NATO approves of South Korea's establishment of diplomatic mission to NATO

South Korea established its first diplomatic mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, after it received an official acceptance from the North Atlantic Council. The North Atlantic Council said Tuesday that the allies agreed to accept Seoul’s request to designate its embassy to Belgium as the country’s diplomatic mission to NATO. According to the council, the NATO allies agreed to "strengthen dialogue and cooperation with new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific to tackle cross

Sept. 28, 2022

S. Korean PM meets with Japan's Kishida, urges to improve relations

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Tokyo on Wednesday, agreeing to seek further dialogue on outstanding issues. At the meeting, Han called on Korea and Japan to work toward better relations, saying it serves their common interests, and Han and Kishida agreed to continue discussions on issues involving forced labor victims and sexual slavery, Seoul's Prime Minister's Office said. Han talked with Kishida for around 20 minutes on Wednesday m

Sept. 28, 2022

Tim Berners-Lee wins Seoul Peace Prize for promoting data sovereignty

World Wide Web Consortium Director Tim Berners-Lee won this year’s Seoul Peace Prize for his work promoting data sovereignty and leading the movement to “decentralize” the web dominated by tech giants. The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, headed by Yeom Jae-ho, made the announcement on Wednesday. According to the foundation, a selection committee consisting of eight members conducted a rigorous, objective and in-depth selection among many leader figures around the world

Sept. 28, 2022

Harris' trip to DMZ will highlight US commitment to security of S. Korea: US official

WASHINGTON -- US Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will underscore the US' commitment to the defense of South Korea, a senior US official said Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the trip had been planned for weeks, despite the sudden announcement of plans this week. "The key messaging that she's talking about on this trip is how our defense commitments are ironclad," the administration official said of

Sept. 28, 2022

PM attends Abe funeral in Tokyo, holds talks with US, Japan leaders

The South Korean delegation led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Tuesday. Before the funeral, Han met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was also visiting the country for the occasion. About 4,300 were to attend the ceremony that kicked off at 2:00 p.m. at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, with at least 48 current or former government officials, including the US vice president. Before the funeral, Han met

Sept. 27, 2022

Leaders of S. Korea, US reaffirm commitment to resolve EV tax credit issue: ambassador

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden have reaffirmed their commitment to resolving issues and concerns from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Seoul's top diplomat in the US said Monday. Amb. Cho Tae-yong also said the countries are discussing various ways to offset any potential damage caused by the new US law to South Korean carmakers. "President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden met three times during the U.N. General Assembly and discussed

Sept. 27, 2022

OECD cuts South Korea's 2023 growth outlook to 2.2%

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday lowered its outlook for South Korea's growth for next year, citing uncertainties in the global economy.  In its interim report on next year's world economy, the Paris-based organization said South Korea's gross domestic product is expected to grow 2.2 percent in 2023, 0.3 percentage point lower than its previous forecast of 2.5 percent.  The estimate is lower than the Seoul government's forecast of 2.5 percent and

Sept. 26, 2022

Top-level talks with US, Japan, Britain this week, after Yoon's tour

A number of top-level discussions on alliance, security and the economy are expected to take place this week, as top officials, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, are set to visit Seoul. The meetings will be follow-ups to the talks South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had with world leaders during his seven-day trip to Britain, the US and Canada last week. Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday that Prime Minister Han Duk-soo will be traveling to Japan on Tuesday to

Sept. 26, 2022

Deputy Assembly speaker to visit Japan for Abe's state funeral

Deputy National Assembly Speaker Chung Jin-suk departed for Japan on Monday to attend this week's state funeral of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Chung will make the three-day trip to Tokyo, leading a group of lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties belonging to the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union aimed at increasing parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. Eight lawmakers are traveling with Chung. Later Monday, Chung's delegation plans to

Sept. 26, 2022

North Korea fires 1 short-range ballistic missile into East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday, two days after a US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier arrived here for a joint exercise. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday that Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile from Taechon in North Pyongan Province at 06:53 a.m. The missile traveled about 600 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of 60 km, the JCS confirmed. The launch of the ballistic missile comes in an apparen

Sept. 25, 2022

Complaints about Russia's chaotic mobilization grow louder

LONDON -- The strongly pro-Kremlin editor of Russia's state-run RT news channel expressed anger on Saturday that enlistment officers were sending call-up papers to the wrong men, as frustration about a military mobilization grew. Wednesday's announcement of Russia's first public mobilization since World War Two, to shore up its faltering Ukraine war, has triggered a rush for the border, the arrests of over 1,000 protesters, and unease in the wider population. It is also attracting

Sept. 25, 2022

Japan ambassador voices positive view of Yoon-Kishida meeting in New York

Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Aiboshi publicly gave a positive assessment Sunday of a meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York last week, describing it as a "forward-looking" step to improve bilateral ties. Aiboshi made the remarks earlier in the day at a meeting in Seoul on bilateral exchanges, days after Yoon and Kishida met in New York and agreed on the need to improve relations between the neighboring countries by res

Sept. 25, 2022

China on Taiwan: 'External interference' won't be tolerated

UNITED NATIONS -- China underscored its commitment Saturday to its claim on Taiwan, telling assembled world leaders that anyone who gets in the way of its determination to reunify with the self-governing island would be "crushed by the wheels of history." The language was forceful but, for Chinese leadership, well within the realm of normal. "Only when China is fully reunified can there be true peace across the Taiwan Strait," Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said at

Sept. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] Hundreds demand cancellation of Japanese ex-leader's funeral

TOKYO -- Several hundred protesters demanded the cancellation of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral as they shouted slogans and waved banners Friday in a Tokyo park. "Abe's policies supported war," demonstrator Mayumi Ishida said, noting Abe consistently sought to raise defense spending. Like others at the protest, Ishida said he feared Abe's views heralded a step back to the days of Japan's militarism preceding World War II. Abe, who was assa

Sept. 23, 2022

S. Korea's vice FM discusses IRA issue with White House official, Congress members

A senior South Korean government official has reiterated Seoul's concerns over the negative impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act on Korean automakers during a series of meetings with a White House official and members of Congress, his office said Friday Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon met with White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell in Washington on Wednesday and discussed the issue. The inflation act, signed by President Joe Biden last month, has raised concerns ove

Sept. 23, 2022

Blinken highlights importance of trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the US, urging the countries to work together on regional and global issues. Blinken made the remarks at the top of a three-way meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in New York. "The United States, Japan, Korea -- we have the most vital bilateral relationships, but we also have this tril

Sept. 23, 2022

US stands by earlier intelligence on Russian request for N. Korean ammunition: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States stands by its intelligence that Russia is seeking to purchase ammunition from North Korea, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday in response to North Korea's claim that no such deal has taken place. North Korea said on Thursday (Seoul time) that it has never exported any weapons or ammunition to Russia and that it does not plan to do so, while accusing the US of circulating a baseless rumor against the North. "So all I will say is we stand by the informa

Sept. 23, 2022

S. Korea draws $1.15 b investment from Applied Materials, six other US firms

SEOUL -- South Korea has drawn investment worth a combined $1.15 billion from seven North American firms in the semiconductor, battery and energy sectors, which is expected to help strengthen supply chains of key items and boost bilateral economic ties, the industry ministry said Friday. The investment pledges were made during a ceremony in New York, which was attended by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and senior officials from the Seoul government and global companies, according to the Mi

Sept. 23, 2022

Presidential office denies Yoon used foul language to refer to Biden, Congress

NEW YORK -- The office of President Yoon Suk-yeol denied Thursday that Yoon used foul language in reference to US Congress and President Joe Biden, clarifying that he was talking about a situation he could face if South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly does not cooperate. On Wednesday, video circulated of Yoon talking with US President Joe Biden at a fundraiser for fighting infectious diseases in New York. As he leaves the venue amid noise, he appears to tell aides in vulgar

Sept. 23, 2022

Opposition slams Yoon for diplomatic mishaps, apparent insult of US Congress

The Democratic Party of Korea, the country’s main opposition party, raised the heat on President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday after Yoon was caught on camera using derogatory words when referring to the US Congress at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York. As he left the venue, Yoon was caught on camera using a Korean expletive referring to a group of people, apparently referring to the US Congress. Yoon also said that Biden would be humiliated if the "parliamen

Sept. 22, 2022