S. Korea's foreign minister pays respects to former Prime Minister Abe

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin paid his respects to former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe on Monday. He visited the Japanese embassy's public information and cultural center in downtown Seoul, mourned Abe's death and offered his condolences, three days after he was fatally shot during an election campaign speech. President Yoon Suk-yeol is also scheduled to visit there later this week with a plan to send a delegation led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to a formal memorial service f

July 11, 2022

Yoon to pay tribute at Abe’s memorial altar in Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol will soon visit a memorial altar set up by the Japanese Embassy in Korea to pay his respects to Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the presidential office said Sunday. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Foreign Minister Park Jin are expected to accompany Yoon. The Japanese Embassy in Seoul is preparing to run a memorial altar for former Prime Minister Abe early this week. President Yoon also plans to send a delegation of condolences to Japan when an offici

July 10, 2022

[Newsmaker] 'In pain, distraught': Japan devastated by Abe assassination

NARA – A day after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, a steady stream of mourners, many in tears, arrived at the scene of his murder in western Japan to offer flowers and prayers. People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on the otherwise ordinary street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections. Afternoon downpours did not deter the crowds who came to offer condolences, some having traveled great distance

July 10, 2022

New US ambassador due in Seoul on Sunday afternoon

Philip Goldberg, the new US ambassador to South Korea, is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday afternoon to begin his duty, an informed source said. The post has been vacant for 1 1/2 years since the departure of Harry Harris timed with the inauguration of President Joe Biden. In May, the Senate confirmed Biden's pick of the veteran diplomat who have served in various key positions, including the job as coordinator for the Implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874 on North Korea

July 10, 2022

Seoul's foreign minister underscores values of freedom, human rights in talks with China

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed to regularly communicate in their first in-person bilateral meeting, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. During their bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers‘ meeting on Thursday, Park and Wang exchanged their views on the active exchanges of the two countries after Korea inaugurated a new administration in May, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The meeting, hel

July 8, 2022

S. Korea's top diplomat attends G-20 meeting in Indonesia

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin joined a Group of 20 (G-20) foreign ministers' meeting in Indonesia on Friday to discuss regional and global issues in his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage as Seoul's top diplomat He arrived on the resort island of Bali on Thursday for a two-day stay to take part in the session focusing on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also set the stage for Park's bilateral talks with his counterpart from the world's 20 adva

July 8, 2022

Youth policymakers from 25 nations discuss solutions for the future

The Minister of Youth World Forum organized by the International Youth Fellowship was held in Busan on Thursday, bringing together youth and education policymakers from around the world.  The forum, annually held alongside IYF World Camp, had been on hold for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  IYF World Camp is an international event involving youth and college students from 50 countries.   In this year’s forum, ministers and vice ministers of 26 youth and

July 8, 2022

S. Korea, Singapore vow stern measures against N. Korean missile provocations

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in handling North Korea’s missile provocations, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. In his visit to the Southeast Asian country, Park also met with his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong on Wednesday to exchange views on regional affairs and agree to strengthen their partnership on economic and s

July 7, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Yoon displayed bold, decisive diplomacy at NATO summit

After the previous summit with US President Joe Biden in May, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attendance at the NATO summit was a straight one-two punch that proved a change in the new Korean government’s foreign policy. Contrasting with the Moon Jae-in government’s friendly stance toward China, Yoon instead moved boldly without hesitation. He chose to prioritize the alliance with the US. Under the framework of a Korea-US-Japan cooperation, this could be understood as a signal of a

July 7, 2022

FBI, treasury department issue joint advisory against N. Korean ransomware

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a cybersecurity advisory on Wednesday against ransomware that it said is being used by North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors. The advisory, jointly issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Treasury, said North Korean hackers have been using Maui ransomware since at least May 2021 to target healthcare and public health (HPH) sector organizations. "Since May 2021, the FBI has observed and responded to

July 7, 2022

S. Korea, Japan, US foreign affairs chiefs to hold first meeting at G-20

The foreign affairs chiefs from Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are expected to hold their first face-to-face trilateral meeting as they attend a foreign ministers’ meeting of leading rich and developing nations this week. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin has departed Seoul to attend the two-day Group of 20 summit that is taking place in Bali, Indonesia, from Thursday. Park will participate in the meeting along with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US Secretary of Stat

July 6, 2022

South Korea seeks to reinvigorate economic ties with Latin America

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin proposed resuming talks on free trade with Mexico, the ministry said Tuesday, as the government seeks to reinvigorate ties with South America. Park met with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, in Seoul on Monday to discuss enhancing bilateral ties and increasing cooperation in various sectors, according to the Foreign Ministry. During their first bilateral talk, the Korean minister suggested the two countries resume negotiations for a free trade ag

July 5, 2022

US bill expresses concerns over proposed abolishment of S. Korean ministry of equality

WASHINGTON -- A US bill is seeking to express concerns over the proposed abolishment of South Korea's Ministry of Equality and Family, the bill showed Monday. The House of Representatives bill on the 2023 budget for the state department will also urge the secretary of state to remain "actively engaged" in promoting gender equality in South Korea if passed. "The Committee is concerned about the abolishment of the South Korean Ministry of Equality and Family and urges the Secre

July 5, 2022

South Korea discusses ways to resolve dispute on Japan’s wartime forced labor

The South Korean government launched a consultative group on Monday to discuss ways to resolve the dispute with Japan over court rulings here that ordered Japanese companies to compensate victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor. The Foreign Ministry’s First Vice Minister Cho Hyun-dong presided over the first meeting of the government-private consultative group, which involved dozens of government officials, Japan experts and the legal representatives of the forced labor victims and

July 4, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Japan’s China policy, between firmness and flexibility

Since China overtook Japan in terms of economy in 2010, Japan‘s vigilance and checks against China have been visibly rising. Mostly, the two countries have a wide gap regarding issues surrounding the East China Sea, South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The Russia-Ukraine war re-emphasizes the importance of traditional Japanese geopolitics. In addition, technological competition -- the core of supply chain and future hegemony -- intensifies Japan’s foreign and security policies an

July 4, 2022

S. Korea, US set to hold first economic security dialogue session in Washington

South Korea and the United States will hold the first session of their newly launched economic security dialogue in Washington this week, the presidential office said Monday. The dialogue channel was established as part of a summit agreement between President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden in May, and aims to help the two countries deepen cooperation on economic and energy security. Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary for economic security, will leave for Washington on Wednesday and

July 4, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Seeking a crack for cooperation amid the tension between the US and China

US-China relations are the most critical bilateral relations among numerous others in the international community. Since Xi Jinping became the supreme leader of China in 2012, China has been shaping its own diplomatic color, instead of “taoguang yanghui” (keep a low profile and bide your time, while also getting something accomplished). Although there is still a lack of sophistication and detail, it is clear enough to shock and give tension to the US, since the US has enjoyed a

July 3, 2022

S Korea-China-troop remains return

South Korea and China agreed Sunday to hold a ceremony returning remains of Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War in September, in what would be the ninth such repatriation, Seoul's defense ministry said. Kim Sang-jin, the ministry's director-general of international policy, and Li Jingxian, a Chinese veterans affairs official, met in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, and agreed to hold an event casketing the remains on Sept. 15 and return them the following day. The min

July 3, 2022

FM hints at military cooperation with Japan, US

As the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to work together to deter North Korea’s nuclear threats, Seoul’s foreign minister raised the possibility of the three countries expanding their military cooperation. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin also said China “has benefited the most from free trade,” and urged the country to join the “new world order” forming in the Asia-Pacific region, in a televised interview

July 3, 2022

Yoon touts nuclear energy, green tech, chips as strengths

Korea’s future growth depends on nuclear power plants, green technology, chips and next-generation electric batteries, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday, basing his statement on discussions he held with several Western leaders on the sidelines of the NATO summit last week. Yoon returned home on Friday after attending the summit held in Madrid, Spain, seeking to strengthen security and economic ties with Western partners. He held 10 bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event, seeking

July 3, 2022