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Seoul carefully weighs Beijing's invitation to WWII commemoration
Seoul has been carefully weighing whether President Lee Jae Myung will attend China’s Sept. 3 commemoration marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, as Beijing publicly expressed that Lee would be welcome to participate. Beijing has recently floated the possibility of Lee’s participation through various channels, including not only official diplomatic avenues but also private meetings involving scholars, according to multiple sources. An official invitation from the Chinese gover
July 2, 2025 -
S. Korea should tap arms makers to deal with new security challenges: think tank
South Korea should utilize its military manufacturing firms to navigate new security challenges and shifting demands posed by the latest NATO defense spending agreement, a think tank said Monday. “With NATO members now committed to raising defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, demand for advanced weapons systems and defense technology is set to rise sharply,” the Asan Institute for Policy Studies said in its report, “Managing Decline? NATO’s Uneasy Future After the 2025 Summit." “South Korea’s d
July 1, 2025 -
S. Korea to raise travel alert for Bolivia's Cochabamba, lowers alerts for 4 countries
South Korea will raising the travel alert for Bolivia's Cochabamba region starting next month, due to growing instability from intensifying anti-government protests and rising organized crime, the foreign ministry said Monday. A Level 3 travel alert, calling for citizens to leave the country, will be applied to Cochabamba beginning July 1, from the Level 2 advisory recommending not visiting the country or region, the ministry said. The revision comes as part of the government's regular travel al
June 30, 2025 -
Talks underway for Lee-Trump summit but timing not finalized: Seoul
Talks are underway between Seoul and Washington to set up the first summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, an official at the presidential office said Monday, adding that the exact timing has yet to be finalized. The comment came after a report by local daily Donga Ilbo that the summit would be held in July. Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, the newspaper claimed that both sides are coordinating to hold the potential summit in the fourth week of Jul
June 30, 2025 -
Will NATO's new spending target be boon to S. Korea's defense exports?
Expectations are rising that South Korean defense firms will emerge as key beneficiaries of Europe’s expanding defense spending, with much of the optimism attributed to the country’s proven capacity to meet NATO’s surging procurement demands. Speaking Thursday after returning from the NATO summit in The Hague, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said, “With NATO moving to raise its defense spending from around or even below 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP (gross domestic product), demand is boun
June 27, 2025 -
S. Korea, NATO to launch new defense cooperation framework
South Korea and NATO have agreed to establish a working-level consultative body to enhance cooperation in the defense industry, the presidential office said Thursday, as part of broader efforts to expand Seoul’s role in NATO’s next-generation capability initiatives. The agreement came after Wi Sung-lac, security adviser to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday in The Hague. Wi attended the NATO summit in place of President Lee. During the m
June 26, 2025 -
Security adviser to discuss defense industry with NATO partners
Wi Sung-lac, South Korea’s national security adviser, is expected to attend a meeting with the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) nations on Wednesday, which is expected to address cooperations in defense industry projects. Wi is currently visiting the Netherlands to attend the summit in place of President Lee Jae Myung, who decided Sunday not to participate, citing the need to monitor potential economic fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict. On Tuesday evening, Wi attended a dinner hosted by King Willem-A
June 25, 2025 -
Allies need to discuss Seoul’s defense costs beyond current deal: Joseph Yun
South Korea and the United States need to discuss whether Seoul is paying enough, including costs not currently covered under their existing defense cost-sharing deal, the acting US ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday. Joseph Yun, charge d'affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Seoul, said the allies should revisit South Korea’s financial contributions beyond the scope of the current Special Measures Agreement. South Korea has financially supported the stationing of around 28,500 US Forces
June 24, 2025 -
Minister nominee backs renaming Unification Ministry
Unification Minister nominee Chung Dong-young said Tuesday he supports the idea of renaming the Unification Ministry, citing the urgent need to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. "At present, the overriding task of our people — all members of our nation living on the Korean Peninsula — is establishing a peace regime," Chung told reporters during his doorstep at the Inter-Korean Relations Management Bureau building in Seoul following his nomination. “Because unification can only be pursued
June 24, 2025 -
Iran launches retaliatory strikes at US base in Qatar, no reports of US casualties
Iran fired short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at a US military base in Qatar on Monday, a US defense official said, a retaliatory move following America's attack on three key nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic over the weekend. The strikes on Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, came amid growing concerns that the war, which started with Israel's June 13 strikes on Iran, could escalate into a wider regional war. "I can confirm that Al Udeid Air B
June 24, 2025 -
Trump says Israel, Iran agree on 'complete,' 'total' ceasefire
Israel and Iran agreed that they will have a "complete," "total" ceasefire to ultimately end their war, US President Donald Trump said Monday, amid growing concerns that the conflict could escalate into a wider war in the Middle East. Trump made the announcement after Iran fired short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar -- the largest US military installation in the Middle East -- in response to America's attack on three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.
June 24, 2025 -
Trump struck Iran — but North Korea is a different story
US President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities has been widely seen as reinforcing North Korea’s long-held belief: that nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival. The strike would further dim the already unfavorable prospects for nuclear dialogue with Washington and accelerate Pyongyang’s push for deeper military cooperation with Russia. Still, analysts in Seoul stressed that North Korea’s case is fundamentally different from Iran’s. Not
June 23, 2025 -
Cho Hyun: Veteran diplomat with broad global, trade experience
Cho Hyun, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy — including key postings at the United Nations — and deep expertise in trade issues, has been tapped as the Lee administration’s first foreign minister. Cho previously held the roles of first and second vice foreign minister, and served as South Korea’s ambassador to the UN — all under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, overlapping with the first Trump presidency. “He is expected to take an a
June 23, 2025 -
Seoul seeks to minimize fallout from US strikes on Iran
The presidential office ordered ministries to prioritize the protection of South Korean nationals and to minimize potential security and economic fallout from the US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The ministries have since taken emergency measures in response. South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac convened an emergency meeting at noon Sunday, hours after the US military bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a tel
June 22, 2025 -
Korea's chief trade envoy plans US visit June 22-27
South Korea's trade minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States from June 22 to 27, the trade ministry said on Saturday. The visit will include discussions with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the third round of bilateral technical discussions, a ministry official told Reuters. Further details about the meetings were not disclosed. South Korea, which is currently facing a 10 percent blanket tariff and a 25 percent country-specific duty temporarily paused for 90 days, agreed with
June 21, 2025