The new US policy toward North Korea does not affect the United States' alliance with South Korea or its defense commitment on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. John Kirby made the remark when asked if the outcome of the recently concluded North Korea policy review may affect the US defense posture on the Korean Peninsula. "We also have concomitant alliance requirements on the peninsula with our South Korean allies to continue to make sure we are, as the saying goes,

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for coordinated efforts to denuclearize North Korea on Monday while the top diplomats from the Group of 7 (G7) countries were later scheduled to discuss the North Korea issue. In his bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, the top US diplomat highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in dealing with the North. "Secretary Blinken and Minister Chung stressed their commitment to work together to protect and adv

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged North Korea on Monday to return to the negotiating table, saying his country seeks to make practical progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. The call comes after North Korea threatened the US will face "worse and worse crisis." "I hope that North Korea will take the opportunity to engage diplomatically and to see if there are ways to move forward toward the objective of complete denuclearization o

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, agreed Monday to continue close cooperation for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The agreement came as they met bilaterally on the margins of a gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in London, after the Joe Biden administration completed its review of policy toward Pyongyang. "Secretary Blinken shared the results of the US' review of policy on

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is in London to attend the Group of Seven meeting, and all eyes are on Chung to see whether he finally gets to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, and set the stage for a thaw in bilateral ties. 　 Chung flew to London on Sunday to attend the gathering of G-7 foreign and development ministers, which will last through Wednesday. During his stay, Chung is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral talks on the margins, with meetin

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States are set to hold bilateral talks on the margins of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting in London on Monday, officials said, with their agenda likely to include a coordinated strategy on North Korea. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, are scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. (London time) while they are in the British capital to attend the gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers, which will last through Wed

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday sent a letter of condolence to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin over last week's stampede tragedy at a religious festival that killed 45 people, his office said. "President Moon expressed words of prayer for the victims and condolences for the bereaved families, and hoped for an early recovery of the injured and a prompt management of the aftermath of the accident," Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The deadly incident occ

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong left for Britain on Sunday to attend a Group of Seven (G7) meeting for discussions on access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and other global issues. The first in-person gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is slated to take place in London from Monday to Wednesday. Though not party to it, South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have been invited as guests

South Korea could raise the travel alert for India amid a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, the foreign ministry said Friday. The ministry is considering raising the alert by one notch to "red," recommending South Koreans leave India unless there are essential reasons, officials said. "We are closely watching the situation in India and reviewing measures and what we can do," an official said when asked about the possibility of raising the travel advisory. T

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will hold bilateral talks with his US, British, Indian and European Union counterparts on the margins of a Group of Seven (G7) session in London next week, his ministry said Friday. The first in-person gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is set to take place from Monday to Wednesday. South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have been invited as guests to the me

The foreign ministry said Friday it is considering raising the travel alert for India amid a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The ministry is considering raising the alert by one notch to "red," recommending South Koreans leave India unless there are essential reasons, officials said. "We are closely watching the situation in India and reviewing measures and what we can do," an official said when asked about the possibility of raising the travel advisory. Th

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden will hold their first summit talks in Washington on May 21, the allies announced Friday. Moon is scheduled to visit the US capital for the one-on-one summit to be held at the White House at Biden's invitation, according to Chung Man-ho, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication. He said the leaders' decision to hold an in-person summit despite the "difficult" situations attributable to the

South Korea's trade ministry said Thursday it has requested the European Union to continue to lend a hand for the stable shipment of COVID-19 vaccines made in the region without delay, as Seoul moves to speed up its inoculation program. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee made the request to Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis of the European Commission, along with Belgium Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, during her two-day trip to Brussels from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the Ministry

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will attend an in-person Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meeting in Britain next week to discuss access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and other global issues, a ministry official said Thursday. The first face-to-face gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is set to take place in London from Monday to Wednesday. Though not party to the group, South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will work with allies to address threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence." Biden made the remark during his first address to a joint session of Congress, calling the nuclear programs of Pyongyang and Tehran "a serious threat to America's security and world security." "We are going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countr