WASHINGTON -- The United States has successfully intercepted and destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its latest test of a sea-based missile defense system, the Defense Department said Tuesday. The field test involved a threat-representative ICBM, launched from a US missile test site in the Marshall Islands early Tuesday morning (Washington time). A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile launched from a US destroyer out in the sea intercepted and destroyed the tar

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday congratulated four Korean-Americans on their recent election to the US House of Representatives. "Delighted and thrilled! Together with the Korean people, I extend my congratulations to newly elected Congresswomen Young Kim, Michelle Park Steel, and Marilyn Strickland, and Congressman Andy Kim who won a second term," Moon tweeted. "They have friendly Korean names – Young-oak, Eunjoo, and Sun-ja," Moon said, adding "Today, your f

President Moon Jae-in will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits on Saturday and Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Both multilateral summits will be held via video link. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will take place Saturday, when the members will discuss issues concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a 20-year vision for the group. “At the summit, President Moon will share Korea’s experience in containing COVID-19, and

The International Hydrographic Organization has reached a consensus to adopt a new way of identifying seas by number, rather than by name, a move that could put an end to the long-standing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over what the body of water between two countries should be called, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. 　 During a virtual General Assembly of the international organization on maritime data on Monday, the 65 member states agreed to revise the existing standard for a world map

South Korea has called for countries to actively share information about policies on allowing the entry of essential travelers from overseas as part of efforts to facilitate trade and investment amid the pandemic, officials said Tuesday. Seoul made the proposal during a ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held virtually on Monday (Seoul time) and attended by senior government officials of 21 member countries, the foreign ministry said. The meeting came ahead o

WASHINGTON -- The number of South Korean students in the United States dropped from a year earlier this year, a US report showed Monday, amid the coronavirus pandemic that has led to a plunge in number of travelers between the two countries. However, the number of US students in South Korea has jumped sharply over the same period, according to the report from the US State Department. In the 2019-2020 school year, the number of South Korean students enrolled in US schools came to 40,809, down 4

South Korea's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee on Tuesday hinted that she may not shelve her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Yoo has failed to drum up landslide support from the WTO's member countries to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, standing ahead in a two-way race. Asked by a radio host about the possibility of her resignation as a candidate, Yoo did not give a direct answer. Instead, Yoo told a KBS ra

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it extended the special advisory recommending against traveling overseas, as the coronavirus pandemic is continuing. The advisory, now effective until Dec. 17, also calls for South Koreans to cancel their trips and for those staying outside of the country to take extra precautions. The measure was first imposed in March. The ministry said the extension was made as a substantial number of countries maintain their entry restrictions and flight suspensions amid

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday underlined the need for his country to push for a multilateral free trade agreement (FTA), partly to keep China and others from having their way when it comes to global trade. His remarks came as South Korea and 14 other countries in the Asia-Pacific signed a new FTA, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), that, if enacted, would become the world's single-largest free trade pact. The deal was signed by Australia, Ch

Kim Ki-jung, a former senior aide to President Moon Jae-in for national security affairs, has been tapped as the new head of a think tank operating under the state spy agency, officials said Monday. The Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), affiliated with the National Intelligence Service, held a board meeting on the day and picked Kim as its head, according to INSS officials. He plans to assume the post later this week, they added. In 2017, Kim was appointed as the deputy direct

Seoul and Tokyo have agreed in principle to compensate victims of forced labor, a local news network reported Monday. Citing an unnamed high-level official within the ruling bloc, Yonhap News Television reported that President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga agreed that the victims should be compensated. “The two leaders have agreed on compensating the forced labor victims. The plan is for Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with their Japan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may visit South Korea later this month for talks on bilateral cooperation and to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Seoul, according to media reports Monday. 　 Citing diplomatic sources, the report said Seoul and Beijing officials have been in talks to arrange Wang’s visit to happen within this month, around his reported trip to Japan. 　 South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, however, declined to confirm the report, adding the t

The foreign ministry dismissed as "groundless" a media report Monday that it has been "bypassed" in the country's recent diplomatic efforts to improve ties with Japan strained over wartime history and trade. The local newspaper report came after National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo last week, raising speculation that the spy chief had started to undertake a key role to restore relations between the

Mega FTA of 15 nations to open up massive market for Korean exporters

Three ruling party lawmakers, including the chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, left for Washington on Sunday for meetings with US congressional leaders and experts in the wake of Joe Biden's election as US president. The three members of the Democratic Party's task force on Korean Peninsula issues -- Reps. Song Young-gil, Kim Han-jung and Yun Kun-young -- plan to meet with Brad Sherman (D-CA), a member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia, and Rep. Thomas Suoz