South Korea and the United States have agreed to continue close consultations to seek solutions regarding a new US law that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax incentives, Seoul's trade ministry said Monday. The consensus was reached during bilateral talks between Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Bangkok on Friday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, according to the Ministry of Trade, In

Rare revelation of young daughter raises speculation over future leadership succession of Kim dynasty

WASHINGTON -- North Korean missile launches continue to destabilize the region, a Pentagon spokesperson reiterated Thursday, soon after Pyongyang resumed its ballistic missile testing. North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Thursday in its latest military provocation that came after an eight-day hiatus. "It continues to be destabilizing that they launch these ballistic missiles and if they continue to do that, it just further destabilizes the region," de

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed on Thursday to upgrade the bilateral relationship between the two nations to a strategic partnership and expand cooperation in advanced technologies, including chips, nuclear power plants and renewable energy. This is the second summit between the two leaders since they met on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Spain in June. They discussed diverse ways to cooperate in the chip sector. During the talks held in the afternoon, t

North Korea stole $620 million in cryptocurrency from hacking a game company in March, which was likely used to fund the launching of dozens of ballistic missiles it fired in the first half of this year, Seoul’s special envoy for North Korea said Thursday. Speaking at a symposium on North Korea’s cyber threats jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US State Department for the first time, Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs

President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Seoul on Thursday, his office said. The two are scheduled to hold talks followed by lunch. Discussions are expected to focus on ways to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, with South Korean businesses eager to win construction projects in Neom, a Saudi smart city project overseen by the crown prince. Yoon will also hold a summit with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte later in the day.

WASHINGTON -- China has an obligation as well as an interest in preventing a potential nuclear test by North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, amid speculation that Pyongyang may conduct a nuclear test at any time. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman for the department, also reiterated that the US remains willing to engage in direct conversation with North Korea. The remarks come after US President Joe Biden held his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed on "positive and active cooperation" on the issue of forced labor, a key issue in improving bilateral relations, at the Korea-Japan summit, South Korea's presidential office said Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior presidential official who attended the Korea-Japan summit, told reporters that Yoon and Kishida affirmed that discussions on the resolution of the forced labor issue were unde

Korea, China readouts only highlight what they want to tell

North Korea funneled $1b for its nuclear programs through cyber crypto heists

South Korea and France have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on economic security during foreign ministerial talks held on the sidelines of an annual Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. In the Bali meeting the previous day, Foreign Minister Park Jin and his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, exchanged views on Seoul-Paris relations and major regional security issues, including Korean Peninsula affairs. They agreed to bolster partnerships o

President Yoon Suk-yeol returned to Seoul on Wednesday following a tour of Cambodia and Indonesia that included his attendance at regional gatherings and his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In Phnom Penh, Yoon unveiled South Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy focused on creating a free, peaceful and prosperous region, before attending summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and multiple bilateral summits, including one with US President Joe Biden and one

The Bulgarian Embassy and Korea Foundation showcased an exhibition on Bulgarian and Korean alphabets at the Korea Foundation gallery in Seoul on Thursday. The embassy presented the "Hidden Letters" exhibition, centered on the Cyrillic alphabet and Hangeul through a vernissage for diplomats, international organizations, local and central authorities, businesspeople and media personalities. Delivering welcome remarks at the exhibition, Bulgarian Ambassador Petko Draganov highlighted the

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first in-person bilateral summit on Monday, where they each showed a desire to improve US-China ties that have hit rock bottom in recent years. While they continue to stand at odds on key issues, including Taiwan, experts assess that Monday's summit will positively improve bilateral ties and reduce tensions. On the eve of the Group 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, Biden and Xi met for about three hours, according to officials.

President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed caution against protectionism and vowed Korea's support for the G-20's cooperation in the food and energy sectors as well as contributions to international solidarity in the health sector, at the G-20 Summit on Tuesday. On the sidelines of the summit, Yoon had a bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the evening to discuss China's role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at a time when its seventh nuclear test could take pla