South Korea will soon reveal its response to expected visits by Japanese lawmakers to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead from 1868 to 1954, including 14 convicted Class A World War II war criminals. A senior official in Seoul with knowledge of the matter told reporters Tuesday that the government needs to monitor the situation closely, referring to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision the same day to send an offering to the shrine. The previo

Two Russian ships made at least five round trips between North Korea and Russia, beginning mid-August, in what could be arms transfers, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing satellite imagery. Based on analysis by the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, the ships have been travelling between the northeastern North Korean port of Najin and a port facility in Dunay in Russia's Far East between mid-August and Saturday. The analysis came after the US government rev

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa thanked South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin for evacuating Japanese from Israel using South Korea’s military transport plane in a phone call Sunday, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement. On board the plane, which landed at Seoul Air Base late Saturday from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, were 163 South Koreans, 51 Japanese and six Singaporeans. Medical staff along with a team handling emergency responses were also a

South Korea is closely monitoring developments in the latest military exchanges between North Korea and Russia and will consider measures in response, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Saturday. “Any weapons exchanges between the two are a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a threat to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry official said, referring to sanctions the North has been facing. “We’re al

More than 160 South Korean nationals arrived home from Israel aboard a military aircraft late Saturday, the foreign ministry said, after an armed clash broke out between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Hamas group. A KC-330 military transport plane carrying 163 South Koreans landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, at 10:45 p.m., the ministry said. The plane flew to Israel on Friday and departed from Tel Aviv early Saturday. The plane also brought 51 Japanese and six Singa

South Korea plans to review additional measures against growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, a senior government official said Saturday, following revelations that Pyongyang has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow for use in Ukraine. The White House announced Friday that the North has made such a delivery in recent weeks, amid speculation that a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin last

SEOUL, Oct. 14 -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has traveled to Greece for talks on cooperation in advanced industries and to campaign for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, according to his office Saturday. During a meeting with his counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens on Friday (local time), Han praised Greece, which fought alongside South Korea during the Korean War, as sharing common values with Seoul and expressed hope for expanded cooperation in areas of advanced indu

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The new US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues took office Friday, the State Department said, ending more than six years of vacancy at the post. Ambassador Julie Turner was officially sworn in and plans to travel to Seoul from Monday to Wednesday next week to meet government officials, civic organizations, North Korean escapees and journalists, according to the department. During her scheduled meetings in Seoul, she plans to discuss her priorities as the specia

WASHINGTON -- North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine, a White House official said Friday, lambasting burgeoning cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as a threat to regional stability. In a press briefing, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, disclosed the information, amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong

A South Korean military aircraft is en route to safely bring 163 nationals back home from Israel amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Seoul said Saturday. The South Korean Air Force's KC-330 Cygnus transport aircraft is scheduled to touch down at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday evening, as part of its mission to evacuate South Korean citizens stranded in Israel, according to the joint announcement by the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. Recognizi

Korea's successful digital banking services offer insights for Indonesia, says CEO

A White House official dismissed concerns Thursday that the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group could negatively affect the United States' security commitments to South Korea and other allies. Since the eruption of the conflict sparked by Hamas' surprise attack last week, questions have lingered over whether Washington can simultaneously address multiple crises, including one in Ukraine. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, gave

Top US officials on Thursday reiterated America's "rock-solid" support for Israel and denounced the brutality of Hamas "terrorists," as the fighting sparked by the Palestinian militant group's surprise attack last week has left at least 27 US citizens dead. In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the United States' solidarity with Israel and its commitment to the vision of a

South Korea will send US$1 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after a devastating earthquake in a northwestern province last week killed more than 2,000 people, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The emergency aid will be delivered via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the ministry said. As of Monday, 2,445 people had died and 9,240 had been injured, as the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Herat on Saturday, according to data from the Intern

Baltic nation opens embassy, first-ever business hub in Seoul in pursuit of stronger ties