South Korea added 15 North Koreans and 16 companies to its blacklist on Friday, introducing its first unilateral sanctions in five years in response to the unprecedented number of missile provocations by the reclusive regime this year. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry revealed the sanctions list of those that are all involved in sourcing funds and materials for Pyongyang’s development of weapons of mass destruction. "We strongly condemn North Korea for its recent staging of the series

Yoon says the barrage of NK provocations constitutes violation of 2018 inter-Korean agreement

BUENOS AIRES -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Argentina on Thursday for an official visit, as Seoul seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the resource-rich Latin American nation. Han's visit came as the two nations mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. On Friday, Han will hold talks with Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, and they plan to discuss measures to improve cooperation in various fields, including economic security, accordin

The 2022 Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees kicked off Wednesday, and will continue until Monday. Organized by the Overseas Koreans Foundation, an organization affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees is an annual homecoming program. The event is designed to invite Koreans who were adopted overseas to their home country and help them better understand the country and mingle with other Korean adoptees. The latest edition of Gathering for Oversea

Xi's third term in office would intensify US-China dispute, rise as destabilizing factor for Korean Peninsula

MONTEVIDEO -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Uruguay on Wednesday for an official visit as South Korea seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the Latin American nation. During his two-day stay in Montevideo, Han will hold talks with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and discuss measures to bolster economic and trade ties between the two nations. It was the first time in 11 years that South Korea's prime minister has visited Uruguay. Uruguay is serving as a rotating chair of Me

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to hold North Korea responsible for its provocations, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, insisting the US has the means to do so. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price also insisted that additional provocations by the reclusive North will only further isolate the country. "We have been clear that as long as the DPRK continues with its provocations, continues with its launches of ballistic missiles, including longer range ballis

WASHINGTON -- The United States reaffirmed its commitment to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy in its latest national security strategy released Wednesday that focused largely on how it will handle its growing competition with China. It said the country will continue to enhance and expand its alliances to achieve both ends. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues to expand its illicit nuclear weapons and missile programs," said the

South Korea was not reelected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, conceding to Bangladesh and the Maldives, among others. It is the first time the country has been turned down membership since the council was established in 2006. At the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Korea received 123 votes, landing fifth among seven Asian countries running to be part of the UN organization for the 2023-25 term. Bangladesh secured the most votes with 160 in the A

SANTIAGO -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held talks with Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Tuesday and agreed to resume negotiations this year to upgrade a bilateral free trade agreement that went into effect in 2004. They also agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership as the two nations mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year. Chile was South Korea's first free trade deal partner, and the deal has served as a springboard for S

The United Nations kicked off an investigation into a Niuean vessel that appears to have been sold to North Korea after it passed by the South's Busan Port, according to local reports on Tuesday. Citing the biannual report released by the UN Panel of Experts on UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, Radio Free Asia reported that the UN is currently looking into a laden cargo ship, An Hai 6, that was spotted outside Nampo lock gate in North Korea around mid-June of this year.

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday criticized North Korea for making nuclear threats against the world, saying there is nothing to be gained through nuclear weapons. Yoon also vowed to establish solid security cooperation with the US and Japan amid growing criticism from the opposition party. North Korea has launched ballistic missiles 23 times and cruise missiles twice this year, with 11 missile launches since Yoon took office in May. “As North Korea continues to develop and upgrade i

South Korea and Japan plan to hold working-level diplomatic consultations Tuesday over their protracted row over wartime forced labor and other bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said. Lee Sang-ryeol, the ministry's director general for Asia and Pacific affairs, is scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, at the Seoul foreign ministry in Seoul. Discussions are expected to focus on the issue of resolving compensation for forced labor of Koreans during World Wa

ADDIS ABABA -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo has met with Ethiopian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and honored their sacrifice. Kim visited the Ethiopian Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Addis Ababa on Monday, met with eight veterans and expressed his gratitude. "Ethiopians showed they were brave soldiers. ... I pay deep respect to their comradeship that brought all 122 of the fallen soldiers back home," Kim said, adding he will work hard to improve ties between the two

Pyongyang sortie of 150 warplanes prompts Seoul to scramble F-35A jets