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 defense chief on Tuesday called on South Korean and U.S. troops to enhance their joint readiness to better cope with threats posed by North Korea.Defense Minister Han Min-koo made the comments during his first visit to a South Korean brigade in Dongducheon and the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in Uijeongbu, both near the border with North Korea. The two units form the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Division.U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks also joined the inspecti

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

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

Norway’s top youth orchestra -- Young Strings of Norway -- performed a vivacious rendition of classical pieces during its maiden tour of Korea last week.Comprised of 40 teenage talents up to the age of 19, the orchestra, directed by Barratt Due Institute of Music, has nurtured generations of prodigies since it was founded in 1927.Among them are world-class concert masters Ludvig Gudim and Camilla Kjoll, and violinists Vilde Frang and Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad, who have performed in cultural capi

The strengthening cooperation between the United Nations World Food Program and the Korean government is helping eradicate poverty worldwide and equipping communities against future disasters, the humanitarian agency’s leading official said during a visit to Korea in early November.Chris Kaye, director of the government partnerships division, stressed in an interview with The Korea Herald that the bilateral collaboration is a cornerstone of the UN sustainable development goals, a set of intergov