Vice defense minister visits S. Korean Akh unit in UAE

Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul has visited a South Korean military contingent in the United Arab Emirates to encourage troops for their service there, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. Shin met with members of the Akh unit on Wednesday after he arrived in the country for talks with his Emirati counterpart, Mattar Salem Ali Al Dhaheri, the previous day. Launched in 2011, the Akh unit has been carrying out various missions in the country, including training UAE troops and protecti

July 13, 2023

Yoon says S. Korea to open embassy in Lithuania

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Wednesday and formally informed him of Seoul's decision to open an embassy in Vilnius, his office said. The two held a summit in Vilnius on the sidelines of a gathering of leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which South Korea was invited to as a partner nation. Yoon called for expanding cooperation with Lithuania -- a leading nation in laser technology -- in bio and other cutting-edge indu

July 13, 2023

Yoon arrives in Poland for 3-day official visit

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Poland on Wednesday for a three-day official visit aimed at deepening cooperation in strategic sectors such as arms and nuclear power and facilitating South Korean participation in reconstruction projects in Ukraine. Yoon is scheduled to hold a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday and discuss ways to further develop the bilateral strategic partnership established in 2013. Talks will focus on expanding ties not only in trade and inv

July 13, 2023

FM to rally support against NK at ASEAN Forum

Foreign Minister Park Jin will seek to rally allies and countries to step up efforts for North Korea’s denuclearization at the ASEAN Regional Forum, the biggest security gathering in the region set to be held from Thursday to Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia. Having repeatedly stressed a united coalition on the isolated country defying international sanctions prompted by its nuclear ambitions, the top South Korean diplomat will in particular double down on curbing the North’s illegal cyb

July 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yoon's visit to Poland to set new milestone in bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Poland, the first by a South Korean leader in 14 years, is expected to strengthen further the strategic partnership between the two nations, which has seen significant progress on the back of recent arms deals amounting to multiple billions of dollars, according to the European country's top envoy in Seoul. In an interview with The Korea Herald conducted in prior to Yoon's visit to Poland on Wednesday, Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszews

July 12, 2023

US officials, lawmakers praise Yoon's leadership in improving relations with Japan

White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell and US Congressional leaders praised President Yoon Suk Yeol for his drive to improve relations with Japan when they held meetings with a delegation of the ruling People Power Party, the lawmakers said. The People Power Party delegation, led by leader Kim Gi-hyeon, has been on a visit to Washington as part of parliamentary diplomacy aimed at strengthening the alliance between the two countries on the occasion of its 70th anniversary this year. O

July 12, 2023

S. Korea, UAE hold vice ministerial defense talks in Abu Dhabi

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have held vice ministerial defense talks in Abu Dhabi to discuss bilateral cooperation in the arms industry and other security-related areas, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday. During the talks Tuesday, Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and his UAE counterpart, Mattar Salem Ali Al Dhaheri, agreed to expand bilateral cooperation to areas of common interest, such as cybersecurity and space. They assessed various efforts for defense cooperation

July 12, 2023

President Yoon discusses chip relations with Dutch, Portuguese leaders

VILNIUS, Lithuania – President Yoon Suk Yeol has met with leaders from NATO nations the Netherlands, Portugal and Norway to discuss enhancing cooperation and addressing regional issues. The conversations took place at a recent summit and focused on mutual efforts in fields such as national defense, security, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and nuclear power, according to a statement from the presidential office. During their summit on Tuesday, Yoon and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rut

July 11, 2023

South Korea, NATO agree to expand cooperation to emerging technologies

VILNIUS, Lithuania – South Korea and NATO agreed on Tuesday to upgrade their partnership by expanding the scope of cooperation from traditional areas such as counterterrorism, disarmament and cyber defense to emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, space and missiles. At a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed the need to "institutionalize the framework" to bolster cooperation with the US-led alliance. &ldq

July 11, 2023

[Herald Interview] Slovenian deputy PM inaugurates embassy, looks to fresh cooperation

Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister Tanja Fajon expressed hope for enhanced bilateral cooperation between Slovenia and Korea. Fajon led an official delegation to Korea from June 28 to July 1, where she officially inaugurated Slovenia's newly established permanent mission in Seoul. The opening ceremony was attended by a Slovenian delegation including: Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport Matjaz Han, representatives of Slovenian enterprises, the SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency

July 11, 2023

S. Korea sends additional military supplies bound for Ukraine

South Korea has dispatched a military transport aircraft to send additional military supplies to Ukraine, a defense official here said Monday. The defense ministry made the decision to provide the supplies at Kyiv's request, the official said, noting that Seoul has offered humanitarian and military logistics support to help "defend Ukraine's freedom." "We decided to send additional military supplies in consideration of Ukraine's request, and have sent a military t

July 10, 2023

Uzbek leader clinches third term in landslide victory

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was reelected for a third term with 87.1 percent of the vote on Sunday, the Central Election Commission said Monday, citing preliminary results. Mirziyoyev, who took office in 2016 upon his predecessor’s death and was on a second term of five years, called for an early election following a constitutional change by referendum in April that resets his term count and extends presidential terms to seven years. The 65-year-old lead

July 10, 2023

Ruling party leader to visit US to discuss strengthening alliance

The leader of the ruling People Power Party was set to leave for Washington on Monday for meetings with senior US government officials and congressional leaders to discuss ways to strengthen the alliance between the two countries, his party said. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon will lead a delegation of party members on the seven-day trip that also includes stops in New York and Los Angeles. Other lawmakers travelling together with Kim include Reps. Lee Chul-gyu, Kim Seok-ki, Yoo Sang-bum, Kang Min-kuk and Ku

July 10, 2023

New round of US-led IPEF talks kicks off in S. Korea

A new round of official negotiations for the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework has begun in South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan, the industry ministry said Monday. The fourth round of talks kicked off in Busan on Sunday for a six-day run, where some 650 officials from 14 member nations are seeking to make progress in setting details on trade, a clean economy and a fair economy -- three of its four key pillars, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In May, t

July 10, 2023

Opposition lawmakers to visit Japan to protest Fukushima water release

Opposition lawmakers were set to travel to Japan on Monday to protest Japan's plan to release radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. A team of 11 lawmakers, nine from the main opposition Democratic Party and two independents, will fly to Japan for a three-day trip that includes a protest rally in front of the official residence of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. They also plan to make a protest visit to the Japan office of the International Atomic Energy A

July 10, 2023

Yoon to embark on six-day trip to Lithuania, Poland

President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to depart for Lithuania on Monday for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit on a six-day trip that will take him to Poland for an official visit. This will be Yoon's second time attending a NATO summit after the previous one held in Spain last year, demonstrating his commitment to building solidarity with like-minded nations to promote values, such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law. The NATO gathering will be held in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesd

July 10, 2023

Yoon, Kishida to meet during NATO summit as Fukushima water debate intensifies

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on a six-day trip Monday to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania and visit Poland, but the focus will be on his meeting with the Japanese leader, where the two are expected to discuss Tokyo's plan to release treated wastewater into the sea. The South Korean presidential office confirmed Sunday that the summit between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will take place on the sidelines of the NATO Vilnius Summit on Tuesday and Wednes

July 9, 2023

Blinken will raise N. Korea issues at upcoming ARF meetings: official

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise issues with regard to nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea when he attends a regional forum next week but has no immediate plans to meet with North Korean officials there, a ranking state department official said Friday. Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reiterated that the US remains open to dialogue with North Korea but that Pyongyang has ignored U.S. overtures. "I am confident t

July 8, 2023

First meeting of NCG to be held in Seoul this month, involving senior officials: presidential office

The inaugural meeting of the new Nuclear Consultative Group between South Korea and the United States will be held later this month in Seoul, Seoul's presidential office said Saturday. The meeting will be held July 18, co-chaired by South Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo and US National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell. The meeting will "discuss information sharing, consultation mechanism and joint planning and execu

July 8, 2023

Ex-veteran diplomat picked to head overseas aid agency

Chang Won-sam, former veteran diplomat, has been appointed the new head of South Korea's overseas aid agency for a three-year term, the foreign ministry said Friday. Chang, a former secretary general of the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF), will take office Monday as the 14th president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency. He will succeed Sohn Hyuk-sang who quit last December. Having entered the foreign service in 1984, Chang served in various key diplomatic posts, inclu

July 7, 2023