US expert raises possibility of S. Korea's nuclearization in case of Trump's reelection

The "entire" Korean Peninsula could go nuclear if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House, strikes an inadequate nuclear deal with North Korea and pulls out American troops from South Korea, a prominent US expert said Wednesday. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the prediction in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine, noting the hope that "reasonable" lawmakers at the Capito

June 27, 2024

US condemns N. Korea's missile launch, calls for return to dialogue

The United States on Tuesday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch this week as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and renewed calls for the recalcitrant regime to return to dialogue. The South Korean military said that the North fired an unspecified ballistic missile from a site in or around Pyongyang on Wednesday morning, but its launch is presumed to have failed. The launch appears to have involved a hypersonic missile, according to a source. "The United State

June 26, 2024

Seven former US representatives visit DMZ to commemorate Korean War anniversary

Seven former US representatives visited the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas on Tuesday to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War. The delegation, part of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, included Dennis A. Ross, Betsy Markey and Greg Walden, who were accompanied by their spouses. Walden, whose father-in-law served as a UN soldier in the Korean War, noted that the visit held special significance for him. The

June 25, 2024

S. Korea, US hold new round of talks on defense cost sharing

South Korea and the United States held a new round of negotiations Tuesday on sharing the cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry officials said. The three-day talks in Seoul came about two weeks after South Korea's chief negotiator Lee Tae-woo and his U.S. counterpart, Linda Specht, held the third round of negotiations on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) in Washington. Tuesday's talks lasted for about seven hours until 5 p.m. "

June 25, 2024

[ASEAN Plus Korea] S. Korea-ASEAN poised for new heights on 35th anniversary: ASEAN chief

South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are poised to elevate their relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," marking the highest level that ASEAN's dialogue partners can forge, aiming to cover the most extensive possible range of sectors, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said in his interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. "This year is a very important year in the context that we are commemorating and celebrating the 35th anniversary

June 25, 2024

Experts from Central Asia, S. Korea talk rare minerals

Experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and South Korea discussed the region's mineral resources at the 2024 Korea-Central Asia Next-Generation Dialogue on Monday. The "Korea-Central Asia Next-Generation Dialogue" is part of an annual initiative under the Korea Foundation launched in 2017 to enhance cooperation by inviting emerging leaders from Central Asia to Korea. This year, the dialogue focused on global supply chain cooperation, with "co

June 25, 2024

[Hello India] India marks International Day of Yoga

The Indian Embassy in Seoul celebrated the 10th International Day of Yoga on Saturday. The United Nations General Assembly designated June 21 as the International Day of Yoga through resolution 69/131, with the support of 175 member states in 2014. This year’s theme, "Yoga for Self and Society," underscored the dual benefits of yoga for individual well-being and community harmony. "Yoga, ancient Indian heritage, has transcended geographical, cultural and temporal boundaries,

June 25, 2024

S. Korea, US sign MOU on diplomatic intelligence cooperation

South Korea and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperating in the exchange of diplomatic intelligence analyses, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Park Jang-ho, director general for diplomatic intelligence at South Korea's foreign ministry, signed the MOU with Brett Holmgren, US assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, in Washington on Monday. The signing came as the allies have been working to establish a framework for collaborat

June 25, 2024

Campbell stresses Washington Declaration as deterrence tool amid security concerns over Putin-Kim summit

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Monday highlighted deterrence steps of last year's summit declaration between South Korea and the United States as tools to harness amid resurgent calls for the allies to craft stronger defense measures following last week's summit between Russia and North Korea. After Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty in a show of their deeper military ties i

June 25, 2024

Philippines recalls shared values with Korea

The Philippines recalled shared values with South Korea, marking 126 years of independence and 75 years of diplomatic ties with Seoul on June 11. Philippine Independence Day, which falls on June 12, commemorates the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. The country was a Spanish colony from 1571 until 1898. The Philippines is considered Asia’s first constitutional republic, according to Philippines Ambassador to Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega while paying tribute to the sac

June 24, 2024

Head of state diplomatic think tank named new ambassador to Japan: sources

A South Korean scholar, well known for his expertise in relations with Japan, has been tapped to be the new ambassador to the neighboring country, government sources with knowledge of the matter said Monday. Park Cheol-hee, chief of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, the think tank under the foreign ministry, has been nominated as the new ambassador, and Seoul has asked for Tokyo's consent, known as an "agrement," the sources said. Park would replace the incumbent ambassador,

June 24, 2024

S. Korea running out of red lines on Russia-N. Korea cooperation

South Korean national security adviser Chang Ho-jin issued another stark warning Sunday, clarifying that South Korea will have no red lines left to uphold if Russia supplies "high-precision weapons" to North Korea, at a time when Seoul and Moscow are walking a tightrope in their relations. "Russia's recent actions have been gradually approaching a red line, which is why we've issued the warning," Chang said Sunday during an interview with state broadcaster KBS, with

June 23, 2024

US expert calls for S. Korea's inclusion into G7, touts its 'trustworthiness'

A prominent US expert has made an emphatic call for the Group of Seven to consider its membership expansion to include South Korea, touting the Asian democracy's "trustworthiness," performance and potential role to add diversity to the club of the world's leading industrialized nations. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the case, stressing the need for G7 leaders to pursue "serious" reforms t

June 23, 2024

Row brews over Italian city's plan to modify inscription on 'comfort women' statue

A potential row is brewing in Italy over erecting a girl statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, after a city chief signaled a possible modification to the structure to add Japan's position on the issue. A South Korean civic group announced earlier this week that the statue will be erected in Stintino, a city on the Italian island of Sardinia, on Saturday (local time), and an official unveiling ceremony will take place on the same day. That would be the first

June 22, 2024

S. Korea requests Japan provide passenger list of deadly Ukishima Maru ship sinking: report

South Korea has requested Japan provide it with the passenger list from a controversial 1945 deadly explosion and sinking of a Japanese vessel known to have killed thousands of Koreans aboard, a news report said Saturday. South Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety, responsible for the case, made the request for the relevant materials through its foreign ministry, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported. The Ukishima Maru, which had belonged to the Japanese Navy, was transporting Koreans, ma

June 22, 2024

Putin warns S. Korea's potential arms supply to Ukraine would be 'very big mistake'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned it would be a "very big mistake" if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine after Seoul suggested such a possibility in response to Russia's commitment to military cooperation with North Korea. The South Korean government said Thursday it will reconsider its stance on its arms supply to Ukraine after North Korea and Russia signed a treaty that involves military assistance without delay if one of them is attacked. "As for the

June 21, 2024

US official voices concern over NK-Russia security treaty, vows to evaluate Indo-Pacific posture

A White House official on Thursday expressed concern over a new security treaty between Russia and North Korea, and vowed to continue to evaluate America's defense posture throughout the Indo-Pacific "as needed." National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby made the remarks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during a summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday. The treaty stipulates that in cas

June 21, 2024

S. Korea excluded from US 'monitoring list' for FX policy for 2nd straight time

The United States took South Korea off its list of countries to monitor for their foreign exchange policies for the second consecutive time while adding Japan to the list, a Treasury Department report showed Thursday. The department released the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States" following its November report, where South Korea was excluded from the list for the first time since April 2016. The l

June 21, 2024

Gyeongju recommended as host city candidate for 2025 APEC summit in S. Korea

The city of Gyeongju in South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province has been recommended as the host city candidate for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The government's APEC summit host city recommendation committee held a meeting earlier in the day and selected Gyeongju, about 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the candidate city to host the summit scheduled to be held next year, the ministry said. The upcomin

June 20, 2024

Seoul mulls 'arms support' for Ukraine after Russia-NK pact

South Korea on Thursday said it would review its arms support to Ukraine, while expressing serious concern over a summit between the leaders of North Korea and Russia where the two agreed to provide military assistance if either country is under attack. While unveiling plans to impose additional sanctions on North Korean and Russian individuals and institutions, National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin told reporters in a briefing in Seoul that the office will "reconsider the issue of providi

June 20, 2024