South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Monday evening a teenage Korean -- who remained missing from a plane that crashed into a gorge on Sunday while making a 27-minute flight to a Nepalese tourist town northwest of the capital Kathmandu -- also died, along with his father found dead earlier in the day. The Korean consul in Nepal confirmed the bodies of the father and his son who were flying for a family vacation, at the Gandaki Medical College hospital in Pokhara, the destination that the tw

Foreign Affairs Jan. 16, 2023

Chinese authorities resumed issuing visas for some South Koreans and Japanese on official or nonofficial business that requires immediate attention, Kyodo News said Monday, citing Chinese sources. The latest relaxation of rules, which China toughened only last week by ceasing the issuing of short-term visas for the two countries, came as Seoul and Tokyo complained about Beijing’s “retaliation” for stepping up their COVID-19 travel curbs on Chinese arrivals amid a fresh surge in

Foreign Affairs Jan. 16, 2023

Nepalese authorities on Monday resumed searching for a South Korean, one of four people who remained missing from a plane that crashed into a gorge on Sunday while making a 27-minute flight to a Nepalese tourist town northwest of the capital Kathmandu. The Himalayan country’s deadliest plane crash since 1992 left at least 68 of the 72 people aboard dead, including another Korean -- the father of the missing teenage Korean who was a noncommissioned Army officer, according to local reports.

Foreign Affairs Jan. 16, 2023

The US said Thursday it is still committed to a completely denuclearized Korean Peninsula and that South Korea has made it clear it is not seeking nuclear weapons, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol openly backed a nuclear buildup if North Korea poses a bigger threat than now. Yoon’s remarks about South Korea arming itself with nuclear weapons against North Korea, a nuclear state, were made public Wednesday when his defense minister briefed him on the ministry’s plan for this year.

Politics Jan. 13, 2023

Deepening discord was revealed Thursday over how to bring Japan to make amends to Koreans forced into labor by Japanese firms during World War II, further weakening the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s drive to seek a thaw in frayed Seoul-Tokyo ties. Thursday’s public debate, held at the National Assembly to gather public input that could help settle the dispute, reaffirmed concerns that Japan’s apology and compensation -- two conditions victims demand but that have been denied b

Foreign Affairs Jan. 12, 2023

China’s visa ban on South Koreans following Seoul’s tighter COVID-19 curbs on Chinese travelers is the kind of tit-for-tat spat the two Asian neighbors will have to deal with on multiple fronts for some time, experts said Thursday. China this week stopped issuing short-term visas in Korea for business visits, tourism, medical care, transit and other personal matters -- a response to what Beijing said were discriminatory restrictions Seoul had imposed on people arriving from China. Th

Foreign Affairs Jan. 12, 2023

A trip to the US by President Yoon Suk Yeol is high up on the priority list for the Foreign Ministry, part of efforts it hopes would help South Korea gain a larger share of the international diplomatic spotlight, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Wednesday. Seoul -- set to mark its 70 years of security ties with Washington in October, its biggest ally -- revealed a month ago its Indo-Pacific strategy, a commitment to help reshape the world order alongside the US, primarily, amid deglobalization p

Foreign Affairs Jan. 11, 2023

South Korea and the United States are “indispensable partners” that share such universal values as freedom and human rights -- the commitment central to their economic solidarity, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon said Tuesday ahead of marking the allies’ 70 years of security ties in October. Lee and his US counterpart, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez, discussed bolstering support for economic security or plans to de

Foreign Affairs Jan. 10, 2023

This is the second installment of the three-part interview series exploring what experts believe should take place for S. Korea to better advance its interests, while resetting ties with Japan amid disputes. -- Ed. AAAAA/ South Korea should use its growing cultural presence to rally an international audience against Japan’s “revisionist history,” a course of action that is more effectively put in check with international backing while the two Asian neighbors rush to reset ties,

Foreign Affairs Jan. 8, 2023

This is the first installment of the three-part interview series exploring what experts believe should take place for S. Korea to better advance its interests, while resetting ties with Japan amid disputes. -- Ed. For too long, South Korea has misplaced hope in breakthroughs, while Japan has pursued small steps rather than giant leaps in ties. That is a lesson for Seoul to mirror Japan’s strategy to negotiate better as they seek to reset relations amid longtime historical disputes, accord

Foreign Affairs Jan. 5, 2023

The year 2022, marked by unprecedented geopolitical and economic tensions, has been especially brutal for South Korea as it sought greater global clout amid deglobalization prompted by the escalating US-China rivalry. The search for a seat in a new world order is emboldening Korea to take bolder steps, beginning with its longtime ally, the US. The Indo-Pacific strategy revealed Wednesday is the epitome of Seoul’s commitment to helping reshape the world alongside Washington, its biggest all

Politics Dec. 29, 2022

South Korea is now a global player among Indo-Pacific countries that has to do its part for freedom, peace and prosperity in the region in order to take the next leap, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Wednesday. He made the remarks while unveiling the country’s Indo-Pacific strategy -- the latest foreign policy summarizing the steps needed to expand Korea’s global imprint. The plan, promised back in May when the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took power, comes amid a global rush to gain

Foreign Affairs Dec. 28, 2022

South Korea should engage more proactively with Japan and through their common ally, the US, as Japan’s pursuit of its largest military buildup since its post-World War II pacifism days heralds a new phase of military competition, according to experts. The outreach would help prevent the kind of arms buildup reminiscent of Japan’s wartime aggression, they said Tuesday. Tokyo’s five-year $322 billion defense strategy, unveiled two weeks ago, is twice the amount spent in the last

Foreign Affairs Dec. 27, 2022

Police said Friday that a North Korean hacker group was behind a series of phishing attacks this year targeting security experts in South Korea by sending them emails and inviting them to click on links to fake websites. The scam, which took place between April and October, involved faking the identity of local reporters covering national security and an assistant to Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South and is now a ruling party lawmaker. Of the 892 people w

North Korea Dec. 25, 2022

This year marks a watershed moment for South Korea and Vietnam in their 30 years of relations, as they are about to embark on a new path of greater mutual prosperity, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Thursday at a dinner reception. The gathering -- attended by Park and Vietnam’s Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung -- is the latest effort by Seoul to cement ties with the Southeast Asian country for a bigger foothold in the region. In a video statement, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Tha

Foreign Affairs Dec. 25, 2022