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FM Cho seeks stronger trilateral cooperation with US, Japan
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun headed to Tokyo on Tuesday to advance trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan, amid mounting pressure faced by Seoul as the deadline for tariff negotiations with the Donald Trump administration fast approaches. “By visiting Japan first (ahead of the US), we plan to go beyond improving South Korea-Japan bilateral relations and improve trilateral cooperation among South Korea, US and Japan, while upgrading our overall foreign policy to align with the Lee Jae Myung ad
July 29, 2025 -
S. Korea in talks to launch NATO defense consultative body in September
South Korea is in talks with NATO to launch a working-level defense consultative body as early as September, through which it would seek to expand opportunities for local defense firms to enter the European market. The inaugural session of the consultative body is being discussed for late September in Brussels, Belgium, with final arrangements still being coordinated by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and NATO, according to an official at the arms procurement agency on Tuesday. Th
July 29, 2025 -
FM Cho reaffirms S. Korea's commitment to closer ties in call with Indian counterpart
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to developing bilateral relations with India through high-level exchanges and closer cooperation, as he spoke by phone with his Indian counterpart on Monday, the foreign ministry said. In his first phone talks with India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Cho called for continuing to work together to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in a "mutually beneficial" way, the ministry said in a release. "Mini
July 28, 2025 -
S. Korea, China FMs agree to make upcoming APEC summit 'new turning point' in ties
The top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed Monday to work together to make the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit a "new turning point" in bilateral relations, as they held their first telephone call, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed this view during the 45-minute phone conversation, reaffirming their commitment to advance the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in a "steady and mature"
July 28, 2025 -
FM to go on trip to Japan, US this week
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Japan and the United States this week to meet his counterparts, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. Cho, who took office on July 21, will meet his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, on Tuesday. Cho is scheduled to attend a working dinner hosted by Iwaya. It will be the first in-person meeting of the two since Cho started his term. The two held their first phone talks on Thursday and agreed that bilateral cooperation is key to addressing
July 28, 2025 -
Korea pitches multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan to US: reports
Korea has proposed a multibillion-dollar project reportedly named Make American Shipbuilding Great Again, or MASGA, to the United States as Seoul makes an all-out effort to cut a better tariff deal with Washington ahead of the US-set deadline for tariff talks on Thursday, according to media reports on Monday. Citing multiple unnamed sources, the reports said Kim Jung-kwan, Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy, presented the MASGA project and Korea’s vision for shipbuilding cooperation
July 28, 2025 -
S. Korea raises travel alert for Cambodia-Thailand border regions amid escalating armed conflict
South Korea on Sunday raised the travel alert for border regions in Cambodia and Thailand, the second adjustment of travel warning in three days, as the tensions from the two countries' armed conflict are escalating. Cambodia's border provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, Battambang, Pursat and Koh Kong were added to the list of the "special travel advisory" zone, starting 12 p.m., the foreign ministry said in a message to media. The special travel advisory corresponds to Level 2.5 on South Kor
July 27, 2025 -
US continues to have 'productive' talks with S. Korea to reduce 'unfair' trade barriers: White House
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump's administration continues to have "productive" negotiations with South Korea to reduce "unfair" trade barriers and enhance market access for US businesses, a White House official said Friday. South Korea has been making concerted efforts to reach a trade deal with Washington to reduce the threatened 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs and sector-specific tariffs on steel and automobiles before Aug. 1, when the reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect. "We co
July 26, 2025 -
Opposition urges Lee to engage with Trump over canceled US tariff talks
South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party on Friday lashed out at President Lee Jae Myung over Washington’s abrupt postponement of a high-level tariff negotiation, calling for immediate diplomatic engagement with US President Donald Trump. Rep. Song Eon-seog, interim leader of the conservative People Power Party, said during a radio interview with local broadcaster SBS that Lee must fly to the US immediately and meet with Trump. "Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met directly with Tr
July 25, 2025 -
US takes flurry of steps to disrupt N. Korea's illicit revenue generation
The United States announced a package of actions Thursday to disrupt North Korea's illicit schemes to generate revenue for its nuclear and missile programs, including offering rewards for North Koreans involved in the schemes, and sanctioning a North Korean firm and associated people. The move came although US President Donald Trump has signaled his openness to reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raising speculation that he could seek to resume his personal diplomacy, which led to t
July 25, 2025 -
Lutnick says he could hear 'expletives' out of Korea following trade deal with Japan
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday that he could hear "expletives" out of South Korea after Japan reached a trade deal with US President Donald Trump's administration earlier this week. Lutnick made the remarks, apparently suggesting that the tariff deal between the United States and Japan might have created a sense of urgency for South Korea, which seeks to reach a deal to avoid or lower the Trump administration's 25 percent "reciprocal" tariff set to kick in on Aug. 1. "I could
July 25, 2025 -
G-Dragon named honorary ambassador for APEC as Seoul has 100 days to prepare
K-pop star G-Dragon has been appointed as the honorary ambassador for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday, as Seoul ramps up preparations for the event, with 100 days remaining. The singer was appointed because he embodies APEC’s values of "connectivity and sustainability" as a symbol of creativity and innovation, and was the perfect figure to share these values "both here and abroad," according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, which
July 23, 2025 -
S. Korea to attend intl. defense exhibition in Turkey this week
South Korea will participate in a global defense industry fair in Turkey this week to promote homegrown defense products and boost their export bids, the arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The International Defence Industry Fair, which opened Tuesday (local time) in Istanbul for a five-day run, will bring together defense officials from more than 80 countries, including North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states. Six South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises will showcase homegr
July 23, 2025 -
US expert warns tariffs against allies and foes alike will make America 'less well-off,' 'less secure'
A US expert on Monday stressed the need for President Donald Trump's administration to exercise restraint in imposing tariffs on allies, warning that using them against allies and adversaries alike will make America "less well-off" and "less secure." Cullen Hendrix, senior fellow at the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, made the call in an article released on the day, noting that Trump's approach to trade policy does little to distinguish between allies, rivals, en
July 22, 2025 -
Japanese FM offers condolences to victims of heavy rain in S. Korea
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Monday expressed condolences to the victims of recent heavy rains in South Korea, the Japanese Embassy in Seoul said. Iwaya sent a condolence message to Foreign Minister Cho Hyun after heavy rains and landslides ravaged the country last week, killing 18 people and leaving nine others missing. "I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of precious lives and the tremendous damage caused by the heavy rain in the ROK," Iwaya said, using the acronym of South
July 21, 2025