TOKYO -- Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gathered at a Tokyo temple Tuesday for a private funeral, as mourners outside condemned the leader's "despicable" murder. Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power. The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because h

South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relations of Seoul and Washington and North Korea’s nuclear issues on Monday (US time). In a Facebook post, Amb. Cho explained how he had first met with Sherman when he was serving as the first vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, from February 2014 to October 2015. “Deputy Secretary Sherman is the first women to serve in the post at the US Dep

Police to strengthen security as new US ambassador plans to participate in Pride festival this weekend

A key aide to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with a South Korean foreign ministry official for discussions on the bilateral alliance and other issues. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted that he had a meeting with Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, in Seoul. "We spoke about the US-ROK Alliance and our joint efforts on regional and global issues. I appreciate the ROK's partnership on Burma," Chollet wrote, using the acronym for Sout

The recent turn of events in Japan -- the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ruling party winning the majority of seats in the upper house -- could delay efforts to resolve bilateral relations with South Korea, experts here said on Monday. The former premier died on Friday after a lone gunman shot him while he was delivering a campaign speech on a street in the city of Nara in central Japan. As the country mourned the death of a prominent political leader, the ruling L

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin paid his respects to former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe on Monday. He visited the Japanese embassy's public information and cultural center in downtown Seoul, mourned Abe's death and offered his condolences, three days after he was fatally shot during an election campaign speech. President Yoon Suk-yeol is also scheduled to visit there later this week with a plan to send a delegation led by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to a formal memorial service f

Korea to dispatch condolences delegation to Japan, including PM and senior lawmakers

NARA – A day after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, a steady stream of mourners, many in tears, arrived at the scene of his murder in western Japan to offer flowers and prayers. People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on the otherwise ordinary street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections. Afternoon downpours did not deter the crowds who came to offer condolences, some having traveled great distance

Philip Goldberg, the new US ambassador to South Korea, is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday afternoon to begin his duty, an informed source said. The post has been vacant for 1 1/2 years since the departure of Harry Harris timed with the inauguration of President Joe Biden. In May, the Senate confirmed Biden's pick of the veteran diplomat who have served in various key positions, including the job as coordinator for the Implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874 on North Korea

Seoul's Foreign Minister urges Beijing to lead Pyongyang to dialogue and stop its nuclear provocations

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin joined a Group of 20 (G-20) foreign ministers' meeting in Indonesia on Friday to discuss regional and global issues in his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage as Seoul's top diplomat He arrived on the resort island of Bali on Thursday for a two-day stay to take part in the session focusing on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also set the stage for Park's bilateral talks with his counterpart from the world's 20 adva

The Minister of Youth World Forum organized by the International Youth Fellowship was held in Busan on Thursday, bringing together youth and education policymakers from around the world.  The forum, annually held alongside IYF World Camp, had been on hold for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  IYF World Camp is an international event involving youth and college students from 50 countries.   In this year’s forum, ministers and vice ministers of 26 youth and

South Korean Foreign Minister meets with Singaporean PM and ministers to agree on economic cooperation

After the previous summit with US President Joe Biden in May, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attendance at the NATO summit was a straight one-two punch that proved a change in the new Korean government’s foreign policy. Contrasting with the Moon Jae-in government’s friendly stance toward China, Yoon instead moved boldly without hesitation. He chose to prioritize the alliance with the US. Under the framework of a Korea-US-Japan cooperation, this could be understood as a signal of a

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a cybersecurity advisory on Wednesday against ransomware that it said is being used by North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors. The advisory, jointly issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Treasury, said North Korean hackers have been using Maui ransomware since at least May 2021 to target healthcare and public health (HPH) sector organizations. "Since May 2021, the FBI has observed and responded to