WASHINGTON -- The planned transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops will take place when all necessary conditions are met, not because of a simple passage of time, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday. John Supple also said a "conditions-based" transition is not only what has been agreed on but also what is necessary to ensure peace and security. "Wartime Operational Control will transition when the mutually-agreed upon conditions are fully me

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains committed to maintaining the readiness of American troops in South Korea through military exercises, a Pentagon official said Thursday. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby also highlighted the importance of troop readiness amid North Korea's continued pursuit of new advanced weapons, such as the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). "We recognize the value of training and exercises to keep forces ready, and no place is that

South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday launched a task force aimed at strengthening policy-related communication with the new administration of US President Joe Biden and American experts. The launch came amid Seoul's efforts to beef up cooperation with the Biden government in resuming dialogue with Pyongyang and advancing its stalled agenda of fostering a lasting peace on the divided Korean Peninsula. The need for policy communication with the United States has also arisen amid criticism

South Korea voiced "deep concerns" Thursday over a recent aerial attack on Saudi Arabia, renewing its opposition to any destabilizing activity in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a "hostile air target" going toward Riyadh on Saturday, according to media reports. The culprit behind the attack remains unknown, though Houthi rebels in Yemen had mounted a series of attacks against the kingdom. "Our government expresses deep concerns over the fact tha

President Moon Jae-in and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, declared the kickoff of free trade talks between the two countries to further strengthen their strategic partnership during an online summit Thursday. Uzbekistan is one of the key partners in the South Korean government’s New Northern Policy, which aims to explore ways to step up economic cooperation with Central Asian countries under a vision of peace and prosperity in Eurasia. If the pact, called the Agreement for Su

Boosting the alliance with the United States is a primary task for South Korean diplomacy, the nominee for foreign minister said Thursday. Chung Eui-yong, who served as national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in before his nomination as foreign minister, made the remarks during a brief press availability, calling the alliance with the US "the foundation of our diplomacy." "I think one of the most important tasks for our diplomacy is to continue to develop our alliance wi

The Biden administration will work to create foreign policies that will endure, even through a change of US administrations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. The top US diplomat said that is why the new administration seeks to work closely with Congress. "The members of Congress are the representatives of the American people. They provide advice and consent to our policies, and I think one of the things you are going to see from our administration is working as closely

South Korea on Wednesday extended its suspension of direct flights from Britain for two more weeks, amid its stepped-up efforts to block the inflow of a more transmissible variant of the new coronavirus. The suspension, which was set to end on Thursday, will remain in place until Feb. 11, according to the South Korean Embassy in Britain. Seoul introduced the ban on flights from Britain in December. As of Monday, South Korea reported 27 cases of mutated virus strains, including 19 from Britai

President Moon Jae-in introduced global political and business leaders Wednesday to South Korea's policy measures designed to promote inclusive growth in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was delivering a special speech at an online meeting of the World Economic Forum as part of its Davos Agenda Week event. He enumerated Seoul's policy measures to help households and businesses that have suffered a heavy blow from the virus spread, including three batches of emergency cash handouts and f

Washington could seek the now-defunct four-party or six-party talks with Pyongyang to resolve the nuclear issue with Antony Blinken, a strong advocate of multilateral diplomacy, at the reins of the US State Department, experts said on Wednesday. Blinken, a long time foreign policy aide to President Joe Biden, was sworn in as the new Secretary of State Tuesday (US time), after being approved by the Senate with a vote of 78-22.  With the top diplomat in place, Washington will kick off a re

A phone call between President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping underscored again South Korea’s tough job of striking a delicate balance between the US and China, whose relations enter a new phase under the Joe Biden administration. The South Korean and Chinese presidents held the phone conversation Tuesday night to discuss a slew of topics ranging from Xi’s delayed visit to Seoul to Moon’s role in the frosty US-North Korea diplomacy and coronavirus respons

Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his active support for Seoul's initiative to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, calling the efforts in line with the common interests of both countries, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. It said Xi delivered the comments during his phone talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday. During the talks, Moon said he hopes Seoul and Beijing can work together to open a trilateral summit between the two countries along with Japan. Xi repl

South Korea plans to host an international conference this year involving veterans affairs ministers from countries that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War, officials said Wednesday. The peace conference, to be held either in Seoul or the southern city of Busan in December, will bring together the ministers from 22 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Turkey, to discuss ways to develop their friendly relationships and promote peace, according to the Ministry of Patrio

South Korea welcomes the inauguration of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and expects that the alliance with the United States will develop further, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. "Our government welcomes the official inauguration of US Secretary of State Blinken following the Senate approval," ministry spokesperson, Choi Young-sam, said in a commentary. "We expect the South Korea-US alliance to develop further with the inauguration of the new secretary, who has ample

WASHINGTON -- Former US President Donald Trump's push to revise the Korea-US FTA may have hurt the countries' alliance, a congressional report said Tuesday, noting the issue may need to be addressed by the Biden administration. "The modification agreement allayed some of these concerns, but the Trump Administration's statements linking trade and security issues and persistent threats of additional US unilateral import restrictions, particularly on US auto imports, added a degree of uncerta