South Korea condemns Myanmar military regime’s execution of pro-democracy leaders

South Korea condemned Myanmar military regime’s latest execution of democracy activists, issuing a joint statement with top diplomats from the United States and seven other countries on Tuesday. On Monday, Myanmar’s ruling military said it had executed four democracy activists accused of committing “terror acts.” The activists were sentenced to death in secretive trials in January and April for supporting a civilian resistance movement fighting the military since last

July 26, 2022

Biden given commemorative Korean name of 'Bae Ji-sung'

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden was given an honorary Korean name of Bae Ji-sung on Monday as part of a weeklong commemoration to mark the end of the Korean War 69 years ago. The US leader was given the name by the Republic of Korea (ROK)-US Alliance Friendship Association. "We, the ROK-US Alliance Friendship Association, are honored to announce and grant US President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. a Korean name. His name will be Bae Ji-sung," the association said in a released statem

July 26, 2022

Seoul, Washington to restart extended deterrence dialogue in near future: Amb. Cho

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States will likely resume their strategic dialogue on extended deterrence in the very near future, South Korea's ambassador to the US said Monday. Amb. Cho Tae-yong said the bilateral dialogue, known as the "Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG)," may be held within the next two months. "(We) have been working to strengthen our traditional alliance (with the US), while focusing on efforts to restart the EDSCG amid

July 26, 2022

Bangladesh invites Korean companies to potential opportunities

The Embassy of Bangladesh highlighted the business and investment prospects the country has to offer at the second edition of the Global Business Forum co-hosted by the embassy and The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Bangladesh’s Ambassador to South Korea Delwar Hossain invited South Korean companies to participate in his country’s robust socioeconomic progress and vibrant private sector. “Complementarities of the Bangladeshi and Korean economies render huge potential for a mutual

July 25, 2022

Korea, Indonesia to hold summit on Thursday

President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Seoul on Thursday and discuss pending bilateral and major international issues, the presidential office said on Monday. According to Kim Sung-han, head of the National Security Office, Widodo will arrive in Seoul Wednesday for a two-day visit. On Thursday, the Indonesian leader will visit Hyundai Motor Technology Research Institute in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, after a meeting with business leaders. He pl

July 25, 2022

S. Korean, US defense chiefs to hold talks this week on alliance, N. Korea

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington D.C. this week to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula and deterrence against evolving North Korean threats, the defense ministry here said Monday. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, are scheduled to meet Friday, as the allies have been cranking up security coordination amid speculation Pyongyang could ratchet up tensions by conducting a nuclear test or other provocative acts.

July 25, 2022

Senior US diplomat to visit Seoul next week

  A senior US State Department official will visit Seoul next week to discuss issues including Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the department said. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will visit Japan and South Korea from Monday to Thursday to meet with her counterparts from the foreign ministries and other government agencies of the respective countries. Nuland will "coordinate on regional and global issues, including

July 23, 2022

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US meet in Indonesia

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States met in Indonesia and coordinated their responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The meeting between Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim was held Friday in Jakarta, where the American diplomat also serves as the US ambassador to Indonesia. "As our government is crafting a North Kor

July 23, 2022

Will South Korea join US-led chip alliance ‘Chip 4’?

As the United States is seeking to include South Korea in a chip alliance it is planning to form, eyes are on whether Seoul would again join US’ apparent effort to strategically isolate its rival China in the semiconductor supply chain. The US first made the proposal to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan to establish a strategic alliance of global chip powerhouses in March. While the envisioned alliance, dubbed “Chip 4” explicitly aims at boosting the manufacturing prowess of fri

July 22, 2022

South Korea calls out on Japan’s Dokdo claims in defense white paper

The South Korean government on Friday strongly condemned Japan’s renewed claims over South Korea’s Dokdo islets in its latest defense white paper, and summoned Japanese diplomats in protest. “We strongly protest that Japan has renewed its unjust territorial claims to Dokdo in its defense white paper, which is clearly our inherent territory, historically, geographically and internationally, and we urge an immediate retraction of the claims,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson

July 22, 2022

Foreign Ministry, Busan City launches ‘UNs’ student ambassador campaign

The Foreign Ministry and Busan Metropolitan City launched a team of university student ambassadors, dubbed “UNs,” and held a kick-off ceremony on Friday. According to the ministry, it chose 50 Korean and 50 foreign university students as its ambassadors promoting the Busan City. The foreign students come from 22 countries, including China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, among others. The student ambassadors will carry out activities including creating promotional content for social media,

July 22, 2022

Yoon makes economic diplomacy a top priority

President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed on Thursday that economic diplomacy is important and that he is willing to go anywhere if it helps the economy during a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin on Thursday. After a two and half hour meeting, Minister Park held a press briefing where he said that President Yoon ordered him to look after the diplomatic relationships with Russia, China, Japan and the US -- with a focus on the Korea-US alliance -- and expand diplomatic horizons in Asia, the Middle

July 21, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korea sets 7 diplomatic tasks, aims to expand presence as ‘global pivotal state’

South Korea will aim to reset relations with the neighboring countries of Japan and China and build regional cooperative network to strengthen its role as a “global pivotal state,” Foreign Minister Park Jin said in his briefing to the president on major diplomatic tasks on Thursday. In his first official report to President Yoon Suk-yeol, Park presented an operation plan to carry out seven major diplomatic tasks, including a diplomacy road map with major countries, operation plans

July 21, 2022

Hungarian, Colombian ambassadors become honorary Seoul citizens

The Hungarian and Colombian ambassadors to South Korea were awarded honorary citizenship of Seoul on Thursday in recognition of their contributions to developing bilateral ties. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented a certificate of honorary citizenship to Hungarian Ambassador to South Korea Mozes Csoma and Colombian Ambassador to South Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero in a ceremony at City Hall. Csoma, a fluent speaker of the Korean language, has served as Budapest's ambassador to South Korea sin

July 21, 2022

S. Korea vows to actively promote global supply chain resilience

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun virtually participated in the Supply Chain Ministerial, a US-led ministerial-level meeting to discuss ways to build long-term supply chain reliance for the future, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The Supply Chain Ministerial, hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, was attended by ministers from 18 countries, who together signed a joint statement that was

July 21, 2022

Nat’l security adviser meets with new US ambassador

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han met with the new US ambassador to Seoul on Wednesday and expressed hope for further development of bilateral ties, the presidential office said. Kim told Ambassador Philip Goldberg he hopes the envoy’s arrival will serve as an opportunity to further accelerate the two countries’ efforts to realize the vision of a global comprehensive strategic alliance agreed by President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden during their summit in Seoul in

July 20, 2022

S. Korea vows to join efforts to build global health care system for future

South Korea will continue to contribute to global peace and prosperity by joining the international community in efforts to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Park Jin said at a foreign ministerial meeting, according to the ministry Wednesday. Park virtually attended the COVID-19 Global Action Plan Foreign Ministerial Meeting, which was jointly hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Tuesday. Park was in Tokyo on his o

July 20, 2022

South Korea downgraded to Tier 2 in US human trafficking report

South Korea was downgraded in a US annual human trafficking report by a tier for the first time in 20 years. As the US State Department report pointed out, Korea did not “fully” meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Seoul said it would review its past year’s effort and work to provide explanations if necessary. Although Seoul authorities have made no official assessment of the downgrade, officials have reportedly hinted at insufficient communications

July 20, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Changes in European security environment: A temporary shake or an overall paradigm shift?

The NATO summit at the end of June signaled a shift in global security. The summit identified Russia as a direct threat and China as a systemic challenge. The results of the NATO summit indicate where the United States’ policy objectives stand. The US’ new strategy in the Asia-Pacific region is the Indo-Pacific strategy, and its strategy in Europe is NATO’s eastward expansion. The US is aiming to build a connection between the Indo-Pacific and NATO. We can see that the US e

July 20, 2022

Yoon, Gabonese president hold summit talks

President Yoon Suk-yeol and visiting Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba held summit talks Wednesday, Yoon's spokesperson said. The summit came as South Korea and Gabon marked the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties, the presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun told reporters. (Yonhap)

July 20, 2022