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S. Korea, US, Japan to hold top diplomats meeting in Munich
South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting of their top diplomats, with the talks anticipated to serve as an opportunity to discuss key regional issues including North Korea’s nuclear program, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, according to the ministry. The scheduled me
Feb. 14, 2025 -
Seoul's nuclear envoy requests China's constructive role in Korean denuclearization
Seoul's top nuclear envoy on Wednesday requested for China to play a constructive role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during a meeting with Beijing's ambassador to Seoul, the foreign ministry said. Cho Koo-rae, vice foreign minister for strategy and intelligence, made the request as he met Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing for discussions on bilateral relations and Korean Peninsula issues in Seoul. According to the ministry, Cho expressed concerns over North Korea's provocations and i
Feb. 12, 2025 -
FM dispels concerns of Trump recognizing NK as nuclear-armed state
‘Too early’ to discuss Seoul’s possible nuclear armament: Cho Tae-yul South Korea’s foreign minister on Wednesday dispelled concerns of US President Donald Trump recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state ahead of a potential resumption of dialogue with the leader of the reclusive regime. During a National Assembly hearing, Seoul’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Trump “will not recognize” the North as a nuclear-armed state. This came in response to ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sa
Feb. 12, 2025 -
N. Korea chides Trump over Gaza, Greenland, ‘Gulf of America’ and Panama
North Korea chided US President Donald Trump over his repeatedly stated expansionist ambitions to own the Gaza Strip, purchase Greenland and regain control of the Panama Canal as well as his order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." In a Korean Central News Agency commentary released Wednesday titled “Oppressive and Ruthless Plunderer— This Is America,” the Kim Jong-un regime on Wednesday criticized Trump’s unorthodox foreign policy — notably without once mentioning Trump's na
Feb. 12, 2025 -
US senators introduce bill on leveraging trusted allies' shipyards to build naval vessels
Two US senators have introduced a bill to allow the US Navy to build naval vessels in a trusted ally's shipyard in order to modernize and expedite construction and procurement processes for US maritime forces, according to one of the lawmakers. On Wednesday last week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) tabled the "Ensuring Naval Readiness Act" to enable the Navy to construct a vessel or a major component of the hull or superstructure in a shipyard located in a North Atlantic Treaty
Feb. 12, 2025 -
S. Korea moves toward formal diplomatic ties with Syria
Seoul eyes economic reengagement and its role in Syria’s reconstruction South Korea is moving toward establishing diplomatic relations with Syria, the only remaining UN member state with which it has no formal ties, as the government launches a full-scale review of the matter, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Tuesday. The announcement followed a visit by a South Korean government delegation, led by Kim Eun-jeong, director-general for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Foreign Minis
Feb. 11, 2025 -
Iran, Korea tout revived ties on Islamic Revolution Day
The Iranian Embassy in Seoul and South Korea’s Foreign Ministry touted the revival of bilateral ties at an event commemorating Iran’s Islamic Revolution Day in Seoul on Monday. Iran became an Islamic republic after the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran's last ruling royal family reigned for about 53 years from 1925 to 1979. Delivering his remarks at the event, Iranian Ambassador to South Korea, Saeed Koozechi introduced Iran’s foreign policy priorities, ties wit
Feb. 11, 2025 -
South Korean lawmakers in US to bolster ties under 2nd Trump administration
South Korea’s National Assembly delegation began its trip to the United States on Monday, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties under the second Trump administration. According to the Office of the National Assembly Speaker, the delegation will visit Washington, DC, and New York from Monday through Saturday, delivering letters from National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to US President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance. The itinerary also includes discussions wit
Feb. 10, 2025 -
Governor calls on Trump to invite North Korean leader to APEC summit
North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-woo on Sunday said that US President Donald Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize if he were to successfully persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which is being held in his province in October. “If President Trump were to attend the APEC summit and invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Gyeongju, then he could be eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Lee said in an interview on the talk show “Sunday Diagn
Feb. 10, 2025 -
S. Korea's foreign ministry welcomes Trump, Ishiba's commitment to NK denuclearization
South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Saturday welcomed the United States and Japan's recent summit meeting where the leaders of the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. On Friday, local time, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also expressed concerns over the North's advancing weapons programs and underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea during their first in-person summit. "The view
Feb. 8, 2025 -
Trump is open to NK engagement, but it 'takes two to tango': senior US official
US President Donald Trump is open to engaging with North Korea, but it "takes two to tango," a senior administration official said Friday, in an apparent call for a recalcitrant Pyongyang to make its own efforts for dialogue. In a telephonic press briefing, the official made the remarks, reaffirming the Trump administration's commitment to the "complete denuclearization of North Korea" and pledging to remain in "lockstep" with South Korea and Japan over diplomacy toward the North. The briefing c
Feb. 8, 2025 -
Trump, Ishiba reaffirm 'resolute' commitment to 'complete denuclearization of North Korea
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed their "resolute" commitment Friday to the "complete denuclearization of North Korea," a joint statement said, as Pyongyang reiterated its nuclear arms are not a bargaining chip. Following their first in-person summit, Trump and Ishiba issued the statement, where the leaders voiced "serious" concerns over the North's advancing weapons programs and underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea.
Feb. 8, 2025 -
S. Korea, US, Japan in talks for FMs meeting this month: report
Japanese foreign minister hopes for trilateral talk at annual security conference in Munich South Korea, the US and Japan are in talks to arrange a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in Germany later this month, a Japanese news report said Friday. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is considering attending an annual security conference in Munich that runs from Feb. 14-16, with hopes of holding a trilateral talk with his South Korean and US counterparts, according to the report fr
Feb. 7, 2025 -
Trump-era negotiator Kim Hyun-chong joins Lee Jae-myung as adviser
Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, on Friday appointed Kim Hyun-chong, a veteran trade negotiator and key architect of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, as his special adviser on foreign affairs and national security. Kim, a former trade minister and deputy national security adviser under former President Moon Jae-in, served as South Korea’s key negotiator on trade and security during US President Donald Trump’s first term. Kim said he accepted the role to
Feb. 7, 2025 -
Xi mulls first South Korea visit in 11 years
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday signaled that he may visit South Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this year. According to South Korea's Office of the National Assembly Speaker, Xi stated that Chinese authorities are considering his attendance at the APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in October, adding, "It is customary for the Chinese president to attend the APEC summit." Xi made the remark in a meeting with National Assembly
Feb. 7, 2025