Retired Army lieutenant general Lee Seok-gu appointed as ambassador to UAE

Lee Seok-gu, retired lieutenant general officer of the South Korean Army, has been appointed the country‘s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. The Foreign Ministry said Lee will be well suited for the position, given his decadeslong experience in the defense industry and military. After graduating from the Korea Military Academy in 1980s, Lee served as the director operations at the Army Headquarters, the commander of Capital Mechanized

Dec. 10, 2021

S.Korea’s president, top diplomat attend global summits excluding China

High-profile international meetings attended by the South Korean president and diplomat this week are mainly aimed at countering China's influence, increasing the difficulty of Seoul’s diplomatic balancing act amid the growing US-China rivalry. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday took part in a global democracy summit hosted by his US counterpart Joe Biden, and Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is set to join the meeting of G7 foreign ministers this week. The US President hoste

Dec. 10, 2021

Uzbekistan president to make state visit to Korea

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to South Korea on Dec. 16 for three days, at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, officials said Thursday. The two leaders will hold a summit on Dec. 17. “President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Korea is a return to President Moon’s state visit to Uzbekistan in 2019,” said Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. “The two leaders will discuss ways to promote future-oriented and reciprocal cooperation

Dec. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM hints at Seoul veering away from diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games

South Korea is seeking to play its “role as the previous host nation” of the Winter Olympics, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Thursday, alluding that Seoul is less likely join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games. 　 Choi made the remarks during an interview with local radio station TBS, stressing that the upcoming Beijing Olympics are a “relay of Northeast Asian Olympics from PyeongChang to Tokyo and Beijing and are very meaningful.”

Dec. 9, 2021

Strong alliances place US in better position to compete with China: NSA Sullivan

The United States is in a better position from a year earlier to compete with China, partly thanks to its strong alliances with countries such as South Korea, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. The top US security advisor also underscored the importance of a US military presence in the Indo-Pacific region to help maintain peace and stability. "I believe that there's a fairly straightforward way of looking at this, which is, close to one year into the Biden administrat

Dec. 9, 2021

S. Korea, Hungary FMs discuss strengthening ties in phone talks

The top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary on Wednesday discussed ways to boost cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in a phone conversation, Seoul's foreign ministry said.    Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held phone talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, as their in-person meeting in Seoul was cancelled because one of Szijjarto's staff was confirmed to have COVID-19 following their arrival early in the morning.    During their conversati

Dec. 8, 2021

S. Korea's top diplomat to attend G-7 ministerial talks in Britain this weekend

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will visit Britain this weekend to attend a meeting of foreign and development ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized countries, his ministry said Wednesday. The two-day session to open in Liverpool on Saturday is meant for discussions on a range of global issues, including ways for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and cooperation on global supply chains as well as economy and security in the Indo-Pacific region and gender equality,

Dec. 8, 2021

US committed to dialogue with N. Korea despite no success so far: White House czar

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains committed to engaging with North Korea diplomatically despite having no success so far, White House policy coordinator for Asia Kurt Campbell said Tuesday. "To date, we have not had success, but we are still determined to put our best foot forward with respect to diplomacy," Campbell told reporters after taking part in a forum hosted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, a think tank run by South Korean conglomerate SK Group. His remarks

Dec. 8, 2021

Moon faces dilemma over Beijing Olympics boycott

The US decision to have its diplomats boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics is posing a dilemma for South Korea, as Washington could prod allies to follow suit, while Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restart dialogue with Pyongyang. Amid the struggle between the two global superpowers, South Korea has taken an ambiguous diplomatic position, as it values both its security alliance with the US and its economic ties with China. But with Washington’s recent announcement, South

Dec. 7, 2021

Seoul raises concern over Japan’s ‘short-term’ focused Fukushima release assessment

The South Korean government has again raised concern about Japan’s plans to treat radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant and release it into the sea, saying Tokyo has only looked at the short-term impact on the marine environment. 　 Korean officials and experts voiced their concerns to their Japanese counterparts at a special virtual session held last Friday, in regard to a draft report released by the Tokyo Electric Power Co., the state-run operator of the wrecked p

Dec. 7, 2021

US will not send official delegation to Beijing Olympics: White House

The United States will diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights abuses, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. US athletes, however, will be allowed to take part should they choose to do so. "The (Joe) Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,"

Dec. 7, 2021

S. Korea to host two-day UN peacekeeping ministerial forum

A virtual UN peacekeeping ministerial conference is scheduled to open Tuesday, hosted by South Korea, promising to serve as a chance to further solidify the global community's collective commitment to sustainable peace in conflict-laden parts of the world. The two-day 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial comes as Seoul has steadily pushed to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and embrace a greater role in global efforts to stabilize volatile regions in the Middle East, Africa and el

Dec. 7, 2021

[Election 2022] How rival presidential candidates differ on US policy

At a time when uncertainty looms large on regional and international security order, South Koreans will head to the polls in March to elect a new president. 　 The leading contenders are Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative opposition People Power Party. While domestic issues such as runaway housing prices and continuing economic fallout from the pandemic are expected to be on the forefront of voters’ minds, the result will al

Dec. 6, 2021

Foreign ministry highlights COVID-19 diplomacy in white paper

South Korea stepped up diplomacy last year to deal with emerging challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and join global efforts to fight cross-border health threats, according to its annual diplomatic white paper published on Monday. The foreign ministry added a new chapter to the 2021 white paper to detail diplomatic activities in regard to protection of Korean nationals and businesses abroad, securing medical equipment, such as masks, and regional coordination against the pandemic. "The

Dec. 6, 2021

US ambassador to UN to join peacekeeping conference virtually

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will attend a virtual conference on UN peacekeeping hosted by the Seoul government next week, according to her office. Thomas-Greenfield will lead the US delegation to the virtual 2021 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial hosted by Seoul on Dec. 7 and 8 to reaffirm US commitment to improving peacekeeping operations, the US Mission to the UN said Friday (local time). "UN peacekeeping missions are one of the most effective tools the globa

Dec. 5, 2021

S. Korea, US to discuss possibility of advancing OPCON transfer assessment date

The militaries of South Korea and the United States will discuss the possibility of conducting an assessment required for the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) earlier than the current plan of next fall, a Seoul official said Friday. The official's remarks came after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly agreed to consider advancing the timing for the full operational capability (FOC) assessment during a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in on Thursday. Just h

Dec. 3, 2021

China supports declaration of Korean War’s end: Cheong Wa Dae

Top Chinese Communist Party diplomat Yang Jiechi said the nation supports President Moon Jae-in’s push for the declaration of the end of the Korean War during talks with Korea’s national security adviser Suh Hoon in Tianjin, China, officials said on Friday. Suh’s visit to China was made as a follow-up to Yang’s visit to Seoul in August 2020. They discussed bilateral relations, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues. Cheong Wa Dae said Suh ex

Dec. 3, 2021

13 Chinese rescued from sinking fishing boat in southern waters

A Coast Guard rescue operation was under way Friday to evacuate Chinese sailors from a fishing boat sinking in South Korea's southern waters, officials said. The 1,000-ton Chinese vessel started sinking at 10:59 a.m. after colliding with a rock in waters 22 kilometers southeast of Ganyeo Rock near the southern coastal city of Yeosu, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, according to officials. So far 13 people have been rescued, and nine others are also being evacuated. Coast Guards officials were d

Dec. 3, 2021

Top Chinese official expresses support for Seoul's pursuit of end-of-war declaration: embassy

A top Chinese official in charge of foreign affairs said Beijing supports Seoul's push for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, according to South Korea's embassy Friday. Yang Jiechi, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, delivered the message during a meeting with Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae who serves as President Moon Jae-in's national security adviser, in China's eastern city of Tianjin the previous day, the embassy in B

Dec. 3, 2021

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US to hold annual talks on OPCON transfer, N. Korea

South Korea and the United States are set to hold their annual defense ministerial talks in Seoul on Thursday to discuss the envisioned wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer, North Korean threats and bilateral alliance issues, officials here said. Defense Minister Suh Wook and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, will lead the 53rd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), as the allies are stepping up cooperation for regional stability amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and

Dec. 2, 2021