Second Vice FM departs for Washington for talks on IRA

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon left for Washington on Sunday for talks on the Inflation Reduction Act and other economic issues. Lee plans to hold a session of the Senior Economic Dialogue with his US counterpart, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Jose Fernandez, and meet with other US administration and congressional officials. "The IRA will be dealt with as the most important issue," Lee said before departure. The IRA, signed into law by US President Joe Biden in

Dec. 11, 2022

US Assistant Secretary of State Kritenbrink to visit Seoul

WASHINGTON -- US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will visit South Korea next week for consultations on a range of regional and bilateral issues, the State Department said Saturday. Kritenbrink will travel together with National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger on the three-nation trip from Sunday to Wednesday that also includes stops in China and Japan, the department said in a press release. "In the

Dec. 11, 2022

S. Korea to offer 100 tons of aid items to Ukraine this month: ministry

South Korea plans to offer some 100 tons of humanitarian aid items to Ukraine, which is suffering power shortages this month amid its war with Russia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The items, which include power generators, children's vaccines, medical devices and emergency medicines, are scheduled to be sent in two batches on Sunday and Dec. 25 via chartered flights. According to the ministry, the planned shipment of power generators is meant to help meet Ukraine's urgent

Dec. 9, 2022

US envoy for N. Korea holds rare talks with Chinese counterpart over recent provocations

WASHINGTON -- US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim held talks this week with his Chinese counterpart to discuss North Korea's increasingly provocative behavior, the state department said Thursday. The rare meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, according to department spokesperson Ned Price. "Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim held a video conference on December 7 with PRC Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming to discuss the DPRK'

Dec. 9, 2022

N. Korean nuclear threat poses serious challenge to US extended deterrence: Campbell

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear tests and its potential use of nuclear weapons against the US and its allies present a serious challenge that requires the US to further enhance its extended deterrence, a White House official said Thursday. Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, noted keeping US allies from developing their own nuclear capabilities may also be a "big challenge" for the US going forward. "I would suggest that one of t

Dec. 9, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] US-Mainland China-Taiwan Relations after Taiwan’s Local Election

Taiwan's recent local elections have received unprecedented attention from the international community. The election took place amid higher tensions in the Taiwan Strait than ever, due to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks on the use of force. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won only five out of the 21 local chief posts, while the opposition Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) won 13, including the capital Taipe

Dec. 8, 2022

US will continue holding joint exercises against N. Korean provocations: Kirby

WASHINGTON-- The United States will continue to hold joint military exercises bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea and Japan to enhance the countries' defense capabilities against North Korean provocations, a White House official said Wednesday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, also urged North Korea to engage in dialogue. "We are working with all of our allies and partners to continue to put pressure on Pyongyang," Kirby s

Dec. 8, 2022

Russia continues to look to N. Korea for weapons for use in Ukraine: State Dept.

WASHINGTON-- Russia continues to look to North Korea and Iran for weapons to be used in its illegal war against Ukraine, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. Ned Price also called North Korea the most serious threat in the Indo-Pacific, partly citing its recent series of ballistic missile launches. "We know that Russia's brutal assault against Ukraine has forced Russia to extend its relatively scarce quantities of weaponry, including ballistic missiles," the departmen

Dec. 8, 2022

Asian health experts debate how to combat pandemics

Health experts in Asia -- regulatory officials, practitioners and consultants -- discussed how the lessons learned from the COVID-19 could help them to coordinate a more effective response to fight off pandemics to come, at a forum held in Seoul on Wednesday. Keynote speaker Tore Godal -- founding chief executive of Gavi, a global vaccine alliance that works on increasing access to immunization in poor countries -- kicked off the annual Vaccine Cooperation Forum in the Indo-Pacific Region, cohos

Dec. 7, 2022

First lady asks Vietnamese president to look into Koreans’ visa problems

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee met with Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday, asking the Vietnamese president to look into Korean citizens’ visa issues in the Southeast Asian country. The first lady called for the Vietnamese president’s “keen interest” in Koreans’ visa-related issues during Phuc’s visit to Cheong Wa Dae, saying she saw news reports about how Korean travelers or nationals dwelling in Vietnam hav

Dec. 7, 2022

US, Australia urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue, address human rights issues

WASHINGTON -- The top diplomats and defense chiefs of the United States and Australia urged North Korea on Tuesday to engage in dialogue to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, while expressing concerns over severe human rights violations in the reclusive state. They also agreed to fully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea to this end in an annual two-plus-two meeting, known as the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. "The principals reaffirmed

Dec. 7, 2022

New US Congress must and will focus on diplomacy in Indo-Pacific: Rep. Chabot

The incoming US Congress must and is prepared to focus on diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific to address the increasing competition from China and threats from North Korea, an outgoing Republican member of the House of Representatives said Tuesday. Rep. Steve Chabot also highlighted the importance of working with South Korea and Japan, as well as other key US allies in the region. "It's hard to overestimate the importance of the Indo-Pacific to the world in the 21st century," Chabot sai

Dec. 7, 2022

US calls on China to implement UNSC resolutions on N. Korea to prevent further escalation

WASHINGTON-- All United Nations member countries, including China and Russia, must fully implement UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea to prevent Pyongyang from further escalating tension, a state department spokesperson reiterated Tuesday. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price also highlighted that the Security Council resolutions in place had been passed unanimously by council members, including both China and Russia. "There's only one reason why a UN Security Counc

Dec. 7, 2022

Envoys call for Seoul-Tokyo thaw to counter NK threats

South Korea and Japan need to step up efforts to advance their ties to better counter growing missile threats from North Korea, according to the top envoys from Seoul and Tokyo. The two Asian neighbors are still locked in longtime historical disputes, the latest of which involves compensating Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II. The unprecedented frequency of Pyongyang’s missile launches this year, however, are forcing Seoul and Tokyo to put their differences

Dec. 6, 2022

Vietnam's investment minister pledges to bolster business ties with South Korea

Vietnam’s Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung on Monday renewed the Southeast Asian country's commitment to bolstering business ties with South Korea in a range of areas from construction to medical care. “Despite the struggling global economy and dim outlook for next year, Vietnam is one of the best countries for investment, mostly driven by a stable political and economic environment, rapid growth rate and resilient workforce,” said the minister during a lunche

Dec. 6, 2022

Biz leaders of S. Korea, Vietnam discuss cooperation in green energy transition

Business leaders of South Korea and Vietnam on Tuesday discussed efforts to deepen bilateral economic cooperation in new areas such as a transition to green energy, in a step toward carbon neutrality and sustainable growth. The business forum, hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, took place a day after the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, during which they agreed to elevate the relations to a "comprehensive, strategic partn

Dec. 6, 2022

S. Korea, Japan cooperation critical to dealing with N. Korea, economic challenges: envoys

WASHINGTON-- South Korea and Japan must work closely together bilaterally and also trilaterally with the United States to deal with the various challenges at hand such as North Korean provocations and supply chain resiliency, the countries' top envoys in the US said Monday. South Korean Ambassador to the US Cho Tae-yong said the Seoul government stands ready to strengthen its cooperation with the US and Japan. Cho highlighted the importance of trilateral cooperation between the US, Japan

Dec. 6, 2022

[Herald Interview] Vietnam wants S. Korea’s help to upgrade economy: top envoy

South Korea -- the biggest investor in the Vietnamese economy -- is well positioned to provide key support for Hanoi to be part of global supply chains, Vietnam’s foreign minister said Monday. “Vietnam welcomes and encourages Korean firms to make new investments or expand existing ventures in Vietnam … We look forward to receiving the Republic of Korea’s assistance to be part of the global value chains of Korean corporation,” the minister, Bui Thanh Son, told The K

Dec. 5, 2022

Korea envoy looks to the next chapter of Korea-Vietnam ties

HANOI, Vietnam -- When South Korea first forged diplomatic ties with Vietnam 30 years ago, not many expected the fledgling bond to become as strong as it is today. Now the Southeast Asian country is one of Korea’s closest partners, or a “diplomatic hotspot” as Korea’s Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju likes to put it. “When the Korean embassy was first established 30 years ago, there were only two government officials here – an ambassador and an attache. Now

Dec. 5, 2022

Yoon's chief of staff to pay official visit to UAE

Presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates this month and convey President Yoon Suk-yeol's commitment to strengthening the special strategic partnership between the two countries, the presidential office said Monday. Kim will travel to the UAE in mid-December as a special presidential envoy to "reaffirm the special strategic partnership and convey President Yoon Suk-yeol's special commitment to strengthening it," the office s

Dec. 5, 2022