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Military to begin Hwarang defense drills next week against NK threats
The military will kick off the annual Hwarang drills with local governments, police and firefighting authorities next week in efforts to hone an integrated defense posture against North Korea's threats, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. The first segment of the exercise will take place in Incheon, west of Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital, from Monday through June 20, and continue in four other areas, including the capital, through November, according to the JCS. This
June 13, 2025 -
Lee taps next-gen officials for foreign policy team ahead of G7 trip
President Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy team is taking shape ahead of his diplomatic debut at the G7 summit, with the surprising appointment of relatively young vice ministers in a break with Korea’s long-established system of seniority. At the same time, veteran diplomat Cho Hyun, who previously served as both first and second vice minister, as well as UN ambassador, under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, concurrent with the first Trump administration, has all but secured his place as the l
June 11, 2025 -
Lee invites Xi to APEC summit as both vow to forge 'new ties'
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has formally invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to attend this year’s APEC summit in South Korea, as both leaders pledged to chart a new course in bilateral relations, the presidential office in Seoul said Tuesday. Lee and Xi agreed on the need for close cooperation during their 30-minute first phone call, which began at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, six days after Lee’s inauguration on June 4, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a televised press briefing
June 10, 2025 -
S. Korea-China-Japan cooperation crucial as ‘buffer’ as Trump 2.0 roils Asia
Trilateral cooperation among South Korea, China and Japan has become more essential than ever as a buffer in Northeast Asia fraught with mounting volatility and uncertainty during US President Trump’s second term, former high-ranking officials and experts said. Observers from the three countries expressed the view that Northeast Asia has become the central battleground in the intensifying great-power rivalry between the US and China during a forum hosted by the North-East Asia Research Foundatio
June 9, 2025 -
Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up ‘golf for alliance’: Seoul
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet as soon as possible — and play a round of golf — with Trump inviting Lee to visit the US, Seoul’s presidential office said Friday. The first phone call between Lee and Trump occurred around 10 p.m. Friday, two days after Lee was inaugurated president on Wednesday after his confirmed victory in Tuesday’s early presidential election. The 20-minute phone conversation drew heightened attention in Seoul as the alliance
June 7, 2025 -
USFK commander honors Korean War veterans on Memorial Day
US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson paid tribute to veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War on Friday as South Korea marked Memorial Day. Brunson made the remark as he attended a Memorial Day ceremony at Seoul National Cemetery. "On this solemn occasion when we celebrate not only Republic of Korea Memorial Day, we're also reminded of the 75th anniversary of the UN Command and all the nations brought to bear that Koreans might live with freedom and prosperity," Brunson, who also serves as t
June 6, 2025 -
S. Korea vows closer talks with US on FX policy following monitoring list status
The Ministry of Economy and Finance vowed Friday to enhance communications with the United States to strengthen mutual understanding and trust regarding foreign exchange rate policies. The pledge came after the US Treasury Department kept South Korea on its monitoring list for currency practices. Seoul was reinstated on the list in November 2024 after being removed in November 2023 for the first time since April 2016. "We will continue to expand mutual understanding and trust regarding exchange
June 6, 2025 -
The implosion of a powerful political alliance: Trump and Musk in their own words
Last Friday, President Donald Trump heaped praise on Elon Musk as the tech billionaire prepared to leave his unorthodox White House job. Less than a week later, their potent political alliance met a dramatic end Thursday when the men attacked each other with blistering epithets. Trump threatened to go after Musk's business interests. Musk called for Trump's impeachment. Here's a look at the implosion of their relationship in their own words. “Today it's about a man named Elon. And he's one of th
June 6, 2025 -
US says NK military deployment, Russia's support in return 'must end'
A State Department spokesperson reiterated Thursday that North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and Moscow's support to the North in return "must end." Tommy Pigott, the department's principal deputy spokesperson, made the remarks, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to "unconditionally" support Russia over the war against Ukraine during a meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang earlier this week. "We continue to be concerned about North Korea's dire
June 6, 2025 -
N.Korea says damaged warship moored at pier after putting it in upright position
North Korea said Friday it has successfully put in an upright position a warship that was partially capsized during a launch ceremony last month, and the warship is moored at the pier for more restoration works. The 5,000-ton destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the launch ceremony held in late May in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the full restoration of the warship before a key party meeting set for late June. In early Jun
June 6, 2025 -
Trump says he had 'very good' call with Xi, claims 'very positive' conclusion
US President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to discuss trade in what he termed a "very good" call that resulted in a "very positive" conclusion, as tensions between the two countries have risen despite last month's truce in their trade fight. In a social media post, Trump said he had the 90-minute conversation with XI, while announcing that the two countries' respective teams will meet "shortly" at a location to be determined. The call came after Washington and
June 6, 2025 -
US keeps S. Korea on its 'monitoring list' for FX policy
The United States has kept South Korea on its list of countries to monitor for their foreign exchange policies, a Treasury Department report showed Thursday, as currency policy has been a topic in trade talks between Seoul and Washington. The department released the updated "monitoring list" in the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States." South Korea was put back on the list in November last year after it was e
June 6, 2025 -
Foreign policy and security tasks pile up: What awaits President Lee?
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, takes office facing a mountain of challenges in foreign affairs and national security — most notably, an unprecedented squeeze from Washington, where President Donald Trump’s protectionist “America First” agenda is leading to tariffs and testing the resilience of US alliances. Lee confronts not only the persistent and existential threat from North Korea — with inter-Korean relations at rock bottom — but also the need to recalibrate the country’s diplom
June 4, 2025 -
Seoul monitoring China-installed buoys, citing possible military purpose
South Korea is closely monitoring additional observation buoys installed by China near overlapping waters between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Monday, citing concerns they could be used for military purposes. The South Korean Navy recently detected three new buoys installed in May 2023 in international waters near the Provisional Maritime Zone, an area where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap. One of the three buoys is located inside the PMZ. "The government is c
June 2, 2025 -
S. Korea, Japan, Australia hold trilateral talks to discuss security, cooperation
Senior defense officials of South Korea, Japan and Australia held trilateral talks Sunday to discuss the regional security situation and ways to strengthen their cooperation, the South's defense ministry said. Deputy defense minister for policy Cho Chang-rae and his Japanese and Australian counterparts; Taro Yamato, director general for defense policy and Hugh Jeffrey, deputy secretary of strategy, policy and industry, met on the sidelines of the of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense for
June 1, 2025