The United States has told South Korea that it is looking forward to cooperating with Seoul‘s acting president in light of the recent parliamentary passing of the presidential impeachment bill.South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday that Avril Haines, White House deputy national security advisor, spoke to Cho Tae-yong, Seoul’s deputy chief of the National Security Office, on Saturday night.Cheong Wa Dae (Yonhap)According to Cheong Wa Dae, Haines reiterated the U.S. commitment

The siege of Mosul, a city in in Iraq held by the Islamic State extremist group, is making headway, and its recapture is “a matter of time,” a top Iraqi envoy to Korea said in late November.Speaking to journalists at the Iraqi Embassy in Seoul, Iraqi Ambassador Wadee B.H. al-Batti stressed that the ongoing onslaught by the Iraqi Army and US-led coalition forces had significantly weakened the IS group, adding the vital issue was safeguarding civilians. The battle for Mosul started on Oct. 17, bac

The Korea America Friendship Society hosted an annual year-end reception Thursday, celebrating 66 years of military alliance and burgeoning trust and fraternity between the two countries. At the Millennium Seoul Hilton, KAFS President Han Chul-soo said despite North Korea’s growing nuclear threat and volatile peninsular circumstances, the two sides should further strengthen their alliance.“We have trusted each other and fought shoulder to shoulder in the Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq War and the

In an era of slowing growth and closing borders, the province of Ontario, Canada, is open for innovative business and education, its chief politician said during a trade mission to Korea last week. Kathleen Wynne, the premier of Ontario, came to Seoul on Thursday with a delegation of 48 business and academic leaders, eager to shore up ties with Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Her mission is expected to generate over $120 million in new partnerships. She signed 13 new agreements in health sciences

South Korea's foreign minister on Saturday called for China's "constructive" role in thoroughly implementing new UN sanctions on North Korea amid widespread concern about their effectiveness."It is crucial for member countries including China to play a constructive role in implementing important elements of the resolutions without leaving a loophole," Yun Byung-se told Yonhap News Agency at the Incheon International Airport. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)He was leaving for Vienna to atte

The decadeslong alliance between South Korea and the United States will remain intact and get stronger even after President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year, the US ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday.As Seoul and Washington have built up strong ties in the past 60-plus years, their bilateral alliance will remain firm and get stronger after the Trump administration's inaguration on Jan. 20, Mark Lippert said in a forum in Seoul.The alliance will remain intact based on the two countri

The European Union is removing various hurdles to create a synchronized digital marketplace, and cooperating with Korea presents boons to both sides, a leading EU official said in mid-November. Andrus Ansip, vice president of the European Commission, told reporters at the EU delegation building in Seoul that the anticipated launch of a digital single market in the future would benefit consumers as well as companies small, medium and large. The ambitious scheme -- one of the EU’s top 10 policy pr

The Buddy Bear -- Berlin’s symbolic mascot epitomizing the once-divided city’s prospering unity, peace and openness -- was replicated in Seoul last week through municipal and diplomatic collaboration. The sculpture, standing 2 meters tall and decorated in bright yellow, was unveiled Nov. 21 in front of the Seoul Square building, where the German Embassy and many German companies are located. A token of Teutonic tolerance toward the world, the statue has been installed in front of numerous German

South Africa is a leading emerging market in the resource-rich, yet underinvested African continent. The only African country in G-20 and BRICS, an alliance of five major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the nation is Korea’s largest trade partner in Africa, with $2.6 billion in bilateral trade last year. Located at the foot of Africa, its market is increasingly plowed by Western companies, bent on shoring up their logistics capabilities to penetrate the continen

This is the first installment of a three-part series looking into South Korea‘s official development aid policies and projects. -- Ed. Armed with development know-how and a technological edge, Korea is striving to carve out a niche as nations vie to secure a greater presence in emerging markets through more effective assistance.Albeit relatively small in financial firepower, Seoul offers its experiences from its transformation within a few generations from an aid recipient to a member of the Org

A former Chinese diplomat warned that the US anti-missile system to be deployed in South Korea could be the first target for a Chinese attack if conflict breaks out between the two superpowers. Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, also said the installment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system will bring a significant change to China's relations with South Korea, prompting Beijing to "re-think" the burgeoning bilateral partnership."The