North Korea orchestrated a unique event on Tuesday, where personally curated gifts from leader Kim Jong-un were presented to participants at the national mothers' meeting, continuing the trend of promoting the pivotal role of mothers in state-controlled media. North Korea hosted the fifth National Conference of Mothers in Pyongyang on Sunday and Monday, marking the first occurrence of the event since 2012. Speaking at the event, Ri Il-hwan, the secretary of the Central Committee of the Work

North Korea Dec. 6, 2023

North Korea has closed seven embassies across Africa, Europe and Southwest Asia, reducing its total from 53 to 46, amid persistent challenges in earning hard currency abroad exacerbated by economic sanctions, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Pyongyang has closed embassies in Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Senegal, Spain, Angola and Uganda as of Tuesday. News about a series of embassy closures started emerging in October. But the Foreign Ministry disclosed the withdrawal of North Kor

Foreign Affairs Dec. 5, 2023

South Korea successfully launched a solid-fuel space rocket carrying a small commercial satellite in the final round of tests for an actual launch planned for two years later, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday. The test launch was conducted at around 2:00 p.m. from a barge located in waters south of Jeju Island. It was the first instance of the country integrating an operational satellite, not a dummy satellite, into the developmental phase of a solid-fuel space rocket. Mon

Defense Dec. 4, 2023

In an unprecedented move, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Japan collectively and consecutively declared the imposition of unilateral sanctions on North Korea on Thursday and Friday. The united front is a direct response to North Korea's launch of a purported "military reconnaissance satellite" on Nov. 21, highlighting the coordinated efforts of like-minded countries in the face of a notable absence of actions at the United Nations Security Council. South Korea has im

North Korea Dec. 1, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has conveyed a message of condolences following the passing of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the South Korean presidential office said on Friday. Yoon called Kissinger the "strategist and international political scholar who laid the foundation for US foreign policy, and I deeply appreciate his lifelong dedicated efforts toward global peace and freedom" in his message. "I cherish the memory of your unwavering support for the South Korea-US allia

Foreign Affairs Dec. 1, 2023

North Korea will never discuss its "sovereignty" in negotiations with the United States in any circumstances, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Thursday in a statement, framing the recent launch of a purported military spy satellite as an assertion of sovereignty. Kim, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, denounced Washington for publicly criticizing Pyongyang’s launch of what it claimed to be a military

North Korea Nov. 30, 2023

South Korea has initiated a comprehensive examination of scenarios aimed at restoring guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone that were deactivated and dismantled in alignment with a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, military sources said Wednesday. One potential first step involves the restoration of a disarmed guard post, the structure of which has been exclusively preserved for historical purposes through mutual consent with North Korea. South Korea has deemed it essential to implement coun

Defense Nov. 29, 2023

The existing trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan will remain enduring, regardless of the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election, US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg said Tuesday. Goldberg highlighted that the foundation of the three-way cooperation among like-minded countries -- grounded in shared values such as democracy, free markets and the rule of law -- inherently signifies sustainability. "We share so many of these values and interests

Foreign Affairs Nov. 28, 2023

A trilateral summit with Japan and China, which has been on hold since 2019, could take place early next year, a senior official from the South Korean president's office said Monday. The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and China on Sunday reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to expedite efforts to hold a trilateral summit at the earliest convenient time. However, the three ministers did not specify a specific time frame for the summit following a ministerial meeting in Busan, which w

Foreign Affairs Nov. 28, 2023

North Korea has started to restore guard posts within the demilitarized zone, which had previously been demolished in accordance with the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement while bringing military personnel and firearm equipment back to the posts, Seoul said Monday. Movements to restore the military posts have been detected since Nov. 24, one day after North Korea declared a complete annulment of the Sept. 19 military agreement, the Defense Ministry in Seoul said in a statement. South Korea�

Defense Nov. 27, 2023

BUSAN — The top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and China reached a consensus on Sunday to accelerate efforts to hold a trilateral summit at the earliest time, but without specifying a time frame. "The three ministers reached an agreement to promptly restore and normalize trilateral cooperation," South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told reporters following the trilateral meeting. "The three ministers have reaffirmed the agreement to convene the summit meeting -- the pinna

Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2023

BUSAN -- China's top diplomat Wang Yi expressed concerns over intensifying tension on Korean Peninsula and said that China will play a role in stabilizing the situation during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday. The two also agreed to reinforce high-level and strategic communications for reciprocal visits between the foreign ministers and the potential visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea, at a meeting held on the sidelines

Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2023

A space rivalry between South and North Korea appears to be intensifying, extending the decades-old military confrontation between the two beyond the heavily fortified inter-Korean border on the ground. North Korea seized the initiative by putting its first-ever military reconnaissance satellite into orbit Tuesday, strategically positioning itself ahead of South Korea's scheduled launch of its first homegrown military spy satellite on Nov. 30. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wed

Defense Nov. 23, 2023

South Korea has lifted the no-fly zones established by the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement as of Wednesday afternoon, as a tit-for-tat measure in response to North Korea's claimed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. The decision is the first instance South Korea has opted to suspend any inter-Korean agreements since the initial deal was signed in 1971. South Korea's Defense Ministry announced the suspension would take effect at 3 p.m., without saying how long the counte

Defense Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea on Wednesday decided to partially suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in order to resume reconnaissance near the border and enhance its readiness posture, hours after North Korea launched a military spy satellite. President Yoon Suk Yeol -- currently on a state visit to the United Kingdom -- gave his approval for a proposal to suspend the implementation of the no-fly zone clause in the Sept. 19 Comprehensive Military Agreement. Yoon's assent came hours after he presid

Defense Nov. 22, 2023