Japan voices regret over S. Korea's non-attendance of Sado memorial

This July 28, 2024, file photo shows an exit of the Sado mine complex on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. (Yonhap) The Japanese government on Sunday expressed regret over South Korea's decision not to attend a memorial ceremony in Japan honoring forced labor victims, including Koreans, at an old Japanese mine complex. The Japanese Embassy in Seoul made the remarks in response to a question by Yonhap News Agency, a day after South Korea decided not to attend the ceremony on Japan�

Nov. 24, 2024

US has not yet seen N. Korea's atmospheric reentry missile capability: Indo-Pacific Command chief

The commander of US Indo-Pacific Command said Tuesday that the United States has "not yet" seen North Korea's atmospheric reentry capability, a key technology required for the recalcitrant regime to advance its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program. Adm. Samuel Paparo made the remarks during a forum in Washington as Pyongyang has been doubling down on its quest to secure reliable long-range warhead delivery vehicles as seen in the test-launch last month of a new Hwason

Nov. 20, 2024

Yoon, South African president agree to cooperate on minerals sector

President Yoon Suk Yeol and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a summit in Brazil on Tuesday to discuss cooperation on supply chains for critical minerals and security issues, Yoon's office said. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro to focus on strengthening trade and investment, and the energy sector ties between the two nations. The two leaders agreed to strengthen collaboration in the critical minerals sectors to address instabilit

Nov. 20, 2024

Arms agency chief discusses cooperation with Peru defense minister

The chief of South Korea's arms procurement agency has met Peru's defense minister and discussed ways to expand their arms industry cooperation on the ground, sea and air, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday. The meeting between DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun and Peru's Defense Minister Walter Astudillo in Lima on Saturday came as President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Peru for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. In a separate summit held with his Peruvian co

Nov. 18, 2024

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan hold talks on sidelines of APEC summit in Peru

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, have held talks on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. The top diplomats of the two nations held a meeting in Lima on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties and North Korean issues, according to the ministry. It marked the first in-person meeting between Cho and Iwaya since the top Japanese diplomat took office last month with the launch of the new

Nov. 15, 2024

FM Cho, Blinken hold talks on margins of APEC summit in Peru

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have discussed bilateral ties and concerns about North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia, vowing close coordination against Pyongyang and Moscow's growing alignment, Cho's office said Friday. Cho and Blinken held talks on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru on Thursday, where the top diplomats accompanied their leaders on the APEC summit. In the meeting, both sides expressed c

Nov. 15, 2024

Yoon, Biden, Ishiba to discuss 'coordinated' response to NK troop dispatch to Russia: Sullivan

The upcoming trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan in Peru will be a chance for the three countries to discuss a "coordinated" response to North Korea's troop dispatch to support Russia's war in Ukraine, a senior US security official said Thursday. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are set to hold a trilateral summit on

Nov. 15, 2024

Trump's transition team seeks to abrogate Biden's EV tax credit: Reuters

US President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is aiming to end a tax credit for electric vehicle (EV) purchases, a key element of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, as part of broader tax reform legislation, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two unnamed sources. The potential repealing of the $7,500 consumer tax credit is being discussed in meetings by an energy-policy transition team, which is headed by Harold Hamm, founder of Continental Resources, and North Dakota Go

Nov. 15, 2024

Trump picks Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser: WSJ

-- US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, according to a news report, as he is in the process of picking key officials for his incoming administration amid multiple policy challenges, including North Korea's nuclear threats and Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump has offered the job to the congressman, a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unna

Nov. 12, 2024

[Contribution] APEC, passing the baton to Korea

On Nov. 16, President Yoon Suk Yeol will participate in the APEC Leaders' Summit in Lima, coinciding with his official visit to Peru. This is a significant occasion as Korea will assume the presidency of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation for 2025, a forum which serves as the primary platform for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past 35 years, APEC has effectively promoted trade and investment integration in the world's most dynamic economic region, which curren

Nov. 8, 2024

Zambia marks 60th Independence Day

Zambia celebrated its 60th Independence Day in Seoul on Oct. 23. The day commemorates a historic occasion when the country gained independence from British colonial rule on Oct. 24, 1964, and is remembered as the moment when Zambia's first president, Kenneth Kaunda, raised the new Zambian flag and declared the nation’s sovereignty. Delivering remarks at the event, Zambian Ambassador to Korea Andrew Bwezani Banda highlighted the immense potential for increased trade and investment betw

Nov. 4, 2024

Czech Republic applauds South Korean support for Ukraine

The Czech Republic applauded South Korean support for Ukraine, as it celebrated its Independence Day on Oct. 28. Czechoslovak Independence Day commemorates the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and continues to serve as a significant symbol of national identity for Czechs, despite the 1993 division into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In his remarks at the event, Czech Ambassador to Korea Ivan Jancarek used the occasion to praise South Korea’s support for Ukraine and the strengthening Cz

Nov. 4, 2024

Turkmenistan, S. Korea tout bilateral initiatives

Turkmenistan and Korea highlighted bilateral initiatives at an event marking Turkmenistan's 33rd Independence Day on Wednesday. The Central Asian country celebrates its independence from the Soviet Union, declared on Oct. 27, 1991, after the Cold War and the Soviet Union's breakup. Speaking at the event at a Seoul hotel, Turkmen Ambassador to Korea Begench Durdyyev highlighted Turkmenistan's development journey, and the milestones in bilateral relations with South Korea, and honor

Nov. 4, 2024

Uzbek delegate stresses multidimensional ties between S. Korea and Uzbekistan

Relations between South Korea and Uzbekistan have climbed to new heights, with the two sides continuing to set new milestones as bilateral ties mature, Uzbek Ambassador to South Korea Alisher Abdusalomov said at the Global Business Forum in Seoul on Wednesday. In the forum’s sixth weekly session held Wednesday, the delegate explained the strong partnership that Seoul and Tashkent have fostered since Uzbekistan declared independence in 1991 and the two countries' establishment of dip

Oct. 31, 2024

S. Korea vows active response to US' investment curbs on China

The United States' planned restriction of investment in key technology sectors in China is expected to have a limited impact on the South Korean economy, but Seoul will closely analyze the measure and devise responses if necessary, the finance ministry said Tuesday. On Monday, the US Treasury Department issued final rules to curb US investments in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and other advanced technology sectors in China, effective Jan. 2, 2025, citing national security risks. &

Oct. 29, 2024

US unveils final rules to limit AI, semiconductor, other tech investments in China

The United States issued final rules Monday to curb US investments in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and other technology sectors in China, calling them a national security measure to keep those advanced technologies away from "countries of concern." The Treasury Department unveiled the rules -- effective Jan. 2 next year -- to implement an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in August 2023, as Washington has been striving to limit China's access to critical tec

Oct. 29, 2024

Korean War memorial installed at Georgia museum to honor troops' sacrifices, cherish alliance

A new Korean War memorial opened at a high-profile museum in Georgia earlier this week to commemorate allied troops' sacrifices and their spirit that underpins the evolving alliance between South Korea and the United States, Seoul officials said Saturday. The National Infantry Museum Foundation hosted a dedication ceremony for the Korean War Memorial at the museum in Columbus on Thursday, with the attendance of some 200 people, including veterans of the 1950-53 conflict and their families

Oct. 27, 2024

Seoul urges Pyongyang to confirm status of S. Korean detainees

The foreign ministry on Friday submitted a questionnaire to the United Nations human rights office, urging North Korea to disclose the whereabouts of South Korean detainees. The document was submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ahead of the Universal Periodic Review on North Korea, scheduled for next month, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UPR is a mechanism requiring each UN member state to undergo a peer review of its human rights

Oct. 25, 2024

Zelenskyy says Ukraine expects N. Korean troops to be deployed in battlefield in few days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday intelligence indicates Russia is expected to deploy the first batch of North Korean soldiers in combat zones within a few days. Zelenskyy shared the assessment on social media platform X, citing a report from Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. "According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as Oct. 27–28," Zelenskyy wrote. "This is a c

Oct. 25, 2024

Lulumedic explores digital health collaboration with Russia

Lulumedic, a leading South Korean health care IT company, met with Alexey Sapetko, the Russian Trade Representative in Korea, to discuss promising opportunities for collaboration in digital health, the company said Thursday. The discussion focused on the growing interest among Russian patients in seeking high-quality medical care in South Korea, especially for health checkups, according to the company. Sapetko highlighted that many Russians now prioritize regular checkups, recognizing the import

Oct. 25, 2024