WASHINGTON -- The United States is concerned about North Korea's disregard of a tension-reduction agreement it signed with South Korea in 2018, a state department official said Wednesday. "We are concerned about the DPRK's apparent disregard of the 2018 comprehensive military agreement, and we call on it to end its irresponsible and escalatory behavior," department press secretary Ned Price said during a daily press briefing. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Repub

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to enhance its joint defense readiness with South Korea and Japan by conducting additional joint military exercises against growing North Korean threats, a White House official said Wednesday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, also highlighted that the US has devoted additional intelligence gathering and military capabilities to the region to that end. "You have seen in just recent weeks some bilater

WASHINGTON-- Negotiations alone will not rid North Korea of its nuclear ambition, former US ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris argued Tuesday, insisting that US policy of using negotiations to remove North Korea's nuclear weapons is no longer useful. The former US ambassador stressed the need to combine dialogue with strong sanctions and deterrence to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-un otherwise. "The US intelligence community assesses that KJU views nuclear weapons as the

WASHINGTON-- The United States remains fully committed to defending South Korea against any hostility, including a nuclear attack by North Korea, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. She said the allies are also working to further improve their joint readiness. "The United States is fully committed to our alliance with the ROK, providing extended deterrence through the full range of US defense capabilities," the spokesperson told a daily press briefing, referr

Belarusian Ambassador to Korea Andrew Chernetsky urged Poland to resolve bilateral disputes over the Russia-Ukraine war and migration crisis on the Polish border through diplomacy and dialogue. Responding to Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski's comments in a previous interview with The Korea Herald, Chernetsky said his claims of Belarus' support of Russia in the war were "extremely belligerent" and that addressing such "accusations" via local media is not

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said Monday his country has no ongoing discussions with South Korea on joint nuclear exercises against North Korea's threats. He said, "No," in response to a reporter's question about whether the allies are in consultations over the issue, according to White House pool reports. Speaking earlier at an interview with a South Korean newspaper in Seoul, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the two sides are in discussions on conducting joint drills using nuclea

Ruling People Power Party leader Chung Jin-suk said Monday he has delivered a congratulatory personal letter from President Yoon Seok Yeol to Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Chung left for Brazil last week to attend Lula's inauguration ceremony as a special presidential envoy. "After attending the inauguration event of the Brazilian president, I separately met with President Lula and delivered President Yoon Suk Yeol's letter," Chung wrote on Facebook.

The Kazakh Embassy in Seoul discussed a strategic partnership, cultural linkages and new areas to solidify cooperation with Korea in a roundtable held as part of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-South Korea relations on Dec. 22. Delivering a keynote speech at the roundtable, the Kazakh Ambassador to Korea Bakyt Dyussenbayev assessed significant achievements from the two countries’ political, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The ambassador noted that trade turnover between

In recent years, the authority and reputation of Uzbekistan in the international arena have increased dramatically. This can be seen from the example that the initiatives put forward by the president of our country are supported at the international level, documents of prestigious international organizations are developed and implemented on their basis. At the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in 2020, the head of state put forward several initiatives to strengthen peace and stability at t

Burmese writer and democracy activist Pencilo has been honored with the Kim Geun Tae Award for her book "Spring Revolution." The award is named after Kim Geun-tae, a pro-democracy activist and politician who laid the cornerstone of South Korean democracy. Pencilo, the author of "Spring Revolution," published a Korean translation of her work in February. Pencilo is an aide to Aung San Suu Kyi. She and six other high-profile figures have been sought after Myanmar's junta on cha

Plan aims to make Seoul rule setter dealing with global issues

‘Spotlighting pacifism in 1998 Korea-Japan declaration crucial’

TOKYO-- South Korea and Japan held working-level diplomatic consultations Monday on their protracted row over wartime forced labor and other bilateral issues. Seo Min-jung, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, met with her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, for discussions at the Japanese foreign ministry in Tokyo. The two previously met on Nov. 24 in Japan. Discussions were expected to focus on the issue of resolving compensation for force

South Korea and Vietnam agreed to facilitate bilateral trade and deepen cooperation on nuclear power and other renewable energy sources as they marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Seoul's industry ministry has said. The consensus was reached when Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang met his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyn Hng Diên and held meetings of the bilateral joint industry and free trade agreement committees last week, according to the industry ministr

This year marks a watershed moment for South Korea and Vietnam in their 30 years of relations, as they are about to embark on a new path of greater mutual prosperity, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Thursday at a dinner reception. The gathering -- attended by Park and Vietnam’s Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung -- is the latest effort by Seoul to cement ties with the Southeast Asian country for a bigger foothold in the region. In a video statement, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Tha