FM Park discusses NK, Japan with IAEA chief

Foreign Minister Park Jin and UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met in Seoul on late Thursday afternoon to discuss ways of putting checks on North Korea’s nuclear buildup and to work together on Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. The three-day trip by the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency that started Wednesday is the latest highlight of Seoul’s efforts to muster international support to deal with

Dec. 15, 2022

IAEA chief in Seoul to discuss N. Korea nukes

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will discuss North Korea, among other issues, during his three-day trip to South Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The trip, which started Wednesday after a five-year hiatus, comes as South Korea looks for a more coordinated international response to North Korea’s provocations. This year, Pyongyang has conducted a record number of missile launches, prompting not only Seoul, but the international community to step up efforts to rein in the i

Dec. 14, 2022

US goal of denuclearizing Korean Peninsula will not change: State Dept.

WASHINGTON-- The United States remains fully committed to completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and that goal will not change, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. The department spokesperson, Ned Price, also stressed the importance of holding North Korea accountable for its recent missile provocations. "We have conveyed our policy position by noting that we undertook a comprehensive review of our policy towards the DPRK in the early part of this administration," Pr

Dec. 14, 2022

S.Korea-China talks expose lingering differences over NK

China urged South Korea to join its rally against the US -- Korea’s biggest ally -- calling it a “rule breaker” in what many see as the lingering discord that is likely to hamper Seoul’s efforts to use Beijing’s support to resume the US-led nuclear talks on North Korea. During a video conference held Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Korea counterpart that the US Inflation Reduction Act, which offers subsidies for electric vehicles made there, violat

Dec. 13, 2022

S. Korea, US agree to continue 'constructive' discussions on IRA issue: ministry

WASHINGTON -- Senior South Korean and US government officials had discussions on Seoul's concerns about the impact of Washington's Inflation Reduction Act and agreed to continue "constructive" consultations to address the matter, according to a joint statement. South Korea's second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon met with Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez in Washington, DC, on Monday for the seventh Senior Econom

Dec. 13, 2022

US will find a way to meet economic interests of S. Korea under inflation act: Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- The United States will find ways to meet its economic interests, as well as those of America's allies, in implementing the new Inflation Reduction Act that currently offers tax benefits only to electric vehicles assembled in North America, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday. Sullivan said such solutions will be presented in the "coming days and weeks." "We have had extensive consultations with Republic of Korea on the Inflation Reduc

Dec. 13, 2022

US will not hesitate to sanction anyone supporting N. Korea's weapons programs: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States will not hesitate to impose sanctions on any individuals who support North Korea's illegal weapons development programs, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Ned Price also said the US is always looking for individuals who may be held accountable for North Korea's illegal weapons of mass destruction programs. "We are always looking for individuals who would be appropriate to sanction under our various authorities, including those authorities

Dec. 13, 2022

S. Korea asks for China’s support to engage N. Korea

South Korea asked China to step up efforts to bring North Korea back to denuclearization talks at a videoconference Monday held between their respective foreign ministers, as the two countries seek to better ties that have been strained by their divergent views on Pyongyang and the escalating US-China rivalry. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told his counterpart Wang Yi that North Korea’s return to dialogue is in their “shared interest,” urging Beijing to actively back S

Dec. 12, 2022

Second Vice FM departs for Washington for talks on IRA

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon left for Washington on Sunday for talks on the Inflation Reduction Act and other economic issues. Lee plans to hold a session of the Senior Economic Dialogue with his US counterpart, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Jose Fernandez, and meet with other US administration and congressional officials. "The IRA will be dealt with as the most important issue," Lee said before departure. The IRA, signed into law by US President Joe Biden in

Dec. 11, 2022

US Assistant Secretary of State Kritenbrink to visit Seoul

WASHINGTON -- US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will visit South Korea next week for consultations on a range of regional and bilateral issues, the State Department said Saturday. Kritenbrink will travel together with National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger on the three-nation trip from Sunday to Wednesday that also includes stops in China and Japan, the department said in a press release. "In the

Dec. 11, 2022

S. Korea to offer 100 tons of aid items to Ukraine this month: ministry

South Korea plans to offer some 100 tons of humanitarian aid items to Ukraine, which is suffering power shortages this month amid its war with Russia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The items, which include power generators, children's vaccines, medical devices and emergency medicines, are scheduled to be sent in two batches on Sunday and Dec. 25 via chartered flights. According to the ministry, the planned shipment of power generators is meant to help meet Ukraine's urgent

Dec. 9, 2022

US envoy for N. Korea holds rare talks with Chinese counterpart over recent provocations

WASHINGTON -- US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim held talks this week with his Chinese counterpart to discuss North Korea's increasingly provocative behavior, the state department said Thursday. The rare meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, according to department spokesperson Ned Price. "Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim held a video conference on December 7 with PRC Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming to discuss the DPRK'

Dec. 9, 2022

N. Korean nuclear threat poses serious challenge to US extended deterrence: Campbell

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear tests and its potential use of nuclear weapons against the US and its allies present a serious challenge that requires the US to further enhance its extended deterrence, a White House official said Thursday. Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, noted keeping US allies from developing their own nuclear capabilities may also be a "big challenge" for the US going forward. "I would suggest that one of t

Dec. 9, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] US-Mainland China-Taiwan Relations after Taiwan’s Local Election

Taiwan's recent local elections have received unprecedented attention from the international community. The election took place amid higher tensions in the Taiwan Strait than ever, due to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks on the use of force. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won only five out of the 21 local chief posts, while the opposition Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) won 13, including the capital Taipe

Dec. 8, 2022

US will continue holding joint exercises against N. Korean provocations: Kirby

WASHINGTON-- The United States will continue to hold joint military exercises bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea and Japan to enhance the countries' defense capabilities against North Korean provocations, a White House official said Wednesday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, also urged North Korea to engage in dialogue. "We are working with all of our allies and partners to continue to put pressure on Pyongyang," Kirby s

Dec. 8, 2022

Russia continues to look to N. Korea for weapons for use in Ukraine: State Dept.

WASHINGTON-- Russia continues to look to North Korea and Iran for weapons to be used in its illegal war against Ukraine, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. Ned Price also called North Korea the most serious threat in the Indo-Pacific, partly citing its recent series of ballistic missile launches. "We know that Russia's brutal assault against Ukraine has forced Russia to extend its relatively scarce quantities of weaponry, including ballistic missiles," the departmen

Dec. 8, 2022

Asian health experts debate how to combat pandemics

Health experts in Asia -- regulatory officials, practitioners and consultants -- discussed how the lessons learned from the COVID-19 could help them to coordinate a more effective response to fight off pandemics to come, at a forum held in Seoul on Wednesday. Keynote speaker Tore Godal -- founding chief executive of Gavi, a global vaccine alliance that works on increasing access to immunization in poor countries -- kicked off the annual Vaccine Cooperation Forum in the Indo-Pacific Region, cohos

Dec. 7, 2022

First lady asks Vietnamese president to look into Koreans’ visa problems

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee met with Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday, asking the Vietnamese president to look into Korean citizens’ visa issues in the Southeast Asian country. The first lady called for the Vietnamese president’s “keen interest” in Koreans’ visa-related issues during Phuc’s visit to Cheong Wa Dae, saying she saw news reports about how Korean travelers or nationals dwelling in Vietnam hav

Dec. 7, 2022

US, Australia urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue, address human rights issues

WASHINGTON -- The top diplomats and defense chiefs of the United States and Australia urged North Korea on Tuesday to engage in dialogue to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, while expressing concerns over severe human rights violations in the reclusive state. They also agreed to fully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea to this end in an annual two-plus-two meeting, known as the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. "The principals reaffirmed

Dec. 7, 2022

New US Congress must and will focus on diplomacy in Indo-Pacific: Rep. Chabot

The incoming US Congress must and is prepared to focus on diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific to address the increasing competition from China and threats from North Korea, an outgoing Republican member of the House of Representatives said Tuesday. Rep. Steve Chabot also highlighted the importance of working with South Korea and Japan, as well as other key US allies in the region. "It's hard to overestimate the importance of the Indo-Pacific to the world in the 21st century," Chabot sai

Dec. 7, 2022