Will Hegseth's order to reduce generals affect USFK?Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's push for a reduction of four-star military officers is raising a consequential question for the South Korea-U.S. alliance: Will it also affect the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)? On Monday, Hegseth issued a memo that ordered a minimum 20 percent reduction of four-star active-duty positions and of general officers in the National Guard, as well as an additional minimum 10 percent reduction in general and flag officers — with an aim to "optimize" and "streamline" the U.S. military leadership. The memo has given rise to speculation that the Pentagon could consider a potential change in the USFK leadership as it seeks to focus primarily on countering evolving threats from China while hoping that regional allies will step up to cope with other challenges, including from North Korea. Reuters has reported that the USFK commander post and the head of the U.S. Army Pacific might be among the four-star positions that Hegseth might look at. Asked if the secretary's order for the reduction would affect the USFK, a U.S. defense official said the Pentagon has no announcemeMay 8, 2025By Yonhap
Trump cuts threaten Koreans in US academiaSEATTLE — J.Y. Kim, who wants to go by her initials for fear of jeopardizing her job search, just finished sending off her 100th resume this morning. After getting a job offer three weeks ago from a small research university in the Midwest, she thought her job hunt was finally over. "I'm still demoralized and in disbelief that I'm back in this position," Kim said, reading aloud the email rescinding her assistant professor offer during a phone interview with The Korea Times. "The entire letter is about cuts in federal funding." The Donald Trump administration has cut federal funding to many U.S. universities, including top schools like Harvard and Princeton. These cuts, amounting to billions of dollars, are part of a broader effort to pressure universities to fall in line with the government, especially regarding campus protests and diversity programs. The funding cuts have put thousands of jobs and research projects at risk, with many job offers even being rescinded, and have led university leaders to warn that academic freedom and independence is in danger. "I have to find a full-timeApr 29, 2025By Jane Han
Gov't holds meeting with exporters to share outcome of trade talks with USKorea's industry ministry on Tuesday held a meeting with domestic exporters to share the results of last week's high-level trade talks with the United States and to gather industry feedback. The meeting, co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Association, brought together executives from 15 major companies in shipbuilding, aerospace, defense, nuclear power, batteries and other strategic sectors most likely to be affected by Washington's escalating tariff measures, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The session was aimed at assessing the impact of the latest U.S. trade and tariff policies on key industries and discussing ways to enhance bilateral industrial cooperation, the ministry said. During last week's talks in Washington, Seoul and Washington agreed to craft a "package" deal on new U.S. tariffs, and economic and industrial cooperation by early July. At Tuesday's meeting, company officials urged the government to actively engage in tariff negotiations to prevent Korean exporters from losing ground to global competitors due to comparatively higher U.S. tariffApr 29, 2025By Yonhap
Korea to hold 2nd preparatory high-level meeting for APEC summit next monthKorea will host the second round of the high-level preparatory meeting next month for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for the multilateral gathering will take place on the ern resort island of Jeju from May 3-16, the ministry said in a release The meeting will bring together some 3,000 government delegates and representatives of private sectors from 21 APEC member economies. Korea will use the occasion to highlight the details of key agenda items it has introduced for this year's summit, including cooperation on artificial intelligence and responses to demographic changes. Coinciding with the event will be ministerial meetings on finance and trade, as well as a series of conferences on economy and technology cooperation, women and economic policy partnerships, among others. Three more SOM sessions are expected to be held before the summit, scheduled for November.Apr 29, 2025By Yonhap
Trade minister vows all-out efforts to boost foreign investment, reshoring firmsTrade Minister Cheong In-kyo said Monday the government will make all-out efforts to attract more foreign investment and support the return of local firms from overseas. Cheong made the remarks during a policy coordination meeting with local government leaders and officials from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Expanding foreign direct investment (FDI) and supporting reshoring companies are keys to enhancing national industrial competitiveness and revitalizing regional economies, even in the face of abrupt changes in global trade conditions," Cheong said. He further pledged continued policy support in close cooperation with local governments and free economic zones. In 2024, South Korea attracted a record high $32.57 billion in FDI, the highest since records began in 1962, according to the ministry. Despite global uncertainties, the ministry assessed that FDI has remained resilient this year, noting that South Korea secured $6.4 billion in commitments in the first quarter alone.Apr 28, 2025By Yonhap
Why acting President Han Duck-soo spoke to foreign media amid election buzzAs Korea's political scene heats up ahead of the presidential election, an unexpected spotlight has fallen on foreign media. Acting President Han Duck-soo further fueled speculation over his potential candidacy with an interview in the Financial Times (FT), published on April 20. In the interview, Han responded to a question about his presidential ambitions by saying he had "not yet" made a decision, and when pushed on whether he was considering a bid, he said: "No comment." In politics, a "no comment" is often interpreted as a "yes." Following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, some figures within the People Power Party and the broader conservative camp have actively encouraged Han to run. According to insiders, Han is expected to announce his decision soon. Ultimately, he chose to hint at his position for the first time not through domestic media but through a foreign outlet. The choice raises questions. Why did Han choose to speak to foreign media? It is unlikely that his background as a former ambassador to the United States and economic affairs official simply made hApr 28, 2025By KTimes
Korea, US agree to seek 'July package' on tariffsKorea has requested exemptions from U.S. "reciprocal" and item-specific tariff measures and suggested a package deal to be made by July, Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said Friday. The proposals came during trade talks between the two nations' finance and trade authorities in Washington, D.C., Thursday (local time). Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok; Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun; U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer took part in the trade consultations following the Donald Trump administration’s "reciprocal" tariffs imposition. In a press conference following the talks, Choi explained that he expressed willingness to cooperate on the areas that are of major interest to the U.S., such as trade, investment, shipbuilding and energy. He also addressed concerns that the U.S. tariffs could negatively impact economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the automotive sector. "We explained that we need calm and orderly negotiations," Choi said, referrApr 25, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Korea voices deep regret over Japan PM's offering, lawmakers' visit to war shrineKorea expressed deep regret Tuesday after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to a war shrine seen as symbolizing its militaristic past and its lawmakers paid their respects there. Ishiba sent the offering to the Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allies in international tribunals for their roles in World War II, on the occasion of the annual spring festival. A bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers also visited the shrine in person to pay their respects, according to Japanese media. "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. Sending an offering or visitingApr 22, 2025By Yonhap
Korea, Thailand set to hold 5th round of economic partnership negotiationsKorea and Thailand were set to kick off their fifth round of negotiations for a bilateral economic partnership agreement (EPA) Tuesday, as the two sides seek to broaden their cooperation in trade and investment, Seoul's industry ministry said. The latest round of talks for the EPA is set to run for four days in Bangkok, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two sides plan to focus on making progress in 13 sectors that cover goods, services and investment, as well as sustainable development, it added. An EPA aims to establish a mutually beneficial trade network between partner nations beyond a simple market opening, though it covers a smaller scope compared with a traditional free trade agreement. "We will work to swiftly strike an EPA with Thailand, the second-biggest economy among the Association of east Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a prominent market, to expand cooperation on a variety of economic issues," Roh Keon-ki, deputy minister for trade negotiations at the ministry, said. "Bilateral trade agreements serve as a strong safety net for our exports amid the fast cApr 22, 2025By Yonhap
KHNP chief stresses Korea-US nonproliferation cooperation amid 'aggressive' nuclear exports by China, RussiaThe head of Korea's state-run nuclear energy firm underscored the need Monday for Korea and the United States to work together to reinforce the global nonproliferation regime in the face of "aggressive" nuclear exports from China and Russia. Whang Joo-ho, president and CEO of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) Co., made the remarks, voicing hope that "Team Nuclear KORUS" can achieve the allies' common vision of "atoms for peace." KORUS is short for Korea and the United States. "In regions like the Middle East, east Asia and Africa, we are seeing aggressive nuclear exports from China and Russia. Indeed, I have concerns about whether these countries are making sufficient efforts to uphold the nonproliferation regime," Whang said at a forum hosted by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "To address this, the global community must come together to strengthen nonproliferation and nuclear security," he added. In nonproliferation endeavors, Korea can play a key role as a "model" nonnuclear weapon state, Whang said, noting that no single country can tackle the issApr 22, 2025By Yonhap
