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Rubio announces State Dept. reorganization plan reducing human rights-related offices
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday unveiled a State Department reorganization plan that includes a reduction of offices related to democracy and human rights, as he seeks to ensure the department is aligned with President Donald Trump's America First policy. The department's proposed organizational chart showed the removal of the under secretary post for civilian security, democracy and human rights and the creation of a new post -- the coordinator for foreign assistance and humanitari
April 23, 2025 -
Seoul, Beijing to discuss China's unilateral construction in joint maritime zone
South Korea and China will discuss structures unilaterally built by Chinese authorities in their jointly managed maritime zone in the West Sea during a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday, as the issue has recently drawn renewed attention in Seoul. The structures installed by China in the Provisional Measures Zone without prior consultation with South Korea will be one of the key agenda items at the third meeting of the Korea-China Dialogue on Maritime Cooperation in Seoul, according to diplomatic sou
April 22, 2025 -
Korea, US to hold high-level tariff talks in Washington this week
South Korea and the United States will hold tariff talks in Washington, DC later this week, the Korean government said Sunday. According to the announcement, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun will attend the levy discussions with their US counterparts, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The Korean government said the trade consultation is taking place at the reques
April 20, 2025 -
Trump optimistic on tariff talks with trading partners
US President Donald Trump on Thursday struck a sanguine note on the United States' ongoing tariff negotiations with trading partners, while stressing that Washington is "the one that sets the deal." Trump made the remarks during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, as South Korea, Japan and dozens of other countries are looking to reach deals in talks over US "reciprocal" tariffs that he paused just hours after they went into effect last week. "We're doing ver
April 18, 2025 -
S. Korean FM says shipbuilding, LNG areas leverage in tariff talks with US
South Korea seeks to utilize areas of shipbuilding and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as leverage in upcoming tariff talks with the United States, Seoul's top diplomat said Thursday. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks on the final day of his three-day trip to Vietnam this week as South Korea prepares to hold negotiations with the US over Washington's reciprocal tariffs next week. "The projects President Donald Trump himself mentioned are shipbuilding and LNG," Cho told reporters. "These
April 17, 2025 -
Assembly speaker meets US lawmakers to reaffirm alliance, boost ties
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik met Thursday with a delegation from the US Congress, the US Congressional Study Group on Korea, reaffirming bipartisan support for the South Korea-US alliance and discussing ways to deepen inter-parliamentary exchanges as well as strengthen economic and security cooperation. During the meeting, Woo praised the alliance that has continued to evolve over the past 70 years, grounded in the core values of democracy. “The alliance has expanded beyond the realms
April 17, 2025 -
FM Cho reaffirms S. Korea's commitment to climate action at P4G summit
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to tackling climate change as he called for global efforts toward a green transition for sustainable growth, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Cho made the remarks at the summit of the Partnering For Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 in Hanoi on Wednesday, unveiling a plan that South Korea will make a new $1.8 million contribution to the P4G initiative, the ministry said in a release. In the plenary session, Cho "emphasi
April 17, 2025 -
Seoul, Hanoi agree to close ranks over US tariffs
The top diplomats of South Korea and Vietnam agreed to closely coordinate in response to the looming "reciprocal" tariffs announced by the US and to develop their comprehensive strategic partnership across a broader array of sectors, including infrastructure, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, in Hanoi on Tuesday for their second foreign ministerial meeting, following the first held in Seoul
April 16, 2025 -
Syria seeks to emulate S. Korea's rise from war
Syria is looking to learn from South Korea’s postwar recovery experience and is calling for private sector involvement in its wide-ranging reconstruction efforts, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. "We conveyed that Korea is indeed a crucial partner, given our own experience in rebuilding the country surmounting difficult times — and the Syrian side affirmed it in their own words," a senior Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity during a closed-door briefing Tuesday, after
April 15, 2025 -
Trump says he's looking to help some auto companies amid tariff concerns
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he is looking at "something" to help some automotive companies, as he was addressing a question over the possibility of tariff exemptions for certain product categories. The president made the remarks during a press availability, while meeting El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele at the White House. His administration's 25 percent tariffs on imported cars went into effect earlier this month. "We are looking at something to help some of the car companies
April 15, 2025 -
US begins national security probes into semiconductor, pharmaceutical imports
The United States has begun investigations into imports of semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to examine their impact on America's national security, Commerce Department notices showed Monday, as President Donald Trump is looking to impose new tariffs on those products. According to the notices posted on the Federal Register, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick initiated the probes on April 1 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as South Korea and other US trading partners are kee
April 15, 2025 -
S. Korea, Uzbekistan sign MOU on public procurement cooperation
South Korea's Public Procurement Service (PPS) and Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance held a bilateral meeting on cooperation in public procurement and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the Central Asian country last week, the PPS said Monday. The meeting between PPS Administrator Lim Ki-keun and Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Gulnora Rakhimova took place in Tashkent last Friday, the PPS said. Under the MOU signed by Lim and Rakhimova, the two organizat
April 14, 2025 -
South Korea-Vietnam ties enter new strategic terrain, but need more detailed road map: Seoul envoy
Once centered on factory floors churning out textiles and electronics, the South Korea–Vietnam partnership is now being recast as a deeply interwoven strategic partnership spanning nearly every domain, South Korea’s top envoy to Vietnam told The Korea Herald. That evolution — evident in the expansion of economic cooperation into infrastructure, next-generation technologies and critical supply chains — now demands a clearer and sharper roadmap for the next phase of strategic alignment between Seo
April 14, 2025 -
US shows willingness to handle tariff talks smoothly with S. Korea: trade minister
The US has expressed a willingness to handle the tariff negotiations with South Korea and Japan as smoothly as possible, Seoul's Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo said Friday, describing the US' openness as a key outcome of his visit to Washington. "We held various discussions aimed at ensuring smooth trade relations with the Trump administration," Cheong told reporters at Incheon International Airport upon returning from his two-day visit to Washington. Cheong's trip marked the first of its kind by
April 11, 2025 -
South Korea forges ties with Syria in secret visit by top diplomat to Damascus
South Korea and Syria formally established diplomatic relations on Thursday during Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul’s secret, whirlwind diplomatic trip to Syrian capital Damascus, marking a diplomatic landmark as Seoul forges ties with its last remaining UN member state, apart from North Korea. Cho, the first South Korean foreign minister to visit Syria, signed the joint statement with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday to formally establish ties during their meeting, according to
April 11, 2025