BERLIN (AP) — German authorities raided a luxury yacht belonging to a wealthy Russian businessman as part of a probe into possible breaches of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said Wednesday. Specialists from the German navy and federal and state police took part in the search of the superyacht at an undisclosed shipyard in northern Germany, Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement. The ship belongs to a 67-year-old Russian businessman, whose n

President Yoon Suk Yeol voiced hope Wednesday for deeper friendship and cooperation between South Korea and Japan as he prepares to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this weekend, his office said. Yoon conveyed the wish during a meeting with Takeo Akiba, secretary general of Japan's National Security Secretariat, at his office, days before Kishida arrives in Seoul for a summit with Yoon on Sunday. "The president stressed that South Korea and Japan, as partners pu

The referendum extends president's term to 7 years, but Uzbeks say its for better future, economy

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration is working to restart regular three-way talks involving Japan and China, preferably before the end of the year, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official in Seoul with direct knowledge of the matter on Wednesday. South Korea, this year’s host, is making preparations, the official said, adding however it is still too early to narrow down potential dates for the summit, which will bring together President Yoon and his Japanese and Chinese counterparts f

South Korea's foreign ministry has dismissed a protest from Japan over a Seoul lawmaker's recent visit to the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, a ministry official said Wednesday. According to Kyodo News on Tuesday, the Japanese foreign ministry lodged the protest to Seoul over the visit by Rep. Jeon Yong-gi of the main opposition Democratic Party to Dokdo on the same day. A senior Seoul foreign ministry official said the government "dismissed the unfair claim from Japan

President Yoon Suk Yeol has revealed that he was taken aback when asked to sing "American Pie" at a state dinner at the White House last week but believes he delivered his rendition quite well. During his six-day state visit to the United States last week, Yoon attended the dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden, and close to the end of it, Biden asked Yoon to sing the song, one of Yoon's favorites, originally by Don McLean. "When President Biden asked me to come up to the stage,

President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that South Korea should be grateful to the United States for the fact that Washington has been an important ally assisting Seoul's development from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War, as he was speaking of his diplomatic achievements during his state visit last week. "The 70-year history of the South Korea-US alliance is not a given result, of course,” said Yoon, who presided over the first Cabinet meeting after his state visit to the US

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon will be the next South Korean ambassador to Russia, a report said Tuesday, in the latest push by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to quickly put an end to the vacancy of a top Seoul envoy in Moscow. Lee will succeed Chang Ho-jin, who is currently serving as the first vice foreign minister, according to the local daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo. Chang, the former Korean ambassador to Russia, was moved to his current post late last month amid an abrupt reshuf

Kishida likely to discuss trilateral security cooperation with Yoon, but will face unfriendly public, experts say

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to represent South Korea at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on Saturday as part of his weeklong trip to Europe, the prime minister's office said Tuesday. Han was invited to the coronation ceremony of Charles, which will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. At the age of 73, Charles will officially succeed his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September. Han will depart Seoul on Thursday to embark on an 8-day trip to Europe,

WASHINGTON -- The United States steadfastly remains committed to engaging in dialogue with North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday, after Pyongyang denounced the agreement reached by the leaders of South Korea and the US on strengthening US extended deterrence commitment to South Korea. The North has argued the Washington Declaration issued last week by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden reflected the US' "heinous hostile policy" towar

President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida again during Kishida’s two-day trip to Seoul starting Sunday, diplomatic sources familiar with the matter said Monday. Japanese media outlets last week reported on a potential visit. What the two leaders will discuss at the summit, following their meeting in Tokyo in March, and whether they will add anything to a new nuclear accord reached between South Korea and the US last week remain uncertain, according to tho

South Korea's top diplomat will visit Malaysia this week to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties between the countries celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. Foreign Minister Park Jin plans to leave for Malaysia later in the day for a two-day trip to meet his Malaysian counterpart, Zambry bin Abd Kadir, and discuss ways to boost cooperation in various areas including supply chain, defense and infrastructure. During his trip,

President Yoon Suk Yeol has thanked US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for their "truly warmest welcome" during his state visit to Washington last week, lauding relations between the two countries as "a blood alliance." "Don't know how to thank @POTUS and @FLOTUS enough for their truly warmest welcome," Yoon tweeted Sunday, referring to the Bidens, adding that South Korea and the United States "are a blood alliance forged by the sacrifice of

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States have met in Seoul to discuss ways to cooperate on countering North Korea's evolving nuclear and military threats, the foreign ministry said Sunday. US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Gunn, on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Asan Plenum 2023 conference, a security forum hosted by a local think tank. "The two sides shared their assessments of the current secur