S. Korea to provide $500,000 in humanitarian aid to Chile over massive wildfires

South Korea will provide $500,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to Chile to help people struggling with devastating wildfires, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. More than 120 people have been killed and hundreds of others remained missing as the wildfires have razed thousands of homes in Chile's Valparaiso region since earlier this month, according to foreign media reports. The South Korean government voiced hope that the aid would help with the South American nation's re

Feb. 8, 2024

S. Korea voices regret over Russian envoy's remarks blaming allies for possible NK nuclear test

South Korea expressed strong regret Thursday over the remarks by Russia's top envoy to North Korea that the likelihood of another nuclear test by Pyongyang will depend on how far Seoul and Washington will go in taking their deterrence measures against the North. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with the TASS news agency the previous day that North Korea may decide to conduct its seventh nuclear test if Washington continues to take "provocative

Feb. 8, 2024

S. Korea's nuclear envoy discusses NK threats with Swedish counterpart

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy vowed unwavering efforts to stop North Korea's missile provocations and make it return to dialogue during his talks with his Swedish counterpart Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. Kim Gunn, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the point in the meeting with Peter Semneby, who was visiting South Korea this week, the ministry said in a release. Kim reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to creating conditio

Feb. 7, 2024

China invites S. Korean top diplomat, calls for ‘positive, objective’ policy

South Korea's newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul received an invitation to visit China from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during their first phone call Tuesday, according to Seoul. Beijing concurrently revealed that Wang expressed expectations for South Korea to adopt a "positive, objective and friendly policy" toward China. Cho and Wang engaged in a 50-minute phone conversation, discussing matters of mutual interest, including high-level exchanges, supply chain coop

Feb. 7, 2024

Pentagon stresses 'unprecedented' level of security cooperation among S. Korea, US, Japan amid NK threats

A Pentagon spokesperson on Tuesday cast the current level of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan as "unprecedented," as concerns have arisen over North Korea's continued missile launches and tough rhetoric. The spokesperson made the remarks after Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported recently that the three countries shared radar information for the first time when the North fired a ballistic missile on Jan. 14, and that despite three-w

Feb. 7, 2024

FM Cho discusses visit to Beijing in 1st phone talks with Chinese counterpart

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Tuesday to discuss North Korea and other pending bilateral issues, his office said, the first such talks between the top diplomats since Cho's inauguration. Wang Yi also extended an invitation for Cho to visit Beijing, saying he hopes to cooperate closely with each other in the future to further advance their bilateral ties, the ministry said in a press release. Cho thanked Wang for the invitation and ag

Feb. 7, 2024

German Embassy, Herald co-host mini-concert for cultural exchange

The German Embassy in Seoul and The Korea Herald co-hosted a cultural event featuring members of the Berlin Philharmonic and Korean musicians Thursday, fostering cultural exchange and strengthening diplomatic ties through music. Delivering remarks at the event, German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt highlighted the significance of music as a bridge connecting the hearts of Korea and Germany. "Music is one of the many links between our two countries and certainly one of the most joyful,&rd

Feb. 6, 2024

[Op-ed] Holding firm in support of Ukraine

This month we mark a grim anniversary; two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This period has seen Russia breach international law, commit war crimes and engage in unlawful military cooperation with the DPRK. The Ambassadors of the European Union reiterate their condemnation of these actions, and their appreciation for the solid support of the Republic of Korea for Ukraine. We are confident that the ROK’s support will remain firm, including in full implementation of sanction

Feb. 6, 2024

National security adviser met with Russian deputy FM during Seoul visit: sources

National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin met with Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko when he visited Seoul last week, sources said Tuesday, amid heightened tensions between Seoul and Moscow over North Korea. The meeting took place on Saturday, the sources said, as tensions have flared anew since Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks on North Korea as "blatantly biased" on Thursday. In response, Seoul's forei

Feb. 6, 2024

S. Korea summons Russian ambassador over commentary on Yoon's remark

South Korea's foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the top Russian envoy to Seoul to protest a recent statement by a Russian foreign ministry official on President Yoon Suk Yeol's view of the North Korean regime. On Wednesday, Yoon described North Korea as the only country in the world to legalize the preemptive use of nuclear weapons as tensions escalated over a series of weapons tests by the North since the start of the year. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cr

Feb. 3, 2024

US begins retaliatory strikes at Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq, Syria

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Friday mounted strikes at targets used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, President Joe Biden said, delivering on his vow to retaliate for last weekend's drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. In a statement, Biden said that under his direction, U.S. military forces began the strikes at the facilities that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces. "Our response began t

Feb. 3, 2024

US admiral says 'symbiotic' NK-Russia cooperation runs counter to global peace principles

The nominee for US Indo-Pacific Command chief expressed deep concerns Thursday over the burgeoning military partnership between North Korea and Russia, portraying it as a "symbiotic" one that goes against the principles of global peace. During a confirmation hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Adm. Samuel Paparo, currently US Pacific Fleet commander, also noted that Russia might have given "potentially high-end" technology to the North in return for the North'

Feb. 2, 2024

Japan removes monument for Korean forced labor victims despite criticism

A Japanese local government has taken down a memorial stone for Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor at a public park earlier this week despite opposition from activist groups. Authorities from Gunma Prefecture began pulling down the stone on Monday and finalized the removal on Wednesday, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported the next day. Aerial photographs taken by the news outlet showed the remains of what appeared to the base of the memorial stone smashed into pieces

Feb. 1, 2024

S. Korea, EU, others condemn Myanmar atrocities

Eight countries including South Korea, together with the European Union, joined forces on Thursday to denounce the atrocities and human rights violations committed by Myanmar's junta in a joint statement on Thursday. A joint statement was issued on the same day Myanmar's military seized power in a dawn coup on Feb. 1, 2021, and overthrew the democratically elected government. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the military regime’s ongoing atrocities and human right

Feb. 1, 2024

[Hello India] India marks 75th Republic Day, envisions future with Korea

The Indian Embassy in Seoul marked its 75th Republic Day, envisioning a future-oriented partnership with South Korea on Friday. The day commemorates the adoption of India's constitution in 1949, declaring India a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic" that upholds the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all citizens. Recalling India’s Buddhist linkages with Korea, the country's role in the Korean War and today, the two countries'

Jan. 31, 2024

South Korea to sharpen message to NK: envoy

South Korea aims to convey a more specific message to the North Korean leadership this year, emphasizing that provocations will only strengthen the South's alignment with the United States and Japan, the country's Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong said Tuesday. "North Korea has been persistently conducting unprecedented threats and provocations against us," he said. "We will never be swayed or (give in) to North Korea's provocations and threats. Instead,

Jan. 31, 2024

Turkmenistan envoy, Korea Herald CEO discuss media cooperation

Turkmenistan Ambassador to South Korea B. Durdyev and Choi Jin-young, the CEO of The Korea Herald, discussed ways of enhancing media cooperation through content during their meeting in Seoul on Tuesday. As part of the bilateral cooperation, the two sides discussed beefing up bilateral cooperation by publishing content about the domestic and foreign policies of Turkmenistan, as well as exchanging news and information on both countries’ current events and achievements. During the meeting, th

Jan. 31, 2024

Bolton warns Trump could seek 'reckless' deal on NK nuclear program if reelected

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton warned in a new edition of his memoir Tuesday that former President Donald Trump, if reelected, could attempt to reach a "reckless" deal on North Korea's nuclear program that would alienate South Korea. Bolton, who served as national security advisor under Trump from 2018-2019, made the prediction in the new foreword of his book, "The Room Where It Happened," as Trump is expected to face President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 pr

Jan. 31, 2024

FM Cho discusses alliance, N. Korea issues with top US envoy

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with the top US envoy to Seoul on Tuesday to discuss ways of boosting the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan amid growing threats from North Korea. In his talks with Ambassador Philip Goldberg, Cho stressed that the South Korea-US alliance has stepped up to an unprecedented level since the allies marked their 70th anniversary last year and proposed they continue to advance the alliance, the foreign ministry said in a press relea

Jan. 30, 2024

S. Korea 'strongly' protests Japan FM's sovereignty claim over Dokdo

The South Korean government on Tuesday urged Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa to "immediately retract" her claim of territorial sovereignty over Dokdo, which are South Korea's easternmost sovereign islets, in her parliamentary speech. "The government strongly protests against the repeated unjust territorial claims by the Japanese government regarding Dokdo, which is undeniably our distinct territory —historically, geographically, and under international law,"

Jan. 30, 2024