US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said that Washington's recent request on South Korean and major global chipmakers to submit trade data was an "inevitable" measure under "unprecedented" circumstances of a global supply shortage, according to South Korea's industry ministry Wednesday. Raimondo made the remarks during her meeting with Seoul's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook held in Washington, a day after Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. submitted their busine

The top US diplomat for East Asia was set to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday as part of his first Asia trip since taking office in September, officials said, with North Korea, the bilateral alliance and economic cooperation likely to top the agenda in discussions with Seoul officials. Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will fly to Seoul later in the day, after wrapping up a four-day trip to Japan, the first leg of his six-day trip. His trip

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has met with a visiting US senator and discussed cooperation in green business, including electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and climate change, the conglomerate said Wednesday. The meeting with Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Monday came as SK has been ramping up investment in America with its EV battery, hydrogen and other eco-friendly businesses in a move to join US emission-reducing efforts. In the US state of Georgia, SKC Co., a chemical unit of SK Group, South K

WASHINGTON -- A group of US lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden last week, urging his administration to quickly engage with North Korea and discuss declaring a formal end to the Korean War, an activist group said Monday. The letter was also sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Korean American Public Action Committee (KAPAC). "We wish to highlight the importance of the United States continuing its efforts to facilitate peace between South Korea and North K

South Korea's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook left for the United States on Tuesday for talks on semiconductor supply chains, steel tariffs and other pending issues, his office said. During a three-day stay in Washington, Moon plans to meet with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, as well as other government officials and industry experts, to discuss ways to strengthen economic partnership, according to Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. &q

WASHINGTON -- China has the ability to help steer North Korea toward a diplomatic solution of its nuclear standoff, the Pentagon Press Secretary said Monday. John Kirby insisted one way for China to do so would be to faithfully implement UN Security Council sanctions on the North. "China does have influence in Pyongyang and we all, the international community, would like to see them use that influence in a constructive way to put some bite into the sanctions that are already in place unde

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea fully agree on the need to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy, a state department spokesperson said Monday, reaffirming US commitment to engage with North Korea. Ned Price, however, declined to comment on whether the US agrees with a Seoul-proposed declaration of an end to the Korean War. "We see eye to eye with our South Korean counterparts that achieving a complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula

South Korea's senior diplomat participated in a preparatory meeting to fine-tune agenda items for an upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the foreign ministry said Monday. Lee Sung-ho, deputy foreign minister on economic diplomacy, represented Seoul during the virtual conference held last week to prepare for the annual APEC summit slated for Friday. Lee and other participants discussed actions plans for the Putrajaya Vision 2040, which aims to strengthen trade and investme

South Korea said Monday it plans to import 200 tons of urea from Vietnam next week in the latest move to help ease a supply shortage of urea water solution, a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions. The amount is part of 10,000 tons of urea that South Korea hopes to import from Vietnam and other nations to make urea water solution, according to the finance ministry. Separately, South Korea is set to import 27,000 liters of urea water solution from Australia, including 20,000

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, will meet with the top US diplomat for East Asia in Seoul this week, his party said Monday. Lee is scheduled to meet Thursday with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Rep. Kim Han-jung, chief of the DP international committee, told reporters. Kritenbrink is set to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday on his first visit to the country since taking office in September. He is expecte

A senior US diplomat for East Asia is scheduled to visit South Korea on Wednesday, during which he is expected to meet the South Korean presidential candidates of the two major parties. 　 Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is on his first Asia trip since taking office in September. He will arrive here on Wednesday after a four-day stay in Japan, according to the State Department. 　 In Seoul, Kritenbrink is expected to meet officials, in

The US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs plans to visit Seoul next week as part of his first Asian trip since taking office in September, the US State of Department said Friday Daniel Kritenbrink will arrive in Japan on Sunday (local time) on the first leg of his six-day regional trip and then move to South Korea on Nov. 10 to stay there for three days, the department said. "During his visits, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink will meet with senior government o

Police have dropped a defamation probe into a senior Japanese diplomat accused of making disparaging remarks against President Moon Jae-in's efforts to improve relations with Tokyo, considering his diplomatic immunity, officials said Friday. Hirohisa Soma, former deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, came under fire after he told a South Korean reporter during a lunch meeting in July that Moon's efforts to improve ties with Tokyo were tantamount to "masturbation."

South Korea's vice foreign minister will embark on a nine-day trip to three African nations this weekend to strengthen ties and draw their support for Seoul's greater role in international organizations, his ministry said Friday. Choi Jong-moon, second vice minister of foreign affairs, will travel to Uganda, Rwanda and Cameron from Nov. 6-14, which will mark the first trip in a decade by a Korean diplomat in the rank, according to the ministry. During the trip, Choi will meet with the foreign