Incoming government to consider expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine: spokesperson

The incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is considering expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine, his spokesperson said Wednesday, after the country's president asked for weapons support. In a virtual address to South Korean lawmakers on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for military equipment support to help the country fight off Russia's invasion, though Seoul has already turned down a request for weapons. "We know that the current government has also exp

April 13, 2022

No details confirmed for Yoon-Biden summit: spokesperson

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's team has not received confirmation of details for a possible summit with US President Joe Biden, his spokesperson said Wednesday. A summit could take place in late May shortly after Yoon takes office if Biden stops in South Korea before or after a trip to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting around May 24. "On the timing and schedule, I believe the relevant departments are holding consultations," Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said

April 13, 2022

S. Korea to send additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine: source

South Korea plans to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal aid worth 2 billion won ($1.6 million) this month to help the war-torn country, an informed source said Wednesday. Seoul is preparing to start sending to Ukraine such items as bulletproof vests, helmets, medical supplies and meals, ready-to-eat (MREs), as early as next week, according to the source. The new package has been arranged following South Korea's shipment last month of non-lethal military and medical supplies -- worth 1 bi

April 13, 2022

Yoon-Biden summit likely to be held in late May in S. Korea: reports

US President Joe Biden could visit South Korea in late May and hold a summit with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol just weeks after his inauguration, according to local media outlets Tuesday. Biden is reportedly considering a visit to South Korea shortly after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting on May 24 in Japan. The four-nation international cooperative is made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US. If confirmed, Biden is likely to be the first foreign leader to officially meet

April 12, 2022

NK missile tests aimed at defeating US missile defense: CRS report

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's recent missile tests appear to be aimed at developing capabilities to evade US missile defense systems deployed in the region, a US congressional report suggested. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), however, said the actual capabilities of North Korean missiles remain uncertain in the report released Friday. "The recent advances in North Korea's ballistic missile test program appear to be directed at developing capabilities to defeat or degrade the effecti

April 12, 2022

Zelenskyy asks South Korea for arms support, denounces Russian atrocities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly pleaded for South Korea to provide arms as his country continues to fight against a Russian invasion. In a 15-minute livestreamed videoconference speech to South Korea’s parliament on Monday, the Ukrainian president asked the country to consider lending its support to fight off Russia’s clear violations of international law and human rights through military assistance. “South Korea can help Ukraine,” he said in the livestre

April 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] In France, it's Macron vs. Le Pen, again, for presidency

PARIS (AP) -- Incumbent Emmanuel Macron will face far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in a winner-takes-all runoff for the French presidency, after they both advanced Sunday in the first round of voting in the country's election to set up another head-to-head clash of their sharply opposing visions for France. But while Macron won t heir last contest in 2017 by a landslide to become France's youngest-ever president, the same outcome this time is far from guaranteed. Macron, now 44, emerged ahead

April 11, 2022

S. Korean FM joins NATO meeting on Ukraine, reaffirms support for Ukraine

South Korea's top diplomat told NATO members that Seoul plans to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid worth a total of $40 million and will consider an additional package. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong was attending a foreign ministerial session of NATO members and four Asia-Pacific partners in Brussels Thursday (local time), according to his ministry. He became the first South Korean foreign minister to be present at such a high-profile NATO meeting. During the session, Chung made public his

April 8, 2022

Seoul to push for summit between President-elect Yoon and Biden at early date: delegation

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol will seek to hold summit talks with US President Joe Biden at an early date, the head of Yoon's delegation said Thursday, adding the Biden administration also understands the need for an early meeting between them. Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party said the exact date and other details of a Yoon-Biden summit will be discussed through diplomatic channels. Yoon is set to take office May 10. "Every person we have met in the U

April 8, 2022

Kim Yo-jong statement a choreographed move to create tension: US intelligence official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's recent missile provocations and statement from leader Kim Jong-un's sister about the possible use of nuclear weapons are highly "choreographed" tactics to create an acquiescent South Korea, a US intelligence official said Thursday. Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the National Intelligence Council, also said the North uses US-South Korea joint military drills as a pretext for its provocations while it continues to conduct much

April 8, 2022

Complete, verifiable denuclearization of N. Korea difficult but must achieve goal: Goldberg

WASHINGTON -- The United States and its allies must resolutely pursue a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea, the nominee for US ambassador to South Korea said Thursday. Philip Goldberg also said North Korea may stage additional provocations amid suspicions that Pyongyang may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. "Comprehensive, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization -- those are difficult goals, but they fit very well with our non-proliferation

April 8, 2022

Chinese envoy says S. Korea, China can overcome differences over THAAD

South Korea and China can overcome their differences over the former's hosting of a US THAAD anti-missile system, Beijing's top envoy here said Thursday, noting the thorny issue has hurt public sentiment in both countries. Amb. Xing Haiming made the remarks during a forum amid concerns the THAAD issue could resurface as a thorn in bilateral ties, as South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol advocated for the deployment of additional THAAD units during his campaign. "As bilateral ties hav

April 7, 2022

State spy agency offers cyberthreat info to crypto exchanges

South Korea's state intelligence agency said Thursday it has started providing real-time information on hacking attempts to the country's major cryptocurrency exchanges amid growing cyberthreats. The country's major crypto exchanges -- Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit and Coinone -- now have access to the agency's information on online security threats, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the hacking attempts, according to the National Intelligence Service. It stressed the importance of tackli

April 7, 2022

S. Korea holds FM talks with Sweden, Finland

South Korea's top diplomat had one-on-one talks with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts in Brussels on bilateral ties, the war in Ukraine and Korean Peninsula affairs, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is on a visit there to attend a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers. He is the first South Korean foreign minister to join such a high-profile NATO session, as the country has been invited as an Asia-Pacific partner of the

April 7, 2022

Brunei voices support for S. Korea's push to join CPTPP

Brunei on Thursday expressed support for South Korea's push to join a mega free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region, Seoul's trade ministry said. Brunei's second finance minister, Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah, voiced the support during a virtual meeting with South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. The meeting came as South Korea is working to submit an application this month for membership to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to the Minis

April 7, 2022

US will continue to maintain appropriate defense capabilities on Korean Peninsula: Kirby

WASHINGTON -- The United States is in constant consultation with South Korea to ensure the allies have adequate capabilities to counter any aggression from North Korea and will continue to do so, Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday. The Pentagon press secretary, however, declined to comment on whether the US may consider deploying strategic military assets to South Korea to help prevent further provocations by the North. "We are going to continue to work with our So

April 7, 2022

US prepared to deal with any N. Korean provocation, including nuclear test: Sung Kim

WASHINGTON -- The United States and its allies are prepared to deal with any further provocations by North Korea, US special envoy for North Korea said Wednesday, noting the recalcitrant state may conduct a nuclear test in the future. Sung Kim also urged the North to return to dialogue, saying the US is prepared to discuss "any concerns" it may have. "I don't want to speculate too much, but I think it could be another missile launch. It could be a nuclear test," Kim said when

April 7, 2022

US reinvigorating trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan to promote security: Sherman

WASHINGTON -- The United States seeks to ensure peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region partly by reinvigorating its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday. Sherman also highlighted the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, noting it is home to more than half of the global population and over 60 percent of the global economy. "The United States is a proud Indo-Pacific nation. Our future is entwined more closely wit

April 7, 2022

US, Chinese nuclear envoys discuss ways to restart dialogue with N. Korea: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The top nuclear envoys of the United States and China met Tuesday in Washington for talks on ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, the US Department of State said. The meeting between US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim and China's Liu Xiaoming was held in Washington. "Special Representative Kim and Special Representative Liu discussed opportunities to advance our shared goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and how to encourage the DPRK to engage in

April 6, 2022

N. Korea poses 'real' threats to US and allies: Gen. Milley

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a real danger to the US homeland, as well as US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday. Milley also said the North shows no signs of giving up its efforts to further advance its military capabilities. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) continued weapons testing and development poses real threats to our allies and partners in the

April 6, 2022