S. Korean FM to attend NATO meeting in Brussels

South Korea's top diplomat will participate in a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers to be held in Belgium, his office said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will head to Brussels later in the day for the session to open Thursday, which will be presided by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and attended by 30 nations, it said. The upcoming gathering is expected to focus on the coordinated international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and ot

April 5, 2022

Yoon faces familiar dilemma over restoring Japan relations

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s pledge to restore relations with Tokyo appears likely to experience difficulties, with the issue of distorting history in Japanese textbooks reemerging. Yoon stressed Seoul-Tokyo relations as a priority during his campaign, and expectations have risen since his election win. Yoon is reportedly considering sending a delegation to Japan for policy coordination and to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida around May. Before Yoon could put his word

April 4, 2022

Zelenskyy to deliver virtual address to S. Korean lawmakers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to South Korean lawmakers next week, the chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee said Monday. Zelenskyy's speech will be delivered virtually at the National Assembly Library at 5 p.m. on April 11, Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the ruling Democratic Party said on MBC radio. "We need to clearly raise our voice (against Russia's invasion of Ukraine) in the international community," he said. "Parliamentary

April 4, 2022

S. Korean NGOs, lawmakers push initiatives to embrace, empower youth K-diaspora

South Korea civic groups and lawmakers put their heads together to find ways to embrace and empower young ethnic Koreans residing overseas, who are as-yet-untapped but critical resources for the country. The Korea Herald on Friday co-hosted a forum to push forward the “Korean Youth Diaspora Project,” with independent lawmaker Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, the Godowon Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth mentoring, and the Blue Tree Foundation, a nongovernmental organizatio

April 1, 2022

Air Force chief to visit US for talks on NK threats, space security

South Korea's Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho will visit the United States next week for talks on security cooperation following North Korea's long-range missile launch last week, his office said Friday. During his seven-day stay there starting Sunday, Park plans to meet key US military officials in Washington and Colorado to reinforce the bilateral alliance and space security cooperation, according to the Air Force. In Washington on Wednesday, Park is set to meet his US counterpart, Ge

April 1, 2022

S. Korea, Bangladesh seek closer ties on ICT, infrastructure

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Bangladesh held policy consultations on strengthening cooperation in technology, infrastructure and other fields, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with his Bangladesh counterpart, Masud Bin Momen, in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka on Thursday (local time) to discuss ways to expand substantive economic cooperation between the two nations, according to the ministry. The two sides agreed to broaden their economi

April 1, 2022

Satellite imagery shows 'unusual' movement of N. Korean ballistic missile submarine: US monitor

WASHINGTON -- New satellite imagery of Sinpo South Shipyard has shown "unusual movement" of North Korea's experimental ballistic missile submarine that may indicate a possible submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test in the future, a US monitor said Wednesday. "Satellite image collected on March 22 shows unusual movement of the 8.24 Yongung (August 24th Hero) experimental ballistic missile submarine (SSBA) within the secure boat basin," Beyond Parallel, a project of t

March 31, 2022

UCLG Secretary General Saiz to visit Daejeon to check preparations for 2022 UCLG World Congress

United Cities and Local Governments Secretary-General Emilia Saiz will visit the city of Daejeon to check preparations for the 2022 UCLG World Congress in October, the city government said Wednesday. Saiz and other representatives from the UCLG will stay in South Korea from Sunday to April 7 to meet with the working group here to discuss detailed plans for the upcoming event and undertake field tours to inspect related venues. The UCLG World Congress is a large-scale international event, thr

March 30, 2022

US still analyzing latest N. Korean missile test, but remains concerned

WASHINGTON -- The United States is still analyzing the nature of North Korea's last missile test that probably involved an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, amid reports that Pyongyang may have falsely claimed success in developing a new ICBM. John Kirby, however, said the US continues to remain concerned about North Korea's efforts to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. "We are still analyzing this last test," the depa

March 30, 2022

Biden, Singaporean leader urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue

US President Joe Biden (R) and visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are seen holding a joint press conference following their bilateral talks at the White House in Washington on Tuesday in this image captured from the White House' website. (White House' website) WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on North Korea to engage in serious dialogue Tuesday, reaffirming their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean P

March 30, 2022

Seoul calls out Japan’s watering-down history in textbooks

South Korea on Tuesday protested against Japan’s approval of textbooks that it said distorted history by renewing claims over disputed islands and removing words that show the coercive nature of Japan’s wartime forced labor and sexual slavery.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, expressed “deep regret” over the Japanese government’s approval of textbooks that distort historical facts to suit its own perspective, and urged Tokyo to immediately re

March 29, 2022

Australia imposes sanctions targeting North Korea’s ICBM launch

Australia has imposed its own sanctions against two Russian entities and a North Korean company linked with the reclusive regime’s recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. 　 Canberra also condemned the launch as a serious escalation of the North’s “destabilizing behavior” that poses an “unacceptable risk to our region.” 　 The Pyongyang-based Korean Ungum Corp. and two Russian firms, Russian Financial Society and Commercial Bank Agrosoyuz have be

March 29, 2022

S. Korea to speed up consultations with US on envisioned Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

South Korea will boost consultations with the United States on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and begin actively collecting opinions from local experts about its possible participation, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday. The US-led initiative is what the Joe Biden administration has sought to launch to boost cooperation with partner nations in a wide range of economic and trade issues, including digital trade, supply chains and clean energy. Last year, the US proposed that South Korea

March 29, 2022

Document shows Korean independence fighters' proposal to US for anti-Japan psychological warfare

South Korea's patriots ministry has discovered an old document showing the country's independence fighters had made a proposal to the United States for staging psychological warfare against Japan during World War II, its officials said Tuesday. In the five-page document written in October 1942, a group of the activists called on the US and its allies to use "paper bombs" -- leaflets aimed at cementing unity among the allies and making Japanese troops realize the cruelty of Tokyo's then

March 29, 2022

Biden requests 4.1% increase in DoD spending, citing challenges from China, N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The Joe Biden administration is seeking a 4.1 percent increase in defense spending, citing the US' growing competition with China and threats from North Korea, its budget plan showed Monday. The bill proposal, submitted to Congress, seeks $813.3 billion in overall defense spending in fiscal year 2023 starting Oct. 1. For the Department of Defense, the government is asking for a 4.1 percent or $30.7 billion increase to $733 billion, according to the department. "This budget giv

March 29, 2022

Top military officers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii this week

WASHINGTON -- The top military officers of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet this week in Hawaii for talks, an informed source here said Monday, following a series of North Korean missile launches that included its first ICBM test in over four years. Gen. Won In-choul, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will meet his US and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- on Wednesday, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anon

March 29, 2022

Yoon calls for 'urgent' efforts to restore ties with Japan

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday called for the need to restore ties with Tokyo at the earliest in a future-oriented way, in his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Aiboshi.   　 The two meet at Yoon’s office in Seoul, with the president-elect stressing the need for communication between the two countries to resolve sticking points. 　   　 “If the two countries’ political leaders, government officials and people push ahead with bilateral rela

March 28, 2022

S. Korea, Arab nations to resume free trade talks after 13 years

South Korea and a group of Arab countries will resume talks for their free trade deal this week after a 13-year hiatus in a move to forge deeper economic ties, Seoul's industry ministry said Sunday. South Korea and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will began the fourth round of official talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul on Monday for a four-day run, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The GCC involves six countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain

March 27, 2022

S. Korea co-sponsors statement against arms exports to Myanmar

South Korea has issued a joint statement with 20 other countries urging a halt to the supply of arms to Myanmar's military regime on the occasion of the nation's Armed Forces Day, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday. The European Union also joined the call for the regime to cease its violence against people there and restore the nation's path to democracy. "Some countries continue to supply lethal assistance to Myanmar's military regime, enabling its violence and repression," read the

March 27, 2022

North Korea media boast of ICBM launch 'success'

North Korean media outlets ran headlines Saturday boasting of the country's "success" in launching a new intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this week, casting it as "a thrilling victory." The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, reported on its front page, "We have seen it, and so has the world," adding, "Our country has become stronger once again and our people have become greater once more." North Korea on Friday confirmed its test-fir

March 26, 2022