US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a visiting senior Chinese official held talks in Washington on Friday over a range of issues concerning North Korea, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and the Middle East, a State Department spokesperson said. The talks between Blinken and Liu Jianchao, minister of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, came just before Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday. "The secretary reiterated

Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since its borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown. The report, published Wednesday by the Russian state-run Tass news agency, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang . It also follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East. Ta

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is holding its presidential election on Saturday, a race that China has called a choice between war and peace. China considers the self-ruled island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off its east coast a breakaway province and has threatened to take control over it, by force if necessary. Taiwan's election is closely watched internationally due to the potential for rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait. At home, voters are concerned with m

TOKYO (AP) — Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and to improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part of Tokyo’s reconnaissance effort to rapidly build up its military capability. The governm

The primary strategic focus of the South Korean Foreign Ministry is to strengthen diplomatic capabilities to enhance economic security, especially at a time when security and the economy are intricately entwined amid the US-China tech rivalry, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Friday. "I will seek to strengthen the capabilities of economic and security integrated diplomacy, aligning with the contemporary context where the US-China competition for technological hegemony ha

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together to address North Korean threats and support peace in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea in their phone call Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held the first phone conversation with his new South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, since Cho assumed office this week to succeed Park Jin. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cho also agreed to continue workin

The United States imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual for their involvement in the transfer and testing of North Korean ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The sanctions came after the White House said that the North has provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used to strike Ukrainian targets on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Saturday. "The entities and individual were co

The United States on Thursday took note of China's role in curbing North Korea's "provocative" and "harmful" activities amid international criticism over Pyongyang's transfers of weapons to Russia and its evolving military threats. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks in response to a reporter's question over whether China -- with close relations with the North and Russia -- is responsible for its apparent inaction regarding t

S. Korean envoy says Russia's use of NK missiles amounts to 'simulated attack' against S. Korea

A White House official said Wednesday that he has not seen any indication of military cooperation between North Korea and the Hamas militant group, despite the South Korean spy agency's assessment that North Korean-made arms are being used by the group. John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks after Seoul's National Intelligence Service confirmed last week's Voice of America report that Hamas fighters have used an F-7 roc

N. Korean leader tours factories producing missile launchers amid growing criticism

The national security advisers of South Korea and the United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms" North Korea's transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine during a phone call on Tuesday, the White House said. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his new South Korean counterpart, Chang Ho-jin, to discuss the North's increasing military cooperation with Russia and its provocative actions along the Demilitarized Zone separating the tw

Foreign Minister Park Jin left office Wednesday after nearly two years of juggling a set of diplomatic tasks, ranging from addressing escalating North Korean provocations to ramping up the alliance with the United States and improving ties with its neighboring countries. At his farewell ceremony, Park touched on the ministry's achievements during his term, saying South Korea has realized the "complete normalization" of its ties with Japan owing to the "big decision" of P

'Axis of rogues' Russia, N. Korea, Iran rank fifth among top 10 risks

Cho Tae-yul, the nominee for South Korean foreign minister, said Monday that the country should manage its relations with China in a way that does not compromise the Korea-US alliance. Cho said the core of South Korea's approach to China is to "define its position amid the strategic competition between the US and China." "During our response to it, the focus should be on the Korea-US alliance," Cho said during his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assemb