The United States warned Iran Monday that it is not "blind" to the Islamic republic's continued support for the Hamas militant group that launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel this month. John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks amid lingering concerns that renewed friction between Washington and Tehran could reduce room for Seoul, a key ally of the US, to engage with Iran for economic cooperation. Washington has be

Joint declaration expected to address security issues involving N. Korea, Ukraine, Israel-Palestine conflict

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s six-day trip to the Middle East, largely meant to expand economic ties, offers fresh momentum for South Korean companies to ride out global headwinds in the long-run, experts said Monday. The state visit to Saudi Arabia has already led to a signing of deals including memorandums of understanding worth $15.6 billion in total, over areas ranging from food to oil to energy, according to Yoon’s office. He returns home Thursday after a one-day tour to Qatar the p

Joint declaration to address security issues involving NK, Israel-Palestine conflict

Additional $15.6b investment deals, MOUs from Saudi companies expected during Yoon's visit, office says

The South Korean government has expressed gratitude to Japan for helping bring back a group of Koreans from war-stricken Israel, a foreign ministry official said Saturday. Earlier in the morning, a Japanese air tanker arrived in Tokyo from Israel, carrying dozens of its nationals, along with 18 South Koreans and a foreign family member of one of the Korean passengers. The move was seen as reciprocation after a South Korean military aircraft brought back 51 Japanese people, along with 163 South K

President Yoon Suk Yeol embarked on a series of state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday with economic cooperation high on the agenda despite ongoing turmoil over the war between Israel and Hamas. On the first leg of his trip, Yoon will visit Riyadh from Saturday to Tuesday, and hold a summit with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman before attending various economic events. The summit will come nearly a year after the crown prince visited Seoul last November and t

Japan is evacuating 18 South Koreans from Israel using its military aircraft, a gesture of goodwill that appears to reciprocate Seoul’s rescue flight last week to bring back Japanese alongside its citizens. According to Kyodo News and the Japanese Defense Ministry, 18 Koreans and one family member of foreign nationality -- along with 60 Japanese and four family members of foreign nationality -- will land at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on early Saturday. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said it ha

The United States will take "whatever steps" it can to hold to account those involved in arms transfers between North Korean and Russia, the State Department said Thursday, stressing it will "closely" monitor related developments. Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson, made the remarks after the US government revealed last Friday that the North shipped 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine. "We have

China is estimated to have more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May, and the figure may swell to over 1,000 by 2030, according to an annual Pentagon report released Thursday. The US Department of Defense released the 2023 Report on the Military and Security Developments involving the People's Republic of China, a document that has annually been submitted to Congress in line with the National Defense Authorization Act. The report predicts that over the next decade, China will continue

South Korea has proposed holding top-level diplomatic talks with Japan and China late next month, which Tokyo is positively considering, a Japanese media report said Thursday, in what could open the way for the first trilateral summit among their leaders in four years. "South Korea, as the rotating chair of the trilateral framework, has sounded them out about the three-way talks on around Nov. 26 in Busan, and Japan is positive about the plan," Japan's Kyodo News said in its Engli

President likely to announce humanitarian support for civilians suffering from Israel conflict

Japan is preparing to take home about 20 South Koreans, along with its own nationals, on a special flight from Israel, local media have reported, apparently returning the favor after Seoul brought back dozens of Japanese people from the war-torn region last week. Japan has offered to provide South Korea with a limited number of available seats for South Koreans as it is working to determine the demand for the emergency transport among its own people, Kyodo News has reported, citing government of

A US defense official on Wednesday voiced confidence over the strength of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to South Korea, saying, "We've never been in a better place." Richard Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction policy, made the remarks, highlighting the allies' efforts to reinforce the credibility of the United States' deterrence commitment to using the full range of its military

US President Joe Biden reiterated his backing for Israel and apparently accused a "terrorist group" of causing a recent deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza as he visited Tel Aviv on Wednesday to stress America's solidarity with Israel following the Hamas militant group's attack this month. Biden arrived in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning amid a spike in tensions over Tuesday's blast at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the Hamas-controlled enclave, which left hundreds of innocent civilians de