South Korea expressed strong regret Thursday over the remarks by Russia's top envoy to North Korea that the likelihood of another nuclear test by Pyongyang will depend on how far Seoul and Washington will go in taking their deterrence measures against the North. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with the TASS news agency the previous day that North Korea may decide to conduct its seventh nuclear test if Washington continues to take "provocative

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy vowed unwavering efforts to stop North Korea's missile provocations and make it return to dialogue during his talks with his Swedish counterpart Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. Kim Gunn, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the point in the meeting with Peter Semneby, who was visiting South Korea this week, the ministry said in a release. Kim reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to creating conditio

FM Cho calls for China not to forcibly repatriate NK defectors against their will

A Pentagon spokesperson on Tuesday cast the current level of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan as "unprecedented," as concerns have arisen over North Korea's continued missile launches and tough rhetoric. The spokesperson made the remarks after Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported recently that the three countries shared radar information for the first time when the North fired a ballistic missile on Jan. 14, and that despite three-w

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Tuesday to discuss North Korea and other pending bilateral issues, his office said, the first such talks between the top diplomats since Cho's inauguration. Wang Yi also extended an invitation for Cho to visit Beijing, saying he hopes to cooperate closely with each other in the future to further advance their bilateral ties, the ministry said in a press release. Cho thanked Wang for the invitation and ag

The German Embassy in Seoul and The Korea Herald co-hosted a cultural event featuring members of the Berlin Philharmonic and Korean musicians Thursday, fostering cultural exchange and strengthening diplomatic ties through music. Delivering remarks at the event, German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt highlighted the significance of music as a bridge connecting the hearts of Korea and Germany. "Music is one of the many links between our two countries and certainly one of the most joyful,&rd

This month we mark a grim anniversary; two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This period has seen Russia breach international law, commit war crimes and engage in unlawful military cooperation with the DPRK. The Ambassadors of the European Union reiterate their condemnation of these actions, and their appreciation for the solid support of the Republic of Korea for Ukraine. We are confident that the ROK’s support will remain firm, including in full implementation of sanction

National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin met with Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko when he visited Seoul last week, sources said Tuesday, amid heightened tensions between Seoul and Moscow over North Korea. The meeting took place on Saturday, the sources said, as tensions have flared anew since Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks on North Korea as "blatantly biased" on Thursday. In response, Seoul's forei

South Korea's foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the top Russian envoy to Seoul to protest a recent statement by a Russian foreign ministry official on President Yoon Suk Yeol's view of the North Korean regime. On Wednesday, Yoon described North Korea as the only country in the world to legalize the preemptive use of nuclear weapons as tensions escalated over a series of weapons tests by the North since the start of the year. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cr

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Friday mounted strikes at targets used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, President Joe Biden said, delivering on his vow to retaliate for last weekend's drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. In a statement, Biden said that under his direction, U.S. military forces began the strikes at the facilities that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces. "Our response began t

The nominee for US Indo-Pacific Command chief expressed deep concerns Thursday over the burgeoning military partnership between North Korea and Russia, portraying it as a "symbiotic" one that goes against the principles of global peace. During a confirmation hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Adm. Samuel Paparo, currently US Pacific Fleet commander, also noted that Russia might have given "potentially high-end" technology to the North in return for the North'

A Japanese local government has taken down a memorial stone for Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor at a public park earlier this week despite opposition from activist groups. Authorities from Gunma Prefecture began pulling down the stone on Monday and finalized the removal on Wednesday, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported the next day. Aerial photographs taken by the news outlet showed the remains of what appeared to the base of the memorial stone smashed into pieces

Eight countries including South Korea, together with the European Union, joined forces on Thursday to denounce the atrocities and human rights violations committed by Myanmar's junta in a joint statement on Thursday. A joint statement was issued on the same day Myanmar's military seized power in a dawn coup on Feb. 1, 2021, and overthrew the democratically elected government. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the military regime’s ongoing atrocities and human right

The Indian Embassy in Seoul marked its 75th Republic Day, envisioning a future-oriented partnership with South Korea on Friday. The day commemorates the adoption of India's constitution in 1949, declaring India a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic" that upholds the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all citizens. Recalling India’s Buddhist linkages with Korea, the country's role in the Korean War and today, the two countries'

Seoul, Washington reportedly share view that Pyongyang is not preparing for full-scale war