High-level S. Korea-Australia talks canceled amid Israel-Hamas war: Seoul official

High-level talks between South Korea and Australia planned for this week have been canceled due to the Australian foreign minister's need to respond to the Israel-Hamas war, a Seoul official said Tuesday. The two countries had scheduled to hold their so-called two-plus-two talks involving their foreign and defense ministers in Seoul on Thursday, but they have been canceled "due to circumstances on Australia's side," the government official said. Australian Foreign Minister Pe

Oct. 17, 2023

S. Korean kidnapped in Philippines freed

A South Korean national kidnapped in the Philippines three weeks ago has been freed, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. The ministry did not disclose the individual’s identity or why he had been abducted, only saying he is in good health. Local police said one of several suspects is in custody, without elaborating. “We had worked closely with authorities here and there for a safe return of our citizen,” the ministry added.

Oct. 17, 2023

Response to Yasukuni visits underway: official

South Korea will soon reveal its response to expected visits by Japanese lawmakers to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead from 1868 to 1954, including 14 convicted Class A World War II war criminals. A senior official in Seoul with knowledge of the matter told reporters Tuesday that the government needs to monitor the situation closely, referring to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision the same day to send an offering to the shrine. The previo

Oct. 17, 2023

2 Russian ships made 5 trips between N. Korea, Russia since mid-Aug. in suspected arms transfers: WP

Two Russian ships made at least five round trips between North Korea and Russia, beginning mid-August, in what could be arms transfers, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing satellite imagery. Based on analysis by the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, the ships have been travelling between the northeastern North Korean port of Najin and a port facility in Dunay in Russia's Far East between mid-August and Saturday. The analysis came after the US government rev

Oct. 17, 2023

Japan thanks S. Korea for Israel rescue effort

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa thanked South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin for evacuating Japanese from Israel using South Korea’s military transport plane in a phone call Sunday, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement. On board the plane, which landed at Seoul Air Base late Saturday from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, were 163 South Koreans, 51 Japanese and six Singaporeans. Medical staff along with a team handling emergency responses were also a

Oct. 15, 2023

S. Korea mulls response to NK arms deals

South Korea is closely monitoring developments in the latest military exchanges between North Korea and Russia and will consider measures in response, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Saturday. “Any weapons exchanges between the two are a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a threat to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry official said, referring to sanctions the North has been facing. “We’re al

Oct. 15, 2023

163 S. Koreans arrive home from Israel on military aircraft

More than 160 South Korean nationals arrived home from Israel aboard a military aircraft late Saturday, the foreign ministry said, after an armed clash broke out between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Hamas group. A KC-330 military transport plane carrying 163 South Koreans landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, at 10:45 p.m., the ministry said. The plane flew to Israel on Friday and departed from Tel Aviv early Saturday. The plane also brought 51 Japanese and six Singa

Oct. 15, 2023

S. Korea to review additional measures against N. Korea's arms transfer to Russia

South Korea plans to review additional measures against growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, a senior government official said Saturday, following revelations that Pyongyang has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow for use in Ukraine. The White House announced Friday that the North has made such a delivery in recent weeks, amid speculation that a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin last

Oct. 14, 2023

PM visits Greece for talks on cooperation, World Expo bid campaign

SEOUL, Oct. 14 -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has traveled to Greece for talks on cooperation in advanced industries and to campaign for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, according to his office Saturday. During a meeting with his counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens on Friday (local time), Han praised Greece, which fought alongside South Korea during the Korean War, as sharing common values with Seoul and expressed hope for expanded cooperation in areas of advanced indu

Oct. 14, 2023

New US special envoy for N. Korean human rights issues takes office, plans to visit Seoul next week

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The new US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues took office Friday, the State Department said, ending more than six years of vacancy at the post. Ambassador Julie Turner was officially sworn in and plans to travel to Seoul from Monday to Wednesday next week to meet government officials, civic organizations, North Korean escapees and journalists, according to the department. During her scheduled meetings in Seoul, she plans to discuss her priorities as the specia

Oct. 14, 2023

N. Korea sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment, munitions to Russia: White House

WASHINGTON -- North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine, a White House official said Friday, lambasting burgeoning cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as a threat to regional stability. In a press briefing, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, disclosed the information, amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong

Oct. 14, 2023

Military aircraft carrying S. Koreans leaves Israel

A South Korean military aircraft is en route to safely bring 163 nationals back home from Israel amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Seoul said Saturday. The South Korean Air Force's KC-330 Cygnus transport aircraft is scheduled to touch down at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday evening, as part of its mission to evacuate South Korean citizens stranded in Israel, according to the joint announcement by the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. Recognizi

Oct. 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] Indonesia's Aladin Bank CEO eyes digital banking partnerships with Korea

Dyota M. Marsudi, CEO of Bank Aladin Syariah, said he hopes to foster collaborations with Korean companies in the fast-growing digital banking sector. Bank Aladin Syariah is a digital banking institution under the supervision of the Financial Services Authority in Indonesia and a member of the Indonesian Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS). Marsudi envisions digital banking as a strategic approach with a core commitment to Sharia banking principles, focusing on serving customers and enriching so

Oct. 13, 2023

US brushes aside concerns about potential impact of Middle East conflict on Korean Peninsula security

A White House official dismissed concerns Thursday that the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group could negatively affect the United States' security commitments to South Korea and other allies. Since the eruption of the conflict sparked by Hamas' surprise attack last week, questions have lingered over whether Washington can simultaneously address multiple crises, including one in Ukraine. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, gave

Oct. 13, 2023

Blinken, Austin reaffirm support for Israel, condemn Hamas brutality

Top US officials on Thursday reiterated America's "rock-solid" support for Israel and denounced the brutality of Hamas "terrorists," as the fighting sparked by the Palestinian militant group's surprise attack last week has left at least 27 US citizens dead. In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the United States' solidarity with Israel and its commitment to the vision of a

Oct. 13, 2023

S. Korea to send US$1 mln in aid to quake-hit Afghanistan

South Korea will send US$1 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after a devastating earthquake in a northwestern province last week killed more than 2,000 people, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The emergency aid will be delivered via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the ministry said. As of Monday, 2,445 people had died and 9,240 had been injured, as the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Herat on Saturday, according to data from the Intern

Oct. 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Estonian leader highlights shared values, historical struggles as basis for stronger ties

Estonia and South Korea have more in common than one might realize. From historic struggles to defend their freedom to the goal of building a digitally advanced democracy, their similarities and shared values work to unite the two nations on both security and the economy, Estonian President Alar Karis, told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul. “More than ever, the security in the Euro-Atlantic area and the security in the Pacific region around Korea are interconnected. We understan

Oct. 12, 2023

UAE President's Seoul visit postponed amid Middle East tensions

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's scheduled visit to South Korea this month has been postponed, according to the Korean presidential office on Thursday. Yoon's office confirmed to The Korea Herald that due to an “unexpected situation” in the region, the two nations have “mutually agreed” to postpone the UAE president's visit to Korea. The rising conflict between the Palestini

Oct. 12, 2023

PM makes official visit to Denmark to promote Expo bid

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo made an official visit to Denmark as part of his four-nation European trip to promote South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern city of Busan, his office said Thursday. Han arrived in Copenhagen on Tuesday for the second leg of his tour, engaging in meetings with prominent figures, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Queen Margrethe II, the office said. Han is the first South Korean prime minister to visit Denmark in a decade

Oct. 12, 2023

Pentagon chief stresses US ability to tackle 'crises in multiple theaters'

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted America's ability to address "crises in multiple theaters" simultaneously on Wednesday, apparently dismissing concerns that the renewed Israel-Hamas conflict would affect its security commitments to Ukraine and other partners. Austin made the remarks on the margins of a defense ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, as Washington announced an additional security aid package, valued at up to $200 million,

Oct. 12, 2023