S. Korea says is in talks with Poland on arms deals amid worries about possible cancellation

South Korea is in talks with Poland to ensure the multiple arms contracts signed between Korean companies and the Polish government will be carried out as agreed despite the change of the leadership in Warsaw, a Seoul official said Tuesday. Concerns are growing as the new Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, signaled a revision to some of the arms contracts inked under the preceding government, citing overspending of the budget. South Korean defense firms have clinched about $13

Dec. 26, 2023

Tech cooperation key to future of Korea-India ties: Indian envoy

Strategic technological cooperation spanning space, 5G networks and green energy holds the key to advancing the future of bilateral relations between South Korea and India, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar said. "I think technology will increasingly play a very important role in our partnership," Kumar told The Korea Herald on Dec. 14 at an interview held in Seoul, marking the 50th anniversary of establishing bilateral diplomatic ties. "We should explore a technology partners

Dec. 26, 2023

UNHCR calls for China to ensure 'humanitarian space' for N. Korean asylum seekers

The United Nations' refugee agency has recommended China ensure "viable and effective humanitarian space" for North Korean refugees, according to a report posted on the website of the UN Human Rights Council. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees made the recommendation as China is set to undergo a universal periodic review in January. UPR is a mechanism that calls for each UN member state to go through a peer review of its human rights record every 4.5 years. The re

Dec. 26, 2023

Pontiff calls for Korea peace through dialogue in Christmas message

Pope Francis expressed hope for efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through "dialogue and reconciliation" in his Christmas message on Monday, amid tensions heightened by North Korea's recent missile launches and tough rhetoric. The pontiff delivered the message during his "Urbi et Orbi" -- or "to the city and the world" -- blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican as the world has been beset by multiple secur

Dec. 26, 2023

At least 68 killed in central Gaza in airstrike, adding to weekend's bloodshed

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — At least 68 people were killed by an Israeli strike in central Gaza, health officials said Sunday, while the number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat over the weekend rose to 15. Associated Press journalists at a nearby hospital watched frantic Palestinians carry the dead, including a baby, and wounded following the strike on the Maghazi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah. One bloodied young girl looked stunned while her body was checked for broken bones. The 68

Dec. 25, 2023

Gunman opens fire in a Prague university, killing 14 people in Czech Republic's worst mass shooting

A student opened fire Thursday at a university in Prague, killing at least 14 people, officials said, and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting. The bloodshed took place in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the shooter was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said. The gunman also died, authorities said. His name has not been released. Vondrasek said in the evening that 14 people had died and 25 were injured, after earlie

Dec. 22, 2023

S. Korea, Japan agree to realize 'full potential' in economic cooperation

South Korea and Japan agreed Thursday to work together to "fully realize" the potential in economic cooperation as they resumed high-level economic talks in nearly eight years amid a thaw in bilateral ties. The two countries reached the agreement during the economic dialogue, led by Kang Jae-kwon, South Korea's deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, and Keiichi Ono, Japanese senior deputy foreign minister, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The two sides "agreed to st

Dec. 21, 2023

Govt. to again push for third-party reimbursement plan for forced labor victims

South Korea will again seek to compensate the victims of Japan's wartime forced labor under the government's third-party reimbursement system, the foreign ministry said Thursday, after the Supreme Court handed down a ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate the victims. Earlier in the day, the top court announced the decisions on two damages suits filed against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp. between 2013 and 2014, ordering them to compensate the South K

Dec. 21, 2023

Simon Bolivar honored in Seoul

The Venezuelan Embassy in Seoul held a solemn ceremony commemorating the 193rd death anniversary of Simon Bolivar, a revered figure in South American history, on Monday. Simon Bolivar, born in 1783 in Caracas, was a Venezuelan military and political leader who is known for his key role in struggles for independence from Spanish rule in Latin America, leading to the independence of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Panama. Bolivar died on December 17, 1830. Delivering remarks at the

Dec. 21, 2023

Top envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan condemn NK missile launch

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Thursday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's consecutive launches of short and long-range ballistic missiles, pledging concerted efforts to block the Kim Jong-un regime's channels for illicit revenue. The joint statement was issued in the days following the UN Security Council meeting Tuesday, which, unfortunately, failed to produce any tangible actions once again to address North Korea's launches in vi

Dec. 21, 2023

S. Korean, Benin FMs hold talks on bilateral ties, regional security

Foreign Minister Park Jin held talks with his Benin counterpart Wednesday on ways to step up bilateral cooperation and discussed the security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said. In his talks with Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Park voiced hopes for strengthening cooperation in the economic and development areas, and held out expectations that Patrice Talon, Benin's president, will visit South Korea next year to attend the South Korea-Africa summit. Bakari, in response, expressed h

Dec. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Hiroshima survivor recounts tragic experience

TOKYO -- A nuclear bomb detonated as a 12-year-old schoolgirl was on her way to her family, on a train fleeing a war nearing its end. “I heard the B-29 bomber flying over, which got me thinking, ‘The air raid warning isn’t on. What is that?’ Then I heard a blast and saw flames roaring,” said Park Nam-joo, recalling the day Hiroshima went up in flames on Aug. 6, 1945, which hastened Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The 91-year-old Korean Japanese,

Dec. 20, 2023

S. Korea-China ties as crucial as US alliance: FM nominee

Cho Tae-yul, the nominee for South Korean foreign minister, told reporters on Wednesday he intends to foster an improvement in Korea-China relations in harmony with Seoul's alliance with Washington. "Given that the relations between Korea and China are no less important than the Korea-US alliance, I will strive to seek ways to maintain the bilateral ties harmoniously," Cho said to reporters during his first day of preparations for a parliamentary confirmation hearing. Cho said he

Dec. 20, 2023

S. Korean delegation visits Kuwait to pay respects to late emir

A South Korean condolence delegation visiting Kuwait has attended a memorial service to pay respects to the late Kuwaiti leader Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The delegation, led by Foreign Minister Park Jin, offered deep condolences to the new emir, Mishal Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, on behalf of President Yoon Suk Yeol and the South Korean government, during a meeting Monday (local time), the ministry said. Kuwait announced the death of Sheikh Nawaf on Sat

Dec. 19, 2023

Finnish envoy looks back on special ties with Korea on fighting COVID-19

Celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties between Finland and Korea, Finnish Ambassador to Korea Pekka Metso talked about hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the collaborative spirit that shaped an enduring relationship between the two nations. "The COVID-19 pandemic, a challenge faced by mankind as a whole, became a test of our bilateral relations. Finland and Korea worked together for innovative solutions, with test samples sent from Finland to Korea for analysis due to your prime te

Dec. 18, 2023

Kazakh Embassy showcases Aktobe tourism

A roadshow introducing tourist routes in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, was held at Seoul Cyber University in the city's Gangbuk district. The event featured exquisite works by Aktobe designers, artisans and jewelers, accompanied by traditional Kazakh sweets and treats. The Aktobe region in Kazakhstan is renowned for its sacred monuments, ancient oceans and Stone Age civilizations. Positioned at a strategic intersection of air, rail and highway routes leading to Russia, Uzbekistan and the Caspian Sea,

Dec. 18, 2023

3 in 10 new couples embrace DINK lifestyle

Nearly 30 percent of Korean couples who have been married for less than five years both work and have no children, according to a report released Monday by Statistics Korea. Among the 815,357 such couples, 28.7 percent were “dual-income, no kids” couples, or DINKs. It represented more than a 10 percentage point increase from 2015. The shift toward the DINK lifestyle is attributed to various factors, including the increased participation of women in the workforce, a growing societal

Dec. 18, 2023

Japan: Stop calling Fukushima water ‘contaminated’

TOKYO -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. wants South Korea to stop calling the wastewater released from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant “contaminated” because the water has been treated. “The two terms -- treated and contaminated -- should be used accordingly,” Tomohiko Mayuzumi, a spokesperson for the power company operating the plant, told reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 1. “It’s treated if the water has gone through the Advanced Liquid Processing System and i

Dec. 17, 2023

S. Korea expresses 'stern' protest to China, Russia over air defense zone incursion

South Korea's defense ministry lodged a "stern" protest with China and Russia on Friday over their warplanes' entry into the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) in the East Sea without notice. On Thursday, two Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ and exited it, prompting the South Korean Air Force to scramble fighter jets to the scene. They did not violate South Korea's air space. Lee Seung-bom, director general for internationa

Dec. 15, 2023

Doha Forum calls for Gaza cease-fire, multipolar humanitarian diplomacy

DOHA, Qatar -- Heads of state, UN officials, diplomats and experts called for a cease-fire in Gaza and humanitarian diplomacy to resolve conflicts and foster a sustainable, shared future at the 21st Doha Forum held Dec. 10-11. Under the theme, "Diplomacy, Dialogue and Diversity," the global forum discussed the interconnected nature of global challenges, the future of education, the energy transition, AI governance, economic systems, women's health in conflict, international law, g

Dec. 15, 2023