Yoon's meeting with NATO chief postponed due to scheduling issue

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol's scheduled meeting with the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday has been postponed due to the NATO chief's previous meeting running longer than expected, Yoon's office said. Yoon was scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid, one day ahead of the NATO summit involving the organization's 30 member states and nine global partner nations. The meeting was pushed back, how

June 29, 2022

Yoon, Australian PM discuss cooperation on energy, N. Korea

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Madrid on Tuesday and shared their commitment to defending democratic values and expanding cooperation on energy, North Korea and other issues, Yoon's office said. Yoon and Albanese held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for Wednesday in the Spanish capital. The two leaders' participation in the NATO summit demonstrates South Kor

June 29, 2022

'More criticism and doubts’ if Korea no-show at NATO summit

MADRID -- A high-ranking official from the presidential office said that South Korea would have faced “much more criticism and doubts” if it had not attended the NATO summit, as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The remarks came amid escalating tensions between Western allies and Russia alongside China over the NATO summit in Madrid held on Wednesday and Thursday. There, NATO members will approve a new “strategic concept” that de

June 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] US abortion ruling ignites legal battles over state bans

Battles over abortion shifted to state courts on Monday after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide, as judges blocked statewide bans in Louisiana and Utah and clinics in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas sued seeking similar relief.  The six are among the 13 states with "trigger laws" designed to ban or severely restrict abortions once the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized right to th

June 28, 2022

Yoon arrives in Madrid, gears up for NATO summit

MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Madrid late Monday night to attend the NATO summit. Despite being his first overseas trip, Yoon remained casual and calm with reporters on the presidential plane. Before touching down in the Spanish capital, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee surprised the press pool of about 100 journalists and video crew by meeting them in their section during the flight. He took turns shaking hands and talking with them for about 10 minutes. Kim later also greete

June 28, 2022

Ex-Pentagon chief Mattis to attend Seoul forum on S. Korea-US ties, economic security

Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis will attend a Seoul forum on the prospects of relations between South Korea and the United States under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, organizers said Tuesday. Mattis, who led the Pentagon from January 2017 to December 2018, plans to join a discussion session of the Seoul Forum 2022 on Friday. It is organized by the nonprofit Seoul Forum for International Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Korea Society. Led by

June 28, 2022

Korean Cultural Center in Washington offers K-pop dancing, vocal training

WASHINGTON -- The Korean Cultural Center in Washington is offering a special program to those in the U.S. to learn how to sing and dance to K-pop music. The K-Pop Academy DC will offer dance and vocal training to those who wish to learn and experience the global phenomenon of K-pop music. "Participants work with professional voice and dance trainers from Korea to learn the moves and sounds of the worldwide K-Pop music phenomenon alongside fellow fans, while also experiencing the work ethi

June 28, 2022

Seoul’s cooperation with NATO raises concerns on China ties

As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol heads to Madrid to attend the NATO summit, opponents here are raising concerns that his participation in the Western military alliance gathering may have negative impacts on the country’s standing with China. Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s emergency steering committee, expressed concerns on the president’s participation in the NATO summit, questioning if it would secure the national inte

June 27, 2022

Yoon leaves for Madrid to attend NATO summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol left for Madrid on Monday to attend the NATO summit and will be the first Korean president to participate in the Western military alliance gathering. He seeks to strengthen security ties with Western countries and to rally the international community’s support for North Korea’s denuclearization. South Korea was for the first time invited to the NATO summit, which takes place from Tuesday to Thursday as an Asia-Pacific partner along with Japan, Australia and N

June 27, 2022

Yoon set to meet US, Japanese leaders for first time in 5 years, expand cooperation with NATO members

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet together for the first time in around five years on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit to discuss coordinated ways to address North Korea’s mounting threats, the South Korean presidential office announced Sunday. But President Yoon Suk-yeol will not have bilateral face-to-face talks with his Japanese counterpart, although he plans to participate in a total of 14 meetings during the multilateral summit. Yoon is sch

June 26, 2022

[Newsmaker] Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. "Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved," he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, "Their message to us was, `Do somet

June 26, 2022

House panel advances 2023 defense bill maintaining US troop level in S. Korea

The US House Armed Services Committee has endorsed an annual defense policy bill for the fiscal year 2023 maintaining the current level of around 28,500 American troops in South Korea, according to media reports Friday. The proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 also directs the defense secretary to brief the committee no later than March 1 next year on how the Pentagon will continue to strengthen its long-term security commitment to South Korea. T

June 24, 2022

US calls South Korea, ‘important partner’ to NATO alliance

As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is to participate in the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit for the first time, the United States stressed the significance of Seoul as “an important partner” of the NATO alliance. In a regular press briefing on Wednesday (US time), US Secretary of State spokesperson Ned Price highlighted how allies and Indo-Pacific partners should stand up to aggression and maintain the “rules-based order” that keeps regional sta

June 23, 2022

Korean biz leaders discuss supply chain cooperation with US lawmakers, White House officials

A group of South Korean businessmen have discussed bilateral economic cooperation with US lawmakers and White House officials in Washington, with a focus on global supply chains, Seoul's trade association said Thursday. The delegation, led by Koo Ja-yeol, chief of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), made the two-day visit to the United States from Wednesday (US time) in a bid to bolster economic exchanges involving the private sector, KITA said in a release. Officials from 13

June 23, 2022

Will leaders of South Korea, Japan stoke momentum for reconciliation at NATO summit?

With Seoul and Tokyo picking up efforts to restore strained ties, eyes are on whether the sides’ leaders could make progress in an upcoming international conference that both are set to attend next week. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have both said they will attend the NATO summit scheduled for June 29-30, where they will see each other in person for the first time; it has been less than two months since Yoon was inaugurated on May 10.

June 22, 2022

Seoul to review imposing unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang. How effective is it?

With North Korea expected to conduct a nuclear test, Seoul has raised the possibility of imposing sanctions independent of the international community to respond to the potential security threat. However, while sanctions are the only way to “directly” pressure Pyongyang for posing security threats, such a move by Seoul would be largely symbolic, experts say, as the border between the two Koreas has been closed for years. Last week, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said the

June 21, 2022

China slams US as ‘largest source of disruption’ to world order

China slammed the US as the “largest source of disruption” to world order, making explicit its discontent over Washington’s China policy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a fact sheet late on Sunday dubbed “Falsehoods in US Perceptions of China,” in response to a recent speech made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where he raised concerns about Beijing posing “the most serious, long-term threat.” The speech was delivered to the Asia Society

June 20, 2022

S. Korea, US to hold talks next month on deterrence against N. Korea

South Korea and the United States have tentatively agreed to hold their regular defense talks in Washington D.C. next month, informed sources said Monday, with joint deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats likely to top the agenda. The biannual Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) will be held as the allies are striving to reinforce security coordination following a series of North Korean ballistic missile launches and speculation that Pyongyang has completed pre

June 20, 2022

Foreign Ministry checking Russia’s claim 4 Koreans died fighting in Ukraine

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday it was trying to verify a statement from Russian authorities claiming that four Koreans who joined as volunteer fighters in Ukraine have died. The Moscow Times, an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper, released a report quoting a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday that claimed 1,956 “mercenaries and weapons specialists” had been killed among the 6,956 from 64 countries who had arriv

June 19, 2022

Canadian Korean War veteran to be laid to rest in Busan UN cemetery

The remains of a Canadian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will be laid to rest in the UN cemetery in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan later this week in line with his dying wish, the veterans affairs ministry said Sunday. The ministry plans to hold a ceremony marking the return of the remains of John Robert Cormier at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 6 p.m. on Monday, officials said. The following day, his remains will be placed at the UN Memorial Cemetery. Cormier

June 19, 2022