Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stressed solid cooperation between South Korea and the US for the denuclearization of North Korea in a luncheon held with Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in New York on Thursday (local time), according to the organization on Friday. During the meeting, the two exchanged views on the recent international situation and issues on the Korean Peninsula. Kissinger said that South Korea and the US must deal with

Jose Fernandez, the US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, plans to visit South Korea next week for consultations on a range of bilateral economic issues, according to diplomatic sources Friday. According to the sources, Seoul and Washington are in consultations on details related to Fernandez's trip, probably including a meeting with Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's second vice foreign minister. The two sides are likely to discuss economic security issues, su

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the third consecutive day to come below 60,000 on Friday amid the government's efforts to prevent the virus inflow from China and other regions. The country confirmed 56,954 new coronavirus infections, including 258 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,420,226, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload surged to over 80,000 earlier this week but has since been on a steady decline. Compared with a week earlier,

North Korea held a mass rally in Pyongyang earlier this week to call for the thorough implementations of policy goals laid out during a major ruling party meeting late last year, its state media said Friday. Some 100,000 workers, students and members of the Workers' Party of Korea took part in the event at the May Day Stadium in the capital Thursday, vowing to carry out the decisions made during the WPK's plenary meeting held from Dec. 26-31, according to the official Korean Central Ne

  WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to work closely with South Korea to monitor threats posed by North Korea, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, after a group of North Korean drones infiltrated South Korea before returning home. Defense Department spokesperson Brig. Ge. Pat Ryder also highlighted that the US maintains "intelligence capabilities" in the region. "We certainly have been very clear from here about the threats posed by the DPRK, as well as our commitme

Expert suggests S. Korea find leverage for new approach to forced labor settlement

‘The possibility cannot be ruled out that North Korean drone may have filmed presidential office during intrusion’

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul lodged a diplomatic protest over the South Korean parliamentary delegation’s visit to Taiwan in December, calling it a “serious violation” of the two countries’ bilateral relations. “We urge Korea to adhere to the ‘One China’ policy and the spirit of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China and refrain from engaging in any ‘official exchanges with the Taiwan region,’” an embassy spok

Kakao, which runs the KaKaoTalk messenger app, started handing out three emoji packages to its messenger users Thursday as a general compensation for a data center fire last October, but faced criticism that a free service it also offered transitioned into a paid subscription. “To compensate all our users for the damage caused by the fire at SK C&C data center last year, we are going to hand out the ‘heart package’ which includes our three new emoticons,’ Kakao announ

Seoul says it will study impact of traffic returning to the area to determine future policy

Hwaseong city Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun visited Torrance, a city in southern California on Wednesday in an effort to promote cooperation and broaden administrative strides. First proposed by Torrance, the meeting between Mayor Jeong and Torrance mayor George Chen along with other city officials was held to discuss mutual cooperation between the two cities. They talked about bolstering efforts in various fields, including the establishment of communication channels, economic growth, and cultural sh

S. Korean spy agency says it cannot rule out possibility N. Korean drone filmed presidential office in Seoul

Police on Thursday arrested a Chinese man who ran away from a quarantine hotel after testing positive for COVID-19. Incheon Jungbu Police Station said the fugitive was caught in a hotel in Seoul at around 12:55 p.m. on Thursday. The 41-year-old, who tested positive for COVID-19 at Incheon Airport after arriving from China, is accused of refusing quarantine and fleeing from a hotel in Yeongjong-do, Incheon, at around 10:04 p.m., Tuesday. A hotel surveillance camera showed the man running away six

Tunnel fire victim’s family lambasts the lack of apology, appropriate measures following the deaths; structural issues pointed out as main cause of disaster

137 out of 194 imported cases reported Thursday came from China