FM holds talks with top officials of S. American nations, Caribbean states

Foreign Minister Park Jin held back-to-back talks with top officials of South American countries and Caribbean states in Seoul on Wednesday and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation, the foreign ministry said. In the meeting with his Ecuadorian counterpart, Gustavo Manrique, the two ministers welcomed that the two countries have reached their strategic economic cooperation agreement, equivalent to a free trade agreement, saying it will open a new chapter for two-way trade cooperation. Th

Oct. 11, 2023

USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to arrive in Busan this week

The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier will arrive at a key South Korean naval base later this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, in a major show of force against North Korean threats. Carrier Strike Group 5, which includes the aircraft carrier, the Aegis-equipped USS Shoup destroyer and other warships, will enter the naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday for a five-day visit, according to the ministry. The USS Ronald Reagan last visit

Oct. 10, 2023

218 Koreans head home from Israel: Foreign Ministry

A total of 218 South Korean nationals in Israel headed home on Tuesday after Hamas’ attack Saturday, with 191 of them on a Korean Air flight and the rest on the move by foot to nearby Jordan. Another 30 South Koreans will follow suit Thursday when they take a Turkish Airlines flight bound for Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday, adding that it is reaching out to the remaining 230 so that they may safely leave the country. A total of 1,050 South Korean nationals are in Israel,

Oct. 10, 2023

[Photo News] Day of German Unity

(From left) Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) Chairwoman Julia Braune, German Ambassador-designate to South Korea Georg Schmidt, South Korean Land Minister Won Hee-ryong, Baden-Württemberg (a German state) Minister for Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection Peter Hauk pose for a photo celebrating the Day of German Unity at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Wednesday. (German Embassy in Seoul)

Oct. 10, 2023

Israel strikes and seals off Gaza after incursion by Hamas, which vows to execute hostages

JERUSALEM — Israel increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel and other supplies Monday in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants, as the war's death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides. Hamas also escalated the conflict, pledging to kill captured Israelis if attacks targeted civilians without warnings. In the war's third day, Israel was still finding bodies from Hamas' stunning weekend attack into southern Israeli towns. Resc

Oct. 10, 2023

[Herald Interview] Foreign Minister Park Jin reaffirms confidence in Indo-Pacific strategy

Long before he became foreign minister, Park Jin had set his sights in high school on practicing medicine, just like his father. That was, until a news article changed course for him. “So my father, who used to read English newspapers every day, handed me this report and the words he underlined were: the US-China detente,” the foreign minister said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. Park, 67, was referring to a Korea Herald article of former US President Richard Nixon&rsquo

Oct. 10, 2023

[Photo News] Housing solutions in Asia-Pacific

Luis Noda, Asia-Pacific vice president of Habitat for Humanity International, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Friday. Noda urged stakeholders to take sustainable approaches to adequate housing in informal settlements. The conference was held ahead of the ninth Asia-Pacific Housing Forum 2023, to be held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 26 to 27.

Oct. 10, 2023

Indian Embassy holds Sarang festival to promote cultural exchange

The Indian Embassy in Seoul is celebrating the ninth edition of the Sarang festival, a cultural event aimed at fostering people-to-people connections through cultural exchanges between India and Korea. The word "sarang" holds significant meaning for both Koreans and Indians. In Korean, "sarang" means "love," while for Indians, it represents diversity and symbolizes the vibrant colors of India. This year's Sarang festival, which kicked off Friday, has been exp

Oct. 10, 2023

UAM, robotics crucial for Denmark, Korea: Odense mayor

The head of Denmark's city of Odense urged stronger cooperation with Korea in urban air mobility, artificial intelligence and robotics in an interview with The Korea Herald last week. Mayor Peter Rahbaek Juel was in Korea to attend the 12th biennial World Cities Summit Mayors Forum in Seoul and to step up cooperation in the new transportation method. Odense, Denmark's third-largest city, is making efforts to create an operational environment for urban air mobility and infrastructure li

Oct. 10, 2023

US eases export controls on chip equipment for Samsung, SK factories in China

The United States has decided to allow exports of its semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix factories in China without a separate approval process, the presidential office said Monday, a much-needed relief to the Korean chipmakers. The US government has designated Samsung Electronics and SK hynix's chip factories in China as "verified end users (VEU)," which would reduce the licensing burden on them by allowing U.S. exporters to ship designated items

Oct. 9, 2023

S. Korea issues special travel advisory on Israel; no reported harm to S. Koreans

South Korea on Sunday issued a special travel advisory on Israel and urged South Korean nationals to leave via a third country, if possible, amid security concerns in the wake of the Hamas militant group's rocket attack, the foreign ministry said. The militant Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip in Palestine, launched rocket attacks on central and southern areas of Israel during a major Jewish holiday Saturday and Israel staged retaliatory air strikes against it, leaving hundreds of people kill

Oct. 8, 2023

Seoul condemns Hamas’ attack on Israel

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Sunday that no Korean injuries or deaths have been reported so far from the fighting in Israel that erupted Saturday. There are currently 570 Korean residents in Israel -- 290 in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, 210 in central areas including Tel Aviv and 70 in other regions. There are also thought to be some 360 Korean tourists in the country, according to the ministry. The ministry advised Korean residents and travelers to evacuate to a third country if

Oct. 8, 2023

S. Korea expects to expand exchanges with Japan amid thaw: FM official

South Korea is expecting fresh consultations with Japan “at many levels,” a senior Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said Friday following their high-level talks the previous day that took place after a nine-year hiatus. First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin and his Japanese counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, met in Seoul to reaffirm their commitment to curbing the growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear weapons development -- the highest priority among th

Oct. 6, 2023

US public support for defending South Korea wanes, survey finds

A growing number of Americans are reluctant to use US troops to defend South Korea from a North Korean invasion, according to a recent survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a nongovernmental research institute. The survey, conducted from Sept. 7-18 among 3,242 US adults, shows that only half of the respondents agreed with the idea of committing US troops to defend South Korea, marking a significant decrease from the previous year, when 63 percent were in favor. The shift in public opi

Oct. 5, 2023

Seoul, Tokyo restore high-ranking talks after 9-year hiatus

South Korea and Japan restored vice-ministerial diplomatic channels for dialogue in Seoul on Thursday for the first time in nine years, in one of Seoul's latest gestures toward improving ties with Tokyo. South Korea's First Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Chang Ho-jin met with Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano in a closed-door meeting at 10 a.m. to seek ways for strategic cooperation, as the bilateral relationship is thawing, the government said in a state

Oct. 5, 2023

Governor promotes Jeju's sustainable future at GBF

Oh Young-hun, the governor of Jeju special self-governing province, highlighted the island's business environment and the municipality's support measures to pursue sustainable future at a forum in Seoul on Wednesday. Speaking at the fourth edition of The Korea Herald's Global Biz Forum, Oh said Jeju had launched green hydrogen production in the island's northeastern region with an aim to usher in a zero-carbon era. "The island already operates buses powered by green hydr

Oct. 5, 2023

Pentagon chief renews support for Japan's 'counterstrike' capabilities amid N. Korean threats

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated his backing for Japan's decision to build "counterstrike" capabilities during talks with his Japanese counterpart on Wednesday, as Washington and Tokyo are tightening security coordination in the face of North Korea's evolving threats and China's growing assertiveness. Austin held his first in-person talks with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara at the Pentagon since Kihara took office last month. Their agenda included Japan's decision

Oct. 5, 2023

S. Korean experts to inspect Japan water release

South Korean experts will fly to Japan to monitor the second release of treated radioactive wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant, set to start Thursday, the Korean government said Wednesday. “Like the first release, we will be working with the Japanese government to share real-time data on the second discharge and monitor data released by the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company,” said Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy C

Oct. 4, 2023

Bipartisan Senate delegation to visit S. Korea, China, Japan this month

A bipartisan Senate delegation will travel to South Korea, China and Japan this month, in an East Asia swing aimed at advancing US economic and national security interests, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer's office was quoted as saying Tuesday. The six-senator group, including Schumer and Republican Mike Crapo, plans to make the trip, during which it will meet government and business leaders in each country, according to Reuters. Schumer's office confirmed to Yonhap News Agency tha

Oct. 4, 2023

US calls on China to encourage N. Korea's return to diplomacy

  WASHINGTON -- The United States has called on China to use its influence to encourage North Korea to take steps for de-escalation and return to diplomacy, the State Department said Monday. Spokesperson Matthew Miller made the remarks amid expectations that an anticipated summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing this month would lead to a strengthening of cooperation between the two countries and North Korea. "One of the things that w

Oct. 3, 2023