The South Korean government will host the third Summit for Democracy next week, becoming the first foreign country to lead the US key initiative aimed at rejuvenating democracy and defending against authoritarianism. The three-day summit, themed "Democracy for Future Generations," is set to commence on Monday, with a ministerial conference and multistakeholder roundtable discussion on "Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technology and Democracy," the South Korean presidential o

Foreign Affairs March 15, 2024

The US intelligence community currently assesses that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to escalate tensions into a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula, even as concerns persist over the potential for his closer alignment with the Russian president to embolden his aggressive actions. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines provided the assessment during Tuesday's House Intelligence Committee hearing while noting that Kim's recent rhetoric and actions have been incre

North Korea March 13, 2024

A South Korean citizen who Russian authorities claim has been detained on charges of espionage since earlier this year is a Christian missionary focused on aiding North Korean people in Russia's Far East region, according to sources on Tuesday. The South Korean individual, first reported by Russia's state-run media outlet TASS as Baek Won-soon and later corrected as Baek Kwang-soon, had been actively involved in missionary efforts for North Koreans in Vladivostok, according to database

Foreign Affairs March 12, 2024

North Korea attempted to disrupt the reception of Global Positioning System signals on the front-line islands of South Korea in the West Sea for three consecutive days from Tuesday, coinciding with annual combined military drills between Seoul and Washington, the South Korean military confirmed on Friday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected signals sent from North Korea, which were assessed as attempts to interfere with the reception of GPS signals on the Five West Sea Islands mult

North Korea March 8, 2024

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday revealed its plans to craft a fresh unification vision, with the ultimate aim of guaranteeing the freedom rights of every North Korean citizen on a unified Korean Peninsula. The initiative is set as the ministry's primary goal for the year and marks the first revision of South Korea's official unification formula in 30 years since 1994. Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said that he presented plans to formulate a unification vision groun

North Korea March 8, 2024

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday unveiled plans to restructure the office responsible for negotiations on North Korean nuclear issues and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, amid escalating North Korean nuclear threats and a prolonged absence of nuclear talks. The Foreign Ministry announced its decision to rebrand the Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, tentatively renaming it the Office of Diplomatic Strategy and Intelligence in Korean.

Foreign Affairs March 7, 2024

South Korea and India, in a joint commission convened for the first time since 2018, concurred on further bolstering defense ties, defense industrial cooperation and working toward upgrading their bilateral free trade agreement, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held the 10th South Korea-India Joint Commission Meeting on Wednesday at the premises of the Foreign Ministry in Seoul

Foreign Affairs March 6, 2024

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday appointed veteran diplomats as their chief delegates for upcoming negotiations on the next defense-cost sharing agreement, clearly signaling an early initiation of the talks. The move stands out as it precedes the expiration of the current agreement by almost two years, scheduled to end in 2025, and gains significance in light of the looming US presidential election. Lee Tae-woo, a seasoned diplomat with a career at the Foreign Ministry since 1996, br

Foreign Affairs March 5, 2024

The UK Embassy in Seoul launched its first-ever "Green Week" event Monday, covering a range of environmental topics to enhance Korean-UK cooperation in combating the climate crisis, according to the embassy. The inaugural event, which ends Friday, comes on the heels of the Downing Street Accord signed by the leaders of South Korea and the UK last November. The agreement underscores the commitment of both countries to collaborate in accelerating the green transition and combating climat

Foreign Affairs March 5, 2024

Members of the US-led Minerals Security Partnership agreed to establish a forum to promote effective cooperation on critical mineral supplies with non-member countries that are significant producers of minerals, South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced Monday. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun participated in the Representatives Meeting of the MSP chaired by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez in Toronto on Sunday. During the meet

Foreign Affairs March 4, 2024

Former South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup has been named as the country's new ambassador to Australia amid growing defense and arms industrial cooperation between the two countries. Lee, who served as defense minister from May 2022 to October 2023, played a crucial role in the exportation of Redback infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by South Korea’s Hanwha Defense. Lee also held the position of vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2017 to 2018. Lee's acad

Foreign Affairs March 4, 2024

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday concurred on "watertight responses" to any North Korean provocations amid escalating hostilities from the Kim Jong-un regime directed toward South Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met for their first foreign ministerial meeting in Washington since Cho assumed office in January. The bilateral discussion covered a wide array of t

Foreign Affairs Feb. 29, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=지다겸기자] 김영호 통일부 장관은 23일 본지와의 인터뷰에서 김정은 국무위원장의 딸인 김주애 외에 다른 후계자가 나타날 경우 북한 내부에 "오히려 혼란을 불러올 수도 있다"고 전망했다. 김 장관이 "김주애가 후계자가 될 가능성을 배제할 수 없다"는 기존 입장을 유지하면서도, 다른 후계자가 나타날 가능성을 낮게 평가한 것이다. 이어 김 장관은 “북한 정권이 내부적으로 상당히 불안정해지니까 후계 구도를 가시화하고 있다”며 김주애 조기 등판의 배경을 설명했다. 김 장관은 김씨 일가가 경제 성장을 위한 개혁과 개방이 불가능한 내재적 모순에 빠져 있다고 지적했다. 그는 이러한 상황을 "세습적 독재 권력 딜레마"라고 표현하며, 경제 침체와 군사력 증강을 위한 자원 조달의 악순환에 빠져 체제를 장기적으로 유지할 수 없을 것으로 전망했다. 북한 내 백두혈통 이외에 새로운 권력이 부상할 가능성에 대한 질문에 대

한국어판 Feb. 28, 2024

The Yoon Suk Yeol government "does not oppose North Korea engaging with the United States and Japan," the South Korean unification minister said, concurrently acknowledging that obstacles remain for North Korea to overcome to improve relations with the two countries. "The resolution of issues pertaining to Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea appears to be a prerequisite for the advancement of relations between Japan and North Korea," Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho sa

North Korea Feb. 28, 2024

Another heir emerging for North Korea besides Kim Jong-un's publicly promoted preteen daughter Ju-ae is unlikely because it would spark confusion within the isolated totalitarian society, according to South Korea's unification minister. During an exclusive 90-minute interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 23, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho underscored the "considerable internal instability" brewing within North Korea, a situation catalyzing the early debut of Ju-ae as candi

North Korea Feb. 28, 2024