Seoul's top trade officials meet Lutnick, stress need to reach tariff deal before Aug. 1

South Korea's top trade negotiators have held a joint meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, where the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to reach a tariff agreement before the Aug. 1 deadline, Seoul's industry ministry said Friday. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with Lutnick in the US capital Thursday and discussed ways to improve their countries' trade relations, including forging a bilateral manufacturing partnership, according

July 25, 2025

Lee seeks stronger ties in calls with German, Uzbek leaders

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Germany and Uzbekistan, his office said, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation. During his call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Lee highlighted the strong relationship between the two nations. Merz agreed, noting that Germany and South Korea are important partners that share the core values of democracy, human rights and free trade. The two leaders also agreed on the hope of meeting at the earl

July 24, 2025

Lee's top security aide meets US officials ahead of tariff deadline

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Thursday he has met with senior officials of the Donald Trump administration during his recent visit to the United States to support ongoing trade negotiations as the tariff deadline looms. In a press notice, Wi said he accompanied Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo for talks with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during his stay in Washington earlier this week. He also held a phone consultation with US Secretary

July 24, 2025

Seoul, Tokyo top diplomats vow to strengthen ties in 1st phone call

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Thursday held his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, discussing regional issues and bilateral relations, the foreign ministry said. During the conversation, Cho stressed the importance of Seoul-Tokyo relations, describing them as a key axis of the South Korean government's pragmatic diplomacy, alongside trilateral cooperation with Washington. Cho, who took office on Monday, suggested the two countries work to build a more solid, future-ori

July 24, 2025

S. Korea-US '2+2' trade talks postponed due to Bessent's urgent schedule: finance ministry

High-level trade talks between South Korea and the United States scheduled for later this week have been postponed due to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's urgent schedule, Seoul's finance ministry said Thursday. The planned "2+2" dialogue scheduled for Friday in Washington was set to bring together Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, alongside Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, ahead of the Aug. 1 negotiation deadline. "The US has proposed holding

July 24, 2025

S. Korea's industry minister vows all-out efforts to reach trade deal with US

South Korea's new Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan pledged Wednesday to make all-out efforts to reach a trade deal with the Trump administration as he arrived in Washington as part of Seoul's stepped-up efforts to make progress in tariff talks ahead of the Aug. 1 negotiation deadline. Kim's arrival came a day after Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo arrived in the US capital to attend Friday's "two-plus-two" high-level trade talks, which will also be attended by Seoul's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, US

July 24, 2025

Industry minister heads to Washington for trade talks with US counterparts

South Korea's new industry minister departed for Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to hold talks with high-level officials of the Donald Trump administration, about a week before the Aug. 1 deadline for a trade deal is set to expire. During his three-day trip to the United States, Kim Jung-kwan, minister of trade, industry and energy, will meet with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who also serves as the chairman of the National

July 23, 2025

S. Korea's trade minister vows to do 'all we can' to reach deal with Trump govt.

South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo pledged Tuesday to do "all we can" to reach a trade deal with US President Donald Trump's administration as he arrived in Washington with the Aug. 1 deadline for tariff negotiations approaching. Yeo made the remarks, underscoring Seoul's priority to maximize national interests in the negotiations, as he and new Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol are slated to attend the "2+2" trade talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jam

July 23, 2025

Colombia marks Independence Day with renewed call to strengthen Korea ties

Colombia marked its Independence Day with a renewed pledge to strengthen diplomatic, economic and peacekeeping ties with South Korea — bonds rooted in their shared commitment to the United Nations and deepened by decades of bilateral cooperation. Colombia’s 215th Independence Day, which fell on July 20, commemorates its 1810 declaration of independence from Spain, which had colonized the country since 1549. “For the first time in its history, Colombia has been elected as a member of the United N

July 22, 2025

Eastar Jet launches direct Busan-Almaty flights

Eastar Jet has launched a direct flight route between Busan, South Korea, and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The inaugural flight, ZE935, departed from Gimhae International Airport on July 15, operated using a Boeing 737 aircraft. The seven-hour flight carried 120 passengers, including tourists, students and transit travelers from Kazakhstan, Korea, and other countries, the Kazakh Embassy in Seoul told The Korea Herald. The new Busan–Almaty route brings the total number of weekly flights between Kazakhstan

July 22, 2025

[Contribution] Kenya honors Ban Ki-moon: A beacon of environmental diplomacy, global leadership

At a historic ceremony at the State House in Nairobi on July 8, 2025, Kenya awarded its highest civilian honor, the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart, to the 8th United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The event highlighted Kenya’s vital role in promoting sustainability and demonstrated the enduring influence of Ban’s advocacy for climate action. The award, presented to him in Nairobi, recognized not only his extensive diplomatic achievements but also his profound and ongoing commitm

July 22, 2025

S. Korea, US to hold '2+2' trade talks in Washington: finance minister

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Tuesday that he will hold so-called "2+2" high-level trade talks with the United States later this week, ahead of the looming Aug. 1 deadline for bilateral negotiations on the US' sweeping tariff measures. Koo said he and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will head to Washington for the talks set to be held Friday, involving US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. "With the Aug. 1 deadline fast approaching, relevant ministries

July 22, 2025

APEC summit to spotlight Lee's 'pragmatic' diplomacy; Trump, Xi visits eyed

The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea offers President Lee Jae Myung's government a key opportunity to showcase its brand of "pragmatic" diplomacy on the global stage, as world leaders gather to discuss trade and other common challenges amid growing protectionism and looming US tariffs. Set to take place Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in the southern city of Gyeongju, the multilateral gathering is drawing heightened attention amid rising expectations that US President Donald T

July 21, 2025

Czech director general urges wider NATO-Korea defense ties

Radka Konderlova, director general of the Industrial Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, underscored the strategic necessity for defense cooperation between NATO members and South Korea through industrial and tech collaboration. During her visit to Seoul, Konderlova told The Korea Herald that deeper Czech-Korean defense industry cooperation and supply chain integration would benefit both sides, enabling Korean firms to expand regionally and Czech companies to j

July 20, 2025

Czech Republic invites Korean defense firms

The Czech Republic invited Korean defense companies to deepen cooperation on the sidelines of the ROK-Czech Joint Committee meeting on Defense Industry and Logistics, held on July 9. ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. At the meeting, Czech and Korean defense companies shared their technological expertise and mutual potential. Czech Ambassador to Korea Ivan Jancarek called for strategic defense partnerships in the face of global security challenges, referri

July 18, 2025