KOICA offers $24m in overseas COVID-19 response aid in 2021

South Korea's overseas aid agency said Tuesday it has provided $24 million worth of support to help eight developing countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic this year. The support measures were meant to help the countries diagnose, treat and prevent COVID-19, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) said in a press release. The beneficiaries of the support program were Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Jamaica.

Dec. 28, 2021

S. Korea to become 9th largest donor to UN budget in 2022-24

South Korea will become the ninth-largest contributor to the United Nations' regular and peacekeeping budgets starting next year, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The UN General Assembly on Friday approved the budget obligations for 193 member states, setting South Korea's share at 2.57 percent of the total funding for the 2022-24 period. The ratio was up from 2.27 percent for the 2019-21 period, moving the country's rank up two notches from the current 11th place. The ministry said South K

Dec. 28, 2021

Seoul should opt for strategic clarity in US-China rivalry: Yoon's foreign policy aide

A policy of “strategic ambiguity” has guided South Korea’s diplomacy over the years, with Seoul seeking to juggle relations with its security ally Washington and key trade partner Beijing. But this precarious balancing act may no longer be sustainable, according to a key foreign policy adviser to the main opposition People Power Party’s presidential nominee. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Korea University professor Kim Sung-han, who advises Yoon Suk-yeol, said

Dec. 28, 2021

Biden signs US defense budget bill with call to keep USFK troops intact

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a US defense budget bill that calls on his administration to maintain the troop level of US Forces Korea (USFK) at the current level. The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law, less than two weeks after the Senate approved it in a 89-10 vote. The House of Representatives had also approved the bill earlier this month. "On Monday, December 27, 2021, the President signed into law: S. 1605, the "National Defense Authorizatio

Dec. 28, 2021

NK’s nuclear issue requires both peace and denuclearization tracks: Lee’s foreign policy adviser

For years, South Korea, the US and the international community have tried to coax North Korea into giving up its nuclear and missile program. Despite a series of negotiations, headline-grabbing summits and carrot-and-stick tactics, the reclusive regime has not ceased from developing the weapons of mass destruction, but instead has been advancing them. What the years of failed negotiations have taught us is that the North’s nuclear issue is a complex conundrum that requires a multifaceted

Dec. 27, 2021

[Hwang’s China and the World] Tough diplomatic security environment waiting to greet the next administration

Korea’s national security can be mainly divided into the policy toward North Korea and toward the others. Since last week’s interview with the president of KINU (Korea Institute of National Unification) covered Korea’s policies toward North Korea, the interview this week is about Korea’s overall national security. Kim Ki-jung, the president of the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), has shared his views on the Moon Jae-in administration’s national sec

Dec. 27, 2021

S. Korea's vice minister talks with Iranian envoy over 'pending' issues

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun had discussions with Iran's top envoy here on "pending" bilateral issues Friday, his ministry said. Choi met with Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and reaffirmed that Seoul will continue diplomatic efforts for progress in negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, taking the importance of Seoul-Tehran ties into consideration, it added. They also agreed to maintain close communication to resolve "pending" bilateral issues. T

Dec. 24, 2021

S.Korea, China agree to strengthen ‘substantial cooperation’ on economy, culture

South Korea and China pledged to strengthen “substantial cooperation” in the fields of economy and culture and agreed on the importance of leader-to-leader and high-level exchanges at a strategic dialogue in more than four years. South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his Chinese counterpart, Le Yucheng, held the virtual session of the ninth Strategic Dialogue on Thursday, the first of its kind since June 2017. The resumption of the meeting came at a critical time w

Dec. 24, 2021

S. Korea calls in Tokyo diplomat over Japan's push for Fukushima water discharge

South Korea's foreign ministry called in a Japanese Embassy official Thursday to express concerns over the operator of Tokyo's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant having filed for approval for its planned release of radioactive water into the ocean. On Tuesday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) submitted an application for the planned water release to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) amid growing concerns in South Korea that it could cause health risks and maritime contamination. L

Dec. 23, 2021

South Korea to expand cooperation with US on supply chain, technologies in 2022

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday the country would look to expand cooperation with the US on many fronts next year, including on supply chains and cutting-edge technology, as well as North Korea’s denuclearization. 　 The Foreign Ministry, along with the Unification and Defense Ministries, jointly delivered a written policy report for 2022 to President Moon Jae-in on Monday, detailing Seoul’s priorities and direction on diplomacy, security and North Korean policies

Dec. 23, 2021

S. Korea, US team up to recover damages for victims of crypto scams

Investigative authorities of South Korea and the United States have cooperated to crack down on a 2017 cryptocurrency phishing scam and help victims recover some of their losses, prosecutors in Seoul said Thursday. The Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) said it arrested two South Korean suspects behind the cyber fraud and confirmed the identify of one Japanese suspect based on intelligence provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2018. The SPO and the FBI then teamed up to sei

Dec. 23, 2021

S. Korea, China set for high-level strategic talks on regional security, global issues

South Korea and China will hold high-level strategic talks on Thursday, the first of its kind between the two sides in more than four years, to discuss bilateral cooperation on regional and global issues, Seoul officials said. Choi Jong-kun, first vice foreign minister, and his Chinese counterpart Le Yucheng will lead the 9th Strategic Dialogue meeting to be held via video links in the afternoon. The two countries held the 8th session in June 2017. The discussions are expected to touch on a wi

Dec. 23, 2021

S. Korea to bolster 'future-oriented' cooperation with US on supply chains, technologies in 2022

South Korea will expand "future-oriented" cooperation with the United States on supply chains, technologies and other areas next year while reinforcing "conflict prevention" efforts with China, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The ministry delineated the plans in a written policy report for 2022 to President Moon Jae-in as Seoul seeks to craft an optimal diplomatic strategy amid a hardening Sino-US rivalry on technological primacy, security, trade and other fronts. Deliv

Dec. 23, 2021

S. Korea becomes 10th non-European country to join Europol

South Korea on Wednesday became the 10th country outside of Europe to join the European Union (EU) law enforcement cooperation agency that fights terrorism and other international crimes, police said. The National Police Agency (NPA) joined Europol by signing a working-level agreement that was approved unanimously by the 27 EU nations on Oct. 6. The accession is an outcome of efforts by police to strengthen cooperation with Europe since 2017, officials said. Under the agreement, police can now

Dec. 22, 2021

S. Korea urges US to begin talks on revision of Trump-era steel tariffs

South Korea called on the United States Wednesday to quickly start talks to revise the Section 232 tariff rules on Seoul's steel exports.South Korean Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook made the request to his US counterpart, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, in phone talks, the ministry said. "Moon told Raimondo that Washington should launch negotiations on the issue as soon as possible as it is related to a recovery in the global supply chain," the ministry said. South Korea has

Dec. 22, 2021

S. Korea to offer $15 million to Africa for equitable vaccine access

South Korea on Wednesday unveiled a plan to offer $15 million to Africa for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines during US-hosted virtual ministerial talks on responses to the omicron variant, the foreign ministry said. Seoul's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong attended the session involving top diplomats from some 10 countries, as well as the African Union (AU) and the European Union. It was hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. At the session, Chung said Seoul will make the financia

Dec. 22, 2021

S. Korea expresses concerns as Fukushima operator seeks approval for water release plan

South Korea on Tuesday voiced concerns as the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant filed for approval for its plan to release radioactive water into the sea. The Seoul government held an emergency vice-ministerial meeting after Tokyo Electric Power Co. submitted an application for the planned release to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority. "We express serious concerns as Japan is proceeding with its plan to unilaterally release the contaminated water into the sea d

Dec. 21, 2021

S. Korea, China to hold high-level strategic talks this week

South Korea said Tuesday it will hold high-level strategic talks with China via video links this week, the first bilateral session of its kind in more than four years. Choi Jong-kun, first vice foreign minister, is scheduled to hold the 9th Strategic Dialogue with his Chinese counterpart, Le Yucheng, Thursday afternoon, according to Choi Young-sam, spokesman for Seoul's foreign ministry. They had the 8th Strategic Dialogue meeting in June 2017. The two sides plan to have discussions on a wide

Dec. 21, 2021

Korea, Thailand discuss defense cooperation

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook met with his Thai counterpart in Bangkok on Monday to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries and the security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, his ministry said.   Suh held talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who doubles as defense minister, on the second day of his three-day visit to Thailand.    During the meeting, Prayut said Bangkok wishes to expand arms industry cooperation with South

Dec. 20, 2021

Seoul has ‘much more to offer’ in the global chip supply chain: US diplomat

South Korea is an essential partner in the global semiconductor supply chain and has much more to offer, a visiting senior US diplomat in charge of economic and trade policy said Friday.  Jose Fernandez, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, made the remark at the start of the sixth Senior Economic Dialogue with Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon. Marking his first trip to the region since taking office in August, his weeklong trip to Tokyo

Dec. 17, 2021