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  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee to receive Italy's highest decoration for promoting bilateral ties

    ROME — President Lee Jae Myung will receive Italy's highest state decoration from Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday in recognition of his contributions to bilateral ties, a presidential official said. Mattarella was to confer the Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on Lee during a state banquet in Rome, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing. The honor comes after the two leaders held summit talks earlier in the day at the Quirinal Palace, during which they agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership. Lee is currently on a state visit to Italy, the first such visit by a South Korean president in 26 years. The Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic is Italy's highest decoration bestowed on foreign heads of state. Italy conferred the honor on King Charles III of Britain and the president of the United Arab Emirates last year. The conferral reflects Italy's "highest expression of respect for Lee in appreciation of his contributions to strengthening friends

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee to receive Italy's highest decoration for promoting bilateral ties
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee says S. Korea, Italy are 'optimal partners' for business cooperation

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee says S. Korea, Italy are 'optimal partners' for business cooperation
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee hopes S. Korea, Italy will work together to promote free trade, multilateralism

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee hopes S. Korea, Italy will work together to promote free trade, multilateralism
  • Others

    Korea, Italy sign MOUs to enhance advanced science cooperation, explore joint projects in Africa

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, Italy sign MOUs to enhance advanced science cooperation, explore joint projects in Africa
  • Others

    Korea, Britain sign revised nuclear cooperation protocol, discuss partnership

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, Britain sign revised nuclear cooperation protocol, discuss partnership
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

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North Korea

S. Korea considers restoring pact reducing military tension with N. Korea

South Korea has been considering restoring a suspended pact with North Korea on reducing military activities along their border and relevant discussions were under way, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday. The pact was signed in 2018 between former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but it was fully suspended in 2024 due to heightened tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang. Asked whether the government is moving to restore the pact, Wi replied that the government has been holding internal discussions, calling the effort the government's "basic direction." "No final conclusion has been reached yet, and consultations are currently in progress," Wi told reporters. Regarding Pyongyang's accusation that Seoul sent drones into the North on two occasions in September and earlier this month, Wi said the government is conducting an internal investigation to determine who was behind the alleged drone incursions. If civilians are found to have sent the drones, Wi said it would "highly likely violate current law and constitute a breach of the armistice agreement

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea considers restoring pact reducing military tension with N. Korea
Foreign Affairs

Korea beats US and UK in global passport race

South Korean passport holders can enter 188 countries and territories without a visa, placing the country among the world's most powerful passports. Visa-free access allows travelers to cross borders without obtaining visas in advance, reflecting the high level of trust and reputation associated with South Korean passports. According to a CNN report citing the Henley Passport Index released Tuesday (local time), South Korean passport holders can enter 188 of 227 global destinations visa-free. This ties South Korea for second place with Japan, which also offers visa-free access to 188 locations. The Henley Passport Index, created by U.K.-based citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks countries by the number of destinations their passport holders can access without a visa. East Asian and European nations dominate the upper tiers. Singapore took the top spot with access to 192 destinations. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland tied for third (186 destinations), followed by 10 European co

Jan 14, 2026By Hankookilbo
Korea beats US and UK in global passport race
Foreign Affairs

Japan hints at addressing historical issues: security adviser

OSAKA, Japan — The leaders of Korea and Japan showed commitment to making progress in addressing historical tragedies through humanitarian cooperation, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday. Wi said the historical issue was one of key agenda items at the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, held one day earlier. According to Wi, the issue of identifying remains from the 1942 flooding accident at the Josei coal mine in Ube, Japan, which killed 183 laborers including 136 Koreans, was first proposed by the Japanese prime minister during the leaders’ one-on-one talks. Historical issues such as the forced labor of Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea have long been points of contention between the two countries. It has been rare for a Japanese leader to be the first to raise the issues. “The two sides agreed to cooperate at the relevant authorities’ level to conduct DNA testing to identify remains discovered last August at the site of the 1942 Josei coal mine flooding,” Wi said. “This was the first issue Prime

Jan 14, 2026By Anna J. Park
Japan hints at addressing historical issues: security adviser
  • Lee, Takaichi visit UNESCO World Heritage site in Nara
North Korea

Seoul to take corresponding action after probe into drone incursions alleged by North: minister

South Korea will take action corresponding to the results of its ongoing investigation into drone incursions alleged by North Korea, the unification minister said Wednesday. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young made the remarks at a policy briefing by agencies affiliated with the ministry, a day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, again demanded that Seoul apologize for violating the North's sovereignty. On Saturday, North Korea's military accused Seoul of sending drones carrying surveillance equipment across the border in September and on Jan. 4, claiming the country's sovereignty had been violated. South Korea immediately launched an investigation into the allegations, including the possibility that civilians may have been behind the claimed drone incursions, while saying the South's military has not sent the drones or operated the models found in the North. "The military-police fact-finding team is currently working swiftly. As soon as the results are released, (the government) will take corresponding action," Chung said. The minister also descri

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul to take corresponding action after probe into drone incursions alleged by North: minister
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Netherlands to bolster cooperation in semiconductors, quantum tech amid global supply chain shift

Korea and the Netherlands agreed Wednesday to deepen technology cooperation in advanced industries, including the semiconductor and quantum sectors, as part of efforts to respond to the global supply chain restructuring, Seoul's industry ministry said. The two sides signed a letter of intent for the initiative during a biennial joint innovation committee meeting held in The Hague, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The ministry said the bilateral cooperation is expected to help both countries boost their industrial competitiveness amid an intensifying global tech war. "South Korea and the Netherlands have continued to expand their cooperation for industrial technology development over the past 10 years, and we hope the latest joint innovation committee meeting becomes the starting point of another decade of cooperation," Choi Yeon-woo, a ministry official in charge of industrial technology, said in a press release. Since 2016, the two countries have conducted more than 40 joint research and development projects for tech cooperation.

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, Netherlands to bolster cooperation in semiconductors, quantum tech amid global supply chain shift
Foreign Affairs

Lee, Takaichi visit UNESCO World Heritage site in Nara

NARA, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung visited Horyuji Temple with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Wednesday, engaging in a friendly cultural exchange aimed at highlighting the growing goodwill between the two countries. On the second day of Lee's visit to Japan, the two leaders appeared relaxed and cordial throughout the visit. Takaichi, who arrived at the temple ahead of schedule, greeted Lee upon his arrival. As they shook hands, Lee remarked with concern that her hands felt cold. He also asked whether Takaichi, who grew up in Nara, had visited Horyuji on school excursions during her childhood. During the visit, Takaichi at one time gently held Lee’s arm to caution him about a step he had not noticed on the temple grounds. She also remarked that he appeared to be wearing the same sneakers he had worn the previous day. Located in Nara prefecture, the historic site is among Japan’s oldest temples and is home to the world’s oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated Japan’s first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1993 and is widely recognized for its stron

Jan 14, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee, Takaichi visit UNESCO World Heritage site in Nara
Foreign Affairs

Lee gifts Japan's Takaichi with drum set

President Lee Jae Myung gifted a drum set to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi following their summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, in another gesture of friendship for Takaichi, who once played heavy metal drums. Following their summit talks Tuesday that sought deeper bilateral relations, Lee gave Takaichi a drum set made by the Korean brand Markers and a pair of drums crafted by a Korean lacquerware artisan. The two leaders had staged an impromptu drum performance to K-pop songs during their informal meeting, after which they exchanged signed drumsticks. Lee also presented Takaichi with red ginseng products as well as pills and powder made from "cheonggukjang," a fermented soybean paste similar to Japan's "natto." For Takaichi's husband, Lee prepared a traditional Korean bronzeware set and Samsung's latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Cheong Wa Dae said the bronzeware was intended as a gesture wishing the couple good health, while the smartwatch was meant to help with health management. In return, Takaichi presented Lee with a Casio wristwatch equipped with solar charging an

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
Lee gifts Japan's Takaichi with drum set
North Korea

What Minneapolis ICE shooting reveals about law and accountability

For more than two decades, I have lived and worked in Minneapolis. During that time, I have seen communities withstand floods, protests and a pandemic. I have also seen how quickly tragedy can divide us. The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minnesota resident and mother of three, by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7 has become one of those moments. In confronting it, we must adhere to the facts, understand the law and remember the humanity of everyone involved. According to federal officials and multiple news reports, Good was fatally shot during a federal immigration operation in south Minneapolis. Video recorded by bystanders shows several ICE agents surrounding her sport utility vehicle. As she tried to leave the scene, one agent fired into the driver’s side window. The vehicle rolled into parked cars and came to a stop. The Department of Homeland Security described the agent’s actions as self-defense and characterized Good’s behavior as an act of domestic terrorism. Local officials disagreed. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the vid

Jan 14, 2026By Massoud Amin
What Minneapolis ICE shooting reveals about law and accountability
Foreign Affairs

S. Korea-US alliance navigates year of uncertainty following Trump's return to power

WASHINGTON — From trade to security and geopolitics, the South Korea-U.S. alliance has undergone a year of uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House, but hard-fought bilateral deals in those areas have put it on a more stable footing. Trump kicked off his second, nonconsecutive term on Jan. 20 at a time of growing questions over the future course of the alliance as he moved to put his America First policy into high gear while Seoul was struggling with the aftermath of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. His aggressive tariff policy and calls for allies to bolster their defense spending and "burden-sharing" heralded profound shifts in America's alliances and partnerships, leaving Seoul scrambling to figure out ways to navigate those changes in the absence of a fully elected leader following Yoon's impeachment in December 2024 and his ouster in April. New South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was elected in June on a promise to put the alliance with the United States at the center of his administration's foreign policy under his "pragm

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea-US alliance navigates year of uncertainty following Trump's return to power
Foreign Affairs

N. Korean leader's sister demands apology for drone incursion

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday demanded that South Korea admit and apologize for a provocation violating its sovereignty after Pyongyang blamed Seoul for drone incursions. Kim Yo-jong made the demand in a statement following the North Korean military's claim last Saturday that Seoul sent drones carrying surveillance equipment across the border to the North in September and on Jan. 4, calling it a violation of its sovereignty. "The Seoul authorities should admit and apologize for having violated the sovereignty of the DPRK and take a measure for preventing reoccurrence," Kim said in the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea. Kim called the alleged sovereignty breach a "deed done by the enemy only." She warned Seoul would be "forced to pay the price they cannot deal with," if such provocations are repeated. "Our reaction to the infringement on sovereignty and our will to defend the sovereignty will not be confined to the proportional response or

Jan 14, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean leader's sister demands apology for drone incursion
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