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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
  • 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
  • Foreign Affairs

    UAE sends military planes to S. Korea to transport Cheongung missile systems: sources

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    UAE sends military planes to S. Korea to transport Cheongung missile systems: sources
  • Foreign Affairs

    PHOTOS German Embassy brings Berlin techno to Seoul through public diplomacy

    1 MIN READBy Anna J. Parkphoto
    [PHOTOS] German Embassy brings Berlin techno to Seoul through public diplomacy
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North Korea

N. Korea slams UNSC meeting on Russia's strike on Ukraine

North Korea on Tuesday denounced a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Russia's recent air strike on Ukraine, defending Moscow's action as a just exercise of the right to self-defense. Kim Song, North Korea's permanent representative to the U.N. issued a statement condemning the UNSC meeting Monday (New York time) after Russia launched a barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine last week. "It is just an extension of the customary practice of the Western cavilers who used to groundlessly slander the just exercise of the right to self-defense of a sovereign state," read the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. The North's envoy denounced Ukraine's military action against Russia as a "terrorist act" as Moscow earlier warned of a response against Ukraine following Kyiv's drone attacks in early January. "The terrorist act targeting the absolute sovereignty of a country can never be justified, and retaliation of justice can never be demonized by any assertion," Kim said. North Korea has sent thousands of troops and weapons to support Russia's war with Ukraine amid dee

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams UNSC meeting on Russia's strike on Ukraine
Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Tokyo stress S. Korea-US-Japan cooperation on NK denuclearization

NARA, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday emphasized the importance of South Korea-Japan cooperation and trilateral coordination with the United States, reaffirming close alignment on North Korea and regional stability as international tensions rise. “The two sides exchanged broad views on regional and global issues and shared the understanding that, amid rapidly changing international circumstances, cooperation between Korea and Japan, as well as trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States and Japan, is vital to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” Lee said at a joint press conference following their 90-minute summit in Japan’s Nara Prefecture, Takaichi’s home constituency. Lee said the two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, and agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea policy. He added that he had urged South Korea, China and Japan to seek as much common ground as possible and to sustain dialo

Jan 13, 2026By Anna J. Park
Seoul, Tokyo stress S. Korea-US-Japan cooperation on NK denuclearization
  • Seoul, Tokyo look to ‘new 60 years’ of partnership at Nara summit
  • Lee, Takaichi play drums together after summit in Japan's Nara
Foreign Affairs

EU Business Hub to host Semiconductors Korea 2026 in Seoul

European and Korean companies will gather in Seoul next month for Semiconductors Korea 2026, a business mission organized under the EU Business Hub program to promote cross-border cooperation in the semiconductor industry. The two-day event will be held Feb. 11-12 at Sono Felice Convention near Coex in southern Seoul. A business exhibition will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ruby Hall, featuring around 50 European small and medium-sized enterprises and startups showcasing semiconductor technologies and related solutions. According to organizers, participating companies will present innovations across a broad range of fields, including chip design and manufacturing, materials and equipment, testing and packaging, advanced electronics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and mobility solutions. The exhibition will be accompanied by one-on-one business meetings, giving Korean companies an opportunity to explore potential partnerships with European firms. On Feb. 11, a business networking reception will be hosted at Lotte Hotel World by the Delegation of the European Union t

Jan 13, 2026By Kim Hyun-bin
EU Business Hub to host Semiconductors Korea 2026 in Seoul
North Korea

Seoul views Pyongyang as leaving room for communication over drone incursions claim

The unification ministry on Tuesday assessed North Korea as leaving room for "communication," referring to a recent statement by the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over South Korea's alleged drone incursions. Kim Yo-jong issued a statement Sunday demanding Seoul's detailed explanation, a day after North Korea claimed South Korea violated the North's airspace by sending drones across the border in September and on Jan. 4. An official at the unification ministry said it assessed the fact that North Korea has not issued a further statement following Kim's as Pyongyang's intention to monitor Seoul's response. "Depending on the government's reaction, we are evaluating (North Korea as leaving) room for easing inter-Korean tensions and having communication," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "The ministry will continue efforts to improve inter-Korean relations even with a chance of 1 percent," he added. After the North's claim of the drone incursions, President Lee Jae Myung ordered the creation of a joint military-police investigation team to look int

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul views Pyongyang as leaving room for communication over drone incursions claim
Foreign Affairs

Korea speeds up preparations for nuclear energy talks with US

The Korean government appears to be speeding up preparations for nuclear energy talks with the United States after Washington gave Seoul the green light to pursue uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful purposes. According to diplomatic sources Tuesday, an internal task force on nuclear energy negotiations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking to hold weekly meetings. A director-general-level task force is expected to meet at least once every three months. Officials are said to be pushing to quickly hold an inaugural meeting with the U.S. side, reflecting a shared understanding between the Korean and U.S. leaders that the process should move forward swiftly. On Friday, the government held the inaugural meeting of a pan-government task force on nuclear energy negotiations with the U.S. Chaired by Rim Kap-soo, the government's representative for Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation, the task force includes officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Officials from t

Jan 13, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea speeds up preparations for nuclear energy talks with US
North Korea

N. Korea replaces top military officials guarding Kim Jong-un: unification ministry

North Korea has replaced its top military officials in charge of guarding leader Kim Jong-un, the unification ministry said Tuesday, with Seoul's spy agency assessing the North as raising the level of security for Kim on assassination concerns. North Korea has changed the chiefs of three major North Korean units defending the security of the North's leader — the Guard Office of the ruling party, the Guard Department of the State Affairs Commission and the Bodyguard Command — the ministry said in its analysis of the major reshuffle of North Korean officials in 2025. The ministry did not disclose the exact timing or the reason for the replacement, but it said the changed chiefs of such agencies were detected during a military parade marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in October 2025. Song Jun-sol serves as the chief of the Guard Office in charge of protecting Kim and his family members. Ro Kyong-chol was appointed to lead the Guard Department tasked with guarding Kim during public events. Ra Chol-jin assumed the chief of the Bodyguard Command of

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea replaces top military officials guarding Kim Jong-un: unification ministry
Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Tokyo look to ‘new 60 years’ of partnership at Nara summit

NARA, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met for a summit in Nara prefecture Tuesday, reaffirming bilateral cooperation as the two countries mark 60 years since normalizing diplomatic relations in 1965. In his opening remarks, Lee acknowledged a shared history shaped by Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, which continues to affect relations between the two countries, while emphasizing the significance of more recent history and the importance of future cooperation. “While we share painful experiences from the past, it has now been 60 years since the normalization of Korea-Japan relations,” Lee said. “As we begin a new chapter toward the next 60 years, today’s meeting carries special meaning.” Takaichi echoed the sentiment, underscoring the two countries’ decadeslong cooperation and the need to elevate bilateral ties to a new level. “We would like to make this year, beginning with the president’s visit to Japan, a year in which Korea-Japan relations advance to a higher dimension,” Takaichi said. Both leaders stressed the imp

Jan 13, 2026By Anna J. Park
Seoul, Tokyo look to ‘new 60 years’ of partnership at Nara summit
  • Seoul, Tokyo stress S. Korea-US-Japan cooperation on NK denuclearization
Foreign Affairs

Peru set to take part in DEPA: industry ministry

Peru will soon become the latest member of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), possibly creating new opportunities for Korea and other member nations, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday, noting the sides have successfully reached an agreement over Peru's participation. Signed in 2020 by Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, DEPA is the world's first stand-alone digital trade agreement. It aims to promote digital trade by reinforcing commercially meaningful digital trade rules and promoting interoperability across different regulatory frameworks, among others. Korea joined the agreement in 2024 and chairs DEPA's accession working group that assessed the inclusion request from Peru. Currently, China and the United Arab Emirates are undergoing separate negotiations for their own participation in DEPA. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Peru's inclusion is expected to provide new export opportunities for Korea in various areas, such as e-commerce, data business and digital content, and foster a stable and predictable digital trade environment between the two cou

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
Peru set to take part in DEPA: industry ministry
Foreign Affairs

Lee arrives in Japan for summit with Takaichi

NARA — President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Japan on Tuesday for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with the two leaders expected to discuss bilateral ties, as well as regional and global issues, amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. Lee will stay in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi's home prefecture, for two days as part of reciprocal leader-level visits dubbed "shuttle diplomacy," aimed at sustaining the recent momentum in improved relations. It will mark Lee's second visit to Japan following his trip last August for talks with Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, and his third meeting with Takaichi since she took office in October. Lee and Takaichi first held summit talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju in late October and briefly met again during the Group of 20 leaders' gathering in South Africa in November. The meeting comes days after Lee's state visit to China for summit talks with President Xi Jinping, at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo following Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan. In an interview

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
Lee arrives in Japan for summit with Takaichi
Foreign Affairs

Finance chief discusses global supply chain stability with British, Japanese counterparts

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol has held meetings with his British and Japanese counterparts in Washington to discuss ways to strengthen global supply chain stability, his office said Tuesday. Koo held separate bilateral talks with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on the sidelines of the Finance Ministerial Meeting on Securing Critical Minerals Supply Chains in the U.S. capital on Monday (local time), according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In his meeting with Reeves, the two sides shared the view that international cooperation is essential to enhancing global supply chain stability and agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as the recycling of critical minerals, the ministry said. Koo met with Katayama for the first time since taking office, exchanging views on recent global economic developments, and ways to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries. The ministerial gathering brought together finance chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) to discuss the impact of global supply ch

Jan 13, 2026By Yonhap
Finance chief discusses global supply chain stability with British, Japanese counterparts
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