[Newsmaker] UN head condemns attacks on civilians during Ukraine visit

KYIV -- The head of the United Nations said Ukraine has become ``an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain`` -- a description underscored a short time later by the first Russian strike on the capital since Moscow's forces retreated weeks ago. Russia pounded targets all over Ukraine on Thursday, including the attack on Kyiv that struck a residential high-rise and another building and wounded 10 people, including at least one who lost a leg, according to Ukraine's emergency services. The bomba

April 29, 2022

Japanese PM unlikely to attend Yoon’s inauguration ceremony: reports

South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin said Friday that the incoming government will welcome a Japanese delegation if they come to the presidential inauguration of Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Park, however, said he did not hear whether Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would travel to Seoul for the ceremony that is scheduled on May 10, and Japanese media outlets reported Kishida will not attend due to unresolved conflicts between the two countries. Citing severa

April 29, 2022

Yoon to hold summit with Biden on May 21

South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden will hold their first summit in Seoul on May 21, 11 days after Yoon officially takes office, authorities confirmed on Thursday. Yoon’s office welcomed the US president’s trip to South Korea, as the US White House confirmed he will travel to South Korea and Japan from May 20 to 24. “President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol welcomes US President Biden who will visit South Korea on May 20-22. President-elect Yoon Suk-

April 28, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] What can South Korea and China work on together?

The inauguration of South Korea’s new government in May will be an opportunity to assess the current state of South Korea-China relations and seek further development in the future. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol presented his plans to turn South Korea into a global pivotal state during his election campaign. He has also declared that strengthening the US-South Korea alliance and South Korea-China relations are simultaneously achievable goals. Since South Korea and China established

April 28, 2022

S. Korea to divert gas supplies to Europe over Ukraine crisis

South Korea plans to send part of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Europe to help ease an energy crisis over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said Thursday. Concerns have grown over natural gas supply disruptions in Europe amid the ongoing crisis surrounding Ukraine, as Russia is the biggest provider of gas to Europe. On Wednesday, Russia's state-owned gas producer Gazprom said it had cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after the nations refused to pay for shipm

April 28, 2022

Biden to visit South Korea, Japan from May 20-24: White House

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will visit South Korea and Japan in late May for summit talks with his counterparts, the White House announced Wednesday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president will visit South Korea and Japan from May 20-24, without providing further details of his planned trip. An official in Seoul said the US president is scheduled to visit Seoul from May 20-May 22. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will visit the Republic of Korea and Japan from May

April 28, 2022

S. Korea excluded from Ukraine’s thank-you list of 31 countries

South Korea was excluded from the list of countries that Ukraine thanked for support in its ongoing defense against Russia’s invasion, drawing mixed response from the public after the East Asian country publicly provided humanitarian aid, but declined to supply arms. A video posted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official Twitter account on Monday showed a list of 31 countries it declared as Ukraine’s “partners,” with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-c

April 27, 2022

Yoon’s delegation, Japanese PM agree to work on improving relations

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and agreed to make joint efforts to enhance ties between the two countries, the chief delegate said Tuesday. Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the conservative People Power Party, who is leading the seven-member delegation to Japan, said the two sides had exchanged opinions on improving the bilateral relationship. “For the development of the future-oriented relationship of South Kor

April 26, 2022

2 Europeans indicted for teaching N. Koreans how to evade US sanctions with cryptocurrency

WASHINGTON -- Two individuals have been indicted for teaching North Koreans how to evade US sanctions using cryptocurrency, the US justice department revealed Monday. The department said one Spaniard and one British national have been charged in the Southern District of New York with "conspiring to violate US sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," referring to North Korea by its official name. It said the two are suspected of having worked with a US citizen, Vi

April 26, 2022

US commission says religious freedom remains worst in N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- Religious freedom conditions in North Korea remain among the worst in the world, a US government commission said Monday, recommending the US government to designate North Korea as a country of particular concern. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also called on the state department to bring up human rights issues when negotiating security issues with North Korea. "In 2021, religious freedom conditions in North Korea remained among the worst in the w

April 26, 2022

Yoon’s delegation, Japan share cooperation should be strengthened

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation to Japan met with key figures, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, on Monday and agreed to improve Korea-Japan relations -- the state of which is considered to be at its worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965. After meeting with Foreign Minister Hayashi in the morning, Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party, who led the seven-member delegation, told reporters, “The two countries agreed to maintain and

April 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] Macron: abrasive reformer with chance to leave mark on France

PARIS -- Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to serve a second term in 20 years, giving him a historic opportunity to leave his mark. The 44-year-old, who came to power as France's youngest ever president, secured victory promising more pro-business and welfare reforms but with a "new method" that is expected to be less top-down. He had billed Sunday's vote as a chance to "save the Republic" from the clutches of far-rig

April 25, 2022

Yoon’s delegation departs for Tokyo, seeks to revive long-strained relationship

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation to Tokyo began its five-day trip Sunday, marking the incoming administration’s first move aimed at improving bilateral relations. During the trip, the seven-person delegation, headed by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party, will meet with Japanese authorities to discuss and coordinate policies, while seeking to revive the long-strained relationship between the two countries. B

April 24, 2022

U.S.’ approval rating jumps to 59 percent in S. Korea: poll

The United States’ approval rating in South Korea jumped at one of the steepest rates among Asian countries in 2021, a poll showed Friday. The approval rating of U.S. leadership in South Korea climbed to 59 percent last year from 30 percent a year earlier, according to Gallup. The increase marks the second highest among 33 Asian countries where the poll was conducted between April 2021 and January 2022. “Ratings of U.S. leadership showed substantial improvement in 13 Asian coun

April 23, 2022

S. Korea verifying report of death of volunteer fighter in Ukraine

South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it is ascertaining the veracity of intelligence that at least one of its nationals participating in the Ukraine war as a volunteer fighter has died. Currently, four South Korean nationals are known to have entered Ukraine without government authorization to join the war, the ministry said. "The government recently obtained intelligence from relevant countries that there are deaths among our nationals participating as volunteer soldiers in t

April 22, 2022

Japan's foreign ministry keeps Dokdo claim in annual policy report

TOKYO -- Japan's foreign ministry reiterated its assertion that Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea, belong to the country in its first annual report on foreign policy and activities under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The claim, strongly disputed by South Korea that has long maintained effective control of Dokdo with the permanent stationing of security personnel there, was included in the 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook that was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minist

April 22, 2022

US only seeks 'peaceful' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is seeking to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula but only through dialogue and diplomacy, a Department of State spokesperson said Thursday. Ned Price, however, reiterated that the US will continue to hold the North to account over its recent missile provocations. "Our goal is to achieve that ultimate objective -- the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- through diplomacy and dialogue. That is what we have consistently put forward,&qu

April 22, 2022

Reducing military exercises for dialogue with N. Korea a proven path to failure: Harris

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea must not reduce their joint military drills just to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, former US ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Thursday, calling it a "proven path to failure." He also dismissed the call for an end of Korean War declaration long advocated by the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration. "I think the current administration in South Korea took us down a wrong path. So far this year, North Korea has

April 22, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Toward the Korea-Japan relations of vision and coexistence

Historically, Korea and Japan have long been in conflict and contradiction. Since Japan’s colonization of Korea, it has deepened what some observe to be Japan’s sense of superiority over Korea and Korea’s sense of inferiority toward Japan. Japan’s “Lost Decades” –- a period of economic stagnation caused by an asset price bubble collapsing in the 1990s -- and Korea’s rise in national power in the international community brought some tension to bila

April 20, 2022

Foreign Minster nominee, US envoy agree on ‘impenetrable’ cooperation

South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party met Wednesday with Sung Kim, US Special Representative for North Korea, and agreed to maintain an “impenetrable alliance” when the incoming government takes over. In their closed-door meeting, the minister nominee stressed how the series of missile launches by North Korea posed a “serious threat” not only to the Korean people but also to peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the in

April 20, 2022