US concerned by N. Korea's 'strengthened rhetoric' around its nuclear program: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is preparing for all contingencies amid signs of a potential North Korean nuclear test but is concerned by Pyongyang's "strengthened rhetoric" around its nuclear program, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, said Pyongyang is continuing to prepare for what will be its seventh nuclear test. "The U.S. assesses the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri (nuclear) test site for wha

Aug. 12, 2022

ASEAN-hosted security meeting backs complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other major powers reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and support for diplomacy toward the goal during a regional security forum, a statement showed Thursday. The chair's statement was released five days after the annual ASEAN Regional Forum held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, with the attendance of top diplomats from the ASEAN member states, the two Koreas, the United Stat

Aug. 11, 2022

Seoul dismisses Beijing’s claim, says THAAD is Korea’s means of self-defense

Friction between Seoul and Beijing over a US anti-ballistic missile defense system continues, with the two sides issuing statements and rebuttals over Seoul’s position. On Thursday, Seoul flatly dismissed Beijing‘s claim that Seoul had adopted an official policy of not deploying an additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in its territory, saying the US anti-missile defense system is a means of self-defense for Korea. The presidential office also said it expects to n

Aug. 11, 2022

Can South Korea, China become ‘strategic partners’?

The top diplomats of South Korea and China met this week, and agreed that bilateral relations should be reinvigorated into a more stable and mature one, for the two countries to become “strategic partners.” While the meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Tuesday was conducted in an “amicable” mood, its outcome may only just be no more than a reiteration of differences on some of the fundamental problems that stan

Aug. 10, 2022

Nat'l Assembly speaker discusses nuclear exports, health cooperation with Romanian speaker

BUCHAREST/SEOUL -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with Romania's House speaker and discussed nuclear reactor exports and health cooperation between the two countries, his office said Wednesday. Kim held talks with Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, president of the Romanian House of Deputies, in Bucharest on Tuesday (local time). Romania is the second leg of a two-nation trip that has also taken him to Poland. Kim proposed that South Korea and the United States take part in an 11 trillion-won (

Aug. 10, 2022

Korea China foreign ministers discuss regional security, supply chain, NK provocation

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Tuesday met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss a series of thorny issues, including North Korea, regional security and economic exchanges. In their second bilateral meeting held in Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Tuesday afternoon, the two sides agreed to further enhance bilateral ties. While the meeting was conducted in an “amicable” mood, the top diplomats also exchanged messages of concern. “As a ‘global pivotal

Aug. 9, 2022

Justice ministry reviews candidates for presidential pardons

The Justice Ministry on Tuesday reviewed candidates for presidential pardons to be granted on the occasion of next week's Liberation Day amid attention as to whether Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and former President Lee Myung-bak will be among the beneficiaries. The ministry's nine-member pardon review board held a meeting to evaluate candidates, including several high-profile business moguls and politicians, for special pardons to be granted in celebration of Liberation Day, which falls

Aug. 9, 2022

Assembly speaker steps up arms sale campaign in Romania

BUCHAREST/SEOUL -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo promoted South Korean arms and nuclear reactor exports to Romania in his meeting with the country's Senate leader, his office said Tuesday. Kim held talks with Alina-Stefania Gorghiu, acting speaker of Romania's Senate, in Bucharest on Monday. Romania is the second leg of a two-nation trip that has also taken him to Poland. "South Korea participating in Romania's arms modernization project is one way the two countries c

Aug. 9, 2022

S. Korea, 20 other countries joining US-led anti-WMD exercise in Hawaii

South Korea, the United States and 19 other countries are conducting a U.S.-hosted exercise in Hawaii with an aim to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the U.S. State Department has said. The five-day Fortune Guard 22 kicked off in Honolulu on Monday. It is part of the exercises for the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) launched in 2003 to stop or impede transfers of WMDs and related items flowing to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern

Aug. 9, 2022

Foreign Minister heads to China for talks with Wang Yi

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is taking off for his first official trip to China on Monday, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss a series of issues including regional security and economic cooperation. Park were to departed from Seoul Air Base to Qingdao, Shandong province, for the three-day trip from Monday to Wednesday. The bilateral talks between Park and Wang is slated for Tuesday. “(On the trip to China) I plan to look back on and assess th

Aug. 8, 2022

[Contribution] Envisioning sustainable and mutually beneficial future of ASEAN and Korea

Aug. 8th, 2022 is the 55th anniversary of the ASEAN’s foundation. Congratulations on ASEAN Day through this page. It is not an overstatement that ASEAN Member States have manifested their earnest efforts to seek peace and prosperity in the region since its establishment, overcoming unexpected obstacles over the past five and a half decades. Last May, I had the chance to meet the president and vice president of a university in Vietnam, a member of “Passage to ASEAN Association,&rdq

Aug. 8, 2022

S. Korea expresses intent to join preliminary 'Chip 4' meeting

South Korea has decided to join a preliminary meeting of a US-led semiconductor alliance known as the "Chip 4," a senior presidential official has said. The official told Yonhap News Agency on Sunday that the foreign ministry delivered the United States South Korea's intent to join the meeting expected to take place at the end of August or in early September. The Chip 4 is an envisioned alliance of semiconductor powerhouses involving the US, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, viewed b

Aug. 8, 2022

Foreign Minister relays concerns on NK’s possible nuclear test to Russian counterpart

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin relayed concerns on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions to his Russian counterpart Surgey Lavrov at a multilateral summit on Friday. Attending the East Asian Summit held as part of the series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Park spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for some six minutes. At their greeting, Park expressed his concerns over escalating tension on the

Aug. 5, 2022

South Korea reelected to International Seabed Authority Council

South Korea has been reelected to Group B (major investors) of the Council of the International Seabed Authority for the fifth consecutive year, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Friday. In the election during the 27th session of the ISA Assembly held in Jamaica on Thursday, South Korea was chosen for Group B, in which countries lead the process of drawing up main policies for the agency, along with France, Germany and India. Elections are held once every three years, and S

Aug. 5, 2022

Foreign minister to make first official visit to China next week

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will make his first official visit to China and meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, next week, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. Park will be traveling to Qingdao, Shandong province, from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Foreign Ministry. The trip has been coordinated upon an invitation from the Chinese foreign minister. In their planned talks, Park and Wang are expected to discuss ways to develop bilateral ties, which the two co

Aug. 5, 2022

Assembly speaker heads for Poland, Romania with focus on arms sales, economic cooperation

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo departed for Poland and Romania with his agenda focusing on arms sales and economic cooperation, his office said Friday. Kim's seven-day trip, which runs through Thursday, will include meetings with his parliamentary counterparts and ministers to discuss economic agenda and expand strategic ties, according to Kim's office. It marked his first overseas trip as parliamentary leader. For the first leg of his trip, Kim will visit Poland to meet his cou

Aug. 5, 2022

Pelosi says her trip to S. Korea reaffirmed strong US-S. Korea relationship

WASHINGTON -- Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, highlighted the strength of the US-South Korea alliance on Thursday, wrapping her two-day visit to Seoul. She said the visit by her and other members of US Congress reaffirmed the "strong bond" between Seoul and Washington. "The United States and South Korea share a strong bond formed for security and forged by decades of warm friendship," said Pelosi in a released statement. "Our Congressional del

Aug. 5, 2022

‘ASEAN is new centerpiece of Korea’s Indo-Pacific initiative’

South Korea will strengthen its economic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations while also expanding its strategic ties with the countries, Seoul’s foreign minister said in a foreign ministerial meeting on Thursday. Attending the South Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers’ session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Park said Seoul would pursue greater solidarity and mutual benefits with ASEAN, which will become the “centerpiece” of Korea’s envisioned Indo-Pac

Aug. 4, 2022

Pelosi to meet Nat'l Assembly speaker amid heightened regional tensions over Taiwan visit

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was set to hold talks with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul on Thursday amid heightened regional tensions in the wake of her high-profile visit to Taiwan. Pelosi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday night from Taiwan where she reaffirmed unwavering US commitment to the island amid angry protests from China. Beijing announced live-fire military drills around Taiwan in protest. On Thursday, she was to meet with Kim for talks about regional security, economic co

Aug. 4, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Scoping out forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen from various angles

During a speech at Victory Day celebrations on July 27, the North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol, mentioning his name for the first time since his inauguration. Amid the dark days of inter-Korean relations due to Kim Jong-un’s strong criticism toward the current South Korean government, domestic political debate is still heated over the forced repatriation of two North Koreans who claimed to have killed 16 fellow sailors in 2019. Regardless of the le

Aug. 4, 2022