A South Korean citizen who Russian authorities claim has been detained on charges of espionage since earlier this year is a Christian missionary focused on aiding North Korean people in Russia's Far East region, according to sources on Tuesday. The South Korean individual, first reported by Russia's state-run media outlet TASS as Baek Won-soon and later corrected as Baek Kwang-soon, had been actively involved in missionary efforts for North Koreans in Vladivostok, according to database

Ewha Womans University student Lee Yae-won (left) poses for a photo with Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto during the "Ambassador for a Day" initiative on Friday. The initiative is part of the annual International Women's Day celebration that selects a Korean university student based on an essay competition to work with the Italian ambassador for a day. Lee's essay titled "Empowering Change: Why Eliminating Violence Against Women Will Contribute to the Wellbeing of Men&q

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2024 German Ambassador to South Korea Georg Schmidt (fourth from right, front row) and participants attend the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) Economic Outlook 2024 event in Busan on Thursday. Acknowledging the challenges of the year ahead, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza and North Korean threats, the event, themed "Building Bridges," was hosted by KGCCI and Busan Metropolitan City, attended by over 100 business leade

The German Embassy in Seoul and Women in Korea (WIR), a leadership group under the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, advocated for gender equality to mark International Women's Day on Friday. Aligned with the theme for this year's International Women’s Day, "Inspire Inclusion," the gathering emphasized inclusive leadership to drive sustainable development in businesses and society. Delivering remarks at the event, German Ambassador Georg Schmidt talked abo

Implementation of AfCFTA will offer Korea access to Africa's growing population, abundant resources, according to ambassador

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it has been providing consular assistance to a South Korean national arrested in Russia reportedly on espionage charges. Russia's TASS news agency reported Monday that South Korean citizen Baek Won-soon has been held in the Lefortovo detention facility in Moscow since late February, and a court extended his detention until June 15, citing a law enforcement official. Baek was arrested by Russian law enforcement earlier this year in the Russian Far East city

A South Korean citizen arrested in Russia earlier this year on suspicion of spying is to remain in custody until mid-June, Russia's state news agency Tass said Monday. The news agency said it is the first time that a South Korean has been arrested for espionage in Russia. Tass said the man, identified by the agency as Baek Won-soon, was detained “at the start of the year” in the far eastern city of Vladivostok and was taken to Moscow at the end of February. He is being held in L

A South Korean citizen has been detained by Russian authorities on charge of espionage, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported late Monday. If confirmed, it would mark the first time a South Korean has been pressed with spy charges by Russia. According to the Tass, the individual was transferred from Vladivostok, where he had been detained, to Moscow for further investigation. He was detained earlier this year on alleged charges of passing the "top secret" information of Rus

The Philippines marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties with South Korea on Tuesday, recalling the cooperation and sacrifices that have strengthened the bilateral relationship. Stressing the exceptional strength of Philippine-Korea diplomatic ties, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the majority of diplomatic relations with Korea can be traced back approximately 60 years or less, but Korea’s relations with the Philippines predate the Korean War. The Philippines contri

ATLANTA -- President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump warned of dire consequences for the country if the other wins another term in the White House as the pair held dueling rallies in Georgia Saturday fresh off strong wins in Super Tuesday contests that positioned them for an all-but-certain rematch this November. The state was a pivotal 2020 battleground — so close four years ago that Trump finds himself indicted here for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overtu

WILMINGTON, Del. -- President Joe Biden said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza. The US leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.” Biden has for months warned that I

BEIJING (AP) — In Beijing and Kyiv, the divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, his boss, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, trumpeted a sharp rise in China-Russia trade — which the West sees as providing an economic lifeline to Moscow that undermines the sanctions it has imposed to try to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. “Russian natural gas has entered thousands o

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Osprey, a workhorse aircraft vital to US military missions, has been approved to return to flight after an “unprecedented” part failure led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in Japan in November, Naval Air Systems Command announced Friday. The crash was the second fatal accident in months and the fourth in two years. It quickly led to a rare fleet-wide grounding of hundreds of Ospreys across the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. Befor

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, on Friday and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations, Cho's office said. It was the first talks between the two top diplomats since Cho's inauguration in January. During the talks, Cho noted the 75th anniversary of the two nations' establishment of diplomatic ties this year and the recent exchange of congratulatory letters between their leaders, according to Seo

The Foreign Ministry said Friday it appointed a senior diplomat as the country's special envoy for Indo-Pacific affairs, a new position created under a shakeup plan to broaden diplomacy into regional and other challenges besides North Korea. Chung Kee-yong, previously the ambassador to Morocco, will be in charge of promoting South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy, and working with key partner countries in and outside of the region to strengthen cooperation in related issues, the ministry