radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday. Working-level officials from the two countries held a meeting in Seoul on Friday to discuss details of South Korean experts' planned visit to the nuclear plant. The meeting lasted for 12 hours until around 2 a.m. Saturday. The two sides agreed on the tea

May 13, 2023

Wastewater inspection team unlikely to enforce Japan's corrective action

South Korea's inspection team may ask for corrective actions in case of any safety concerns over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's wastewater, which Japan aims to release later this year after treatment, though it does not have the power to enforce them, a government official said Friday. Disagreements between Seoul and Tokyo over the facilities and raw data regarding Japan's multi-nuclide removal system during South Korea's examination later in May will be solved throu

May 12, 2023

Swiss-Korean innovation week showcases emerging technologies

The annual Swiss-Korean Innovation Week kicked off Thursday to showcase emerging technologies and topics such as quantum technology, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, ESG and advanced manufacturing. On the sidelines of the 60th anniversary of South Korea-Switzerland diplomatic relations, the event aims to create an innovative environment through exhibitions, seminars, and workshops to discuss the age of quantum technology. Starting with the exhibition "Travel Across Boundaries,"

May 12, 2023

S. Korean FM proposes joint maritime research with Caribbean nations at ACS council meeting

Foreign Minister Park Jin has proposed launching joint maritime research projects between South Korea and Caribbean nations at a regional ministerial gathering held in Guatemala, his office said Friday. The minister made the proposal to establish a joint South Korea-Caribbean maritime research center as part of efforts to strengthen ties between Seoul and the region at the 28th ministerial council meeting of the Association of Caribbean States held in Antigua on Thursday, according to the foreig

May 12, 2023

US will continue working with S. Korea, Japan to maintain rule of order: State Dept.

WASHINGTON-- The United States will continue to work closely with its key allies, namely South Korea and Japan, to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson for the state department, made the remark when asked about possible Chinese retaliation against US allies amid heightening competition between Washington and Beijing. "We certainly are not going to preview or get ahead of any

May 12, 2023

German Chancellor Scholz to visit Seoul on May 21 for summit with Yoon

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit South Korea on May 21 for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials of the two countries said Thursday. Scholz will make the trip after attending a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on the same day. He will first visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two Koreas, a senior German official said during a press briefing in Berlin. He will then hold a bilateral meeting with President Yoon and attend a dinner hosted by Yoon befo

May 11, 2023

UK minister for Indo-Pacific to discuss S. Korean ties

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, British minister of state for the Indo-Pacific region, will discuss security and business ties with her South Korean counterpart during a two-day trip starting Thursday, the UK Embassy in Seoul said. The two countries, marking 140 years of diplomatic relations this year, are expected to focus on boosting “economic security,” the embassy highlighted, describing the UK’s commitment to “partner with dynamic and fast-growing economies in the region&rdquo

May 11, 2023