-
New foreign minister puts peace on Korean Peninsula first
South Korea’s new foreign minister, Cho Hyun, has set the pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula — through the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue in close coordination with the United States — as the Foreign Ministry’s foremost objective in a turbulent geopolitical climate. The first top diplomat under the Lee Jae Myung administration also began his term with a public apology for the Foreign Ministry’s role under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government, dismissing its diplomacy as driven by “do
July 21, 2025 -
S. Korea's 1st intl. carbon emission reduction project approved in Cambodia
South Korea will join hands with Cambodia to distribute electric motorcycles and charging stations in the Southeast Asian nation, marking Seoul's first-ever international carbon emission reduction project, the industry ministry said Monday. The project, aimed at reducing 680,000 tons of carbon emissions in Cambodia, is South Korea's first international carbon reduction initiative established under the Paris Agreement, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The project was offic
July 21, 2025 -
Lee’s envoy delivers letter to Modi, pledges deeper Korea–India ties
President Lee Jae-myung’s special envoy to India delivered a personal letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the South Korean leader’s commitment to developing the special strategic partnership between Seoul and New Delhi. Lee’s special delegation to India, led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, met with Modi as well as key figures from the Indian government and parliament on Thursday and Friday in New Delhi, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Friday. The special dele
July 18, 2025 -
S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm 'strong' NK deterrence in high-level diplomatic talks
Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed Friday the need to maintain "strong" deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats and agreed to continue efforts to advance their trilateral cooperation, Seoul officials said. They shared the view during the three-way dialogue in Tokyo, where First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo was joined by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi. It marked the first vice
July 18, 2025 -
Korea may be able to reduce tariffs to 15 to 18% with the right deal: former US trade official
Korea may face US tariffs of between 15 to 18 percent as the country scrambles to cut a better deal with Washington, a former US trade official said Friday “I see countries such as Korea, I see Japan in the same bucket. ... as being able to get out from under the highest tariffs that have been threatened but (only) with some kind of deal,” Michael Beeman, former assistant US trade representative for Japan, Korea and APEC, said in a video podcast released by the Korea Economic Institute of Korea.
July 18, 2025 -
Lee, Turkish president agree to strengthen strategic partnership
President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday agreed to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, the presidential office said. In the phone call, the two leaders assessed the close economic cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, and pledged to further expand practical collaboration in defense, arms, nuclear energy and green energy, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. "I am pleased that our
July 17, 2025 -
President Lee won’t meet Xi before Trump: FM nominee
Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun ruled out the possibility of President Lee Jae Myung meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping before sitting down with US President Donald Trump, drawing a clear line amid speculation over who Lee will meet in his debut stand-alone summit. Cho brushed off growing concerns that Lee might visit China first to attend Beijing’s Sept. 3 commemoration marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II — even as the date for Lee’s summit with Trump in the US is still up
July 17, 2025 -
Senior diplomats of Korea, US, Japan to hold talks in Japan this week
Vice foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold trilateral talks this week to discuss ways of further enhancing cooperation on North Korean issues and economic security, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi are scheduled to meet in Japan on Friday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The upcoming talks come a
July 16, 2025 -
Seoul should use APEC summit as catalyst for inter-Korean thaw: experts
The Lee Jae Myung administration should harness the upcoming APEC summit hosted on Korean turf as a pivotal opportunity to thaw fractured inter-Korean relations, which are at their lowest ebb, according to experts in Seoul. Jang Cheol-wun, a research fellow at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, emphasized the need for Seoul to “consistently signal a commitment to shifting the trajectory of inter-Korean relations” through key anniversaries and events later this year.
July 16, 2025 -
S. Korea calls on UNESCO to step in if Japan reneges on pledge over forced labor site
South Korea on Tuesday called on UNESCO's heritage oversight body to step in if Japan continues to backtrack on its promise to honor wartime forced labor victims from its UNESCO World Heritage-listed industrial sites. South Korean Ambassador to UNESCO Bak Sang-mee made the call during a session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris, about a week after Seoul's attempt to place the industrial sites on this year's WHC agenda was blocked by a rare vote among member states, including both S
July 15, 2025 -
S. Korea summons Japan's defence attach in protest over island claims
South Korea's defence ministry summoned Japan's defence attache on Tuesday to protest over an annual white paper published by Tokyo, which made a territorial claim over disputed islands located in the East Sea. Both sides claim longstanding territorial rights over the islands, which are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, and lie roughly halfway between the two countries. South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement its international affairs chief Lee Kwang-seok had summone
July 15, 2025 -
No talks yet on USFK downsizing: FM nominee
South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun said Tuesday that Seoul and Washington have yet to hold any discussions on the possibility of withdrawing or downsizing the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. “The issues (related to the withdrawal or downsizing of the USFK) weren’t discussed at all,” Cho said in a document filed with the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee ahead of his parliamentary confirmation hearing. Cho’s remark addresses the reports in recent months tha
July 15, 2025 -
Trump govt. begins security probes into semiconductor material, drone imports ahead of possible tariffs
US President Donald Trump's administration has begun investigations into imports of a semiconductor material and unmanned aircraft systems to determine their effects on America's national security, Commerce Department notices showed Monday. On the Federal Register, the department's Bureau of Industry and Security posted the notices on the probes on polysilicon and the UAS that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick initiated July 1 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, in what could b
July 15, 2025 -
Lee appoints special envoys to EU, France, Britain, India
President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday appointed special envoys to the European Union (EU), France, Britain and India, the presidential office said, as part of broader diplomatic outreach efforts. Lee appointed former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-joon, a renowned strategist from the conservative camp, as the chief of a delegation to the EU, which will depart for Europe on Monday. Yoon's delegation will visit the EU headquarters in Belgium to meet with key figures of the EU Council and will look to s
July 13, 2025 -
Russian FM meets Kim Jong-un during visit to N. Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday during his visit to North Korea, Moscow's foreign ministry said. In a Telegram post, the ministry released a photo of Kim smiling while holding Lavrov's hand with both hands. In a separate post of a video that shows Kim greeting Lavrov with a hug, the ministry said Lavrov was "received" by the North Korean leader. The ministry indicated their meeting took place in the coastal resort city of Wonsan. Earlie
July 12, 2025