'Indonesia, Korea are more than friends': Indonesian amb.

A mature and concrete Indonesia’s cooperation with South Korea would benefit not only the two countries but also the global community, the top Indonesian envoy in Seoul as the embassy commemorated its 78th independence day and the 50th anniversary of Indonesia-Korea relations on Thursday. "Indonesia and Korea are more than close friends," said Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto in his speech at the event. "Indonesia and Korea share common values, principles of

Sept. 6, 2023

[Photo News] PAKISTANI DEFENSE DAY

Members of the diplomatic corps pose for a group photo on Pakistan's 59th Defense Day at the Army Club of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, Tuesday. The event was attended by members of the diplomatic corps and defense attaches, officials from Pakistan's ministry of national defense, the South Korean armed forces, think tanks, social and welfare organizations and members of the Pakistani diaspora in Korea.

Sept. 6, 2023

Indonesia, Korea to set new milestones after Yoon’s visit: minister

Indonesia and Korea are poised to embark on a transformative journey that will shape the next 50 years of their bilateral ties, said Mohammad Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday. When asked to comment about possible achievements over the next 50 years of bilateral ties, the minister said that Indonesia and Korea would set new milestones when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indones

Sept. 5, 2023

Yoon says N. Korea poses direct threats to ASEAN

North Korea's ever-advancing nuclear and missile programs pose direct and existential threats to the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has said. Yoon made the remark in a written interview with the Indonesian daily Kompas ahead of a visit to Jakarta to attend a series of annual ASEAN-related summits, calling for closer cooperation with the region to deal with threats from the North. Yoon was to depart for Indonesia later Tuesday

Sept. 5, 2023

German ambassador-designate stresses balanced economic growth

German Ambassador-Designate to Korea Georg Schmidt stressed the importance of pursuing balanced economic growth to address the diverse social needs arising from demographic and climate changes. “We have to rethink how we balance this growth with the social requirements of demographic change and the challenges of sustainability and climate change," he said at the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (KGCCI) Half-Year Economic Outlook 2023 on Thursday. Highlighting how

Sept. 4, 2023

Kazakh Embassy celebrates Constitution Day, highlights economic ties

Kazakhstan’s top envoy to South Korea, Nurgali Arystanov, reiterated burgeoning ties with Korea, marking his country’s first Constitution Day at a round table discussion hosted by the Kazakh Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday. The occasion commemorates Kazakhstan's inaugural Constitution Day after a nationwide referendum in June 2022, driven by President Tokayev's vision of a just and equitable Kazakhstan. Introducing recent constitutional changes in Kazakhstan and the burgeoning

Sept. 4, 2023

UN rapporteur for North Korean human rights to visit Seoul this week

UN special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights is set to visit South Korea this week to meet Seoul officials and defectors from the reclusive regime. Elizabeth Salmon is expected to arrive in Seoul on Monday for a nine-day stay to meet foreign, unification and justice officials, as well as North Korean defectors and rights groups, according to the foreign ministry. She is also scheduled to hold a press conference in Seoul on Sept. 12. The rapporteur will submit a report on North Korea

Sept. 4, 2023

Seoul seeks to nullify ICSID ruling on damages it owes to Lone Star

  The Ministry of Justice announced Friday that it had sought an annulment of an international arbitration's ruling to pay $216.02 million in damages to US-based private equity firm Lone Star over its sales of a Korean commercial bank in 2012. The government seeks to nullify the entire award it owes to Lone Star to save taxpayers' money, it said in a statement. This announcement came four months after the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes rectified Seou

Sept. 1, 2023

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Poland discuss security, arms cooperation

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Poland held talks in Warsaw during which they discussed ways to expand security and arms cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday. During the talks Thursday, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, assessed major deals between the two countries last year to supply South Korean weapons systems, including K2 battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light attack aircraft, according to the ministry. T

Sept. 1, 2023

[Photo News] UAE CLIMATE AGENDA

A video of Ban Ki-moon, former secretary general of the United Nations, plays at "Road to COP 28," a conference hosted by the UAE Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. Ban underlined the significance of COP 28, the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference to be held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, the UAE, addressing progress towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and identifying areas where more action is needed. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

Aug. 31, 2023

All 44 S. Korean citizens safe in Gabon

The safety of all 44 South Korean citizens in Gabon has been confirmed after a military coup took control and placed the nation's president, Ali Bongo, under house arrest, according to a government official in Seoul on Thursday. The official said on condition of anonymity that 43 out of 44 -- including staff at the Korean Embassy in Gabon and their families -- were confirmed to be safe by the embassy. The official added that one Korean citizen has been detained by the military coup but the

Aug. 31, 2023

S. Korea, Japan, China to hold high-level meeting

South Korea, Japan and China will soon convene a high-level meeting to discuss the resumption of their suspended leader-level talks, ending the four-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Seoul looks for better ties with Beijing. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday it is looking into dates with its Japanese and Chinese counterparts, in response to reports that the meeting laying ground work for the trilateral summit will take place in late September. The ministry has said pre

Aug. 30, 2023

Yoon meets with US senator to discuss bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on Tuesday and discussed ways to develop bilateral ties, his office said. During their meeting at the presidential office, Yoon said South Korea and the United States are optimal economic cooperation partners sharing the common values of freedom and democracy, which can combine the US' competitiveness in technology and South Korea's competitiveness in manufacturing, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written briefin

Aug. 29, 2023

Yoon meets with UAE official to discuss bilateral ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a visiting United Arab Emirates official Tuesday and discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties, his office said. During the meeting with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, over lunch, Yoon once again expressed his gratitude for the UAE's hospitality during his state visit to the country in January, according to the presidential office. Yoon said the bilateral relationship has developed rapidly in the past y

Aug. 29, 2023

S. Korea, China in talks to arrange summit next month

South Korea and China are in talks to arrange a summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a multilateral summit event early next month, officials said Tuesday. The discussions come as bilateral relations appear to be thawing following tensions in recent months over Yoon's remarks on Taiwan and the Chinese ambassador to Seoul's thinly veiled warning against South Korea's alignment with the United States. "The two countries' diplomatic au

Aug. 29, 2023

[Photo News] EMIRATI WOMEN'S DAY

Aisha Bilkhair, research advisor and head of the Oral History Team at the National Library and Archives, shared her understanding of human heritage, sustainability, United Arab Emirates-Korea cultural similarities and the role of women in human history at a celebration of Emirati Women’s Day at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Founded in 2015 by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, widely known as the Mother of the Nation for the UAE, the day honors Emirati women’s efforts and leaders

Aug. 29, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan hold missile defense drills after N. Korea's botched rocket launch

South Korea, the United States and Japan staged a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday in response to North Korea's purported space rocket launch last week, officials said. The exercise took place south of the southern island of Jeju after Pyongyang's attempt to launch its Chollima-1 rocket, carrying what it claimed to be a military reconnaissance satellite, was unsuccessful last Thursday, its second failure this year.

Aug. 29, 2023

S. Korean FM seeks support for World Expo bid in Europe

Foreign Minister Park Jin has held a flurry of discussions with leaders of European nations to seek support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, his office said Tuesday. On the sidelines of the 2023 Bled Strategic Forum held in Slovenia the previous day, Park held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Armenia, North Macedonia, Slovakia and Switzerland, and paid a courtesy visit to Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. Park stressed that the southeastern port city of Bu

Aug. 29, 2023

[Contribution] Tajikistan to strengthen cooperation on global initiatives on water

It should be noted that in the course of advancing the global water agenda, the concept of water diplomacy was created and is being used by the international community, the main idea of ​​which is the use of a new negotiating tool in order to find close positions to address issues related to water management. Today, we can state that Tajikistan is the owner of five global practical initiatives, which are directly related to the fate of mankind, and practically no country remains neutral in their

Aug. 28, 2023

Singapore touts bilateral milestones on Independence Day

Singapore and Korea highlighted their bilateral milestones achieved over the years, commemorating Singapore’s 58th Independence Day on Friday. Singapore became independent from Malaysia on Aug. 9, 1965. Noting recent achievements in his remarks at the event, Singapore ambassador to Korea Eric Teo highlighted Singapore as Korea’s first free trade agreement partner in Asia in 2006 and the No. 1 infrastructure investment destination for Korea in the region for many years. He recalled Si

Aug. 28, 2023