WASHINGTON -- The United States must reassure its allies of American commitment to help defend them against possible North Korean attacks to prevent key strategic alliances from falling apart, a former US ambassador to NATO said Thursday. Ivo Daalder, currently serving as president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent global affairs think tank, also argued US failure to do so may encourage its allies to consider having nuclear capabilities themselves. "So one of the th

South Korea and the US will hold working-level diplomatic talks this week in Hawaii to review progress in the implementation of their latest summit agreement, according to an official at Seoul‘s foreign ministry Thursday. Ko Yun-ju, the ministry’s director general for North American affairs, and Mark Lambert, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and South Korea, will attend the allies‘ third Bilateral Policy Dialogue (BPD) slated for Thursday (local time). The

Kazakhstan hosted the sixth meeting of foreign affairs ministers in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, known as CICA, on Monday and Tuesday at the Akorda Palace in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital. The meeting chaired by Kazakhstan and attended by 40 CICA member states and observers included foreign ministers of Bahrain, Belarus, India, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the Minister of Tourism of Israel, deputy foreign m

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s bid for the post of director general of the International Labor Organization is being met with criticism from labor groups, while the government backs the bid that could see the first woman and first Asian leader in the organization’s 103-year history.  The election is slated for March. If Kang gets the job, her term would start next October, when current Director General Guy Ryder of the UK leaves the office. 　 The South Korean govern

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States are working closely together to restart the Korean Peninsula peace process, South Korea's ambassador to the US, Lee Soo-hyuck, said Wednesday. Lee said the countries are also discussing ways to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table that may include the provision of humanitarian assistance to the impoverished North. "(We) are discussing various ways to build trust such as the provision of humanitarian assistance to create a favorable c

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said Wednesday that Russia has an "important" role to play to restart denuclearization talks with North Korea, as he departed the country to meet with his Russian counterpart. Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remarks at Incheon International Airport before leaving for Moscow to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on Thursday. "The peace process on the Korean Pen

South Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month due to the continued spread of COVID-19, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Citizens are recommended to cancel or postpone non-essential trips abroad until Nov. 13, as the rise of variant cases in many countries poses risks to their health, the ministry said. The travel advisory was first imposed in March and has been extended every month as many countries struggle with the outbreaks of various COVID-19

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a threat to the US and its allies, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. The remark comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed North Korea's enemy is not South Korea nor the US while calling for efforts to further advance the North's military capabilities. "The DPRK's WMD and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to international peace and security and the global nonproliferation regime,"

WASHINGTON -- The top national security advisers of South Korea and the United States on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea, also vowing to work together in bringing the North back to the dialogue table. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also reaffirmed that the United States holds no hostile policy toward the North during a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Hoon, in Washington, according to the South Korean National Security Council

The first phone call between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is being delayed, with Japanese media saying the new Japanese leader has little incentive to rush ahead of a major election later this month, his first test in domestic politics. According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily on Tuesday, Kishida’s office and Japan’s foreign ministry have agreed not to prioritize South Korea for the new prime minister’s first phone calls with foreign

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have held talks in Dubai to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Monday. Sunday's talks between Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, came as Seoul seeks to further strengthen the bilateral relationship, which was elevated to a special strategic partnership in 2018. Chung expressed hope for the success of the UAE's "Projec

On Oct. 2, a massive oil spill of at least 570,000 liters occurred off the coast of Huntington Beach south of Los Angeles. The oil spill is believed to have originated from a damaged pipeline off the coast of Huntington Beach, which is connected to an offshore oil platform known as Elly.  Many fish and birds, as well as local wetlands around the area, have been seriously affected.  The pipeline was reported to have stopped leaking Sunday, but oil remains in the waters off Huntington

Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that his government would strongly urge South Korea to take appropriate action to resolve the strained bilateral relations between the two countries, signaling that he will likely maintain the same hard-line stance toward Seoul as his predecessor Yoshihide Suga.  In his first policy speech since taking office Monday, Kishida briefly mentioned South Korea, saying Tokyo would maintain its “coherent stance” toward Seoul,

A powerful magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the Tokyo area on Thursday night, injuring more than 30 people, damaging underground water pipes and halting trains and subways. Traffic disruptions continued Friday morning, with local trains delayed and commuters overflowing from stations. The Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, at a depth of about 80 kilometers (48 miles). There was no danger of a tsunami. It caused buildings to sway and hangin

Diplomacy still preferred over military action in dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear issue