Seoul reaches out to Japan, Yoon says he has ‘certainty’ for cooperation for better ties

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and discussed ways to improve the long-strained bilateral ties between the two countries in Tokyo on Tuesday. In his meeting with Kishida, Park delivered South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s message and Yoon’s determination to reset bilateral ties with Japan. “I relayed President Yoon’s message and suggested for the two leaders (Yoon and Kishida) to meet at a convenient time to re

July 19, 2022

Top Korea, Japan diplomats discuss bilateral ties, NK issues

South Korea and Japan appear to be making good on their respective leaders’ pledges to seek better relations, with Seoul’s foreign minister making the first official visit to the country in nearly five years. On Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi to discuss a series of contentious issues between the two countries, as well as North Korea-related issues It is Park’s first official trip after the inauguration of P

July 18, 2022

Yoon expected to discuss economic security with Janet Yellen on Tuesday

President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Yongsan, Seoul, on Tuesday, and they are expected to discuss issues related to economic security, including supply chains and the establishment of economic partnerships between the two countries. “The economic situation between Korea and the US is very difficult, not only in Korea but also in the US and internationally. So we will discuss various pending methods to stabilize the situation,” the president

July 18, 2022

Indonesia president to visit S. Korea late this month

Indonesian President Joko Widodo plans to visit South Korea late this month for summit talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yoon's office on Monday. South Korea and Indonesia have been in consultations about the summit's agenda and the itinerary of Widodo's planned visit to Seoul, according to the presidential office. Yoon and Widodo are expected to hold in-depth discussions about economic security, defense industry and other issues. Widodo, current chair of the G-20,

July 18, 2022

Foreign minister to hold first bilateral talk with Japan this week

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will hold his first bilateral talk with his Japanese counterpart this week to discuss ways to improve the long-strained bilateral ties during his visit to Japan, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. It would be the foreign minister’s first official trip to Japan after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May. During the three-day trip from Monday to Wednesday, Park is expected to discuss a series of contentious issue

July 17, 2022

South Korean foreign minister to make 3-day trip to Japan next week

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will embark on a three-day trip to Japan next week to discuss areas of bilateral relations and North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Park's trip from Monday to Wednesday will be the first by a foreign minister to the neighboring country under the new South Korean administration led by President Yoon Suk-yeol. The ministry said Park will "hold a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and discuss issues of mutual interes

July 15, 2022

N. Korea says Ukraine has 'no right' to criticize its recognition of separatist regions

North Korea said Friday that Ukraine has no right to take issue with its recognition of two breakaway regions in the war-torn country earlier this week, calling the measure a "legitimate exercise of sovereignty." On Wednesday, Ukraine announced its decision to sever diplomatic relations with North Korea for formally backing the independence of the pro-Moscow republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In response to a question by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) over t

July 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Sharp increase in burials in Russian-held areas of Ukraine: NGO

KYIV, Ukraine - Satellite photos and on-the-ground images reveal a sharp increase in burials in Russian-held areas of Ukraine, according to a report released Friday. The non-government Centre for Information Resilience analysed images of burials in six areas -- two of them previously held by Russian forces and the rest still under Moscow's control in southern Ukraine. "Open source information can give unprecedented reach behind the frontlines of the war in Ukraine and into areas occupied by

July 15, 2022

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War following their excavation in North Korea decades ago, the defense ministry said Friday. The ministry's excavation team recently confirmed the remains of Pfc. Park Jin-ho. They were among those the North handed over to the United States from 1990-94. His remains returned here in 2020, as they were thought to be of a South Korean troop. Park served at the 31st Regiment of the US 7th Division under

July 15, 2022

N.Korea recognizes two Russian-backed breakaway regions in Ukraine: state media

North Korea has formally recognized two Russian-supported breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent states and pledged to develop “state-to-state relations” with them. In response, Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with North Korea. North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui announced the country’s decision to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in letters sen

July 14, 2022

Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- Ukraine has severed diplomatic ties with North Korea for recognizing the independence of Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, the country's foreign ministry said Wednesday. In a statement posted on its Web site, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said it strongly condemns North Korea's decision to recognize the "so-called "independence" of the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation in the Donetsk and Luhanks regions of Ukraine." &quo

July 14, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Everything roots in something, the reason Australia actively steps into the Indo-Pacific Strategy

Australia is a country that has multiple similarities with Korea. Both are considered middle powers, both are allies of the US and have China as the largest trading partner, and the foreign policies in both countries depend on the domestic governing power. Above all, looking back at our choices between the US and China, they were mostly based on “Anmi-kyeongjung,” depending on the security of the US and the economy of China. Just like Korea-China relations, Australia-China relations

July 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] Sri Lanka president flees to Maldives ahead of expected resignation

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's embattled president flew out of his country to the Maldives early Wednesday, in a likely prelude to his resignation after months of widespread protests against his island nation's worst-ever economic crisis. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" after fleeing his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it. As president, Rajap

July 13, 2022

Yoon pays respects to Abe in Seoul

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday visited the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to pay his respects to late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. President Yoon arrived at the Japanese Embassy‘s public information and cultural center at 4 p.m. and entered the memorial altar under the guidance of Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi, according to the presidential office. President Yoon wrote in the guest book, “I pray for the repose of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Ab

July 12, 2022

[Newsmaker] Japan mourns as funeral for former PM Abe held in Tokyo

TOKYO -- Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gathered at a Tokyo temple Tuesday for a private funeral, as mourners outside condemned the leader's "despicable" murder. Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power. The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because h

July 12, 2022

S. Korean ambassador discusses alliance, NK nuclear issues with US deputy secretary

South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relations of Seoul and Washington and North Korea’s nuclear issues on Monday (US time). In a Facebook post, Amb. Cho explained how he had first met with Sherman when he was serving as the first vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, from February 2014 to October 2015. “Deputy Secretary Sherman is the first women to serve in the post at the US Dep

July 12, 2022

Foreign minister vows to strengthen alliance with new US ambassador to Korea

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin greeted newly appointed US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and shared their commitment to bolster the Korea-US alliance on Tuesday. The US diplomat has just begun his duty as the ambassador, filling the post left vacant about 1 1/2 years after his predecessor Harry Harris left upon the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Goldberg arrived in Seoul on Sunday. “It is the Korean government’s utmost priority to promote the common valu

July 12, 2022

US State Department adviser visits S. Korea for talks on alliance, N. Korea

A key aide to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with a South Korean foreign ministry official for discussions on the bilateral alliance and other issues. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted that he had a meeting with Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, in Seoul. "We spoke about the US-ROK Alliance and our joint efforts on regional and global issues. I appreciate the ROK's partnership on Burma," Chollet wrote, using the acronym for Sout

July 12, 2022

Japan’s ruling party victory, Abe’s death could slow progress on Tokyo ties: experts

The recent turn of events in Japan -- the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ruling party winning the majority of seats in the upper house -- could delay efforts to resolve bilateral relations with South Korea, experts here said on Monday. The former premier died on Friday after a lone gunman shot him while he was delivering a campaign speech on a street in the city of Nara in central Japan. As the country mourned the death of a prominent political leader, the ruling L

July 11, 2022

S. Korea's foreign minister pays respects to former Prime Minister Abe

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin paid his respects to former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe on Monday. He visited the Japanese embassy's public information and cultural center in downtown Seoul, mourned Abe's death and offered his condolences, three days after he was fatally shot during an election campaign speech. President Yoon Suk-yeol is also scheduled to visit there later this week with a plan to send a delegation led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to a formal memorial service f

July 11, 2022