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    Norwegian architect behind Busan Opera House highlights architecture’s role in social change

    Architecture should do more than create iconic buildings — it should shape how people interact, gather and experience their cities, according to Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founding partner of Norwegian architectural and design firm Snøhetta, which is currently leading the Busan Opera House project. Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, Thorsen outlined Snøhetta’s design philosophy and highlighted projects from around the world, arguing that architecture can serve as a catalyst for cultural participation, social integration and sustainable development. The event, held at the Norwegian ambassador’s residence under the theme “Designing Culture, Designing Change: Architecture as a Catalyst for Collective Futures,” brought together architects, cultural leaders and industry professionals to explore the role of design in shaping contemporary society. Welcoming guests, Norwegian Ambassador Anne Kari Hansen Ovind described Snøhetta as one of Norway’s most influential creative enterprises and a global ambassador for Norwegian design. “Sn

    3 MIN READBy Anna J. Park
    Norwegian architect behind Busan Opera House highlights architecture’s role in social change
  • Foreign Affairs

    Korea hosts engineering, medical training for troops from UN peacekeeping nations

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea hosts engineering, medical training for troops from UN peacekeeping nations
  • North Korea

    N. Korea's parliament elects new judges of highest court

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea's parliament elects new judges of highest court
  • North Korea

    N. Korea's Kim reaffirms alliance with Russia in letter to Putin

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea's Kim reaffirms alliance with Russia in letter to Putin
  • Foreign Affairs

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

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

Lee honors Korea's independence activists at historic site in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — Marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea’s Shanghai headquarters and the 150th birth anniversary of independence leader Kim Koo, President Lee Jae Myung visited the historic site on Wednesday afternoon as the final stop on his state visit to China. At the venue, Lee expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for its cooperation in preserving the site and underscored the significance of Korea’s independence movement. “The history of Korea’s independence movement cannot be told without China,” the president said. “Nearly half of Korea’s independence-related historical sites are located in China, which served as the main stage for our struggle," he added. Among them, the Korean president noted that Shanghai is especially symbolic. “This building housed the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1926 to 1932, after it was forced to relocate multiple times to evade harsh Japanese repression following its establishment in 1919,” he said. Lee emphasized that it was here that independe

Jan 7, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee honors Korea's independence activists at historic site in Shanghai
North Korea

Kim Jong-un’s ‘people-first leadership’ on display at memorial site, analysts say

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a construction site on the outskirts of Pyongyang for a memorial honoring troops dispatched to Russia, where he planted a commemorative tree. He was joined by his daughter Ju-ae, with whom he was seen holding a shovel and planting a sapling. He also drove a forklift himself, carrying Ju-ae and senior officials. Analysts say the display is intended to highlight a "people-first" image ahead of the Workers’ Party’s ninth congress. The Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday reported that Kim visited the construction site of the Memorial Hall for Overseas Military Operations and Combat Feats the previous day with senior party, government and military officials, where he encouraged the soldiers building the monument and their commanders. Touring the site, Kim said it is “a great monument of the times symbolizing the valor of the outstanding sons of the Korean people,” adding that the project will create “another important ideological and spiritual base for education in victory traditions in our capital.” Kim’s wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Ju

Jan 7, 2026By Hankookilbo
Kim Jong-un’s ‘people-first leadership’ on display at memorial site, analysts say
Foreign Affairs

China to remove West Sea structures, Korean president says

SHANGHAI — South Korea and China will seek to clearly divide maritime borders in disputed areas of the West Sea, as conflicts have emerged over large-scale installations there set up by China, President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday. China has expressed its intention to partially withdraw them, he said. Lee made the comments two days after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the West Sea structures were on the agenda. The conflict surrounds structures China deployed in 2022 within the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ), an area where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the two countries overlap in the West Sea, a shallow body of water between China and the Korean Peninsula. While China has claimed the facilities are for marine farming, South Korea has viewed them as infringements of its maritime rights and a part of China’s “gray zone” tactics. “China’s position is that the facilities are simply aquaculture farms. From our perspective, the issue is why such installations were set up unilaterally by China in the area where the two countries are supposed to joint

Jan 7, 2026By Anna J. Park
China to remove West Sea structures, Korean president says
Foreign Affairs

Acting US envoy departs Seoul with possible new role on NK issues

Kevin Kim, who had been serving as the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea for roughly two months, has departed the post, further prolonging the lack of a formally appointed American envoy in Seoul. Kim recently informed Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his departure, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. He is said to have traveled to the United States for Christmas and did not return to Seoul. Kim took up the post in October last year and played a key role in coordinating U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later that month, as well as a bilateral summit with President Lee Jae Myung held on the sidelines of that event. Following Kim's departure, James Heller, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy, will serve as charge d'affaires for the time being, the embassy said in a notice posted on its website. "For the time being, Deputy Chief of Mission James Heller is expected to continue close communication with our side as acting charge d'affaires," a foreign ministry official said. The official declined to comment

Jan 7, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Acting US envoy departs Seoul with possible new role on NK issues
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Malaysia discuss expanding trade cooperation, industry ties

The Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) held talks Monday with Malaysia’s ambassador to Korea to discuss ways to expand bilateral trade cooperation and strengthen industry ties, the association said. The meeting took place at the association’s headquarters in Seoul. KOIMA Chairperson Youn Young-mi said Malaysia is playing an increasingly important role as the 2025 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, underscoring its position as a key trading partner for Korea. She highlighted Malaysia’s stable supply of critical raw materials, including palm oil and liquefied natural gas, which she said are essential to Korea’s manufacturing and energy sectors. Youn noted that Korea has strong technological capabilities in refining and processing imported raw materials into high value-added products, adding that there is significant potential for the two countries to deepen cooperation across a wide range of industries. She said KOIMA is planning to dispatch an import delegation to Malaysia in May and will work closely with the ASEAN-Korea Centre to help generate more practical a

Jan 7, 2026By Kim Hyun-bin
Korea, Malaysia discuss expanding trade cooperation, industry ties
Foreign Affairs

Lee says he asked China's Xi to play mediator role on Korean Peninsula

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to play the role of a mediator on the Korean Peninsula, including on the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons. Lee made the remark in Shanghai after holding a summit with Xi in Beijing on Monday as part of his ongoing state visit to the country. "There's something I asked for from the Chinese side," he said during a luncheon with reporters accompanying him on the trip. "I would like (China) to play the role of a mediator on Korean Peninsula issues, including on the North Korean nuclear issue." Lee said he explained that all channels between the two Koreas have been blocked, with "zero trust" and only hostility remaining between the sides. "President Xi noted the efforts until now and said patience is needed," he said, expressing his agreement with the idea. "For quite a long time, we've effectively taken military offensive action against North Korea. North Korea was likely extremely nervous. In order to have dialogue with a counterpart, we have to understand the position of the other side." Lee said that i

Jan 7, 2026By Yonhap
Lee says he asked China's Xi to play mediator role on Korean Peninsula
North Korea

N. Korea touts achievements in 'rural revolution' ahead of key party congress

North Korea on Wednesday hailed the country's endeavors in achieving a "rural revolution" as the regime is set to hold the ninth party congress early this year. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, carried the report, praising the construction of farm villages as an "immortal journey" that has stood out prominently over the past five years. The paper cited rural achievements, such as increased agricultural output, advances in farming technologies and improvements in the rural environment, but did not provide any specific figures. "The new-era rural revolution is an undertaking that is unprecedented in the country's socialist construction in terms of the range and depth of its transformation and the magnitude of its tasks," the newspaper said. The North Korean party is expected to convene its ninth party congress in January or February, at which a new five-year development plan is expected to be formulated. It will mark the first party congress since the eighth in 2021, where a five-year economic development plan was adopted.

Jan 7, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea touts achievements in 'rural revolution' ahead of key party congress
North Korea

Maduro’s fall may stoke Kim Jong-un’s fears: ‘He will cling more tightly to nuclear weapons’

With the United States carrying out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, diplomatic attention is turning to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Observers say the latest U.S. attack on an authoritarian regime may have increased Kim’s fear of regime change. Experts say his conviction that "only nuclear weapons ensure survival" is likely to harden further. North Korea strongly condemned what it called a U.S. "invasion" of Venezuela in a Q&A session on Sunday with a foreign ministry spokesperson and a Korean Central News Agency reporter. The spokesperson said it was “another case that once again confirms the gangster-like and beastly nature of the United States as witnessed by the international community.” They added that North Korea brands Washington’s actions in Venezuela as “the gravest form of sovereignty violation and a violent breach of the U.N. Charter and international law, which are based on respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs and territorial integrity,” and said the country condemns it in the strongest terms. Early Saturda

Jan 7, 2026By Hankookilbo
Maduro’s fall may stoke Kim Jong-un’s fears: ‘He will cling more tightly to nuclear weapons’
Foreign Affairs

Acting US ambassador leaves post in S. Korea for possible new role in Korea affairs: sources

Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim has left his post in Seoul and returned to the United States, amid expectations he may be assigned a new role in the Trump administration related to Korea issues, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Kim's unexpected departure came just about two months after he took up the post as charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in October last year. Kim took on the top embassy position in an acting capacity to fill a prolonged vacancy after former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg left the post following the launch of the second Trump administration. Kim recently informed Seoul officials he was leaving his post, according to multiple diplomatic sources. He reportedly returned to the U.S. around Christmas. Jim Heller, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, is expected to serve as charge d'affaires until a new ambassador is appointed. Sources say that Kim could be tapped for a new role handling Korea-related issues, possibly a position tasked with implementing the summit agreements reached between the allies on security and

Jan 7, 2026By Yonhap
Acting US ambassador leaves post in S. Korea for possible new role in Korea affairs: sources
Foreign Affairs

Viral Lee-Xi selfie hands Xiaomi spotlight, sidelines Samsung

A casual selfie shared by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping has turned into an unexpected publicity boost for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, while pushing Samsung Electronics — often regarded as Korea’s national tech champion — out of the frame. The photo, taken during Lee’s state visit to China and posted on his social media, showed the two leaders posing with a Xiaomi smartphone that Xi had previously given Lee as a gift. In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Lee asked, “Is the image quality good?” and described the selfie as a “once-in-a-lifetime photo,” drawing attention to the device used rather than the diplomatic setting. The image circulated widely on social media and was later picked up by overseas online media and tech-focused websites, which noted the use of a Xiaomi device by Korea’s president. “Think of Korean President Lee pulling out Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold phone and capturing a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” said Yash, a contributor to Samsung-focused tech media outlet Sammy Fa

Jan 7, 2026By Jane Han
Viral Lee-Xi selfie hands Xiaomi spotlight, sidelines Samsung
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