Industry minister delivers 'strong' regret over immigration crackdownKorea's industry minister said Monday that he had expressed "strong" regret to his U.S. counterpart over the detention of South Korean workers. More than 300 Korean nationals are being held at a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, following a raid last Thursday (local time) at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site operated by a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution near Savannah. During a meeting with lawmakers, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said he had expressed "deep" regret over the detention of the Korean workers to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. "I clearly said to Commerce Secretary Lutnick, how could the visa issue be dealt with like this in return for massive investment (by Korea)?" Kim said. Kim said it is true that the Seoul government has been working for years to resolve visa-related issues with the United States.Sep 8, 2025By Yonhap
Top diplomats of Korea, France agree on AI, space, defense cooperationThe top diplomats of Korea and France on Monday agreed to closely cooperate in the artificial intelligence (AI), space and defense sectors. During phone talks, Seoul's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, assessed that bilateral exchanges and cooperation have deepened in various sectors. The two also agreed to closely communicate on upgrading the bilateral ties on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year.Sep 8, 2025By Yonhap
Lee, Mongolian president agree to bolster bilateral ties in phone talksPresident Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Thursday and discussed ways to further strengthen their strategic partnership, Lee's office said. In their first conversation since Lee took office, the two leaders agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges and maintain close communication to deepen bilateral ties, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. Lee proposed "mutually beneficial" cooperation between Mongolia, rich in natural resources, and South Korea, which possesses advanced technologies, Kang said. He also welcomed the opening of a memorial hall in Mongolia honoring Lee Tae-joon (1883-1921), a Korean independence activist who served as the physician to Mongolia's last khan, and expressed appreciation for the Mongolian government's support. Khurelsukh, in turn, expressed gratitude for Lee's attention to migrant workers in South Korea, including those from Mongolia, according to Kang.Sep 4, 2025By Yonhap
Foreign ministry checks protection measures for S. Koreans in Indonesia amid unrestThe foreign ministry held a joint meeting with overseas diplomatic missions Monday to review measures to protect its nationals in Indonesia, as nationwide protests escalate over lawmakers' privileges. Yoon Chu-sok, director general for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, urged officials in the meeting to closely monitor developments, maintain constant communication between the ministry and overseas missions and take all possible steps to ensure the safety of Koreans there, the ministry said in a release. Violent protests are escalating in the Southeast Asian nation after reports revealed that lawmakers had received additional housing allowances exceeding the minimum wage of ordinary citizens, on top of their salaries. Public anger toward the elite has further intensified after a motorcycle delivery worker was killed by a police vehicle during a crackdown on protesters.Sep 1, 2025By Yonhap
Lee holds phone talks with Kyrgyz presidentPresident Lee Jae Myung held a phone call with Kyrgyzstan's president to discuss ways to deepen bilateral cooperation, the presidential office said Thursday. During the call, Lee thanked Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov for congratulating him on his inauguration and expressed hopes to strengthen cooperation in supply chains and the energy sector, according to a written briefing by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. Lee also called for special attention toward ethnic Koreans residing in Kyrgyzstan. The two leaders agreed to work toward further advancing their comprehensive strategic partnership, amid increased trading and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. They also plan to work closely together to host the Korea-Central Asia summit scheduled for next year. The event was pushed back due to political fallout in Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3 last year and subsequent impeachment. (Yonhap)Aug 28, 2025By Yonhap
APEC energy ministers call for efforts to bolster energy security, stabilize energy supplyEnergy ministers of member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on Thursday called for joint efforts to strengthen energy security and broaden access to energy supplies amid soaring demand for electricity fueled by the growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and other advanced industries. Wrapping up the two-day APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting in Busan, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the ministers adopted a joint statement underscoring the importance of international cooperation to address global energy challenges, according to Korea's energy ministry. The energy ministers' meeting, chaired by South Korea, was held under the theme "Accelerating Sustainable, Affordable, Reliable, Secure and Innovative Energy for a Prosperous Future" from Wednesday to Thursday, bringing together energy chiefs of 21 APEC member economies, including the United States, China, Japan and Russia. "We note the rising demand for electricity across the APEC region, particularly driven by the increasing electrification of households, commercial buildings, transport and indusAug 28, 2025By Yonhap
From Vermont to Alaska, Korean American couple’s 5-year journey honors forgotten Korean War heroesANCHORAGE, Alaska — Ten Alaskans lost their lives during the Korean War, a bloody conflict that erupted on June 25, 1950, when communist North Korea invaded the South. Among them were three Indigenous Americans. Most of these young men were just teenagers or in their early 20s when their lives were cut short in a faraway land few had known before their deployment. They died fighting for the freedom of South Korea. Decades after the armistice of July 1953 brought the fighting to a halt, these little-known Alaskan soldiers have finally been honored, as Sung-yull and Chang-wha Koo, a Korean American couple based in New York, launched an initiative to locate and commemorate fallen Korean War soldiers across the United States. On Friday, the couple held a memorial service at Northwood Elementary School in Anchorage to pay tribute to the 10 Alaskan servicemen. The ceremony included a donation of $5,000 to rename the school library after Private John Byron “Little Jack” Whitson Jr. (1932-1953), one of the fallen soldiers. Northwood Elementary was chosen as the site for the 50th and finalAug 20, 2025By Kang Hyun-kyung
Lee seeks support from diplomatic corps ahead of APEC hostingPresident Lee Jae Myung on Friday hosted a dinner with members of the diplomatic corps, seeking their support ahead of his meetings with foreign leaders during South Korea's hosting of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and other upcoming diplomatic engagements. The dinner, held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, brought together about 170 participants, including ambassadors, representatives of international organizations and military officials. Lee said his government will work with the international community to address shared global challenges, vowing to engage closely with foreign leaders on various occasions. "I will meet with as many leaders as possible, and when in-person meetings are inevitably limited, we will supplement them through letters and phone calls," he said. The event, held amid Lee's packed schedule on the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, came ahead of a flurry of diplomatic events later this year, including the APEC summit to be hosted in Korea's Gyeongju in Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 Other diplomatic events mentioned by Lee inclAug 15, 2025By Yonhap
Korea voices 'deep regret' over Japan PM's offering, lawmakers' visit to war shrineKorea expressed deep regret Friday after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to a war shrine seen as symbolizing its militaristic past and its lawmakers paid respects there. The foreign ministry issued a statement after Ishiba sent the offering to the Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japanese war dead, and Japanese politicians paid visits on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in the World War II. Korea marks the date as Liberation Day, commemorating its independence from Japan's colonial rule. "We express deep disappointment and regret that responsible leaders in Japan have once again made offerings to or visited the Yasukuni Shrine," foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a commentary. "We urge Japanese leaders to squarely face history and show through action humble reflection and genuine atonement for historical issues, and we once again emphasize that these will be the foundation for building a future-oriented bilateral relationship between the two countries," Lee said. Yasukuni Shrine honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 ClassAug 15, 2025By Yonhap
Lee, Philippine president discuss economic cooperation in phone talksPresident Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday and discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, infrastructure and shipbuilding, Lee's office said. In their first conversation since Lee took office in early June, the two leaders noted that South Korea has become the largest investor in, and the largest source of visitors to, the Philippines, and agreed to continue the momentum in brisk exchange and cooperation, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. "The two leaders discussed expanding trade and investment based on the Korea-Philippines free trade agreement," Kang said. "They also discussed broadening the mutually beneficial cooperation, including Korean companies' participation in the Philippines' infrastructure projects, such as maritime bridges and railways, as well as the shipbuilding industry," she added. During the talks, Lee described the Philippines as a "long-standing ally" that was the first Asian nation to participate in the 1950-53 Korean War and sent the largest contingent among Asian countries,Aug 14, 2025By Yonhap
