First lady Kim Keon Hee told Queen Camilla about South Korea's legislative moves to ban the consumption of dog meat during their meeting in London last week, according to a presidential spokesperson on Sunday. Touting the move initiated by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the ruling party to ban dog meat sales by 2027, Kim described the proposed legal ban as a constructive step to enhance the awareness of animal rights, spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written statement. Yoon's t

Politics Nov. 26, 2023

South Korea and the United Kingdom on Wednesday agreed to establish a "two plus two" ministerial dialogue where foreign and defense ministers would hold regular bilateral meetings, amid signs of a destabilizing international order that the countries seek to jointly defend. The UK now becomes the third country to establish such ministerial dialogue with Korea, following the United States and Australia, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the presidential National Securi

Politics Nov. 23, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol and King Charles III celebrated the 140th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relationship in a series of high-profile events held in London on Tuesday, pledging to set new milestones for their bilateral ties as well as to join hands to promote freedom, peace and prosperity worldwide. Tuesday's grand ceremonial welcome celebrated the centuries-old friendship between South Korea, which rose from the ashes of the Korean War to becoming Asia's fourth-

Politics Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea and the United Kingdom are poised to adopt a new bilateral framework called the Downing Street Accord, during the upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Yoon's office said Tuesday. The adoption of the new agreement will upgrade the relations between the two countries to a "global strategic partnership" from a "broad and creative partnership," emphasizing that the two countries will jointly address geopolitical risks as t

Politics Nov. 21, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday began a four-day state visit to the United Kingdom, invited by King Charles III, to mark the 140th anniversary of relations between the two countries this year. During the visit, Yoon is poised to strengthen bilateral security and economic ties with the UK in the face of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. He will meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during the four-day trip, according to the presidential office on Sunday. "Korea will serve as a nonpermanen

Politics Nov. 20, 2023

While time is running out, there are still no clear prospects of a formal meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We have a day left (before departing from the United States) and discussions (over an arrangement of the Yoon-Xi meeting) are ongoing," a presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity Thursday. "We cannot guarantee that the meeting of the two leaders would actually happen due to the leaders' packed schedules.&quo

Politics Nov. 17, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol met US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Moscone Center in San Francisco on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' week on Thursday, according to Yoon's office on Friday. It was their first trilateral meeting in six months. They last met in Hiroshima, Japan, during the Group of Seven meeting in May. The talks lasted for about 10 minutes, according to Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the presidential Nati

Politics Nov. 17, 2023

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo highlighted the World Expo's role of sharing the host country's experience of its rise from the ashes of the war, should it take place in Busan in 2030. "We envision the World Expo in Busan that is not just a six-month event, but a forum to share the experience of our rapid development with other BIE members," Han said in a news conference in Seoul on Thursday. The Bureau International des Expositions oversees the international exhibitions. "O

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has proposed a new initiative to spur exchanges between young scientists from member nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in a bid to promote regional growth and combat complex global challenges, according to Yoon's office on Thursday. Yoon suggested what is tentatively dubbed the "Youth Scientist Exchange Initiative," aimed at offering visa waivers to those who hold science-related academic degrees within the APEC region and allowing them to sa

Politics Nov. 16, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in San Francisco to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' week there on Wednesday. Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee disembarked on Air Force One at the San Francisco International Airport at 7:41 a.m. Accompanying the South Korean delegation were Cho Tae-yong, director of the presidential National Security Office, and Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs. The delegation was greeted by South Korean Foreign Minister

Politics Nov. 16, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol left for San Francisco on Wednesday to attend the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member countries amid expectations building for a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Yoon's participation in the 21-member APEC summit came at a time when an arms deal between North Korea and Russia is becoming a headache to South Korea and its allies. Yoon is likely to address the deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, in an attempt to turn attent

Politics Nov. 15, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday defended Seoul financial regulators' recent decision to reimpose a ban on short selling in the South Korean stock market through June 2024, saying the ban is necessary to protect retail investors. The remarks came as the government is intensifying its fight against illegal short sellers, blaming them for the recent bearish trend in the stock market, and instead appealing to individual investors, with about five months to go until the general elections for

Politics Nov. 14, 2023

  South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Monday asked President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto recent bills passed by opposition parties, which the Democratic Party of Korea claims are aimed at protecting workers and shielding Korea's terrestrial broadcasters from political influence. Voices against the bills both in political and business circles are adding to expectations that Yoon will veto the bills. "We hereby ask President Yoon to veto the bills for the country and its citizens' livel

Politics Nov. 13, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity in San Francisco on Thursday, Yoon's office confirmed Sunday. The IPEF meeting will be joined by the leaders of 14 member countries, and is aimed at discussing "concrete plans for cooperation" between member states, according to Yoon's office. Participating countries of the United States-led initiative include Korea, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Foreign Affairs Nov. 12, 2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned North Korea's provocative actions and its provision of military equipment and munitions to Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, in a joint news conference Thursday with South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin. "We share profound concerns about the DPRK's growing and dangerous military cooperation with Russia," Blinken said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Park and I spoke about

Foreign Affairs Nov. 9, 2023