Yoon voices hope for 'space alliance' between S. Korea, US

WASHINGTON-- President Yoon Suk Yeol voiced hope Tuesday for deeper cooperation between South Korea and the United States on space, saying he envisions a "space alliance" that carries out joint research and development programs. Yoon made the remark during a visit to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, just outside Washington, where he was joined by US Vice President Kamala Harris. "From now on, space cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the United States

April 26, 2023

Six US firms unveil $1.9b investment to Korea

WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a state visit to the United States, attended a ceremony Wednesday morning where six US high-tech companies announced a total of $1.9 billion in invesments, according to the presidential office. The six companies are Air Products, Plug Power, On Semiconductor, Greene Tweed, PureCycle Technologies and EMP Belstar, related to high-tech industries such as clean hydrogen, semiconductors and carbon neutrality. They will build production facilities in

April 26, 2023

Korean evacuees recall chaos, fear on their way out of Sudan

Chaos and fear gripped South Korean evacuees on their return home, a journey which was not easy. Kim Hyun-wook, a 32-year-old international aid worker, was in the middle of the crossfire for the past 10 days until the South Korean government reached out to him as part of a rescue operation that ended Tuesday. At first, Kim thought he could stay safe inside his home in Sudan, although he heard the news about the conflict. That hope soon faded with the exchange of gunfire right in front of his hou

April 25, 2023

S. Korea-Japan thaw changes China, NK mentality: ex-envoy

Closer ties between South Korea and Japan prompted by the recent deal to end a historical feud over Tokyo’s colonial rights abuses will change the way China deals with Seoul-Tokyo efforts to curb North Korea’s growing nuclear ambitions, a former Japanese ambassador to the US said Tuesday. Referring to the Seoul-Tokyo summit in mid-March, where the two leaders vowed to move past the dispute to fight off North Korea, Ichiro Fujisaki, the Japanese envoy who served as ambassador between

April 25, 2023

S. Korean evacuees return from Sudan

A group of 28 South Korean nationals returned home from strife-torn Sudan on Tuesday afternoon, as part of a five-day evacuation operation that involved cooperation with the US, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The group aboard a KC-330 multirole tanker aircraft arrived at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at 3:57 p.m. South Korea was the first country in Asia to have completed the rescue mission, according to a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on c

April 25, 2023

[Contribution] From Tesla to Rimac -- a highway to EV mobility

Following its energy transition strategy, the European Union has announced that the production of petrol cars within the EU market will be halted after 2035, as confirmed by the European Parliament last week. Overall adherence to this goal among EU member states has thus far been encouraging. In 2021, 19 percent of all newly registered passenger vehicles in the EU were electric, with more than 1.2 million EV cars sold. In some countries, such as Norway, 75 percent of all newly registered cars we

April 25, 2023

Ukraine hopes for S. Korean arms in fight against Russia

Ukraine is hoping for South Korea's defense support in its fight against Russia, said the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul on Monday. The comments came after President Yoon Suk Yeol said that South Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or financial support if Ukraine comes under large-scale attacks against civilians in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. Korea can support Ukraine by providing state-of-the-art Korean-made defense equipment, said the embassy. "The continuation of tim

April 25, 2023

S. Korea sends delegation to Sweden, Norway for talks on economy, biz ties

South Korea sent an economic delegation, including officials from Samsung Electronics Co. and other major firms, to Sweden and Norway this week to explore ways to boost cooperation on supply chains and future industries with the respective nations, the Industry Ministry said Tuesday. The delegation, led by senior ministry official Moon Dong-min, visited Sweden on Monday and held talks with ranking officials there on how to expand ties on bio, batteries, future vehicles, renewable energy and digi

April 25, 2023

Yoon arrives in Washington on state visit

WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Washington on Monday for a six-day state visit expected to strengthen the allies' response to North Korea's nuclear threat and other challenges in a symbolic year marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance. Under the theme "alliance in action, toward the future," the visit comes at a time of growing concern over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and questions about the credibility of Washington'

April 25, 2023

S. Korea evacuates nationals from strife-torn Sudan

South Korea evacuated its nationals from strife-torn Sudan and transported them to Saudi Arabia before heading home, the presidential office in Seoul said Monday evening. The group of 26 Koreans on board a KC-330 multi-role tanker aircraft is set to arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday afternoon, said Lim Jong-deuk, the second deputy director of the National Security Office. Two South Korean nationals will stay in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah because they did n

April 24, 2023

Yoon begins US state visit to trumpet stronger alliance, resolve trade issues

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday began his five-day state visit to the US to mark the 70th anniversary of bilateral ties and to set a new direction for the alliance with US President Joe Biden, amid intensifying nuclear threats from North Korea and mounting trade issues. The primary focus of the summit scheduled for Wednesday is on the level of bilateral agreement to be reached on extended deterrence as well as the extent of economic and security cooperation. This will be Yoon�

April 24, 2023

S. Korea puts Japan back on export 'white list' after 3 years

South Korea on Monday put Japan back on its "white list" of trusted trading partners, three years after the removal, in a move to improve their bilateral economic and diplomatic relationship, the industry ministry said. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy issued a revision to its public notice on exports and imports of strategic items in the day that calls for restoring Japan's fast-track trade status, allowing companies that export strategic items to Japan to enjoy a short

April 24, 2023

China continues to pounce on Yoon’s Taiwan remarks ahead of S.Korea-US summit

China has continued to pounce on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s remarks on the Taiwan issue, raising tensions between the two countries, especially in the run-up to the South Korea-US summit where the leaders will discuss the alliance’s role in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region as one of the key agenda topics. China’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday belatedly unveiled that Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong lodged a formal diplomatic protest about the

April 23, 2023

S. Korean envoy meets US assistant secretary of state to discuss Yoon-Biden summit

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's new ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong met the US State Department's point man on East Asia on Friday to discuss preparations for the upcoming Seoul-Washington summit and other pending issues. During his meeting with Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, Cho stressed that he will do his utmost to make the summit meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden a success.

April 22, 2023

Four Russian nationals dead after fishing boat catches fire in Ulsan

Four crew members from a Russian fishing boat were found dead after a vessel caught fire off the southeastern coast near Ulsan on Friday morning, while the other 21 were rescued, the Russian Embassy in Seoul and South Korea’s Coast Guard said Friday. All 25 crew members were Russian nationals, and two crew members who were rescued have reportedly sustained minor burns. Russia’s Ambassador to South Korea, Andrey Kulik, was quoted saying that he would like to “express his deepest

April 21, 2023

China fires back at Yoon over Taiwan remarks

Chinese Foreign Minister said Friday Taiwan belongs to China, vowing to fight off anyone threatening to dispute the fact, a day after South Korea summoned China’s top envoy in Seoul for Beijing’s open criticism of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s remarks on Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday it will not allow others to “meddle in conversations involving the Taiwan issue,” in response to Yoon’s interview with Reuters this week. He opposed changing the

April 21, 2023

S. Korea expresses regret as Japan honors war dead

South Korea on Friday expressed regret over mass visits by Japanese lawmakers to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a move Seoul sees as an attempt to whitewash Tokyo’s wartime wrongs since the shrine honors 14 World War II leaders convicted as war criminals. Earlier in the same day, some 90 lawmakers from several political parties paid their respects, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sending an offering to the shrine. He has done so five times since October 2021, when he took of

April 21, 2023

Russian fishing boat catches fire off Ulsan, 4 missing

ULSAN -- A Russian fishing boat carrying 25 people caught fire off the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan early Friday, leaving four of them missing, Coast Guard officials said. The 769-ton vessel was carrying 100 tons of seafood in waters off Ulsan, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, toward Russia when the fire broke out at 12:43 a.m., the officials said. All crew members were Russian. After receiving a distress call, the Coast Guard sent rescue ships to the scene, but four crew members w

April 21, 2023

US takes defense commitment to S. Korea very seriously: Kirby

WASHINGTON -- The United States takes its defense commitment to South Korea "very, very seriously," a White House official said Thursday, following Russia's threat to arm North Korea if South Korea sends lethal assistance to Ukraine. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the US is grateful for the support South Korea has already provided to Ukraine. "I would just remind that we have a treaty alliance with South Korea. We take that com

April 21, 2023

South Korea, China exchange harsh words over Yoon's remarks on Taiwan

The foreign ministry strongly denounced China for committing a "serious diplomatic discourtesy" Thursday after a Chinese official branded President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent comments on Taiwan as a verbal meddling by others. The ministry issued the statement after the Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said earlier in the day Beijing would not allow others to meddle by word, in reference to Yoon's media interview the previous day in which that he expresse

April 20, 2023