Diplomats of South and North Korea clashed over differing views of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the UN as delegates met for an emergency session to discuss a resolution condemning Moscow’s aggression. 　 Cho Hyun, the South Korean ambassador to the UN, strongly condemned “Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine,” throwing support behind a UN General Assembly resolution that was set for a vote Wednesday, demanding Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine. On the contrary,

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden left out North Korea in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday that laid out various challenges facing his country, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The US leader, however, thanked South Korea, along with dozens of other countries, for condemning what he called Russia's "unjustified" and "totally unprovoked" aggression on Ukraine. "Along with twenty-seven members of the European Union including France, Germa

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine's second-biggest city and Kyiv's main TV tower in what the country's president called a blatant campaign of terror. "Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after the bloodshed on the square in Kharkiv. In the US, President Joe Biden planned to use his first State of the Union address Tuesday evening to vow to make R

WASHINGTON -- The chief of the South Korean mission to the United Nations on Tuesday called on Russia to immediately stop its invasion of Ukraine while saying his country will provide additional humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine. Ambassador Cho Hyun also called on the United Nations to act quickly, noting South Korea would not have existed had it not been for UN assistance some 70 years ago when the country was invaded by North Korea. "We are gathered here today at one of the

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Yonhap) -- External pressure alone will not be enough to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear ambitions, a former head of US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday, stressing the need for what he called an internal pressure to change. Retired Gen. Walter Sharp also pointed to the need for South Korea and the US to work with China to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons. "I personally believe that there's no amount of external pressure that is goin

WASHINGTON -- Human rights crises in countries such as North Korea demand the United Nations and its member states' efforts to address them, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday while urging the international community to condemn what he called Russia's unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. "Even as we focus on the crisis in Ukraine, it is far from the only part of the world where the council's attention is needed," Blinken said in a virtual meeting with the UN Huma

KYIV (AFP) -- A huge Russian military convoy was massing on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Tuesday as fears grew the invading forces were set to launch devastating assaults aimed at taking control of Kyiv and other major cities. Satellite images showed a long build-up of armoured vehicles and artillery starting 29 kilometres (18 miles) north of the city, as Moscow defied mounting global pressure and a wave of international sanctions that have smashed Russia's economy. Initial ceasefire tal

The South Korean vice foreign minister committed to the country’s active participation in the international community‘s concerted efforts to “curb” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while strongly condemning Russian aggression. Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon on Monday delivered his statement at the UN Conference on Disarmament’s three-day High-Level Segment, which kicked off on the same day in Geneva, Switzerland. “The Korean government stron

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In war, winning quick control of airspace is crucial. Russia's failure to do so in Ukraine, despite its vast military strength, has been a surprise and may help explain how Ukraine has so far prevented a rout. The standoff in the sky is among the Russian battle shortcomings, including logistical breakdowns, that have thrown Moscow off stride in its invasion. Typically, an invading force would seek at the outset to destroy or at least paralyze the target country's air and missi

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces shelled Ukraine's second-largest city on Monday, rocking a residential neighborhood, and closed in on the capital, Kyiv, in a 17-mile convoy of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles, as talks aimed at stopping the fighting yielded only an agreement to keep talking. The country's embattled president said the stepped-up shelling was aimed at forcing him into concessions. "I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method

South Korea decided to prohibit exports of strategic materials to Russia, joining the US and other countries in imposing tough restrictions following the invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday. 　 The government has notified the US of its related decisions via a diplomatic channel, the ministry said.  　 Seoul announced its first set of economic measures targeting Russia in the wake of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The government will strengthen export control re

KYIV (AFP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that his nuclear forces were on alert sparked outcry in the West as the invading troops faced stiff resistance on Monday. The UN General Assembly will hold a rare emergency session Monday to discuss the conflict, which has claimed dozens of lives and raised fears that it will displace millions of people. Ukraine has also said it had agreed to send a delegation to meet Russian representatives on the border with Belarus, which would be

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered officials to swiftly draw up a plan for humanitarian aid for Ukraine to help support the deteriorating humanitarian situation following Russia's invasion of the country. Moon also told officials that the government should set up contingency measures to minimize the impact of sanctions on Russia, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Moon said last week that South Korea will join international sanctions on Russia. Foreign ministry officials said th

The South Korean government on Monday said it will grant special stay permits to Ukrainians living here, allowing them to overstay their visa until the situation in their home country stabilizes following Russia‘s invasion of the Eastern European country.  The Justice Ministry said 3,843 Ukrainians, who have been staying in the country on either short- or long-term visas, will benefit from the measure, including 538 whose visas were set to expire by June.  The government will

South Korea on Monday appointed 10 new ambassadors, including to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in a regular reshuffle, the foreign ministry said. Kwon Hee-seog, the country's top envoy to Italy, was appointed as the new ambassador of ASEAN, while Lee Seong-ho, the deputy minister for economic affairs, will serve as the ambassador to Italy, according to the ministry. Yun Seong-deok, the foreign policy adviser to the prime minister, was named the new deputy minister for econo