KYIV -- The head of the United Nations said Ukraine has become ``an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain`` -- a description underscored a short time later by the first Russian strike on the capital since Moscow's forces retreated weeks ago. Russia pounded targets all over Ukraine on Thursday, including the attack on Kyiv that struck a residential high-rise and another building and wounded 10 people, including at least one who lost a leg, according to Ukraine's emergency services. The bomba

South Korea will welcome Japanese delegation if they come to Yoon’s inauguration, says FM nominee

Earliest-ever Korea-US summit to take place after Korean president’s inauguration

The inauguration of South Korea’s new government in May will be an opportunity to assess the current state of South Korea-China relations and seek further development in the future. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol presented his plans to turn South Korea into a global pivotal state during his election campaign. He has also declared that strengthening the US-South Korea alliance and South Korea-China relations are simultaneously achievable goals. Since South Korea and China established

South Korea plans to send part of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Europe to help ease an energy crisis over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said Thursday. Concerns have grown over natural gas supply disruptions in Europe amid the ongoing crisis surrounding Ukraine, as Russia is the biggest provider of gas to Europe. On Wednesday, Russia's state-owned gas producer Gazprom said it had cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after the nations refused to pay for shipm

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will visit South Korea and Japan in late May for summit talks with his counterparts, the White House announced Wednesday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president will visit South Korea and Japan from May 20-24, without providing further details of his planned trip. An official in Seoul said the US president is scheduled to visit Seoul from May 20-May 22. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will visit the Republic of Korea and Japan from May

Lack of weaponry support leaves Seoul, Tokyo off list

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and agreed to make joint efforts to enhance ties between the two countries, the chief delegate said Tuesday. Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the conservative People Power Party, who is leading the seven-member delegation to Japan, said the two sides had exchanged opinions on improving the bilateral relationship. “For the development of the future-oriented relationship of South Kor

WASHINGTON -- Two individuals have been indicted for teaching North Koreans how to evade US sanctions using cryptocurrency, the US justice department revealed Monday. The department said one Spaniard and one British national have been charged in the Southern District of New York with "conspiring to violate US sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," referring to North Korea by its official name. It said the two are suspected of having worked with a US citizen, Vi

WASHINGTON -- Religious freedom conditions in North Korea remain among the worst in the world, a US government commission said Monday, recommending the US government to designate North Korea as a country of particular concern. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also called on the state department to bring up human rights issues when negotiating security issues with North Korea. "In 2021, religious freedom conditions in North Korea remained among the worst in the w

Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin ‘welcomes’ Japanese prime minister to attend inauguration

PARIS -- Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to serve a second term in 20 years, giving him a historic opportunity to leave his mark. The 44-year-old, who came to power as France's youngest ever president, secured victory promising more pro-business and welfare reforms but with a "new method" that is expected to be less top-down. He had billed Sunday's vote as a chance to "save the Republic" from the clutches of far-rig

Thorny issues regarding wartime history and trade remain unresolved between Seoul-Tokyo

The United States’ approval rating in South Korea jumped at one of the steepest rates among Asian countries in 2021, a poll showed Friday. The approval rating of U.S. leadership in South Korea climbed to 59 percent last year from 30 percent a year earlier, according to Gallup. The increase marks the second highest among 33 Asian countries where the poll was conducted between April 2021 and January 2022. “Ratings of U.S. leadership showed substantial improvement in 13 Asian coun

South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it is ascertaining the veracity of intelligence that at least one of its nationals participating in the Ukraine war as a volunteer fighter has died. Currently, four South Korean nationals are known to have entered Ukraine without government authorization to join the war, the ministry said. "The government recently obtained intelligence from relevant countries that there are deaths among our nationals participating as volunteer soldiers in t