South Korea and the United States on Tuesday began a preliminary training in the runup to next week's annual summertime military exercise amid the North's warning it will take a toll on inter-Korean relations, sources said. The four-day crisis management staff training is aimed at checking the military's response to unexpected situations before a war breaks out. It will be followed by the main computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training scheduled for Aug. 16-26, according to the sources.

WASHINGTON -- Nothing has changed for the need to maintain the joint defense readiness of South Korea and the United States, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, emphasizing the importance of the allies' joint military exercises. John Kirby also reiterated any decision on the countries' joint military drills will be made jointly by the allies. "Nothing's changed about our need for readiness on the Korean Peninsula and our desire to work in lockstep with our ROK allies on a training regimen t

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed a willingness to consider different "options" and "possibilities" with North Korea in a renewed call for its return to dialogue during a regional forum last week, a Washington official said Monday. Kin W. Moy, a senior official for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made the remarks during a telephone press conference on Blinken's attendance at a series of forums led by the Association of Southeast Asi

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is expected to meet virtually with Southeast Asian foreign ministers Friday and ask for their support in building lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the two Koreas seek to repair ties over recently reconnected hotlines. North Korea is also attending the ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings together top envoys from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations and their counterparts from 17 countries, including the US and EU. But North

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to make continued efforts to engage with North Korea and foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula during their phone talks Friday, the foreign ministry said. The talks came after last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication channels fueled hopes for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea, though growing optimism for dialogue was tempered by the North's warning that the

WASHINGTON -- US and South Korean officials met this week to coordinate efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the State Department said Thursday. The first director-general or deputy-level consultation (DLC) meeting was held in Seoul on Wednesday (Seoul time) between the US deputy special representative for North Korea, Jung Pak, and officials from South Korea's foreign and unification ministries, the presidential office and the National Security Council, according to

The US government appears to envision offering partial sanctions relief in exchange for North Korea taking denuclearization steps but such "incremental" sanctions relief would be difficult to move forward without congressional support, a congressional report showed Friday. That is because the sanctions on the North are targeting not just the country's weapons development but also a host of other issues, such as human rights abuses, money laundering, international terrorism and cyber o

South Korea strongly condemns a recent deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, the foreign ministry said Friday, calling the attack a "clear violation of international law." On July 29, the Mercer Street tanker came under a drone attack, which killed two of its crewmembers. The vessel, reportedly linked to an Israeli billionaire, was transiting through the Arabian Sea in international waters. "Such an attack is a clear violation of international law, and all vessel

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong was set to attend a regional security forum via video link Friday, as South Korea seeks to secure global support for its renewed push to resume dialogue with North Korea following last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) -- a rare multilateral forum involving North Korea -- will bring together top diplomats of 27 countries, including the United States, China, Japan and the

Diplomats of South Korea and the United States have held talks in Washington to discuss joint efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Wednesday's talks between Rim Kap-soo, director general at the ministry's peninsula peace regime bureau, and Jung Pak, the deputy U.S. special representative for North Korea, came as last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines fueled hopes for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. "The

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, have met in Tehran to discuss an array of issues, including Iranian assets frozen in South Korea under US sanctions, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Choi was in Tehran to attend Thursday's presidential inauguration of Ebrahim Raisi, the former chief justice who won the presidential election in June to succeed Hassan Rouhani. During Wednesday's talks with Abbas, Choi stressed South Korea has been making &

WASHINGTON -- The strong US-South Korea alliance helps ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula while it also allows the allies to engage with the recalcitrant North with strength and confidence, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday. Adm. John Aquilino noted North Korea was "certainly a security challenge" that faces the US in the region. "The US-ROK alliance is strong and ironclad. Our commitment with that treaty ally has been the foundation for pea

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden will discuss a range of issues facing Asian American communities in the United States that include the fight against COVID-19 and voting rights, as well as anti-Asian hate incidents, a White House spokeswoman said Wednesday. The president is set to meet with a group of Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders on Thursday. "The president looks forward to meeting with leaders of the AAPI community tomorrow," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored his country's commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a regional forum attended by the top diplomats of 17 other countries, including South Korea, the State Department said Wednesday. The top US diplomat also reaffirmed US support for the countries in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. "He pledged continued US support for a free and open Mekong subregion and reaffirmed US commitment to the complete

This coming Sunday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations celebrates the 54th ASEAN Day. For over half a century, ASEAN member states have promoted multilateral dialogue and cooperation. Embracing globalization, many countries in the region enjoyed explosive economic growth and have collectively emerged as the fifth-largest economy in the world. Unfortunately, since the global financial crisis of 2008, globalization has slowly lost traction. The onset of COVID-19 has further amplified thi