South Korea and Uzbekistan agreed to reinforce cooperation on infrastructure, energy and supply chains and continue to expand leader-to-leader and high-level exchanges during a vice-ministerial level policy dialogue on Monday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The 16th South Korea-Uzbekistan Policy Consultation, led by South Korean Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won and Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Bobur Usmanov, was held Monday in Tashkent, according to the f

Foreign Affairs March 26, 2024

The South Korean government on Friday greenlit the initial mass production plan for KF-21 fighter jets on Friday, totaling 40 units, but with signing contracts set for the production of only 20 units this year. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration emphasized the necessity of producing 40 KF-21 fighter jets, citing what it said was an urgent need to address the military capability shortfall resulting from the retirement of outdated F-4 and F-5 aircraft. "This project is anticipated

Defense March 22, 2024

The Chinese Communist Party's No. 4 official Wang Huning met Kim Song-nam, who serves as North Korean director of the international affairs department of the Party Central Committee and is recognized as a China expert, on Thursday in Beijing, the Chinese Embassy in North Korea said Friday. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation, coinciding with the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which fal

Foreign Affairs March 22, 2024

North Korea is suspected of pocketing $750 million in cryptocurrency just last year, with profits from illicit cyber activities purportedly accounting for 40 percent of financing for the country's prohibited weapons of mass destruction programs, according to a report by the UN Panel of Experts. The final annual report released Wednesday stated that during the reporting period from July 2023 to January of this year, North Korea's cyber threat actors continued to target the virtual asset

Foreign Affairs March 21, 2024

South Korea and India should amplify their cooperation across economic, technology, defense and security domains, particularly amidst mounting global uncertainties fueled by ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the intensifying US-China strategic competition, experts from the two countries said Wednesday. The significance of enhancing bilateral collaboration serves as a crucial avenue to maintain peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and ensure economic security including stab

Foreign Affairs March 20, 2024

The top diplomats of South Korea and Mauritius agreed Tuesday to bolster cooperation across various sectors, encompassing infrastructure, tourism, and maritime security, during their bilateral meeting in Seoul, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with Mauritian Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin during his visit to South Korea to attend the third Summit for Democracy hosted by the Yoon Suk Yeol government in Seoul. Both sides "exchanged view

Foreign Affairs March 19, 2024

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday dismissed China's criticism of Seoul hosting the Summit for Democracy and airing the Taiwan digital minister's virtual speech, clarifying that the summit is not aimed at singling out specific countries. "The Summit for Democracy is convened to contribute to the promotion of democracy and human rights, but it is not aimed at targeting any specific countries," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said during a regular briefing

Foreign Affairs March 19, 2024

South Korea, the United States and Japan, in their role as members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, collectively condemned North Korea for its illicit nuclear proliferation and Russia for its alarming threats to use nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine. During a ministerial meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation at the UN Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked, "We meet at a time when geopolitical tensions and mistrust have es

Foreign Affairs March 19, 2024

The third Summit for Democracy kicked off on Monday in Seoul, underscoring the urgency of addressing digital technology threats, particularly the proliferation of disinformation fueled by artificial intelligence, which poses a challenge to the foundations of democracy. President Yoon Suk Yeol shed light on the paradoxical nature of digital technologies, highlighting their simultaneous provision of "convenience" and their instigation of a "crisis of democracy" in his welcoming

Foreign Affairs March 18, 2024

South Korea is set to launch the three-day Summit for Democracy on Monday, with a focus on fostering democracy for future generations, particularly in this pivotal year of elections -- a fundamental pillar of democracy. South Korea is the first country outside of the United States to host the Summit for Democracy singlehandedly. Pioneered by the Biden administration, the international gathering brings together governments and nongovernment stakeholders from around the world with the goal of adva

Foreign Affairs March 17, 2024

The South Korean government will host the third Summit for Democracy next week, becoming the first foreign country to lead the US key initiative aimed at rejuvenating democracy and defending against authoritarianism. The three-day summit, themed "Democracy for Future Generations," is set to commence on Monday, with a ministerial conference and multistakeholder roundtable discussion on "Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technology and Democracy," the South Korean presidential o

Foreign Affairs March 15, 2024

The US intelligence community currently assesses that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to escalate tensions into a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula, even as concerns persist over the potential for his closer alignment with the Russian president to embolden his aggressive actions. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines provided the assessment during Tuesday's House Intelligence Committee hearing while noting that Kim's recent rhetoric and actions have been incre

North Korea March 13, 2024

A South Korean citizen who Russian authorities claim has been detained on charges of espionage since earlier this year is a Christian missionary focused on aiding North Korean people in Russia's Far East region, according to sources on Tuesday. The South Korean individual, first reported by Russia's state-run media outlet TASS as Baek Won-soon and later corrected as Baek Kwang-soon, had been actively involved in missionary efforts for North Koreans in Vladivostok, according to database

Foreign Affairs March 12, 2024

North Korea attempted to disrupt the reception of Global Positioning System signals on the front-line islands of South Korea in the West Sea for three consecutive days from Tuesday, coinciding with annual combined military drills between Seoul and Washington, the South Korean military confirmed on Friday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected signals sent from North Korea, which were assessed as attempts to interfere with the reception of GPS signals on the Five West Sea Islands mult

North Korea March 8, 2024

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday revealed its plans to craft a fresh unification vision, with the ultimate aim of guaranteeing the freedom rights of every North Korean citizen on a unified Korean Peninsula. The initiative is set as the ministry's primary goal for the year and marks the first revision of South Korea's official unification formula in 30 years since 1994. Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said that he presented plans to formulate a unification vision groun

North Korea March 8, 2024