US stresses 'ironclad' security commitment to S. Korea after NK missile launch

The United States on Monday reiterated its "ironclad" security commitment to South Korea as tensions flared anew following North Korea's recent test-firing of a claimed submarine-launched cruise missile. The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test-fire of the newly developed SLCM and reviewed a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine the previous day. "We are monitoring these activities and we won�

Jan. 30, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] Seoul Summit to set momentum for Korea-Africa ties: Tanzania amb.

The geographical distance between South Korea and Africa has historically hindered exchanges, fostering numerous misconceptions about the vast continent consisting of 54 nations and their respective rich cultures and assets, according to the Tanzanian ambassador in Seoul. But he expects an upcoming summit in Seoul in June that brings African leaders to the capital city, is expected to break these barriers and initiate a new era of robust cooperation between South Korea and Africa. "There is

Jan. 29, 2024

Sullivan voices concerns over N. Korea's weapons tests, ties with Russia in talks with Wang: official

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan raised concerns with China over North Korea's recent weapons tests and growing ties with Russia during his talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, in Bangkok this week, a senior US official said Saturday. During their talks on Friday and Saturday, Sullivan and Wang discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including those concerning North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, the Middle East, the South China Sea and Myanmar, the offic

Jan. 28, 2024

FM Cho discusses bilateral ties, NK issues with visiting US congressman

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with US Congressman Joe Wilson on Friday, and discussed the bilateral alliance and other common issues, including mutual cooperation with Japan and North Korea, Cho's office said. In Friday's talks, Cho noted the bilateral relations between South Korea and the United States have become stronger in all areas from security and economy to people-to-people exchanges, and expressed hope that the two countries will further develop the ties based on close coor

Jan. 26, 2024

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to head Asia Society

Former South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, 68, has been appointed as the 9th president and chief executive officer of the Asia Society, according to the organization's board of trustees on Wednesday. Kang, who held the position of Seoul's top diplomat from 2017 to 2021, is set to assume her new role in April. Before becoming S. Korea's first female foreign affairs minister, she served as a special policy adviser to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Established in 19

Jan. 25, 2024

S. Korea's top nuclear envoy discusses NK threats with NATO officials

South Korea's top nuclear envoy has met with two senior officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and discussed North Korea's recent provocations, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met one-on-one with Mircea Geoana, NATO's deputy secretary general, and separately with David Van Weel, assistant secretary general for innovation, hybrid and cyber, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wedn

Jan. 25, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ties 'turbulent,' but ball in Seoul's court: Russian Ambassador

South Korea and Russia are currently in a "turbulent" place, but the future will be different if Seoul takes steps to stabilize bilateral ties, according to the new Russian Ambassador to Seoul Georgy Zinoviev. "We perceive that the ball is in the (South) Korean court. So, we are ready when our (South) Korean partners are ready," the ambassador in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. "But, we are not going to enforce or try to impose any goodwill on our

Jan. 24, 2024

S. Korea urges China to protect NK defectors' human rights at UN review

South Korea on Tuesday recommended China protect the human rights of North Koreans who defected to the communist neighbor at a United Nations review session here. Yun Seong-deok, South Korean ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, called on Beijing to provide North Korean defectors with the required protections and humanitarian support at China's fourth universal periodic review held under the auspices of the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is the first time for South Korea to rai

Jan. 23, 2024

FM Cho holds first phone talks with Japanese counterpart

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and other issues, his office said, the first such talks between the two top diplomats since Cho's inauguration. The ministers assessed the improvement in bilateral relations and the rebuilding of trust between the two countries through the series of leaders' summits and foreign ministers' talks that took place last year. In this vein, they agreed that

Jan. 23, 2024

S. Korean diplomatic missions under fire for wrong depiction of flag, traditional clothing

Two South Korean diplomatic missions came under criticism Tuesday after they posted wrong images of the national flag and traditional clothing on their social networking services. Earlier in the day, Seo Kyoung-duk, a Sungshin Women's University professor well known for his efforts to promote Korean interests abroad, took issue with a Facebook post by the South Korean Embassy in the Czech Republic that depicted a graphic image of a woman dressed in what appears to be Chinese traditional att

Jan. 23, 2024

S. Korea, US discuss bolstering cooperation in US arms maintenance

South Korea and the United States have discussed ways to expand the participation of South Korean companies in the maintenance of US military equipment in the Indo-Pacific region, the defense ministry said Monday. Lee Gap-su, head of the ministry's logistics management bureau, held a meeting with Christopher J. Lowman, US assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, on the sidelines of a Pentagon-hosted workshop on the arms industry and logistics support held in Hawaii on Thursday and Fr

Jan. 22, 2024

Security advisors of S. Korea, US, Japan hail new quantum partnership launch

The top national security advisors of South Korea, the United States and Japan celebrated the signing of a new trilateral quantum partnership to train a quantum workforce and strengthen the three countries' collective competitiveness in the technology field, a joint statement showed Thursday. South Korean National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin and his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, issued the statement congratulating Seoul National University, the

Jan. 19, 2024

'NK's closed-door policy will only hurt itself'

Kim Gunn, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, said North Korea's plan of severing inter-Korean exchanges would only hurt itself, as he attended a meeting with his counterparts from the United States and Japan in Seoul on Thursday to address a laundry list of urgent security issues. "Most recently, North Korea announced the plan to abolish agencies for inter-Korean exchanges. It also clings to the old playbook to shift blame to the ROK and the US," Kim said, referring to South Ko

Jan. 18, 2024

S. Korean, US nuclear envoys vow to 'resolutely' counter NK-Russia arms trade

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States on Thursday pledged to resolutely counter the continuing illicit military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, emphasizing bilateral alignment and close coordination with the international community. South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn, and US Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak, met in Seoul, two days after a publicly disclosed meeting between Russian President Vladim

Jan. 18, 2024

PM emphasizes S. Korea's commitment to global challenges at Davos forum

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo emphasized South Korea's commitment to playing a leading role in the global fight against challenges during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, his office said Thursday. Han participated in the annual meeting of government and business leaders with the theme "Rebuilding Trust" on Wednesday. The five-day event brought together around 2,800 leaders from government, business, civil society and academia to discuss pressing global challenges. Dur

Jan. 18, 2024

US warns against N. Korea's weapons aid to Russia after N. Korean FM's visit to Moscow

The United States warned Wednesday against North Korea's potential provision of additional military aid to Russia for use in Ukraine, as Pyongyang's top diplomat visited Moscow this week in an apparent sign of deepening bilateral ties. At the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui visited Russia from Monday to Wednesday, during which she also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Clearly, North Korea and Russia have a relations

Jan. 18, 2024

Sullivan voices worries on NK threat, but stresses closer alliance cooperation

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday expressed worries about North Korean threats and other challenges, but stressed US allies and partners would only close ranks in the face of the challenges. Sullivan made the remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, touching on a series of global challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. "My job is to worry about the things

Jan. 17, 2024

Yoon presents letters of appointment to FM, spy chief

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday presented letters of appointment to Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Cho Tae-yong, South Korea's new spy chief. Yoon also awarded certificates of appointment to Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Ryu Chul-whan, the new chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as well as Wang Yun-jong, who was designated as the third deputy national security adviser to oversee economic security issues. Cho Tae-yul, a former South Korean ambassador to the Un

Jan. 16, 2024

Vietnam marks Hometown Spring

The Vietnam Embassy in Seoul hosted a Hometown Spring event with the Vietnamese community in Korea on Sunday. Vietnam’s traditional spring festival symbolizes hope, health, luck and prosperity for the upcoming lunar year. Attended by more than 500 members of the Vietnamese community, the event not only honored age-old traditions but also highlighted the spirit of togetherness among Vietnamese who have left their hometown. The Vietnam Embassy's charge d'affaires ad interim Nguyen

Jan. 15, 2024

Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan condemn N. Korea's missile launch

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch during their phone talks earlier this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. The North test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday in its first ballistic missile launch this year, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It came after North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells near the inter-Korean mari

Jan. 15, 2024