US expert calls for S. Korea's inclusion into G7, touts its 'trustworthiness'

A prominent US expert has made an emphatic call for the Group of Seven to consider its membership expansion to include South Korea, touting the Asian democracy's "trustworthiness," performance and potential role to add diversity to the club of the world's leading industrialized nations. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the case, stressing the need for G7 leaders to pursue "serious" reforms t

June 23, 2024

Row brews over Italian city's plan to modify inscription on 'comfort women' statue

A potential row is brewing in Italy over erecting a girl statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, after a city chief signaled a possible modification to the structure to add Japan's position on the issue. A South Korean civic group announced earlier this week that the statue will be erected in Stintino, a city on the Italian island of Sardinia, on Saturday (local time), and an official unveiling ceremony will take place on the same day. That would be the first

June 22, 2024

S. Korea requests Japan provide passenger list of deadly Ukishima Maru ship sinking: report

South Korea has requested Japan provide it with the passenger list from a controversial 1945 deadly explosion and sinking of a Japanese vessel known to have killed thousands of Koreans aboard, a news report said Saturday. South Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety, responsible for the case, made the request for the relevant materials through its foreign ministry, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported. The Ukishima Maru, which had belonged to the Japanese Navy, was transporting Koreans, ma

June 22, 2024

Putin warns S. Korea's potential arms supply to Ukraine would be 'very big mistake'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned it would be a "very big mistake" if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine after Seoul suggested such a possibility in response to Russia's commitment to military cooperation with North Korea. The South Korean government said Thursday it will reconsider its stance on its arms supply to Ukraine after North Korea and Russia signed a treaty that involves military assistance without delay if one of them is attacked. "As for the

June 21, 2024

US official voices concern over NK-Russia security treaty, vows to evaluate Indo-Pacific posture

A White House official on Thursday expressed concern over a new security treaty between Russia and North Korea, and vowed to continue to evaluate America's defense posture throughout the Indo-Pacific "as needed." National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby made the remarks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during a summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday. The treaty stipulates that in cas

June 21, 2024

S. Korea excluded from US 'monitoring list' for FX policy for 2nd straight time

The United States took South Korea off its list of countries to monitor for their foreign exchange policies for the second consecutive time while adding Japan to the list, a Treasury Department report showed Thursday. The department released the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States" following its November report, where South Korea was excluded from the list for the first time since April 2016. The l

June 21, 2024

Gyeongju recommended as host city candidate for 2025 APEC summit in S. Korea

The city of Gyeongju in South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province has been recommended as the host city candidate for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The government's APEC summit host city recommendation committee held a meeting earlier in the day and selected Gyeongju, about 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the candidate city to host the summit scheduled to be held next year, the ministry said. The upcomin

June 20, 2024

Seoul mulls 'arms support' for Ukraine after Russia-NK pact

South Korea on Thursday said it would review its arms support to Ukraine, while expressing serious concern over a summit between the leaders of North Korea and Russia where the two agreed to provide military assistance if either country is under attack. While unveiling plans to impose additional sanctions on North Korean and Russian individuals and institutions, National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin told reporters in a briefing in Seoul that the office will "reconsider the issue of providi

June 20, 2024

Summit of two loners: Kim breaks seclusion with Putin by his side

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared solemn in the early hours Wednesday as he stood solo on the red carpet laid out at the airport in Pyongyang for the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was making his first visit to the country in 24 years. Putin, who is in the habit of arriving fashionably late to meetings with world leaders, touched down in Pyongyang some three hours later than planned, at well past 2 a.m. After landing at the Pyongyang airport, the Russian president joined

June 19, 2024

Uzbek envoy to Korea passes away

Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitaly Fen died Tuesday in Uzbekistan, the embassy in Seoul confirmed. He was 77. Fen, a Koryoin, an ethnic Korean of the former Soviet Union, was the longest-serving top diplomat in Seoul who continued his mission as Uzbek ambassador since 1999. He was a Korea specialist, as he served his diplomatic mission for 14 years from 1999 to 2013. He began his second mission in Seoul in 2017 and continued his service until his death. Previously, he received the Order of Fidokor

June 19, 2024

Research center for Israel studies opens in Seoul

A research center dedicated to Israeli studies opened Tuesday under the Seoul National University, becoming the first such academic institution in South Korea. Amb. Akiva Tor, Israeli envoy to South Korea, said in an opening ceremony on this day that the center’s launch “marks an auspicious beginning.” Israel Education Research Center will be “the first academic center in Korean higher education dedicated to the study of Jewish civilization and Israeli society,” he

June 18, 2024

S. Korean, Chinese senior officials convene in Seoul amid Putin's NK trip

South Korea and China held a high-level diplomatic and security dialogue on Tuesday in Seoul, elevating the talks from the director-general to the vice-ministerial level based on an agreement between their leaders, reflecting an atmosphere of thawing ties. The "Korea-China Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue" commenced at 3 p.m. for the first time since 2015 at a critical juncture, coinciding with the first day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Pyongyang, his

June 18, 2024

Putin expected to visit Liberation Tower, attend concert in Pyongyang

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit a monument honoring the former Soviet war dead, attend a concert and have tea with his North Korean counterpart during his first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years, reports said Tuesday. As Putin is scheduled to arrive in the capital on Tuesday evening, most of the main events, including meetings with Kim, are to be held Wednesday, Russia's state-run news agency Tass said, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. The Russian leader is set to visit

June 18, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan to hold industry ministerial meeting next week

South Korea, the United States, and Japan plan to hold a trilateral industry ministerial meeting in Washington next week, a government official said Tuesday, with possible agenda items including ways to maintain a stable supply chain and address China's trade policies. The meeting, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, comes as the three countries' leaders agreed to hold industrial ministerial meetings regularly during a summit at Camp David in Maryland in August. "A meeting among In

June 18, 2024

FM Cho to chair cybersecurity meeting at UN Security Council

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will chair an open debate at the UN Security Council on Thursday to underscore the significant impacts of cyber threats on international peace and security, including North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft that endangers the nonproliferation regime, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Monday. South Korea will host an open debate to be broadcast live, allowing all UN members to participate, as the "signature event" of its presidency at the

June 17, 2024

Korea, China to hold first diplomatic security dialogue since 2015

South Korea and China are set to hold a high-level diplomatic and security dialogue on Tuesday in Seoul, elevating the talks from the director-general level for the first time in nine years, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced Monday. "The upcoming 'Korea-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue' will be held following the agreement between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang to actively operate communication channels in the diplomatic and security fields be

June 17, 2024

Tajikistan calls for accelerated water action

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Leaders, experts and policymakers called for urgent action to address water challenges at the Third Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference held in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe last week. Held June 10-13, the conference was part of a biennial series co-organized by the government of Tajikistan, the United Nations and the European Union to support the International Decade for Action under the theme, “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028,” and

June 17, 2024

S. Korea expresses commitment to continuing aid to Ukraine at peace summit

South Korea expressed its commitment to continuing aid to war-torn Ukraine at an international peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, the Office for Government Policy Coordination said. Government Policy Coordination Minister Bang Ki-seon attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Saturday and Sunday, as South Korea's chief representative, according to his office. Bang told a meeting Sunday that as a global pivotal state, South Korea has continued to express

June 17, 2024

S. Korea calls on Japan to address 'entire history' of Sado mine in UNESCO Heritage application

South Korea on Friday urged Japan to address the "entire history" of a gold mine complex linked to wartime forced labor of Koreans in its application as a UNESCO World Heritage site, after Tokyo accepted an international recommendation to revise the submission. Last week, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, an advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, recommended referring the nomination of the Sado mine back to Japan, calling for more explanation over the ent

June 14, 2024

Yoon arrives in Uzbekistan for final leg of Central Asia trip

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Tashkent on Thursday for talks with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on boosting bilateral economic ties. The summit talks scheduled for Friday will mark the culmination of his three-nation Central Asia tour, which also included visits to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. On the first day, Yoon plans to meet the young generation of Uzbekistan, visit the Independence Monument in the capital city of Tashkent and hold a dinner meeting with ethnic Koreans in the

June 13, 2024