US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to Japan and South Korea has provided a chance to hear from the allies about their interests and approaches to North Korea, which will help boost the chance of success in denuclearizing the North, a senior US official said Thursday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, said the US remains realistic but will strive for success in ridding North Korea of its nuclear ambitions. "One of our goals is to try and increa

President Joe Biden on Thursday instructed all public facilities, including the White House and military installations, to honor the victims of deadly shootings in Atlanta by flying the US flag at half-staff over the next five days. The proclamation came shortly after the US president declared the shootings "un-American." "As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 16, 2021, in the Atlanta Metropolitan area ... I hereby order that

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Seoul next week for talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on bilateral ties, Korean Peninsula issues and other matters, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Lavrov will arrive here on Tuesday for a three-day visit. His talks with Chung are set to take place on Thursday after the ministers attend a ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries. The anniversary

President Moon Jae-in made clear South Korea's resolve to improve strained ties with Japan in a bid to bolster trilateral security cooperation involving the United States, speaking directly to two top officials in the administration of President Joe Biden on Thursday. During a meeting here with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Moon said that the Seoul-Tokyo relationship is very important for regional peace, stability and prosperity and constitutes a "

South Korea and the US on Thursday stressed that North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile issues are a “priority” for the alliance, while Washington renewed pressure on Beijing to use its influence to convince Pyongyang to denuclearize.   　 The two allies issued a joint statement detailing the pledge, after the “two-plus-two” talks at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul earlier in the day, which involved South Korea’s Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and De

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the envisioned transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON) will take more time, though the two sides will continue to work toward the goal.    The two sides are pushing for the conditions-based OPCON transition of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul. Though it is not time-based, Seoul hopes to take it back within the term of the current Moon Jae-in administration that ends in May 2022. "While meeti

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that China has a "clear self-interest" and a "critical" role to play in persuading North Korea to denuclearize, stressing Beijing's obligation to "fully" enforce anti-Pyongyang sanctions. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference after the "two plus two" talks in Seoul that involved Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Seoul's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook. Blinken an

Human rights are at the forefront of US diplomacy even when it comes to efforts to denuclearize North Korea, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, one day after Secretary Antony Blinken accused Pyongyang of violating the rights of its own people. Jalina Porter, however, said the US also remains concerned about North Korea's nuclear and missile activities. "Broadly speaking, we always center human rights at the forefront of our foreign policy and national security goals," sa

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with their respective counterparts in Seoul on Wednesday and reaffirmed their alliance as a bulwark against unprecedented challenges posed by Beijing and Pyongyang.  The pair arrived in Seoul after a two-day visit in Tokyo, in the first overseas trip by top members of President Joe Biden’s cabinet since his inauguration in January.  The high-profile trip in the region is seen as Washington&rsquo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Seoul Wednesday, a day after North Korea issued a fresh warning over a joint military drill currently conducted by the two allies. The two senior US officials plan to hold multiple meetings with their South Korean counterparts, including a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in Thursday afternoon, during their two-day stay. They also visited Japan earlier this week in their first overseas trip since the Biden

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Wednesday the alliance with South Korea has "never been more important" given "unprecedented challenges" from North Korea and China, as he reaffirmed Washington's security commitment to the South. Austin made the remark at the start of his first in-person talks with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook in Seoul, calling their alliance a "linchpin" for peace, security and prosperity for Northeast Asia, and their military r

Four people of Korean descent were among those killed in a series of deadly shootings in the US state of Georgia, Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. South Korea‘s Consulate General in Atlanta sent consular staff members to check if there were any other Korean causalities in the shootings, the ministry said. In the shootings, at least eight people, most of them Asian women, were killed at three different spas in the Atlanta area. According to reports, a 21-year-ol

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed hope Wednesday for expanded cooperation with Latin American countries on digital technologies and in other areas, calling the region a key partner for co-prosperity. Chung made the remarks at the Korea-LAC Digital Cooperation Forum, which took place as part of an annual gathering that Seoul hosts to promote collaboration with Latin American and Caribbean countries on economic and other issues. "Central and South America -- a companion for South Ko

South Korea on Wednesday extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The measure, which calls for citizens to cancel or postpone their planned trips abroad, will remain in effect until April 16. The current advisory, which was issued in December, was set to expire on Wednesday. The extension came as many countries around the world continue to restrict the entry of people arriving from overs

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for talks with Seoul officials on diplomacy with North Korea, joint efforts to revitalize the alliance and other issues, officials said. Blinken came here after he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Japan as part of their first overseas trip since the Jan. 20 launch of the Joe Biden administration. Austin flew in hours earlier. Their visit meant to underscore the US' focus on rebuilding regional alliances came jus