President Yoon Suk-yeol and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed on Thursday to upgrade the bilateral relationship between the two nations to a strategic partnership and expand cooperation in advanced technologies, including chips, nuclear power plants and renewable energy. This is the second summit between the two leaders since they met on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Spain in June. They discussed diverse ways to cooperate in the chip sector. During the talks held in the afternoon, t

Foreign Affairs Nov. 17, 2022

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Seoul on Thursday to hold talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol and top business leaders, initiating a slew of agreements worth an estimated $30 billion between the two countries. The crown prince’s trip to Seoul is his first in three years. In a closed meeting held earlier in the day, Yoon and the crown prince agreed to develop bilateral relations into a “future-oriented strategic partnership” and

Industry Nov. 17, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed on "positive and active cooperation" on the issue of forced labor, a key issue in improving bilateral relations, at the Korea-Japan summit, South Korea's presidential office said Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior presidential official who attended the Korea-Japan summit, told reporters that Yoon and Kishida affirmed that discussions on the resolution of the forced labor issue were unde

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2022

The first Seoul-Beijing summit in three years laid bare the differences in the two sides' approach to North Korea, experts say. President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a 25-minute talk in Indonesia during the G20 Summit on Tuesday. It has been three years since the last Korea-China summit was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, during the former Moon Jae-in government. The presidential office thought the possibility of the bilateral talks was low even un

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed caution against protectionism and vowed Korea's support for the G-20's cooperation in the food and energy sectors as well as contributions to international solidarity in the health sector, at the G-20 Summit on Tuesday. On the sidelines of the summit, Yoon had a bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the evening to discuss China's role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at a time when its seventh nuclear test could take pla

Foreign Affairs Nov. 15, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol presented “digital transformation” as a solution to the global complex crisis in his keynote speech on Monday at the B20 Summit involving representatives of companies from 20 major countries held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. B20 Summit established in 2010 has served to channel the voice and aspirations of the global business community to G20 leaders. Yoon delivered a keynote speech on the theme of the role of companies in overcoming the global complex c

Politics Nov. 14, 2022

The leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia on Sunday afternoon, expressing concerns about North Korea’s continued provocations and agreeing to strengthen the trilateral cooperation against the threats. They released a joint statement promising to strengthen deterrence against the North and share real-time information on its missiles among the three countries. "North Korea is making more hostile and offensive provocations based on

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2022

During his trip to the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, President Yoon Suk-yeol presented the nation’s new regional strategies to strengthen economic and security ties with the nations and met with US, Japanese and Chinese leaders on the sidelines to stress solidarity in countering North Korean threats. President Yoon landed in Cambodia on Friday and attended the Korea-ASEAN summit the same day. At the meeting he unveiled the nation’s In

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2022

The presidential office on Wednesday night told MBC reporters that they would not be allowed to board the presidential plane, two days before President Yoon Seok-yeol's trip to the summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Group of 20, sparking intense criticism from media and opposition parties. “The boarding of the presidential plane has been providing convenience for reporting on diplomatic and security issues,” read a text message released by MBC late Wedne

Politics Nov. 10, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend the upcoming ASEAN and G20 summits to strengthen economic and security ties with the region and present the nation’s new Indo-Pacific and ASEAN strategies. During the six-day journey, he could have multilateral talks with the US and Japan, but the chance of bilateral meetings with Japan and China appears low. The president will depart for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday to attend the ASEAN summit and then leave for Bali, Indonesia on Monday to join the

Politics Nov. 9, 2022

As the world watches the outcome of the US midterm elections, South Korean experts say the results will bring subtle changes for Korea. If the Republican Party prevails, President Joe Biden's economic policies with US allies may see subtle changes, but the US stance on North Korean issues is unlikely to change, experts say. South Korea is paying special attention to the US midterm elections over whether the result could affect some of the US’ economic policies such as the Inflatio

Politics Nov. 8, 2022

With the end of the national mourning period for the Itaewon disaster, President Yoon Suk-yeol is now grappling with who to hold accountable amid continued revelations regarding the nation’s poor response and growing calls to sack related high-ranking officials. At a national safety system inspection meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Monday morning, Yoon said, “We will strictly hold the responsible people accountable according to the (investigation&rsq

Politics Nov. 7, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, where they promised cooperation in the economic and security sectors of the two countries and close cooperation in the event of further provocations by North Korea. After holding a summit at the presidential office building in Yongsan, the two leaders made a joint press announcement. "We both agreed that solidarity between countries is important to protect freedom in response to the threats faci

Politics Nov. 4, 2022

The United Nations Security Council said it would hold a meeting to discuss the North Korean issue at the UN Headquarters in New York at 3 p.m. on Friday, local time, amid the escalating North Korean provocations. This meeting, held at the request of the US, is the first in a month since the public meeting held on Oct. 5 in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. North Korea has recently increased the intensity of its provocations, firing a total of six

Politics Nov. 4, 2022

North Korea on Thursday continued launching missiles for a second day, upping the pressure on the South with what Seoul suspects to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. The South Korea and US air forces have decided to extend the training period of their large-scale joint air exercise “Vigilant Storm.” The South Korean military detected one long-range ballistic missile, which was launched into the East Sea from around 7:40 a.m. in Pyongyang, and two short-range ballistic missile

Politics Nov. 3, 2022