As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol heads to Madrid to attend the NATO summit, opponents here are raising concerns that his participation in the Western military alliance gathering may have negative impacts on the country’s standing with China. Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s emergency steering committee, expressed concerns on the president’s participation in the NATO summit, questioning if it would secure the national inte

Foreign Affairs June 27, 2022

As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is to participate in the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit for the first time, the United States stressed the significance of Seoul as “an important partner” of the NATO alliance. In a regular press briefing on Wednesday (US time), US Secretary of State spokesperson Ned Price highlighted how allies and Indo-Pacific partners should stand up to aggression and maintain the “rules-based order” that keeps regional sta

Foreign Affairs June 23, 2022

With Seoul and Tokyo picking up efforts to restore strained ties, eyes are on whether the sides’ leaders could make progress in an upcoming international conference that both are set to attend next week. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have both said they will attend the NATO summit scheduled for June 29-30, where they will see each other in person for the first time; it has been less than two months since Yoon was inaugurated on May 10.

Foreign Affairs June 22, 2022

With North Korea expected to conduct a nuclear test, Seoul has raised the possibility of imposing sanctions independent of the international community to respond to the potential security threat. However, while sanctions are the only way to “directly” pressure Pyongyang for posing security threats, such a move by Seoul would be largely symbolic, experts say, as the border between the two Koreas has been closed for years. Last week, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said the

Foreign Affairs June 21, 2022

China slammed the US as the “largest source of disruption” to world order, making explicit its discontent over Washington’s China policy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a fact sheet late on Sunday dubbed “Falsehoods in US Perceptions of China,” in response to a recent speech made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where he raised concerns about Beijing posing “the most serious, long-term threat.” The speech was delivered to the Asia Society

Foreign Affairs June 20, 2022

South Korea’s main opposition party’s interim chief Rep. Woo Sang-ho on Sunday accused conservative ruling party of strategically framing the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration as “pro-North Korea,” following a decision overturning the initial conclusion regarding a civil servant killed by North Korea. “Instead of taking care of people’s livelihoods, (the incumbent Yoon Suk-yeol administration) is trying to create an image (of his predecessor) as h

Politics June 19, 2022

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday it was trying to verify a statement from Russian authorities claiming that four Koreans who joined as volunteer fighters in Ukraine have died. The Moscow Times, an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper, released a report quoting a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday that claimed 1,956 “mercenaries and weapons specialists” had been killed among the 6,956 from 64 countries who had arriv

Foreign Affairs June 19, 2022

South Korea and the US have agreed on strong industrial cooperation and on enhancing supply resilience, Seoul’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday (US time). In his meeting with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington, Park also suggested holding “2+2” ministerial summit involving the top commerce chiefs and foreign affairs chiefs of the respective countries. “South Korea and the US have a comprehensive strategic alliance, so we have agreed to cont

Foreign Affairs June 16, 2022

As South Korea’s new administration is ratcheting up efforts to bolster trilateral relations with the United States and Japan amid increasing threats from the North, Seoul’s foreign minister raised expectations for the normal operation of an intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. But with the South Korea-Japan relationship standing at its lowest point due to the two countries’ differences on Japanese atrocities stretching back to its colonial occupation of Korea, diplomatic re

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2022

The United States and South Korea are prepared to make adjustments to their military posture to counter North Korea, the foreign affairs chiefs of the two allies said. In their first face-to-face bilateral talks on Monday in the US, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed their joint commitment for extended nuclear deterrence, while urging North Korea to come to dialogue. “I can say simply for today that we’re preparing for all c

Foreign Affairs June 14, 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for officials to root out “unrevolutionary acts” such as bureaucratic behavior in a party meeting, Pyongyang’s state media said Monday, a day after North Korea fired artillery into the West Sea. Pyongyang’s state-operated Korean Central News Agency said Kim presided over a secretariat meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party on Sunday to discuss national tasks that were decided upon at a key party meeting

North Korea June 13, 2022

Amid growing speculation that Pyongyang may carry out a nuclear test soon, Seoul’s foreign minister reiterated during a four-day trip to Washington that the government would take “stern measures” in the event of a detonation. After laying a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington Foreign Minister Park Jin said Sunday that North Korea has finished preparations for a nuclear test according to assessments. “(The North) had launched an intercontinental ba

Foreign Affairs June 13, 2022

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will depart for the United States on Sunday to make his first trip there since taking office, his office said Friday. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Park will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Monday, which would be the first face-to-face meeting for the two since South Korea launched a new government in May. “Minister Park is visiting Washington D.C. upon the invitation of the US Secretary of State An

Foreign Affairs June 10, 2022

North Korea’s state-run media outlets on Friday kept silent to withhold reporting on the second day of a key Workers‘ Party meeting, which authorities here assessed as “very unusual.” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency had revealed its leader Kim Jong-un presided over the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party’s eighth Central Committee, which kicked off on Wednesday. But while the session is likely to have run into its second day on Thursday, state

North Korea June 10, 2022

North Korea opened a key Workers’ Party meeting with its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance to discuss a “series of important issues,” its state-run media said Thursday, amid rampant speculation the country may conduct a nuclear test soon. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim presided over the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party’s eighth Central Committee, which kicked off Wednesday. “It began the agenda discussion amid high political enthusias

North Korea June 9, 2022