BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- The Russian tanks and missiles besieging Ukraine also are threatening the food supply and livelihoods of people in Europe, Africa and Asia who rely on the vast, fertile farmlands of the Black Sea region -- known as the "breadbasket of the world." Ukrainian farmers have been forced to neglect their fields as millions flee, fight or try to stay alive. Ports are shut down that send wheat and other food staples worldwide to be made into bread, noodles and animal fe

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) plans to convene a session this week in response to North Korea's latest projectile launch, a South Korean government official said Monday. It would be the second meeting of the council in about a week in connection with such a move by the recalcitrant regime. Regarding the North's test-launch of an apparent ballistic missile on Saturday, some members of the influential panel have requested closed-door discussions, and the meeting is scheduled to open

South Korea on Sunday decided to impose export controls against Belarus for “effectively supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” joining the US and other countries in implementing tough restrictions against Moscow’s strong ally.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it would notify the US and related countries of its decision.  “The Korean government decided today to implement export controls against Belarus, based on the judgment that Belarus is

WASHINGTON -- Fighting for his country's survival, Ukraine's leader made a "desperate" plea Saturday to American lawmakers for the United States to help get more warplanes to his military and cut off Russian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the private video call with US lawmakers by telling them this may be the last time they see him alive. He has remained in Kyiv, the capital, which has a vast Russian armored column thr

South Korea and Australia agreed Friday to enhance cooperation on e-commerce and other digital trade issues during a senior-level dialogue, Seoul's industry ministry said. Kim Wan-ki, chief of South Korea's trade policy bureau under the trade ministry, held a videoconference with Australia's First Assistant Secretary of the foreign and trade department Elisabeth Bowes, and the two sides discussed a wide range of issues on digital trade, including trade norms, standards and the industry's transit

Russian forces shelled Europe's largest nuclear plant early Friday, sparking a fire as they pressed their attack on a crucial energy-producing Ukrainian city and gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea. Leading nuclear authorities were concerned -- but not panicked -- about the damage to the power station. The assault triggered phone calls between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden and other world leaders. The US Department of Energy activat

South Korea won an exemption from the United States' expanded export restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Seoul's industry ministry said Friday. The move came as South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with senior US officials in Washington on Thursday and the two sides agreed to include South Korea in the US' list of exempt countries. Last week, the US government announced the Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for "all of Russia" as part of its export controls

WASHINGTON -- The sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies, including South Korea, show how many countries see Russia's invasion of Ukraine as unjust, a US state department spokesperson said Thursday. Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, said the United Nations has also voiced its clear opposition against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The international community has been very clear and we've been united in our defense of this wa

South Korea has relocated its embassy in Ukraine from the capital Kyiv to Chernivtsi, a city closer to the border with Romania, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday, as Russian troops continue to close in on the capital and attacks across the country intensify.  Ambassador Kim Hyung-tae and all remaining embassy staff left the capital and arrived in Chernivtsi on Wednesday night local time, along with six South Korean nationals who expressed the intent to evacuate, a ministry official in Se

The armed conflict in Ukraine has led to a delay in talks among South Korea, the United States and Japan to arrange their in-person defense ministerial meeting, a Seoul official said Thursday. The three countries have been in talks to set up a meeting among Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, in line with an agreement at their phone talks last month to meet face-to-face at a "mutually agreed-upon" date. The three defense chief

South Korea and Mexico have agreed to resume negotiations to forge a bilateral free trade agreement 14 years after their suspension, Seoul's trade ministry said Thursday. The two nations began talks on a strategic economic complementary agreement in 2006, but the negotiations have stalled since 2008 amid opposition from businesses in the Latin American country. South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and Mexican Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier held ministerial talks in Mexico City on Tuesday

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN General Assembly voted at an emergency session Wednesday to demand an immediate halt to Moscow's attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops, with sustained applause breaking out after a formidable show of support among the 193 member nations against the invasion. The vote on the "Aggression against Ukraine" resolution was 141-5, with 35 abstentions. It came as Russia bombarded Ukraine's second-largest city and besieged two important ports, and a

South Korea is moving its mission in Ukraine from Kyiv to a "safe area" in the country as Russia is stepping up military actions in the country, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Ambassador Kim Hyung-tae and other embassy staff were moving to the new location along with six South Korean nationals who expressed intent to move out of the city, according to the ministry. It was not immediately clear to which city the embassy is relocating. The decision was made as it became &q

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine's leader decried Russia's escalation of attacks on crowded urban areas as a blatant campaign of terror, while US President Joe Biden warned that if his Russian counterpart weren't made to "pay a price" for the invasion, the aggression wouldn't stop with one country. "Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after Tuesday's bloodshed on the central square in Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city,