South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party met Wednesday with Sung Kim, US Special Representative for North Korea, and agreed to maintain an “impenetrable alliance” when the incoming government takes over. In their closed-door meeting, the minister nominee stressed how the series of missile launches by North Korea posed a “serious threat” not only to the Korean people but also to peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the in

South Korea will set up a task force to deal with its potential participation in a US-led economic framework, as the United States has accelerated preparations to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. The Joe Biden administration has sought to launch the IPEF for deeper cooperation with partner nations in the Asia-Pacific region on digital trade, supply chains and other major emerging trade issues amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. The Seoul

Korea-US summit predicted to take place in Seoul; alliance could be raised to next level

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday shifted its travel advisory on South Korea to the lowest tier of Level 1, a sharp change from the highest warning of Level 4 that was issued in February. The announcement followed reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered its own travel recommendation on South Korea by a notch from the "Do Not Travel" level. South Korea is reportedly among around 90 nations and other regions that dropped to "Level 3:

WASHINGTON -- The United States is willing to listen to any concerns North Korea may have but only if North Korea engages in dialogue, a Department of State spokesperson said Monday, urging Pyongyang to return to diplomacy. Ned Price also reiterated the North will continue to face consequences until it ceases its escalatory actions. "We are willing to listen to the full range of the DPRK's concerns, but this can only happen through dialogue and the DPRK has not yet given any concrete indica

US special envoy for North Korea travels to Seoul, urges North Korea to return to ‘path of dialogue’

Rep. Park Jin condemns North Korea’s latest missile provocations

Malaysia on Monday expressed support for South Korea's bid to join a mega free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region, Seoul's trade ministry said. Malaysia's Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has voiced support for Seoul's envisioned entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) during a virtual meeting with South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. Last week, South Korea announced its decision to join

      VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace in Ukraine during this "Easter of war" as he delivered the traditional Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi address on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.    "May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged," the pontiff said.    "Our eyes, too, are incredulous on this Easter

KYIV, Ukraine -- The battered port city of Mariupol appeared on the brink of falling to Russian forces Sunday after seven weeks under siege, a development that what would give Moscow a crucial success in Ukraine following a botched attempt to storm the capital and the loss of the Russian navy's Black Sea flagship.    The Russian military estimated that about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters holding out at a hulking steel plant with a warren of underground passageways provided the last pocket

South Korea's President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to send a delegation to Japan later this month for policy consultations on North Korea and pending bilateral issues, his transition team said Sunday. Led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's People Power Party, the delegation will visit Tokyo from April 24-28 to meet officials from the Japanese government and legislature as well as those from business circles, media and academia, according to the transition team's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin. The seven-

South Korea decided Friday to join a mega free trade agreement involving 11 Asia-Pacific nations as the country seeks to diversify its export portfolio amid heightened economic uncertainty. Late last year, the country launched the process to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The plan to join the CPTPP was approved at an economy-related ministers' meeting Friday, and the government will submit an official application after completing domestic p

Seoul will send relief goods for Koreans under a massive mandatory COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. “While Shanghai City announced to ease the lockdown measures, some areas are still in lockdown so we are closely monitoring the situation and putting effort to resolve problems for the people in those neighborhoods,” the Foreign Ministry said. The South Korean consulate general in Shanghai has obtained two vehicle passes from the Chinese g

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed “serious concerns” over Russia’s alleged killing of civilians in Ukraine and promised to provide humanitarian support during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, his office said Friday. Speaking with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Chung explained how South Korea plans to provide humanitarian assistance of worth $30 million to Ukraine, in addition to the previous $10 million in support. Chung also exp

The South Korean government made public a dossier Friday offering a glimpse into dramatic Cold-War era diplomacy by the two Koreas in connection with their historic simultaneous entry into full membership in the United Nations. The set of documents highlights Seoul's brisk efforts in 1991 to court Moscow and Beijing to support its push to join the world body, which played a key role in mobilizing US-led troops to help the South fight against the invading North in their 1950-53 war. It is part of