A trip to the US by President Yoon Suk Yeol is high up on the priority list for the Foreign Ministry, part of efforts it hopes would help South Korea gain a larger share of the international diplomatic spotlight, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Wednesday. Seoul -- set to mark its 70 years of security ties with Washington in October, its biggest ally -- revealed a month ago its Indo-Pacific strategy, a commitment to help reshape the world order alongside the US, primarily, amid deglobalization p

WASHINGTON-- The United States continues to keep a close watch on North Korea and others for possible use or proliferation of illegal chemical and biological weapons, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder also said the US will take all necessary measures to hold any country accountable should they use or spread such weapons. "When it comes to chem-bio capabilities worldwide, it's something that the Department of Defense monitors very closely," the defense

Hwaseong City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun has signed an agreement with Santa Clara County Korean American Chamber of Commerce on Monday to support global entry of local startups operating in the Korean city, officials said Tuesday. Under the agreement, the two sides will hold a technology seminar and expo in the US as well as develop a network of companies and an entrepreneur leadership program. The agreement took place during Mayor Jeong’s visit to the Californian city. With Santa Clara Count

Korea’s first state visit to UAE reflects expectations to advance partnership to higher level

South Korea and the United States are “indispensable partners” that share such universal values as freedom and human rights -- the commitment central to their economic solidarity, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon said Tuesday ahead of marking the allies’ 70 years of security ties in October. Lee and his US counterpart, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez, discussed bolstering support for economic security or plans to de

China said Tuesday that it would stop issuing short-term visas for Koreans, including those traveling to the country for business purposes and tourism, in retaliation against the Korean government’s tightened COVID-19 restrictions against passengers from the neighboring country. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul said it was suspending the issuance of short-term visas to China for Korean nationals starting Tuesday under instruction from Beijing, via its official WeChat account. The embassy added

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to work with South Korea and other countries to address their concerns over the US Inflation Reduction Act, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Ned Price also highlighted the need to keep offshore investment between South Korea and the US robust. "Just as we have said with our European allies, this is a consequential piece of legislation. It's a complicated piece of legislation. It's a large piece of legislation," the depar

The South Korean science ministry on Monday warned that a retired U.S. satellite could possible fall on the Korean Peninsula and its vicinities later this day. Launched in 1984, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite is falling to Earth after completing its decadeslong mission to study how the Earth absorbed and radiated energy from the sun. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the ERBS is forecast to crash back down to Earth around 12:20-1:20 p.m. and the Korean Peninsula is included in the regio

Webtoon on sex slaves, forced laborers may draw international attention on wartime abuses, Seo says

Close cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States is crucial in dealing with a range of challenges facing the allies in the Indo-Pacific, including the security threat posed by North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Friday. Ned Price said ways to enhance the trilateral cooperation will also be a major topic for US-Japan discussions next week. US President Joe Biden is set to hold a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, after

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stressed solid cooperation between South Korea and the US for the denuclearization of North Korea in a luncheon held with Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in New York on Thursday (local time), according to the organization on Friday. During the meeting, the two exchanged views on the recent international situation and issues on the Korean Peninsula. Kissinger said that South Korea and the US must deal with

Jose Fernandez, the US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, plans to visit South Korea next week for consultations on a range of bilateral economic issues, according to diplomatic sources Friday. According to the sources, Seoul and Washington are in consultations on details related to Fernandez's trip, probably including a meeting with Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's second vice foreign minister. The two sides are likely to discuss economic security issues, su

  WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to work closely with South Korea to monitor threats posed by North Korea, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, after a group of North Korean drones infiltrated South Korea before returning home. Defense Department spokesperson Brig. Ge. Pat Ryder also highlighted that the US maintains "intelligence capabilities" in the region. "We certainly have been very clear from here about the threats posed by the DPRK, as well as our commitme

Expert suggests S. Korea find leverage for new approach to forced labor settlement

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul lodged a diplomatic protest over the South Korean parliamentary delegation’s visit to Taiwan in December, calling it a “serious violation” of the two countries’ bilateral relations. “We urge Korea to adhere to the ‘One China’ policy and the spirit of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China and refrain from engaging in any ‘official exchanges with the Taiwan region,’” an embassy spok