N. Korean FM slams trilateral statement on arms transfer to Russia

North Korea's top diplomat on Saturday criticized a trilateral statement released by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo earlier this week condemning the reclusive regime's arms transfer to Russia, calling it a "groundless criticism and defamation." North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui issued the statement via Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, saying that others have "no right to interfere in the issues belonging to the national sovereignty of states.&q

Oct. 28, 2023

Italian president to pay state visit to S. Korea next month

Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay a state visit to South Korea next month and hold a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon's office said Friday. Mattarella will visit South Korea from Nov. 7-9 at Yoon's invitation. During the summit, the two leaders will discuss ways for the two countries to cooperate in various sectors, including the economy, space, science and technology, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the presidential office said. (Yonhap)

Oct. 27, 2023

Top US, Chinese diplomats hold talks over bilateral ties, Middle East tensions

The top diplomats of the United States and China met in Washington on Thursday to discuss cooperation over escalating tensions in the Middle East and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as bilateral ties marred by the two major powers' competition on security, technology and other fronts. The talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi came amid speculation that Washington and Beijing are working out details for an expected summit between President

Oct. 27, 2023

US House to adopt resolution for ‘Kimchi Day’

The US House of Representatives will adopt a resolution in early December to recognize Kimchi Day, honoring the Korean dish of fermented vegetables. According to the Museum of Korean American Heritage in New York, the adoption will take place on Dec. 6 after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee puts the resolution on the floor, which Rep. Young Kim (R-California) proposed with bipartisan backing. The resolution did not pass last year. The adoption this time, an official at the museum

Oct. 26, 2023

South Korea, Qatar agree to elevate ties, forge $4.6b industry partnership

DOHA, Qatar -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani agreed on Wednesday to upgrade bilateral ties by forging a comprehensive strategic partnership ahead of the two countries’ 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. Under the agreement, the two countries will expand communication channels in the fields of diplomacy and security, as well as bilateral cooperation in the defense industry. The leaders, during their summit held

Oct. 25, 2023

[Top Envoy] S. Korea is done with ‘strategic ambiguity,’ ex-envoy says

The Korea Herald publishes a series of interviews with South Korea’s former and current top diplomats who have played a central role in shaping the country’s foreign policies to confront the complexities of an increasingly contested international order while managing its historical relationships with allies and neighbors, for lasting peace beyond the Korean Peninsula. This is the third installment. -- Ed Heightening threats from North Korea to use its nuclear weapons against South Ko

Oct. 25, 2023

Blinken warns of 'swift, decisive' response in case of Iranian attack on US troops amid Middle East conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Tuesday that America will respond "swiftly and decisively" in the event of Iranian or proxy group attacks on American personnel in the Middle East. Blinken made the remarks at a UN Security Council ministerial meeting in New York as US and coalition forces were attacked at least 10 separate times in Iraq and three times in Syria between Oct. 17 and Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. The US has not yet obtained any intelligence indicating Ira

Oct. 25, 2023

Korea, Saudi Arabia agree to expand partnership for global stability, economy

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Leaders of South Korea and Saudi Arabia agreed to enhance their strategic partnership in a wide range of areas to boost economic ties and affirmed their opposition to any kind of attacks targeting civilians in the Israel-Palestine conflict in the first joint declaration adopted in more than four decades. According to the declaration released on the final day of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Saudi Arabia, the two sides agreed to actively explore ways

Oct. 24, 2023

US says it is 'not blind' to Iran's 'destabilizing' behavior

The United States warned Iran Monday that it is not "blind" to the Islamic republic's continued support for the Hamas militant group that launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel this month. John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks amid lingering concerns that renewed friction between Washington and Tehran could reduce room for Seoul, a key ally of the US, to engage with Iran for economic cooperation. Washington has be

Oct. 24, 2023

Touting historic ties with Saudi Arabia, Yoon calls for new partnership for growth

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea and Saudi Arabia could contribute to sustainable global growth by forging a future-oriented partnership that encompasses the fields of energy, digital technology, biology and space, underscoring a history of cooperation between the two countries. On his third day of a state visit to Saudi Arabia, Yoon stressed the importance of the special partnership between the two countries that began in the 1970s, serving as the foundation fo

Oct. 24, 2023

Yoon’s trip offers momentum for economic growth: experts

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s six-day trip to the Middle East, largely meant to expand economic ties, offers fresh momentum for South Korean companies to ride out global headwinds in the long-run, experts said Monday. The state visit to Saudi Arabia has already led to a signing of deals including memorandums of understanding worth $15.6 billion in total, over areas ranging from food to oil to energy, according to Yoon’s office. He returns home Thursday after a one-day tour to Qatar the p

Oct. 23, 2023

S. Korea, Saudi Arabia ‘in final stages’ of agreeing large-scale defense cooperation

  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- South Korea and Saudi Arabia are "in the final stages” for large-scale defense collaboration across various fields, such as air defense, firepower and weapons, the presidential office said Monday. Following the summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of South Korea's National Security Office, told reporters that the government was discussing "a long-term, systema

Oct. 23, 2023

S. Korea pledges support for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, peace in Middle East

  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Leaders of South Korea and Saudi Arabia discussed strengthening economic ties by expanding Seoul's involvement in Riyadh's "Vision 2030" plan and to contribute to peace in the region amid the Israel-Palestine conflict. During the summit, President Yoon Suk Yeol and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman followed up on the investment promise of the $29 billion worth of contracts and memorandums of understanding signed during the prince's visit to Seoul in

Oct. 22, 2023

S. Korea expresses gratitude to Japan for assisting return of Koreans from war-torn Israel

The South Korean government has expressed gratitude to Japan for helping bring back a group of Koreans from war-stricken Israel, a foreign ministry official said Saturday. Earlier in the morning, a Japanese air tanker arrived in Tokyo from Israel, carrying dozens of its nationals, along with 18 South Koreans and a foreign family member of one of the Korean passengers. The move was seen as reciprocation after a South Korean military aircraft brought back 51 Japanese people, along with 163 South K

Oct. 21, 2023

Yoon embarks on state visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar

President Yoon Suk Yeol embarked on a series of state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday with economic cooperation high on the agenda despite ongoing turmoil over the war between Israel and Hamas. On the first leg of his trip, Yoon will visit Riyadh from Saturday to Tuesday, and hold a summit with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman before attending various economic events. The summit will come nearly a year after the crown prince visited Seoul last November and t

Oct. 21, 2023

Japan returns favor, flies S. Koreans out of Israel

Japan is evacuating 18 South Koreans from Israel using its military aircraft, a gesture of goodwill that appears to reciprocate Seoul’s rescue flight last week to bring back Japanese alongside its citizens. According to Kyodo News and the Japanese Defense Ministry, 18 Koreans and one family member of foreign nationality -- along with 60 Japanese and four family members of foreign nationality -- will land at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on early Saturday. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said it ha

Oct. 20, 2023

US to take 'whatever steps' it can to address arms transfers between N. Korea, Russia: State Department

The United States will take "whatever steps" it can to hold to account those involved in arms transfers between North Korean and Russia, the State Department said Thursday, stressing it will "closely" monitor related developments. Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson, made the remarks after the US government revealed last Friday that the North shipped 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine. "We have

Oct. 20, 2023

China may have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030: Pentagon

China is estimated to have more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May, and the figure may swell to over 1,000 by 2030, according to an annual Pentagon report released Thursday. The US Department of Defense released the 2023 Report on the Military and Security Developments involving the People's Republic of China, a document that has annually been submitted to Congress in line with the National Defense Authorization Act. The report predicts that over the next decade, China will continue

Oct. 20, 2023

S. Korea proposes foreign ministerial talks with Japan, China in late November

South Korea has proposed holding top-level diplomatic talks with Japan and China late next month, which Tokyo is positively considering, a Japanese media report said Thursday, in what could open the way for the first trilateral summit among their leaders in four years. "South Korea, as the rotating chair of the trilateral framework, has sounded them out about the three-way talks on around Nov. 26 in Busan, and Japan is positive about the plan," Japan's Kyodo News said in its Engli

Oct. 19, 2023

Yoon set for state visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this weekend to bolster economic and future-oriented tech collaborations with the Middle East countries, amid mounting regional security concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict. Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of South Korea's National Security Office, told reporters Thursday that Yoon is scheduled to visit Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, from Saturday to Tuesday, followed by Doha, Qatar, fo

Oct. 19, 2023