Powerful quake in Morocco kills more than 2,000

A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hard-hit remote areas. The magnitude 6.8 quake, the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief late Friday. One man said d

Sept. 10, 2023

Yoon arrives in India to attend G20 summit

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. During his three-day stay, Yoon will attend three sessions of the G20 summit, hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visit the Raj Ghat memorial dedicated to the Indian anti-colonial nationalist Mahatma Gandhi with other world leaders. Yoon is expected to use the G20 gathering to call for a firm and united international response to North Korea&

Sept. 9, 2023

S. Korea, US to hold talks on extended deterrence next week

South Korea and the United States plan to hold high-level talks on extended deterrence next week to discuss ways to better deal with evolving North Korean threats, according to Seoul's foreign and defense ministries Friday. The fourth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, a gathering of the two countries' vice ministerial defense and diplomatic officials, is scheduled to take place in Seoul on Sept. 15, they said. Seoul's vice foreign and defense mini

Sept. 8, 2023

Leaders of S. Korea, Indonesia agree to deepen economic, defense cooperation

The leaders of South Korea and Indonesia on Friday agreed to enhance bilateral economic and defense cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, which includes collaborative efforts in developing an electric vehicle ecosystem and a fighter jet. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo convened for an in-person summit at the presidential palace in Jakarta on the final day of President Yoon's four-day visit to Indonesia. "Both discussed forward-looking and su

Sept. 8, 2023

S. Korean leader tells Chinese PM that NK shouldn’t be ‘obstacle’ in bilateral ties

  During a pivotal meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit held in the Indonesian city of Jakarta, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol advocated for sustained diplomacy and collaboration between Korea and China, undeterred by escalating tensions surrounding the North Korean nuclear issue. "As the North Korea nuclear situation escalates, cooperation among Korea, the US and Japan is poised to intensify," Yoon informed Li during the

Sept. 7, 2023

Yoon calls for unified action against NK threats at summit with Chinese presence

At a summit attended by Association of Southeast Asian member nations, Japan and China, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the international community to unite and decisively respond to North Korea's ongoing nuclear and missile development efforts. Speaking at the ASEAN+3 summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday afternoon, Yoon noted an “unprecedented frequency” in North Korean provocations. He urged leaders to firmly address these provocations by supporting sanctio

Sept. 6, 2023

[KH Explains] Why do Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin need each other?

A potential meeting between the leaders of Russia and North Korea has raised the possibility of an arms deal, with speculations swirling over Moscow providing cutting-edge technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines to Pyongyang in exchange for weapons against Ukraine in the ongoing war. US officials have revealed the possibility of this meeting taking place during the Eastern Economic Forum, scheduled to run from Sept. 10 to 13 in the far-eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok. I

Sept. 6, 2023

'Indonesia, Korea are more than friends': Indonesian amb.

A mature and concrete Indonesia’s cooperation with South Korea would benefit not only the two countries but also the global community, the top Indonesian envoy in Seoul as the embassy commemorated its 78th independence day and the 50th anniversary of Indonesia-Korea relations on Thursday. "Indonesia and Korea are more than close friends," said Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto in his speech at the event. "Indonesia and Korea share common values, principles of

Sept. 6, 2023

[Photo News] PAKISTANI DEFENSE DAY

Members of the diplomatic corps pose for a group photo on Pakistan's 59th Defense Day at the Army Club of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, Tuesday. The event was attended by members of the diplomatic corps and defense attaches, officials from Pakistan's ministry of national defense, the South Korean armed forces, think tanks, social and welfare organizations and members of the Pakistani diaspora in Korea.

Sept. 6, 2023

Indonesia, Korea to set new milestones after Yoon’s visit: minister

Indonesia and Korea are poised to embark on a transformative journey that will shape the next 50 years of their bilateral ties, said Mohammad Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday. When asked to comment about possible achievements over the next 50 years of bilateral ties, the minister said that Indonesia and Korea would set new milestones when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indones

Sept. 5, 2023

Yoon says N. Korea poses direct threats to ASEAN

North Korea's ever-advancing nuclear and missile programs pose direct and existential threats to the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has said. Yoon made the remark in a written interview with the Indonesian daily Kompas ahead of a visit to Jakarta to attend a series of annual ASEAN-related summits, calling for closer cooperation with the region to deal with threats from the North. Yoon was to depart for Indonesia later Tuesday

Sept. 5, 2023

German ambassador-designate stresses balanced economic growth

German Ambassador-Designate to Korea Georg Schmidt stressed the importance of pursuing balanced economic growth to address the diverse social needs arising from demographic and climate changes. “We have to rethink how we balance this growth with the social requirements of demographic change and the challenges of sustainability and climate change," he said at the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (KGCCI) Half-Year Economic Outlook 2023 on Thursday. Highlighting how

Sept. 4, 2023

Kazakh Embassy celebrates Constitution Day, highlights economic ties

Kazakhstan’s top envoy to South Korea, Nurgali Arystanov, reiterated burgeoning ties with Korea, marking his country’s first Constitution Day at a round table discussion hosted by the Kazakh Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday. The occasion commemorates Kazakhstan's inaugural Constitution Day after a nationwide referendum in June 2022, driven by President Tokayev's vision of a just and equitable Kazakhstan. Introducing recent constitutional changes in Kazakhstan and the burgeoning

Sept. 4, 2023

UN rapporteur for North Korean human rights to visit Seoul this week

UN special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights is set to visit South Korea this week to meet Seoul officials and defectors from the reclusive regime. Elizabeth Salmon is expected to arrive in Seoul on Monday for a nine-day stay to meet foreign, unification and justice officials, as well as North Korean defectors and rights groups, according to the foreign ministry. She is also scheduled to hold a press conference in Seoul on Sept. 12. The rapporteur will submit a report on North Korea

Sept. 4, 2023

Seoul seeks to nullify ICSID ruling on damages it owes to Lone Star

  The Ministry of Justice announced Friday that it had sought an annulment of an international arbitration's ruling to pay $216.02 million in damages to US-based private equity firm Lone Star over its sales of a Korean commercial bank in 2012. The government seeks to nullify the entire award it owes to Lone Star to save taxpayers' money, it said in a statement. This announcement came four months after the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes rectified Seou

Sept. 1, 2023

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Poland discuss security, arms cooperation

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Poland held talks in Warsaw during which they discussed ways to expand security and arms cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday. During the talks Thursday, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, assessed major deals between the two countries last year to supply South Korean weapons systems, including K2 battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light attack aircraft, according to the ministry. T

Sept. 1, 2023

[Photo News] UAE CLIMATE AGENDA

A video of Ban Ki-moon, former secretary general of the United Nations, plays at "Road to COP 28," a conference hosted by the UAE Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. Ban underlined the significance of COP 28, the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference to be held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, the UAE, addressing progress towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and identifying areas where more action is needed. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

Aug. 31, 2023

All 44 S. Korean citizens safe in Gabon

The safety of all 44 South Korean citizens in Gabon has been confirmed after a military coup took control and placed the nation's president, Ali Bongo, under house arrest, according to a government official in Seoul on Thursday. The official said on condition of anonymity that 43 out of 44 -- including staff at the Korean Embassy in Gabon and their families -- were confirmed to be safe by the embassy. The official added that one Korean citizen has been detained by the military coup but the

Aug. 31, 2023

S. Korea, Japan, China to hold high-level meeting

South Korea, Japan and China will soon convene a high-level meeting to discuss the resumption of their suspended leader-level talks, ending the four-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Seoul looks for better ties with Beijing. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday it is looking into dates with its Japanese and Chinese counterparts, in response to reports that the meeting laying ground work for the trilateral summit will take place in late September. The ministry has said pre

Aug. 30, 2023

Yoon meets with US senator to discuss bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on Tuesday and discussed ways to develop bilateral ties, his office said. During their meeting at the presidential office, Yoon said South Korea and the United States are optimal economic cooperation partners sharing the common values of freedom and democracy, which can combine the US' competitiveness in technology and South Korea's competitiveness in manufacturing, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written briefin

Aug. 29, 2023