Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin ‘welcomes’ Japanese prime minister to attend inauguration

PARIS -- Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to serve a second term in 20 years, giving him a historic opportunity to leave his mark. The 44-year-old, who came to power as France's youngest ever president, secured victory promising more pro-business and welfare reforms but with a "new method" that is expected to be less top-down. He had billed Sunday's vote as a chance to "save the Republic" from the clutches of far-rig

Thorny issues regarding wartime history and trade remain unresolved between Seoul-Tokyo

The United States’ approval rating in South Korea jumped at one of the steepest rates among Asian countries in 2021, a poll showed Friday. The approval rating of U.S. leadership in South Korea climbed to 59 percent last year from 30 percent a year earlier, according to Gallup. The increase marks the second highest among 33 Asian countries where the poll was conducted between April 2021 and January 2022. “Ratings of U.S. leadership showed substantial improvement in 13 Asian coun

South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it is ascertaining the veracity of intelligence that at least one of its nationals participating in the Ukraine war as a volunteer fighter has died. Currently, four South Korean nationals are known to have entered Ukraine without government authorization to join the war, the ministry said. "The government recently obtained intelligence from relevant countries that there are deaths among our nationals participating as volunteer soldiers in t

TOKYO -- Japan's foreign ministry reiterated its assertion that Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea, belong to the country in its first annual report on foreign policy and activities under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The claim, strongly disputed by South Korea that has long maintained effective control of Dokdo with the permanent stationing of security personnel there, was included in the 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook that was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minist

WASHINGTON -- The United States is seeking to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula but only through dialogue and diplomacy, a Department of State spokesperson said Thursday. Ned Price, however, reiterated that the US will continue to hold the North to account over its recent missile provocations. "Our goal is to achieve that ultimate objective -- the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- through diplomacy and dialogue. That is what we have consistently put forward,&qu

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea must not reduce their joint military drills just to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, former US ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Thursday, calling it a "proven path to failure." He also dismissed the call for an end of Korean War declaration long advocated by the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration. "I think the current administration in South Korea took us down a wrong path. So far this year, North Korea has

Historically, Korea and Japan have long been in conflict and contradiction. Since Japan’s colonization of Korea, it has deepened what some observe to be Japan’s sense of superiority over Korea and Korea’s sense of inferiority toward Japan. Japan’s “Lost Decades” –- a period of economic stagnation caused by an asset price bubble collapsing in the 1990s -- and Korea’s rise in national power in the international community brought some tension to bila

South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party met Wednesday with Sung Kim, US Special Representative for North Korea, and agreed to maintain an “impenetrable alliance” when the incoming government takes over. In their closed-door meeting, the minister nominee stressed how the series of missile launches by North Korea posed a “serious threat” not only to the Korean people but also to peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the in

South Korea will set up a task force to deal with its potential participation in a US-led economic framework, as the United States has accelerated preparations to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. The Joe Biden administration has sought to launch the IPEF for deeper cooperation with partner nations in the Asia-Pacific region on digital trade, supply chains and other major emerging trade issues amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. The Seoul

Korea-US summit predicted to take place in Seoul; alliance could be raised to next level

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday shifted its travel advisory on South Korea to the lowest tier of Level 1, a sharp change from the highest warning of Level 4 that was issued in February. The announcement followed reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered its own travel recommendation on South Korea by a notch from the "Do Not Travel" level. South Korea is reportedly among around 90 nations and other regions that dropped to "Level 3:

WASHINGTON -- The United States is willing to listen to any concerns North Korea may have but only if North Korea engages in dialogue, a Department of State spokesperson said Monday, urging Pyongyang to return to diplomacy. Ned Price also reiterated the North will continue to face consequences until it ceases its escalatory actions. "We are willing to listen to the full range of the DPRK's concerns, but this can only happen through dialogue and the DPRK has not yet given any concrete indica

US special envoy for North Korea travels to Seoul, urges North Korea to return to ‘path of dialogue’