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

Trump says America was 'safe' while boasting ties with N. Korean leader Kim

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday boasted his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he had built during his presidency, stressing America was "safe" then. Trump made the remarks during a rally in Indianola, Iowa, on the eve of the first vote of the Republican Party's nomination contest in the lead-off state. Hours earlier, Pyongyang fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea in its first missile launch this year. "Kim Jong

Jan. 15, 2024

Taiwan election result could put S. Korea-China relations to test

The victory of Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party in the presidential election on Saturday will put the relationship between South Korea and China to the test, given Seoul's unique geopolitical position and the need to strike a balance between Beijing and Washington, according to experts in Seoul on Sunday. As China effectively refused to accept the result of the high-stakes election, concerns are mounting as South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been

Jan. 14, 2024

S. Korea says it hopes for continued peace, stability across Taiwan Strait after presidential election

South Korea hopes to see peace and stability maintained across the Taiwan Strait, a foreign ministry official said Sunday, following the election of a U.S.-friendly president. Lai Ching-te, vice president of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president of the self-ruled democracy on Saturday, defeating his China-friendly rival from the main opposition party. "We expect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait to be maintained and the peaceful development of cross-strai

Jan. 14, 2024

Biden gives greetings on Korean American Day

US President Joe Biden issued a message to celebrate Korean American Day on Saturday, highlighting Korean Americans' "immense contributions" to the United States and their efforts to "enrich" the country. Korean American Day honors the Korean American community's contributions and marks the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the US on Jan. 13, 1903. In 2005, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions for celebration of the day. "Thro

Jan. 14, 2024

Blinken, senior Chinese official discuss N. Korea, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a visiting senior Chinese official held talks in Washington on Friday over a range of issues concerning North Korea, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and the Middle East, a State Department spokesperson said. The talks between Blinken and Liu Jianchao, minister of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, came just before Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday. "The secretary reiterated

Jan. 13, 2024

North Korea to welcome Russian tourists, the country's first since the pandemic, report says

Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since its borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown. The report, published Wednesday by the Russian state-run Tass news agency, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang . It also follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East. Ta

Jan. 12, 2024

In Taiwan's election Saturday, who are the 3 candidates trying to become president?

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is holding its presidential election on Saturday, a race that China has called a choice between war and peace. China considers the self-ruled island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off its east coast a breakaway province and has threatened to take control over it, by force if necessary. Taiwan's election is closely watched internationally due to the potential for rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait. At home, voters are concerned with m

Jan. 12, 2024

Japan successfully launches an intelligence-gathering satellite to watch for North Korean missiles

TOKYO (AP) — Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and to improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part of Tokyo’s reconnaissance effort to rapidly build up its military capability. The governm

Jan. 12, 2024

Top priority for new FM: 'Economic-security integrated diplomacy'

The primary strategic focus of the South Korean Foreign Ministry is to strengthen diplomatic capabilities to enhance economic security, especially at a time when security and the economy are intricately entwined amid the US-China tech rivalry, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Friday. "I will seek to strengthen the capabilities of economic and security integrated diplomacy, aligning with the contemporary context where the US-China competition for technological hegemony ha

Jan. 12, 2024

S. Korean, US top diplomats agree to cooperate on N.K. threats, peace in Taiwan Strait, South China Sea

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together to address North Korean threats and support peace in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea in their phone call Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held the first phone conversation with his new South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, since Cho assumed office this week to succeed Park Jin. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cho also agreed to continue workin

Jan. 12, 2024

US slaps sanctions on 3 Russian entities, 1 individual over arms transfers with N. Korea

The United States imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual for their involvement in the transfer and testing of North Korean ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The sanctions came after the White House said that the North has provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used to strike Ukrainian targets on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Saturday. "The entities and individual were co

Jan. 12, 2024

US notes China's role in curbing N. Korea's 'provocative' activity

The United States on Thursday took note of China's role in curbing North Korea's "provocative" and "harmful" activities amid international criticism over Pyongyang's transfers of weapons to Russia and its evolving military threats. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks in response to a reporter's question over whether China -- with close relations with the North and Russia -- is responsible for its apparent inaction regarding t

Jan. 12, 2024

N. Korea using Ukraine as 'test site' for nuclear-capable missiles: Seoul

South Korea raised the alarm at the UN Security Council that Russia's use of North Korean missiles has opened the door for North Korea to use Ukrainian territory as a "testing site of its nuclear-capable missiles," posing new security challenges. The 15-member Security Council convened Wednesday to discuss the grinding war in Ukraine after the US disclosed North Korea's illicit transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles t

Jan. 11, 2024