White House official says S. Korean firms help form supply chain ecosystem, create decent jobs

A senior White House official on Tuesday portrayed South Korean enterprises operating in the United States as helping foster a robust supply chain ecosystem and create decent jobs, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, made the point during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul at the White House. Cho is in Washington for a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken set for Wednesday. "Director Brainard said

Feb. 28, 2024

US diplomat voices hope for S. Korea to offer more defense material support to Ukraine

A US diplomat expressed hopes Monday for South Korea to provide more defense material support to Ukraine, stressing the importance of air defense assistance for Ukrainian forces striving to fend off Russian attacks. Speaking at a forum, Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian affairs, underscored the need for continued aid to Ukraine, as US military support to the war-ravaged country has stalled with a funding bill held up in the House due to Republican op

Feb. 27, 2024

Vice FM urges N. Korea to cease provocations at UN disarmament conference

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun urged North Korea to return to denuclearization talks and to cease its nuclear and missile programs, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Kang made the remark during her speech at the high-level segment of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Monday, saying the North's illegal nuclear and missile programs are the "most urgent tasks" to address for international peace and security. "North Korea's nuclear and missile obsessio

Feb. 27, 2024

S. Korea to tighten export controls on Russia, Belarus

South Korea plans to tighten export controls on Russia and Belarus for items that can potentially be used for military purposes, the trade ministry said Monday. The announcement came after South Korea added 682 items with actual or potential military use to the list of items to be banned from shipping to Russia and Belarus last week. "The ministry will bolster the implementation of export controls under ties with related organizations, as there will be more attempts to dodge export controls

Feb. 26, 2024

Trump could see trade deficit with S. Korea with 'concern' if reelected: US expert

Former President Donald Trump could view America's growing trade deficit with South Korea with "concern" if reelected, a prominent US expert has said, as his campaign proposal for new tariffs has raised worries among nations. Wendy Cutler, a vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and former negotiator of a South Korea-US free trade agreement, made the remarks during a press meeting, noting that Trump continues to place "such a big emphasis on trade deficits."

Feb. 26, 2024

FM Cho meets with UNESCO chief in Brazil

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has met with UNESCO's chief in Brazil to discuss ways to bolster cooperation in the ethics of artificial intelligence, as well as other issues, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The meeting with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay took place Thursday (local time) on the sidelines of the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the ministry said. During the meeting, Cho said the two sides can expand cooperation as UNESCO has r

Feb. 24, 2024

G7 leaders decry N. Korea's exports of ballistic missiles to Russia

The leaders of the Group of Seven leading democracies strongly condemned arms transactions between North Korea and Russia on Saturday, as they marked the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The G7 leaders issued a joint statement, stressing that the transactions between Pyongyang and Moscow are in breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The G7 countries are the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan. "We strongly condemn North Korea's e

Feb. 24, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan concur on 'stern' response to NK-Russia arms deal

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers&rsq

Feb. 23, 2024

Thailand asks S. Korea to toughen K-ETA screening after denied entries of its people

Thailand asked South Korea on Thursday to toughen the pre-entry screening process for foreign visitors from visa-waiver countries, after a number of its citizens were denied entry into Korea and the incidents stirred public ire. Thailand made the request to the South Korean side during a director-general meeting on consular affairs between the foreign ministries, held earlier in the day, Seoul officials said. A number of Thais revealed through some online channels last year their experiences of

Feb. 22, 2024

S. Korean, Japanese FMs agree on NK, differ on historical issues

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation on North Korean issues, while expressing lingering differences in historical matters, including compensation for forced labor victims during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula and South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, met for the first time Wednesday for a 30-minute meeting, starting at 11:10 a.m. local time, on the

Feb. 22, 2024

Russia apparently violating UNSC resolutions by giving NK leader luxury car: State Dept.

Russia appears to have violated UN Security Council resolutions if it had given North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a luxury car, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, noting the supply of transportation vehicles to the North is prohibited under the resolutions. The North's Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Kim received a Russian-made luxury car from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift demonstrating the special bonds between them. Later, the Kremlin confirmed that the

Feb. 22, 2024

S. Korea, Netherlands launch semiconductor dialogue

South Korea and the Netherlands on Monday launched a dialogue on the semiconductor industry in an effort to boost bilateral cooperation on the advanced sector, the industry ministry here said. The two nations held the inaugural meeting of the director-level Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Dialogue in the Dutch city of Eindhoven on the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The meeting was held as the two sides agreed in December to establish a working-level dialogue channe

Feb. 19, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Stock investment promotion, wind power distribution

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation Proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chul (People Power Party) ● In consideration of the high interest rates and rising number of stock investors in the current economic landscape, this amendment proposes to cancel the upcoming implementation of the financial income tax system and maintain the current capital gains tax system. This bill is in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol's push to abolish the finan

Feb. 19, 2024

Yoon meets 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae, Netflix CEO

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a luncheon meeting with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae earlier this week, his spokesperson said Sunday. At the meeting held Saturday at his presidential residence, Yoon expressed his appreciation to Sarandos for Netflix's investment in South Korea and called for increased investment in "K-contents." Yoon and Sarandos also discussed the development of the two countries' "cultural alliance" through

Feb. 18, 2024

G7 foreign ministers strongly condemn N. Korea's arms transfers to Russia

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven countries have condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, calling it a direct violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan and the High Representative of the European Union issued the statement amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Rus

Feb. 18, 2024

South Korea, Japan hold nonproliferation consultations

South Korea and Japan held disarmament and nonproliferation consultations to discuss ways to address growing military threats from North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Youn Jong-kwon, director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the ministry, met with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa, in Tokyo, the ministry said. The two sides shared concerns about North Korea's increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats and illegal arms trade

Feb. 16, 2024

Seoul voices 'deep concern' over Israel's military operation in Gaza

South Korea on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over Israel's recent military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, calling for relevant parties to protect civilians. "The government of the Republic of Korea expresses its deep concern over the recent Israeli military operation and its additional plan in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where approximately 1.4 million people are sheltering," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Rafah, which li

Feb. 15, 2024

[Contribution] Looking back on 35 years of ties on the occasion of Serbia's National Day

By Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador to Korea As the Embassy of Serbia in Seoul proudly celebrates its National Day together with the small Serbian community living here, as well as our Korean friends, it is an opportunity to once again recall the close and decadeslong friendly relations that so happily exist between our two countries and two peoples. Statehood Day or National Day is celebrated every Feb. 15 in Serbia to commemorate the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which e

Feb. 15, 2024

Trump's NATO barbs spark concerns of return to 'transactional' alliance

Former US President Donald Trump's outspoken criticism of NATO and its collective defense resonates deeply with implications for South Korea's security, a cornerstone being the US commitment to defense, especially amid escalating North Korean threats. After Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, intensified his rhetoric on Saturday, the possibility of his return to power raised concerns about the revival of his transactional approach to the Sou

Feb. 15, 2024

Seoul side-eyes N. Korea while forging ties with Cuba

The surprise establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba marks the culmination of Seoul's diplomatic endeavors with socialist countries that have historically maintained friendly ties with North Korea, according to the presidential office on Thursday. South Korea and Cuba on Wednesday evening officially announced that they had forged diplomatic relations, fulfilling Seoul's decadeslong aspiration to engage with the socialist country. Seoul believes the move deliv

Feb. 15, 2024