Former prisoners of war captured by N.Korea are invited to ceremony for the first time

US defense chief promises to leverage ‘full range’ of US military options including extended deterrent capabilities

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will reaffirm US commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan when he visits Seoul and Tokyo later this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. The spokesperson said Biden will also reaffirm his commitment to providing "extended deterrence" to the US allies. "While he's there in South Korea and Japan, the president will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts -- newly elected president of the Republic of Korea an

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The US Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to approve the nomination of Philip Goldberg, a career diplomat, as new US ambassador to South Korea. The confirmation came as Seoul and Washington seek to reinforce their alliance for stronger deterrence against North Korea's evolving military threats -- an issue likely to figure prominently in the upcoming summit between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and President Joe Biden slated for May 21. Goldberg, who had served as ambassad

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday reaffirmed the US' commitment to help defend South Korea, using the "full range of US military capabilities" including extended deterrence. Austin made the remarks in a phone conversation with South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook, according to defense department spokesperson John Kirby. "Secretary Austin reaffirmed the ironclad US commitment to (the) defense of the ROK, leveraging the full range of US military capabili

WASHINGTON -- The United States is working closely with its allies and partners to have the UN Security Council (UNSC) send a strong signal to North Korea over its recent missile provocations with a new UNSC resolution, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. Ned Price also highlighted the importance of holding North Korea accountable for its missile launches, which the US has repeatedly condemned as serious violations of UNSC resolutions. "This is something that we are discussing wi

Just as how Korea is referred to as the East’s Land of the Morning Calm, Canada is the West’s. Despite its vast territory, Canada has often flown under the radar on the global stage because of its small population and proximity to the world’s largest economy, the US. From Korea’s standpoint, news from the four major powers -- the US, China, Japan, and Russia -- have mostly dominated the headlines here. What we do hear occasionally about Canada, such as the young prime m

Marilyn Strickland, Lee Min-jin and other high-proflie Korean Americans will attend ceremony

WASHINGTON -- The United States condemns North Korea's latest missile launch, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, urging Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to peacefully denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Ned Price made the remarks after North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Wednesday (Seoul time). "This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," the spokesperson said in a daily press briefing. "It demonstrat

WASHINGTON -- The United States may discuss deploying additional missile defense units to South Korea if requested by Seoul's incoming administration, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. The remarks come after North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday (Seoul time), marking its 14th known show of force this year. "Every country has the inherent right to self-defense," Ned Price said when asked if the US might consider deploying additional THAAD units to South Kor

WASHINGTON -- The threat posed by North Korea continues to increase with each missile test North Korea stages, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday, urging the recalcitrant country to halt its provocations and engage in dialogue. John Kirby reiterated it would be foolish not to think the North's missile capabilities are increasing. "We would agree that the threat from North Korea continues to increase because they continue to test, because they continue to learn, because they continue to

South Korea is considering boosting assistance to Ukraine, Seoul's top trade official said Wednesday, as Western countries provided weapons and other support to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion. South Korea has provided $40 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, 65 non-lethal military items and various support for Ukraine refugees. "We are considering continuing to expand assistance to Ukraine," Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said during a virtual meeting with tra

The United States plans to boost its deterrence against China and North Korea, partly by increasing its "prepositioned stocks" of military supplies in the Indo-Pacific, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Monday. The US defense chief also said the defense department plans to spend some $6 billion in fiscal year 2023 to boost its deterrence posture in the Indo-Pacific. "So this budget invests some six billion dollars in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, and in keeping with o

S.Korea envoy calls for China to play a ‘constructive role’ in bringing N.Korea back to dialogue table

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and China met in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss security situations on the Korean Peninsula amid concerns about North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats. Liu Xiaoming, Beijing's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, was on his first visit to Seoul since assuming the post in April 2021 at a time of heightened tensions over Pyongyang's recent spate of missile launches and reported signs of preparations for another nuclear test. In his fir