[Herald Interview] North Sulawesi's links with Korea, win-win, says governor

North Sulawesi Gov. Olly Dondokambey cited links between North Sulawesi-South Korea as a win-win for both Indonesia and South Korea during an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. "Direct flights between Jeju and Manado, taking approximately four hours, are crucial. Indonesian citizens can visit Jeju without a visa, enhancing tourism and business travel," Dondokambey said referring to the strategic importance of direct flights between the two countries. According to Dondokambey

June 11, 2024

Sweden recalls historical bonds with Korea

Sweden marked its National Day on Wednesday, celebrating 501 years of independence since the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, and the 50th anniversary of Carl XVI Gustaf's reign, Sweden's longest-serving monarch. Delivering remarks at the event, Johannes Andreasson, charge d'affaires at the Swedish Embassy, highlighted the deep historical ties between Sweden and Korea. "We are celebrating 65 years of diplomatic relations, but our contacts date back over 300 years,"

June 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kazakh deputy minister hopes to boost economic diplomacy with Korea

Nazira Nurbayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, expressed a strong commitment to boosting economic diplomacy with South Korea to shape future potential and mutual benefits. The term refers to promoting a state's economic interests through the use of economic tools in trade and investment, leveraging a comparative advantage to achieve specific foreign policy objectives. "Kazakhstan has resources, low production costs and affordable utilities, while Korea brings

June 11, 2024

S. Korea, China to hold '2+2' high-level diplomatic security talks next week

South Korea and China are expected to hold "two plus two" talks of their senior foreign and defense officials early next week, diplomatic sources said Tuesday, amid rising tensions from North Korea's provocations and the prospect of another summit between the North and Russia. The vice-ministerial diplomatic and security dialogue is expected to take place in Seoul early next week, and the two sides are fine-tuning the details on the arrangement, the sources familiar with the matte

June 11, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] S. Korea can be catalyst in unlocking Africa's mining: Eritrean President

South Korea has the potential to serve as a "catalyst" in unlocking Africa's mining potential by strengthening the continent's capacity to add value to critical resources that have remained underdeveloped, despite the intricate challenges at play, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said in his interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. Afwerki sees Korea's expertise, industrial prowess and technology as beacons of hope in translating Africa's longstanding ambitions t

June 10, 2024

Law firm DR & AJU hosts Korea-Africa Energy Investment Forum

Local law firm DR & AJU LLC hosted the Korea-Africa Energy Investment Forum on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Summit last week. The event was attended by 150 delegates, including businesspeople from 36 African nations and South Korea. Notable attendees included Rep. Na Kyung-won, Minister of Trade and Industry Cheong In-kyo and Lee Kyu-chul, managing partner of DR & AJU. Timothy Dickens, chair of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Korea, opened the forum with an overv

June 10, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Peru firmly supports NK denuclearization'

Amid intensifying nuclear threats from North Korea, Peru firmly supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South American country's foreign minister told The Korea Herald. In a written interview, Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea condemned North Korea's continuous tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, calling the reclusive regime a serious threat to international peace and security. The minister is in Seoul to participate in the Korea-LAC Future Cooperat

June 10, 2024

Yoon embarks on three-nation Central Asia trip

President Yoon Suk Yeol embarked Monday on a weeklong Central Asia trip that will take him to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on a mission to expand cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Yoon is set to make state visits to the resource-rich Central Asian nations through June 15, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee and a business delegation comprising over 60 Korean companies. It marks Yoon's first overseas trip since a state visit to the Netherlands in December.

June 10, 2024

FM Cho discusses bilateral ties, economic cooperation with Peruvian, Honduran counterparts

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul held talks with his counterparts from Peru and Honduras on Sunday and discussed bilateral relations and economic cooperation, among other issues, his office said. The talks took place as the two diplomats were visiting Seoul to attend a multilateral forum on cooperation between South Korea and Latin America, set for Monday. In the talks with Peru's top diplomat, Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea Franco, Cho took note of the fact that the two countries have been expanding

June 10, 2024

Yoon to embark on three-nation Central Asia trip this week

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to pay state visits to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this week to explore expanding cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Yoon will embark on the six-day trip Monday, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, and visit the resource-rich Central Asian nations through June 15, his office said. On the first leg of the trip, Yoon will arrive in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Monday, hold a summit with the country's President Serdar Berdimuham

June 9, 2024

UN Security Council to hold meeting on NK human rights next week

WASHINGTON -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will have an official meeting on North Korean human rights issues next week for the first time in less than a year, its work schedule showed Friday, as South Korea as this month's UNSC president seeks to highlight the link between the North's security challenge and its repressive political climate. The council is set to hold a briefing on the North's human rights situation on Wednesday. It last held a meeting on the same i

June 8, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 3rd round of defense cost-sharing negotiations in Washington next week

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States will hold their third round of cost sharing negotiations for stationing US Forces Korea (USFK) in Washington next week, the chief US negotiator said Friday. Linda Specht, senior advisor and US lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, said that the two sides will have the negotiations over the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) from Monday through Wednesday. The South Korean delegation is led by Le

June 8, 2024

Vietnamese FM urges business community to grow with Vietnam-Korea ties

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son urged the Vietnamese community in South Korea to capitalize on growing Vietnam-Korea ties, as he recently attended the kick-off ceremony of the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea (BAViK). "Currently, the relationship between Vietnam and Korea is at the highest stage of development, and despite the challenging global and Korean economic situations, there are ample opportunities for growth and collaboration," Bui said on May 30, addressi

June 7, 2024

Georgia lauds Korea, partners on Independence Day

Tarash Papaskua, Georgian Ambassador to South Korea, celebrated its 106th Independence Day and the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union at a recent event held in Seoul. "Despite the short period of its existence from 1918 to 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia had a significant impact on the development of Georgian statehood in the long run," said Papaskua, during his remarks at the event on May 27. Georgia is now facing geopolitical challenges from Russia�

June 7, 2024

UNESCO advisory body withholds designation of Japan's Sado mine as World Heritage

An advisory body to a committee of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has deferred the nomination of a controversial former Japanese gold mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Japanese government said Thursday. The International Council on Monuments and Sites, one of the three advisories to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, recommended "withholding" Sado mine's designation and demanded additional documents, the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs said

June 6, 2024

Putin 'highly appreciates' S. Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he highly appreciates South Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine, and that Moscow is ready to restore relations with Seoul. Putin made the remark during a meeting with representatives of leading international news agencies, including Yonhap News Agency, which was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The remark drew attention in that Putin, who began his fifth term as president last mon

June 6, 2024

Hybrid threats, economic coercion, other challenges drive NATO-S. Korea engagement: expert

A security expert on Wednesday cited "hybrid" threats, economic coercion and other common challenges as a driver of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's engagement with South Korea and other Asia-Pacific partners, as a NATO summit is set to take place in Washington next month. Kristine Berzina, managing director of GMF Geostrategy North, an institute analyzing various security issues, made the remarks, anticipating that the NATO summit, set for July 9-11, will bring together t

June 6, 2024

Cuba's high-level diplomat to make first-ever official visit to S. Korea

A high-level Cuban diplomat will make a first-ever official visit to South Korea to participate in an annual Seoul-hosted forum focused on enhancing cooperation between South Korea and Latin America, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Wednesday. Carlos Miguel Pereira, Director-General of the General Division of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, will deliver his presentation at the 2024 Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum, scheduled for June 10 in Seoul. Pereira is re

June 5, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] S. Korea's assistance to Africa is an investment, says Rwandan president

Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed high hopes to forge mutually beneficial ties with South Korea, stressing that the support from Asia's fourth-largest economy to the continent, particularly Rwanda, is an investment for mutual gains. “Korea should, in fact, say that the support they give to countries in Africa or to Rwanda in particular is a sort of investment," the president said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday. "It's investing your money

June 5, 2024

China expresses 'firm opposition' against S. Korea for remarks on Taiwan issue

China's embassy in South Korea on Tuesday expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to South Korea for making "consecutive erroneous remarks" regarding the Taiwan issue in coordination with the United States and Japan. On Friday, senior South Korean, US and Japanese diplomats met in the US, and announced that they oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific and recognize the importance of opposing unlawful mari

June 4, 2024