US defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 US troops in Korea

House and Senate negotiators released their compromise draft of an annual defense policy bill Thursday, which calls for maintaining 28,500 US troops in South Korea and deepening nuclear deterrence coordination between Seoul and Washington. They unveiled the final draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2024 fiscal year. Congress passes the bill each year to set defense policy and funding priorities and give guidance on a range of key security matters. The NDAA draft includes a ca

Dec. 8, 2023

Korean attorney elected as new ICC judge

South Korean attorney Paek Kee-bong was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday. He is the third Korean to be elected to the court. Paek will serve a nine-year term from 2024 to 2033 at the ICC headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Six new judges were elected, comprising one-third of the court's total of 18 judges, during the annual session of the Assembly of States Parties in New York. ICC judges play a

Dec. 7, 2023

G7 leaders strongly condemn N. Korea's satellite launch, arms transfers to Russia

The leaders of the Group of Seven countries "strongly" condemned North Korea's recent spy satellite launch and its arms transfers to Russia on Wednesday, stressing the moves directly contravene UN Security Council resolutions. The leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan issued a statement on a range of global issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group, after they met virtually. &quo

Dec. 7, 2023

Congresswoman redoubles calls for support to designate Nov. 22 as 'Kimchi Day'

A US congresswoman renewed calls Wednesday for support to designate Nov. 22 as "Kimchi Day," named after a Korean traditional side dish, stressing that kimchi has now become a "culinary icon" reflective of South Korea's rising cultural influence. Rep. Young Kim, a Korean American lawmaker, made the call during a House session as she has submitted a resolution on the fermented dish with backing from more than a dozen other lawmakers. "I rise in support of Kimchi Day.

Dec. 7, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan to discuss regional security issues: White House

National security advisors of South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to discuss a "robust" agenda of regional security issues and trilateral cooperation at their talks in Seoul this week, a White House official said Wednesday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks as South Korea's National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, are set to m

Dec. 7, 2023

S. Korea asks UAE to correct nat'l flag image mix-up on COP28 website

South Korea has requested the United Arab Emirates correct the faulty posting of North Korea's national flag as that of South Korea on the website of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. On the COP28's official website, an image of the North Korean flag had been put up above the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea, in a list of 38 countries that participated in the mutual recognition of certification sc

Dec. 6, 2023

Korea, Japan hold working-level talks on bilateral ties

Korea and Japan held working-level diplomatic consultations Tuesday to discuss pending bilateral issues and ways to boost bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Seo Min-jung, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, met with her Japanese counterpart Hiroyuki Namazu to assess bilateral relations and exchange views on "issues of shared interest," the ministry said in a press release. The ministry didn't give details, but ther

Dec. 5, 2023

N. Korea closes 7 embassies, now down to 46, says Seoul

North Korea has closed seven embassies across Africa, Europe and Southwest Asia, reducing its total from 53 to 46, amid persistent challenges in earning hard currency abroad exacerbated by economic sanctions, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Pyongyang has closed embassies in Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Senegal, Spain, Angola and Uganda as of Tuesday. News about a series of embassy closures started emerging in October. But the Foreign Ministry disclosed the withdrawal of North Kor

Dec. 5, 2023

Experts forecast US-China rivalry to continue for at least 5 years: report

South Korean and global security experts saw it unlikely for the growing competition between the United States and China to end soon, with some even predicting an armed conflict within the next five years, a report showed Tuesday. In the "2023 Near Global Survey Report of the World Order" released by the NEAR Foundation, an independent think tank specializing in Northeast Asia, 15 percent of the 42 experts surveyed believed a military clash between Beijing and Washington is likely to b

Dec. 5, 2023

US rejects NK's 'double standard' claim on Seoul's satellite launch

The US Department of State said Monday that South Korea is not the subject of UN Security Council sanctions, after North Korea accused the United States of having a "double standard" over space programs. Last month, the North launched a space rocket to put a military spy satellite into orbit, drawing international criticism that it violated multiple UNSC resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology. South Korea also launched a military reconnaissance satellite from

Dec. 5, 2023

Venezuelan Embassy holds disputed Essequibo territory referendum event

The Venezuelan Embassy in Seoul held a press briefing in Seoul last week on the current government's position to a controversial referendum that occurred Sunday over whether the Venezuelan government could claim sovereignty over the disputed Essequibo territory. In the leadup to Sunday's referendum, the Venezuelan Embassy presented its view of the historical context to the territorial dispute and its "unwavering commitment to sovereign rights." Venezuela's current govern

Dec. 4, 2023

Tajikistan envoy urges S. Korea to partner for green economy vision

Tajikistan Ambassador to Korea Salohiddin Kirom advocated for a strategic partnership between South Korea and Tajikistan in an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. "Green Economy Development Strategy 2023-2037" strategy adopted by President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in 2022 with an estimated budget of $2.1 billion aims to enact regulatory reforms, optimize natural resource use, attract investments, introduce modern technologies, boost global collaboration in the green economy

Dec. 4, 2023

S. Korea, Canada sign MOU on climate change cooperation

South Korea and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding on climate change cooperation as a follow-up step to the May summit of the two countries' leaders, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. The MOU was signed by Kim Hyo-eun, South Korea's ambassador for climate change, and her Canadian counterpart, Catherine Stewart, on Sunday, on the sidelines of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the ministry said. The MOU calls for bolstering cooperation in exchanges of

Dec. 4, 2023

Feulner says N. Korea pays heed to 'strength' and 'solidarity'

What a recalcitrant North Korea respects is "strength" and "solidarity," a US think tank founder has said, noting he would advise former President Donald Trump to keep up trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan. Edwin Feulner, founder of the conservative Heritage Foundation, made the remarks as Trump seeks a second White House term. The think tank has led the development of "Project 2025," a presidential transition plan in the event o

Dec. 4, 2023

[Hello Indonesia] Soft power takes Korea-Indonesia ties to new heights

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- People-to-people diplomacy between South Korea and Indonesia is playing a pivotal role in enhancing bilateral relations and will continue to do so in the coming years, according to experts. Deepening the relationship between the two nations further is no longer a matter of choice, South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Sang-deok said during a seminar commemorating the 50th anniversary of Korea-Indonesia diplomatic ties, held at the Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta on Thursd

Dec. 3, 2023

US issues rules on 'foreign entity of concern' ineligibility for EV car tax credit

The United States on Friday released proposed guidance defining a "foreign entity of concern (FEOC)" in a move to clarify its rules meant to block tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs) with battery components and critical minerals from China. The Treasury and Energy Departments announced the long-awaited rules of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as South Korean battery makers have stressed the need to clarify the FEOC requirements to address uncertainties in their overseas oper

Dec. 2, 2023

Yoon sends condolences over Kissinger’s death

President Yoon Suk Yeol has conveyed a message of condolences following the passing of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the South Korean presidential office said on Friday. Yoon called Kissinger the "strategist and international political scholar who laid the foundation for US foreign policy, and I deeply appreciate his lifelong dedicated efforts toward global peace and freedom" in his message. "I cherish the memory of your unwavering support for the South Korea-US allia

Dec. 1, 2023

US diplomat to travel to S. Korea, Indonesia, Japan to stress US' commitment to Indo-Pacific

A US diplomat in charge of public diplomacy will embark on a trip to South Korea, Indonesia and Japan this week to underscore Washington's "deep" commitment to its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, the State Department said Wednesday. During her Asia trip from Thursday to next Wednesday, Liz Allen, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, will stress the United States' efforts to reinforce and expand regional alliances and partnerships in the re

Nov. 30, 2023

US downplays NK claim on satellite imagery of US facilities

The US Department of Defense said Tuesday that there are "plenty" of images of the White House and the Pentagon already available online, after North Korea claimed its military spy satellite took photos of key US government and military facilities. In a press briefing, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the department's press secretary, also reiterated the United States' "ironclad" defense commitment to South Korea, as Pyongyang started reinstalling guard posts and heavy weapons along

Nov. 29, 2023

Busan loses World Expo 2030 bid

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has won the right to host the World Expo in 2030, beating South Korea's port city of Busan, results of the final vote showed on Tuesday. Members of the Bureau International des Expositions, the World Expo organizing authority, held a vote by secret ballot during a general assembly on Tuesday in Paris, following the final presentations of the bidders' proposals. Riyadh garnered 119 votes out of the 165 as Busan won 29 votes in the first round of voting by members of

Nov. 29, 2023