S. Korea, US, Japan concur on 'stern' response to NK-Russia arms deal

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers&rsq

Feb. 23, 2024

Thailand asks S. Korea to toughen K-ETA screening after denied entries of its people

Thailand asked South Korea on Thursday to toughen the pre-entry screening process for foreign visitors from visa-waiver countries, after a number of its citizens were denied entry into Korea and the incidents stirred public ire. Thailand made the request to the South Korean side during a director-general meeting on consular affairs between the foreign ministries, held earlier in the day, Seoul officials said. A number of Thais revealed through some online channels last year their experiences of

Feb. 22, 2024

S. Korean, Japanese FMs agree on NK, differ on historical issues

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation on North Korean issues, while expressing lingering differences in historical matters, including compensation for forced labor victims during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula and South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, met for the first time Wednesday for a 30-minute meeting, starting at 11:10 a.m. local time, on the

Feb. 22, 2024

Russia apparently violating UNSC resolutions by giving NK leader luxury car: State Dept.

Russia appears to have violated UN Security Council resolutions if it had given North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a luxury car, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, noting the supply of transportation vehicles to the North is prohibited under the resolutions. The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Kim received a Russian-made luxury car from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift demonstrating the special bonds between them. Later, the Kremlin confirmed that the

Feb. 22, 2024

S. Korea, Netherlands launch semiconductor dialogue

South Korea and the Netherlands on Monday launched a dialogue on the semiconductor industry in an effort to boost bilateral cooperation on the advanced sector, the industry ministry here said. The two nations held the inaugural meeting of the director-level Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Dialogue in the Dutch city of Eindhoven on the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The meeting was held as the two sides agreed in December to establish a working-level dialogue channe

Feb. 19, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Stock investment promotion, wind power distribution

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation Proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chul (People Power Party) ● In consideration of the high interest rates and rising number of stock investors in the current economic landscape, this amendment proposes to cancel the upcoming implementation of the financial income tax system and maintain the current capital gains tax system. This bill is in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol's push to abolish the finan

Feb. 19, 2024

Yoon meets 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae, Netflix CEO

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a luncheon meeting with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae earlier this week, his spokesperson said Sunday. At the meeting held Saturday at his presidential residence, Yoon expressed his appreciation to Sarandos for Netflix's investment in South Korea and called for increased investment in "K-contents." Yoon and Sarandos also discussed the development of the two countries' "cultural alliance" through

Feb. 18, 2024

G7 foreign ministers strongly condemn N. Korea's arms transfers to Russia

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven countries have condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, calling it a direct violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan and the High Representative of the European Union issued the statement amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Rus

Feb. 18, 2024

South Korea, Japan hold nonproliferation consultations

South Korea and Japan held disarmament and nonproliferation consultations to discuss ways to address growing military threats from North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Youn Jong-kwon, director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the ministry, met with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa, in Tokyo, the ministry said. The two sides shared concerns about North Korea's increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats and illegal arms trade

Feb. 16, 2024

Seoul voices 'deep concern' over Israel's military operation in Gaza

South Korea on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over Israel's recent military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, calling for relevant parties to protect civilians. "The government of the Republic of Korea expresses its deep concern over the recent Israeli military operation and its additional plan in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where approximately 1.4 million people are sheltering," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Rafah, which li

Feb. 15, 2024

[Contribution] Looking back on 35 years of ties on the occasion of Serbia's National Day

By Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador to Korea As the Embassy of Serbia in Seoul proudly celebrates its National Day together with the small Serbian community living here, as well as our Korean friends, it is an opportunity to once again recall the close and decadeslong friendly relations that so happily exist between our two countries and two peoples. Statehood Day or National Day is celebrated every Feb. 15 in Serbia to commemorate the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which e

Feb. 15, 2024

Trump's NATO barbs spark concerns of return to 'transactional' alliance

Former US President Donald Trump's outspoken criticism of NATO and its collective defense resonates deeply with implications for South Korea's security, a cornerstone being the US commitment to defense, especially amid escalating North Korean threats. After Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, intensified his rhetoric on Saturday, the possibility of his return to power raised concerns about the revival of his transactional approach to the Sou

Feb. 15, 2024

Seoul side-eyes N. Korea while forging ties with Cuba

The surprise establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba marks the culmination of Seoul's diplomatic endeavors with socialist countries that have historically maintained friendly ties with North Korea, according to the presidential office on Thursday. South Korea and Cuba on Wednesday evening officially announced that they had forged diplomatic relations, fulfilling Seoul's decadeslong aspiration to engage with the socialist country. Seoul believes the move deliv

Feb. 15, 2024

S. Korea joins Ukraine donor coordination plaform

South Korea has joined the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine as a member country on Wednesday along with the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden to contribute to the post-war reconstruction of the country at war with Russia, the presidential office said on Thursday. The new membership was confirmed during the meeting of the MDCP's steering committee held virtually Wednesday. Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland also joined the platform as observers. Before th

Feb. 15, 2024

All eyes on N. Korea's reaction over S. Korea's establishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba

North Korea has given no reaction yet to South Korea's establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, but the surprise announcement is a blow to Pyongyang that has long boasted brotherly ties with the Caribbean nation. South Korea forged diplomatic ties with Cuba on Wednesday, making Cuba the 193rd country that South Korea has built diplomatic relations with. That came 65 years after Cuba cut off bilateral exchanges with Seoul following Fidel Castro's seizing of power in a 1959 revol

Feb. 15, 2024

NSC 'fundamentally engaged' in S. Korea-US nuclear deterrence body: Sullivan

The US National Security Council remains "fundamentally engaged" in a key South Korea-US nuclear deterrence dialogue platform, its top security official said Wednesday, as the two countries' defense authorities are now tasked with leading the body. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks after senior defense officials from Seoul and Washington signed a framework document Monday to task Seoul's defense ministry and the Pentagon to lead the Nuclear Consultative

Feb. 15, 2024

Yoon delays trips to Germany, Denmark

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has postponed his scheduled overseas trip to Germany and Denmark, according to Yoon's office on Wednesday. The presidential office had initially prepared for a week-long trip to the two European countries beginning on Sunday. Detailed schedules were being coordinated with each country. However, after careful consideration, the presidential office has reportedly decided to postpone the trip. Yoon's office, however, did not provide further details or

Feb. 14, 2024

S. Korea open to Japan joining nuclear consultative group: ex-security advisor

South Korea is "open-minded" about expanding the existing bilateral nuclear consultative group with the United States to a trilateral framework including Japan, a former South Korean national security advisor said Monday. Kim Sung-han, President Yoon Suk Yeol's former top national security advisor from 2022 to 2023, acknowledged that during his tenure, he had the opportunity to discuss the idea of the expansion of the framework with his Japanese counterpart. The Nuclear Consultati

Feb. 13, 2024

German, Israeli embassies in Seoul commemorate Holocaust victims

Germany and Israel remembered Holocaust victims in a solemn commemorative event hosted by the two embassies in Seoul on Jan. 29. The gathering, held annually on Jan. 27, marks the International Day of Commemoration, observing the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp on that day in 1945. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, this day serves as a reminder of the Shoah and imparts crucial lessons from the Holocaust. The term "Shoah," from Hebrew, means &quo

Feb. 10, 2024

Embassy urges support for Indonesians' voting in S. Korea

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul urged support for Indonesians in Korea casting their votes in the Southeast Asian country's general election in an annual media briefing to present its agenda for the year on Wednesday. The Indonesian Embassy’s Charge d'Affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika reviewed milestones of 2023 that marked 50 years of diplomatic ties, high-level exchanges, and economic and cultural forums and events co-hosted with many Indonesian and Korean organizations. She introdu

Feb. 9, 2024