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Korea, Africa hold 1st critical minerals dialogue in Cape Town
South Korea and 11 African nations held their first Critical Minerals Dialogue on Tuesday, as a key follow-up measure to last June’s inaugural Korea-Africa summit in Seoul, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry. The inaugural dialogue was held in Cape Town, South Africa, in conjunction with the African Mining Indaba, a premier event that brings together mining professionals, investors, and industry leaders to discuss the potential and capabilities of Africa’s mining sector. In her opening
Feb. 5, 2025 -
South Korea rejects most asylum seekers as refugee recognition rate stays at just 2.7%
South Korea has received more than 120,000 refugee applications since its asylum system was introduced just over 30 years ago, but the country’s refugee recognition rate remains strikingly low at just 2.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Justice. Russian nationals make up the largest share of applicants, the latest data shows, with numbers surging in the past two years -- largely due to Russia’s ongoing war in the Ukraine. As to why South Korea’s recognition rate lags far behind the 2023 OE
Feb. 5, 2025 -
Trump halts Canada, Mexico tariffs after last-ditch talks
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump delayed the start of tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month Monday after the US neighbors struck last-minute deals to tighten border measures against the flow of migrants and the drug fentanyl. Global stock markets had slumped as Trump's threat of sweeping 25 percent levies on exports from Canada and Mexico to the United States sparked fears of a global trade war. But after calls with Trump just hours before the US tariffs were due to take effect, both Cana
Feb. 4, 2025 -
N. Korea delivers 1st direct rebuke of Trump 2.0, sets hard-line tone
N. Korea appears to set terms for potential Kim-Trump summit, observers say North Korea on Monday delivered its first direct rebuke of the second Trump administration, condemning US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s characterization of the regime as a “rogue state,” calling it a “hostile remark” and a “grave political provocation.” An unnamed spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a press statement in response to Rubio’s Jan. 30 interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show," where he briefl
Feb. 3, 2025 -
Seven dead, 19 injured in air ambulance crash in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A person in a car was the seventh fatal victim of the fiery crash of an air ambulance onto a busy Philadelphia street, authorities said Saturday, as investigators sifted through burned cars, damaged homes and charred debris for clues to determine why the aircraft plummeted shortly after takeoff. Carrying six people, including a child who spent months in treatment at a hospital, the small jet went down just after departing from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, creating what
Feb. 2, 2025 -
S. Korea voices regret after Japan's UNESCO report again fails to reflect forced labor
South Korea voiced disappointment Saturday after Japan's follow-up report on its UNESCO-listed industrial sites failed to provide the full historical context, including the wartime forced labor involving Koreans. Japan had promised earlier to take steps to remember the victims, including many Koreans who were forced into hard labor, when its 23 Meiji-era industrial revolution sites won the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015. One of the sites includes Hashima Island, where Koreans were forcibly
Feb. 1, 2025 -
South Korea to issue travel ban for eastern province of Democratic Republic of the Congo amid armed clashes
South Korea plans to issue a travel ban for an eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to intensifying fighting between government and rebel forces in the country, the foreign ministry said Friday. The Level 4 travel ban, the highest of the country's four-scale travel warning system, will take effect Saturday for the Central African country's North Kivu Province, according to the ministry. South Korea will maintain a Level 3 alert and special travel advisory for other parts
Jan. 31, 2025 -
US, North Korea start tug-of-war over potential nuclear talks: experts
The United States and North Korea are engaged in a tug of war as they edge closer to potential negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear program, with Washington reiterating its commitment to North Korea’s complete denuclearization following a recent visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to a nuclear material production base, experts said Friday. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump remains committed to the "complete denuclearization of N
Jan. 31, 2025 -
No survivors from tragic DC plane crash: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Thursday there were no survivors from a nighttime midair collision between a passenger aircraft and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington the previous day, as authorities have shifted to a recovery operation from a rescue operation. A PSA Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter carrying three people Wednesday while approaching a runway at Reagan Washington National Airport near the US capital, according to
Jan. 31, 2025 -
Top S. Korean, US diplomats fast-track first talks amid Seoul’s nuclear worries
Rubio, Cho agree to maintain close coordination on N. Korean nuclear issue, Seoul says South Korean and US top diplomats have agreed to hold their first meeting in Washington “at the earliest mutually convenient date,” amid mounting concerns in Seoul over the Trump administration’s stance on North Korea’s denuclearization -- intensified by Trump’s description of the regime as a “nuclear power.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to Washington
Jan. 23, 2025 -
FM Cho, top EU diplomat condemn Russia-NK military cooperation
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone Wednesday with Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the European Union, and agreed to make joint efforts to stop the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, Cho's office said. It was the first phone talk between Cho and Kallas, the EU's new high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, since Kallas took office on Dec. 1 as the top diplomat for the 27-member bloc. "They strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation betw
Jan. 22, 2025 -
S. Korea, Japan, China in talks to hold foreign ministers' meeting in March: report
South Korea, Japan and China are in talks to arrange a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in late March, a Japanese news report said Wednesday. Japan, the chair for the three-way dialogue platform this year, has shared its plans for the proposed gathering with the governments of its two Asian neighbors, both of which have expressed a positive stance, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported. If realized, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will meet with his counterparts from Japan and China -- T
Jan. 22, 2025 -
FM Cho discusses alliance, N. Korea with new USFK commander
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with the new top commander of the US Forces Korea on Wednesday and discussed the bilateral alliance and North Korea issues, Cho's office said. In the meeting with Gen. Xavier Brunson, Cho highlighted that the commander's role in leading the US troops in South Korea is important for maintaining and strengthening the alliance and the allies' combined defense posture, the foreign ministry said in a release. Cho also asked the general to do his part to ensure the key
Jan. 22, 2025 -
Relocation of Gaza residents to Indonesia not true: embassy
The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul has denied claims that some of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants could be relocated to Indonesia as part of postconflict reconstruction efforts. In a press statement shared with The Korea Herald on Wednesday, the embassy underlined that the Indonesian government had neither received any information nor been approached with any plans concerning such a relocation. The statement follows a report by US TV network NBC that Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East
Jan. 22, 2025 -
S. Korea says Trump's mention of N. Korea as 'nuclear power' less different from his past policy
The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" aligns with his previous approach on the recalcitrant regime, suggesting that it should not be seen as his administration recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state. In a press availability shortly after the swearing-in ceremony Monday, Trump called the North a "nuclear power" and said that he "got along very well" with its leader Kim Jong-un, apparently referring to their direct engagem
Jan. 21, 2025