S. Korea, U.S. agree to hold trilateral industry ministers' talks with Japan in H1: Seoul official

South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold bilateral talks on supply chain and commercial issues and a trilateral industry ministers' meeting with Japan in the first half of the year, a senior Seoul official said Friday. Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun announced the agreement, wrapping up his dayslong trip in Washington, during which he met U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, lawmakers and experts for talks on trade, energy and industrial issues. The plan for the meetings com

April 13, 2024

S. Korea reelected to executive boards of WFP, UNICEF

South Korea has been reelected to the respective executive boards of the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund for the 2025-27 period, the foreign ministry said Friday. South Korea retained its seats at the election held during a session of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The executive boards, run by 36 member states, are the top governing body responsible for deciding policy directions and the supervision of overall activities. South Korea was among the six countr

April 12, 2024

[New Analysis] What does electoral wipeout mean for Yoon’s foreign policy?

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's resounding victory in Wednesday's National Assembly election may leave President Yoon Suk Yeol confronted with a dilemma in the realm of foreign policy. In essence, the South Korean leader may find himself navigating a pressing need to prioritize foreign affairs, including his landmark rapprochement with Japan and trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan, amid the looming specter of a lame-duck period. However, this imperative could

April 11, 2024

China extends hands to both Koreas in diplomatic dance

China is delicately navigating a diplomatic tightrope on the Korean Peninsula by simultaneously reaching out to both South and North Korea, amid the growing alignment between Russia and North Korea, and alongside heightened cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan. China has swiftly advanced its diplomatic agenda on the peninsula by agreeing to hold a long-stalled trilateral summit involving South Korea and Japan next month, while also dispatching its No. 3 official to North Ko

April 10, 2024

Blinken renews concerns over support for Russia's defense industrial base from N. Korea, Iran, China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated concerns Tuesday over military support for Russia's defense industrial base from North Korea, Iran and China, as Moscow continues its protracted war against Ukraine. Blinken made the remarks during a joint press conference with his British counterpart, David Cameron, in Washington, where they dealt with a range of bilateral and global issues, including what he termed, the "imperative" to get assistance to a war-ravaged Ukraine. "

April 10, 2024

Sullivan stresses 'synergies' in trilateral cooperation among S. Korea, US, Japan

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan highlighted "synergies" in trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan in security, technology and other fields on Tuesday, the eve of a summit between President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Sullivan made the remarks as he previewed the White House summit on what he called issues "across the board," including defense, space cooperation and research partnerships on critical technolog

April 10, 2024

China's No.3 official to visit N. Korea

China's top legislator and No. 3 official, Zhao Leji, is set to visit North Korea from Thursday to Saturday as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year, China's Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. The delegation of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government, led by Zhao, will "make an official goodwill visit" to North Korea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said. Mao explained that the invitatio

April 9, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kazakhstan needs Korea's expertise via joint research, education: minister

Kazakhstan needs Korean expertise through joint partnerships to realize the Central Asian country's potential in education, research and technology, said Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan's minister of science and higher education, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday. Nurbek was on a two-day visit to South Korea to deepen Kazakhstan-Korea collaboration in research and higher education. “We are buying a supercomputer this year. So we'll have computing power. But mostly w

April 9, 2024

N. Korea 'not ready' to discuss key issues with Japan: envoy

Pyongyang seems unprepared to address "outstanding issues of concern," including its missile and nuclear programs, as well as the abduction of Japanese nationals -- all of which are deemed important for the Japanese leader -- during talks with Tokyo, the Japanese ambassador to the United States said Monday. Ambassador Shigeo Yamada clarified Japan's motivation for advocating a summit between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as well as Kishida'

April 9, 2024

US envoy to UN to visit S. Korea, Japan to discuss Security Council cooperation

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, is scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan next week to discuss a wide range of issues, including Russia's recent exercise of its veto to extend the mandate of a panel of experts overseeing sanctions on North Korea, the US mission to the UN announced Monday. The visit to the US' key Asian treaty allies, scheduled for April 14-20, comes at a crucial juncture, underscoring the pressing need to bolster bilateral

April 9, 2024

N. Korea does not appear ready to address 'outstanding' issues with Japan: Tokyo envoy

North Korea does not appear to be ready to deal with "outstanding" matters with Japan, including the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, Tokyo's top envoy to the United States said Monday. Ambassador Shigeo Yamada made the remarks, referring to recent statements from senior North Korean officials that Pyongyang does not have intentions to talk with Tokyo over the abduction issue despite Japan's diplomatic outreach to secure a meeting between Japanes

April 9, 2024

S. Korea, Japan, China finalizing date for Seoul summit: FM

South Korea, Japan and China are in the process of finalizing a date for a trilateral summit that has not taken place since December 2019, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Monday. Cho confirmed this during his meeting with Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry. The TCS is an international organization dedicated to fostering lasting peace, shared prosperity and cultural exchange among South Ko

April 8, 2024

[New Analysis] Why does Kishida still want to meet Kim Jong-un?

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's steadfast pursuit of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, despite Pyongyang's unequivocal public refusals to engage with Japan and address the abduction of Japanese citizens, is primarily intended to resonate with the domestic audience, experts in Seoul said Monday. Another objective for Japan could be preparing for the potential revival of a summit between the United States and North Korea if Donald Trump is elected president in the No

April 8, 2024

FM Cho discusses cooperation, NK threats with NATO chief

South Korea's top diplomat and the chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (have discussed bilateral cooperation, and the ongoing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow during a meeting in Brussels, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The talks between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday came as Cho visited Brussels for a NATO meeting of foreign ministers earlier this week. In their meeting, Cho said the government is working

April 7, 2024

Jury finds crypto mogul Kwon liable in US civil fraud trial: reports

A jury in New York found crypto mogul Do Kwon and his company, Terraform Labs, liable on civil fraud charges on Friday, news outlets reported, as he is in Montenegro pending a process to determine whether he should be extradited to his home country, South Korea, or the United States. The jury agreed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that Kwon and the company misled investors before TerraUSD stablecoin's collapse in 2022, according to Reuters and other outlets. The jury's v

April 6, 2024

Russia summons S. Korean ambassador to protest against Seoul's sanctions: Sputnik

Russia's foreign ministry has summoned South Korea's top envoy to Moscow to protest against Seoul's sanctions on its vessels and nationals, Russia's Sputnik news agency reported Friday. On Tuesday, South Korea imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals and their companies involved in the illegal sending of North Korean IT workers overseas, as well as two Russian vessels involved in shipping containers of military supplies between Pyongyang and Moscow. Russian Deputy For

April 5, 2024

S. Korea, Japan 'should normalize bilateral defense relations': CSIS

South Korea and Japan should work towards "normalizing bilateral defense relations through a first-ever joint security declaration" in light of the growing necessity to strengthen connections between their respective militaries, according to a report from a Washington-based think tank released Thursday. The report titled "The US-Japan Alliance in 2024: Toward an Integrated Alliance," sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), emphasized that the &

April 5, 2024

S. Korea, Japan, China in discussion finalizing date for Seoul summit

South Korea, Japan, and China are in discussions to finalize a date for a long-awaited trilateral summit in Seoul, which has been on hold since 2019, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. "The three countries -- South Korea, Japan, and China -- have agreed to convene a summit at the earliest convenient time, and we have been in discussions with Japan and China to facilitate this," a Foreign Ministry official, who requested to remain anonymous, said. "We are currently d

April 5, 2024

S. Korea to chair first UN Security Council meeting with focus on cyber threats

South Korea is poised to chair a UN Security Council meeting on cybersecurity on Thursday to shed light on the repercussions of cyber threats and malicious cyber activities, including North Korea's sanctions-busting maneuvers in cyberspace, on international peace and security. The chairing of South Korea's first Arria-formula meeting — an informal gathering convened by a Security Council member or members — represents a significant milestone for Korea since assuming its pos

April 4, 2024

NK kids face death penalty for distributing K-dramas: Seoul envoy

South Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook stated that children in North Korea face grave human rights abuses, including receiving the death penalty for distributing South Korean dramas, during a UN Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. During the UNSC Briefing on Children and Armed Conflict, Hwang mentioned that children in North Korea face “egregious human rights violations,” despite North Korea being a signatory country to the Convention on t

April 4, 2024