Swiss Embassy showcases exhibition to commemorate Geneva Conventions’ anniversary

The Embassy of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions with the immersive exhibition, “Digital Dilemmas – Civilians a+ Heart,” at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. The Geneva Conventions, a set of international humanitarian laws that were concluded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1949, established international legal standards for humanitarian treatment during war. The set of intern

Sept. 15, 2024

S. Korea asked to join Latvia-led drone coalition for Ukraine

Latvia has asked South Korea to join a global coalition to supply Ukraine with thousands of drones, according to officials in Seoul on Thursday, as military drones are becoming increasingly critical in its ongoing war against Russia. The invitation was made during a bilateral meeting between the visiting Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze and her South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul, held Monday in Seoul. “I have invited the Republic of Korea to join the Drone Coalition established by

Sept. 12, 2024

Iraq expected to conclude deal to buy S. Korea's missile defense system next week: reports

Iraq is set to buy South Korea's homegrown medium-range, surface-to-air missile defense system, called Cheongung-II, with a deal expected to be concluded next week, according to Iraqi media reports Thursday. The reports said that Iraq's defense ministry is expected to sign a US$2.5 billion contract with Korean defense firms to purchase eight units of the Cheongung-II system, which is designed to defend against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The decision is part of Ir

Sept. 12, 2024

Biden nominates Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson as new US Forces Korea commander

US President Joe Biden has nominated Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of I Corps, to lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, the Pentagon said Wednesday, a nomination ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. If confirmed, Brunson would replace Gen. Paul LaCamera who has led CFC, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea since July 2021. His Senate confirmation hearing is slated for Tuesday next week. The position for the top US general in South Korea leads the three commands

Sept. 12, 2024

Yoon urges Cambodia to iron out measures to protect S. Koreans

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with head of Cambodian Senate, Hun Sen, on Wednesday and called for measures to stem crimes targeting South Korean nationals in the Southeast Asian country, the presidential office said. Yoon met with the former Cambodian prime minister at the presidential office in Seoul to discuss improving bilateral ties, according to his office. In particular, Yoon asked Sen to pay attention to responding to and preventing increasing crimes targeting South Koreans residing in Camb

Sept. 11, 2024

Hit with lifetime ban, football player Son Jun-ho claims innocence, says China forced him to admit fake charges

South Korean football player Son Jun-ho on Wednesday denied match-fixing and bribery charges levied on him by China, claiming that Chinese authorities coerced him into admitting bogus accusations in exchange for an early release that never came. Son, currently midfielder for the South Korean side Suwon FC, held an emotional press conference a day after the Chinese Football Association (CFA) slapped him with a lifetime ban for manipulating matches for illegal gains. Son, who played for Shandong T

Sept. 11, 2024

Memorial ceremony for Sado miners to be held this year

The first-ever memorial ceremony for laborers in the Sado mines, a site associated with the forced labor of Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, will be held by the end of the year, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Wednesday. "The ceremony at the Sado mines will be held by the end of the year," Cho said during a parliamentary session held by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. "We are currently negotiating

Sept. 11, 2024

Harris and Trump spar over Kim Jong-un, alliances

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump traded sharp barbs on Tuesday, spotlighting their sharply contrasting views on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, treaty alliances and a host of pivotal foreign policy issues. The televised presidential debate, the first between these two candidates, continued past the original 90-minutes scheduled, notably sidestepping North Korea and rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including Pyongyang's illicit nuclear buildup and it

Sept. 11, 2024

Germany committed to security in Indo-pacific, says defense chief

German Chief of Defense Gen. Carsten Breuer, reaffirmed Germany’s military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, calling South Korea a crucial partner. “For four years now, we have increased our presence in the Indo-Pacific, and we will continue to consolidate our commitment," he said, adding that Germany’s naval and air forces were being deployed worldwide. “South Korea is once again part of our deployment,” he said appreciating South Korea as a crucial partner, an

Sept. 11, 2024

Seoul summit charts framework on responsible AI military use

A comprehensive framework establishing guidelines and principles for the ethical and regulated use of artificial intelligence in military operations spanning nuclear weapons systems, endorsed by 61 countries, was adopted at a high-stakes summit in Seoul. The two-day 2024 summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain or REAIM concluded Tuesday with the adoption of a "Blueprint for Action," drawing 1,952 participants from 96 countries, including 38 ministerial-level officials, accordin

Sept. 10, 2024

Kenya studying Korean tech for housing

Kenya is studying South Korea's advanced technology to improve housing infrastructure and address the African country's housing challenges. “Our goal is to build 200,000 housing units annually, and we’ve already started over 100,000 units since July 2023,” Charles Hinga, principal secretary of Kenya's State Department for Housing and Urban Development, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday. Kenya plans to use Korean technology, such as aluminum f

Sept. 10, 2024

India's Rajasthan government woos Korean investors

The Indian state of Rajasthan sought to encourage Korean companies at the Rising Rajasthan Roadshow event in Seoul on Monday. The roadshow comes in the lead-up the Rajasthan's government's Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit, to be held from Dec. 9-11 in Jaipur, the capital city of the state. Led by Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the roadshow delegation highlighted the state's opportunities in renewable energy and automotive manufacturing, electronics an

Sept. 10, 2024

Harris, Trump set to face off in high-stakes presidential debate this week

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump are set to face off against each other in their first -- potentially only -- debate this week, with its outcome expected to substantially impact their final sprint to Election Day in November. The high-stakes 90-minute debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, as recent polls have shown Vice President Harris and former

Sept. 10, 2024

German frigate visits Incheon on Indo-Pacific mission

The German frigate Baden-Wurttemberg and replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main arrived in Incheon on Friday as part of the Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024, a key German maritime defense diplomacy initiative in the region. Before reaching Incheon, the ships played a role in monitoring the United Nations arms embargo against North Korea, said the German Embassy in a press release Friday. The ships leave Incheon on Tuesday, it added. According to the embassy, the deployment aligns with the mission of t

Sept. 8, 2024

Korea, US held simulation drills for nuclear deterrence in Washington this week: defense ministry

WASHINGTON-- South Korea and the US held simulation drills in Washington this week to enhance nuclear deterrence cooperation, both sides said Friday, as the allies are stepping up security coordination to counter evolving North Korean threats. Seoul and Washington held the first table top simulation of the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' key nuclear deterrence dialogue body, on Thursday and Friday, Seoul's defense ministry and the Pentagon said in a joint statement. The TTS

Sept. 7, 2024

Farewell summit: Yoon, Kishida pledge to keep momentum in revitalizing ties

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed the vital importance of sustaining the momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges -- an effort driven by their leader-to-leader diplomacy -- during Kishida's farewell visit to Seoul on Friday. Seoul and Tokyo signed a formal agreement to strengthen cooperation in protecting their nationals abroad and pledged to boost people-to-people exchanges by streamlining immigration procedures ahead of

Sept. 6, 2024

Japanese PM Kishida due in S. Korea for last summit with Yoon

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to visit South Korea on Friday for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol as Kishida is preparing to leave office with a legacy of improving long-frayed relations with Seoul. Yoon and Kishida are scheduled to hold summit talks later Friday, their 12th summit in just about two years. It will also be their last summit as Kishida has given up on reelection as prime minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after three years on the job. Durin

Sept. 6, 2024

Tokyo hands in list of Koreans who died in 1945 Japanese ship explosion

Tokyo has handed over a long-awaited list of Koreans who perished aboard the Ukishima Maru, a Japanese ship that exploded in 1945 while repatriating thousands of Koreans after Japan's colonial rule ended, the Seoul government announced on Thursday. The announcement by the two countries came just a day before Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Seoul for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol before leaving his office. The transferred list is incomplete, as the Japanese government has not

Sept. 5, 2024

S. Korea to expand export ban list against Russia, Belarus

South Korea will tighten export controls against Russia and Belarus by expanding its list of items subject to export restrictions, including machine tool parts and sensors, in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the industry ministry said Thursday. According to the revision to the regulations on trading strategic items, South Korea added 243 more items that can potentially be used for military purposes to the list of items that are banned from shipping to Russia and Belarus, according

Sept. 5, 2024

S. Korean envoy calls for solidarity among NATO, Indo-Pacific partners against cyberthreats

A senior South Korean diplomat has called for joint efforts among the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and in the Indo-Pacific to act against growing cyberthreats, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Rhee Dong-yeol, ambassador for international cybersecurity affairs, made the call during the Cyber Champions Summit held in Australia on Wednesday, as he particularly noted the need to address the spread of misinformation as a key focus for international cooperation against cybert

Sept. 5, 2024