South Korea is a sovereign nation that has the right to make its own foreign policy decisions, a ranking White House official said Monday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remark about the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, Xing Haiming, who argued that it would be wrong to bet on China's loss in its competition with the US, apparently accusing South Korea of siding with the US. Kirby noted that the Chinese diplomat may have been seeki

A tour bus fell off from a road near Hanoi in Vietnam on Sunday, leaving 22 South Korean nationals injured, the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam said. The bus carrying 30 passengers, including 22 Korean nationals, slipped from a road near Hanoi at around 11:30 a.m. while returning from a group tour to Xuan Son National Park, the embassy said. All of the Korean nationals suffered injuries, while three of them were seriously wounded, it noted. They were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment. Viet

South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Kim Gunn, and his US counterpart, Sung Kim, will meet in Washington on Monday to review joint work on disarming North Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement Friday, amid heightened inter-Korean tensions. Last week, Pyongyang failed to put into orbit what it claimed was a military reconnaissance satellite, a launch that some believe was actually meant to test a ballistic missile. United Nations Security Council resolutions ban the isolate

The top South Korean and American special operations commanders conducted a "friendship" parachute jump earlier this week, a U.S. military unit here said Thursday, as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance. In a Facebook post, the US Special Operations Command-Korea said that South Korea's Special Warfare Command Commander Lieut. Gen. Son Sik and SOCKOR Commander Major Gen. Michael E. Martin staged a high altitude low opening (HALO) freefall on Monday. It

First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin, a former ambassador to Russia, has met high-level officials in Moscow to bid his farewell and discuss bilateral ties, the foreign ministry here said Thursday. Chang, who served as ambassador until early April, is on a two-day trip to Moscow to bid a formal goodbye to Russian officials as he took over as vice minister while visiting Seoul for a conference of diplomatic mission chiefs following a sudden shake-up in the presidential office. On Wednesday, Ch

The first meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group, aimed at enhancing Korea's influence in the US' strategy of extended deterrence, is expected to take place sometimes "in the summer," according to the presidential office on Wednesday, without providing an exact timeline. A high-ranking official from the presidential office told reporters that the two countries have reached an agreement to “launch the NCG within this year” and to pay intensive attention to &ld

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Seoul to exchange views on furthering bilateral cooperations with his counterparts. It was the first time for the foreign minister to visit South Korea in 11 years, according to the Israeli Embassy in Korea on Wednesday. On the second day of the two-day visit, he met his South Korean counterpart Park Jin to discuss ways to expand cooperation in trade, science, technology, startups and culture, South Korean foreign ministry said. They also exchanged view

South Korea is stepping up efforts to lead global peace initiatives, emboldened by winning a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council at an election Tuesday, as it doubles down on fighting security challenges -- the biggest of which is North Korea. Beginning in January next year, Seoul will serve as one of the 10 nonpermanent members of the UN’s most powerful body, which also includes five permanent members with veto power: China, France, Russia, the UK and US. The annual elect

South Korea asked for Azerbaijan's support Wednesday for its companies seeking to take part in major energy and other industry projects in the European nation, the industry ministry said. Deputy Trade Minister Jeong Dae-jin made the request during their joint economic commission meeting in Seoul on the day, as the two nations explored ways to enhance bilateral economic and industry cooperation, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. South Korean companies are pushing to pa

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos plans to visit South Korea later this month to meet with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other key officials, sources said Wednesday. Sarandos is expected to visit the country for two days from June 20, about two months after the US streaming service announced plans to invest $2.5 billion in South Korea following a meeting between the co-CEO and President Yoon Suk Yeol in Washington in April. The two are unlikely to meet again in Seoul due to scheduling issues. Sarand

NEW YORK -- South Korean diplomats on Monday made their final pitch for Seoul's bid for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. South Korea, which last sat on the council in 2013-2014, aims to return to the council for 2024-2025, and the UN will vote on the bid on Tuesday. If elected, it will mark the third time for South Korea to serve as one of the 10 nonpermanent UNSC members. Previously, South Korea had served the seat during the 1996-1997 term. South Korea hopes to retur

The Indian Embassy in Seoul held an event Monday to promote the International Day of Yoga on June 21, highlighting the exercise's role in uniting the mind, body, thought and action. The International Day of Yoga was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, following a proposal by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. "Yoga is a way to discover a sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and nature," Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar said at the event.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo expressed his condolences over a deadly train accident in India in a letter to the country's speaker of the lower house, his office said Sunday. "I hope that the Indian parliament, government and people come together to swiftly deal with the accident, and that the people who have suffered and all Indian people recover from the shock and resume their peaceful daily life as soon as possible," Kim said in the message to Om Birla, speaker of India

South Korea is preparing to play a bigger role on the international stage as it aims to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council at an election Tuesday, an opportunity for Seoul to serve as a two-year term member on the UN’s most powerful body. Running unopposed, the South is expected to get approval from two-thirds of the General Assembly, ending the country’s 10-year hiatus from the 15-member body that includes five permanent members with veto power: the US, UK, France,

President Yoon Suk Yeol has offered his condolences to the victims of the passenger train accident in eastern India, which has claimed the lives of over 280 people and left hundreds injured. On his official Twitter account on Saturday evening, President Yoon wrote, “Deeply grieved and saddened by the tragic train accident in Balasore, India. On behalf of South Korea, I would like to express heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families and wish for rapid recovery.” The Ko