South Korea and the Netherlands on Monday launched a dialogue on the semiconductor industry in an effort to boost bilateral cooperation on the advanced sector, the industry ministry here said. The two nations held the inaugural meeting of the director-level Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Dialogue in the Dutch city of Eindhoven on the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The meeting was held as the two sides agreed in December to establish a working-level dialogue channe

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation Proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chul (People Power Party) ● In consideration of the high interest rates and rising number of stock investors in the current economic landscape, this amendment proposes to cancel the upcoming implementation of the financial income tax system and maintain the current capital gains tax system. This bill is in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol's push to abolish the finan

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a luncheon meeting with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae earlier this week, his spokesperson said Sunday. At the meeting held Saturday at his presidential residence, Yoon expressed his appreciation to Sarandos for Netflix's investment in South Korea and called for increased investment in "K-contents." Yoon and Sarandos also discussed the development of the two countries' "cultural alliance" through

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven countries have condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, calling it a direct violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan and the High Representative of the European Union issued the statement amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Rus

South Korea and Japan held disarmament and nonproliferation consultations to discuss ways to address growing military threats from North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Youn Jong-kwon, director-general for nuclear nonproliferation and diplomatic planning at the ministry, met with his Japanese counterpart, Katsuro Kitagawa, in Tokyo, the ministry said. The two sides shared concerns about North Korea's increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats and illegal arms trade

South Korea on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over Israel's recent military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, calling for relevant parties to protect civilians. "The government of the Republic of Korea expresses its deep concern over the recent Israeli military operation and its additional plan in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where approximately 1.4 million people are sheltering," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Rafah, which li

By Nemanja Grbic, Serbian ambassador to Korea As the Embassy of Serbia in Seoul proudly celebrates its National Day together with the small Serbian community living here, as well as our Korean friends, it is an opportunity to once again recall the close and decadeslong friendly relations that so happily exist between our two countries and two peoples. Statehood Day or National Day is celebrated every Feb. 15 in Serbia to commemorate the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which e

Former US President Donald Trump's outspoken criticism of NATO and its collective defense resonates deeply with implications for South Korea's security, a cornerstone being the US commitment to defense, especially amid escalating North Korean threats. After Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, intensified his rhetoric on Saturday, the possibility of his return to power raised concerns about the revival of his transactional approach to the Sou

'Seoul-Havana ties exert significant political pressure on Pyongyang, shows who holds dominant force'

South Korea has joined the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine as a member country on Wednesday along with the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden to contribute to the post-war reconstruction of the country at war with Russia, the presidential office said on Thursday. The new membership was confirmed during the meeting of the MDCP's steering committee held virtually Wednesday. Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland also joined the platform as observers. Before th

North Korea has given no reaction yet to South Korea's establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, but the surprise announcement is a blow to Pyongyang that has long boasted brotherly ties with the Caribbean nation. South Korea forged diplomatic ties with Cuba on Wednesday, making Cuba the 193rd country that South Korea has built diplomatic relations with. That came 65 years after Cuba cut off bilateral exchanges with Seoul following Fidel Castro's seizing of power in a 1959 revol

The US National Security Council remains "fundamentally engaged" in a key South Korea-US nuclear deterrence dialogue platform, its top security official said Wednesday, as the two countries' defense authorities are now tasked with leading the body. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks after senior defense officials from Seoul and Washington signed a framework document Monday to task Seoul's defense ministry and the Pentagon to lead the Nuclear Consultative

Presidential office dismisses report on potential Yoon-Kishida meeting in Seoul in March

US presidential election unlikely to alter trajectory of strengthening trilateral cooperation, say former officials

Germany and Israel remembered Holocaust victims in a solemn commemorative event hosted by the two embassies in Seoul on Jan. 29. The gathering, held annually on Jan. 27, marks the International Day of Commemoration, observing the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp on that day in 1945. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, this day serves as a reminder of the Shoah and imparts crucial lessons from the Holocaust. The term "Shoah," from Hebrew, means &quo