WASHINGTON -- US Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Paul LaCamera congratulated South Korean President-elect Yoon Seok-yul Thursday, saying he looks forward to working with the incoming administration to further strengthen the US-South Korea alliance. Yoon was elected president Wednesday (Seoul time). "It has been an honor to work with the Moon administration," said LaCamera, referring to South Korea's outgoing administration of Moon Jae-in. "Congratulations to President-elect Yoo

Japanese PM Kishida expresses hope to restore ties with Seoul under the new president

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WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden congratulated South Korea's President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday, the White House said. Biden and Yoon talked on the phone hours after the incoming South Korean leader was declared the winner in the South Korean presidential election. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to congratulate him on his election," the White House said in a press release, referring to South Kore

WASHINGTON -- The United States has intensified its intelligence collection activities around the Korean Peninsula, while its missile defense forces in the region have also been ordered to increase alert amid an increase in North Korean missile activities, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said Wednesday. The move follows nine rounds of North Korean missile tests, including seven in January that marked the largest number of missile tests conducted by North Korea in a single month. "Th

WASHINGTON -- North Korea poses a serious threat to Northeast Asia but the combined forces of South Korea and the United States stand ready and capable to deter any aggression, the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. Gen. Paul LaCamera made the remarks in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on national security challenges and US military activities in the Indo-Pacific region. "While the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues to pose multiple t

From NK’s nuclear threats to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US-China rivalry and long-running feud with Japan, diplomatic challenges will not wait for new leader

WASHINGTON -- North Korea may resume nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing before the year's end, a US government report said Tuesday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believes his nuclear weapons are the "ultimate guarantor" of his regime and that North Korea will eventually be accepted as a nuclear power over time. "In January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in

US President Joe Biden sent a letter of appreciation to President Moon Jae-in for the South Korean government’s measures against Russia, including export controls and financial sanctions, over the Ukraine crisis, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Biden said in a letter that “Korea’s determined measures will be a strong message that it supports Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mi said in a written briefing on the same day. Biden stated in t

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn praise as a wartime communicator in the days since Russia invaded his country

The Seoul city government has put up a message wishing for "peace for Ukraine" against an image symbolizing Ukraine's flag on a large signboard plastered on the front wall of the Seoul city library building. The message on the Seoul Metropolitan Library building was put up in the hope of peace in Ukraine and is in line with the city's ongoing "peace light" campaign to light up key city landmarks in blue and yellow symbolizing Ukraine. The signboard shows in the background a b

The US government has formally announced the exclusion of South Korea from its expanded export restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which enhances partner nations' joint efforts to implement strong sanctions against Moscow, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday. Last month, the US government announced the Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for all of Russia, calling on companies to receive a license from the United States for tech-related items using US technology before they can b

Ukraine's top envoy to Seoul said Monday his office has raised over $3 million in donations from South Korea to support Ukrainian efforts in the war against Russia. "We will send some of the donated money directly to the National Bank of Ukraine and use some to buy and send food and medicine for our people," Ukrainian Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko said as he revealed the amount of donations his embassy received from South Koreans at a forum held at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

The top Chinese diplomat said Monday North Korea's "reasonable" security concern remains unresolved and a resolution to its nuclear issue is up to the United States. "North Korea's reasonable security concerns have not been fundamentally resolved," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press conference held on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing. He said Beijing is taking note of Washington's statement that it has no "hostility" toward Pyong

The South Korean government has been reviewing how to provide humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but it does not consider sending lethal weapons as a feasible option, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. Ukraine recently made an official request to the South Korean government asking for humanitarian assistance and military supplies to combat Russia’s invasion. “We are currently reviewing possible ways to provide assistance at the government level,” minis