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  • Foreign Affairs

    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

    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
  • Others

    Lee, Mattarella agree to elevate Korea-Italy ties into special strategic partnership

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee, Mattarella agree to elevate Korea-Italy ties into special strategic partnership
  • North Korea

    Seoul, Washington reaffirm goal of NK denuclearization at key nuclear deterrence meeting

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Seoul, Washington reaffirm goal of NK denuclearization at key nuclear deterrence meeting
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties
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Foreign Affairs

Korea, China agree to deepen 'panda cooperation' following summit talks

The Korean and Chinese environment authorities agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation on pandas following a summit agreement between President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the potential lease of additional pandas to Korea, the environment ministry here said. Environment Minister Kim Sung-whan met with Liu Guohong, director of China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, in Beijing and the two sides "reflected on the achievements of the two countries' panda cooperation and agreed to deepen cooperation in the future," the ministry said. The meeting came a day after Lee and Xi agreed during their summit in Beijing to launch working-level discussions on the potential lease of more pandas to Korea, where there are currently four living at the Everland amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The four bears are Ai Bao and Le Bao, giant pandas sent by Xi in March 2016 as a symbol of the Korea-China friendship, and their twin cubs, Hui Bao and Lui Bao, which were born at the park in 2023. The couple's first cub, Fu Bao, was sent back to China in April 20

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, China agree to deepen 'panda cooperation' following summit talks
Foreign Affairs

AnalysisLee-Xi summit exposes differences on key security issues

A high-stakes summit between the leaders of South Korea and China exposed lingering gaps on key security issues, analysts said Tuesday, even as the two neighbors agreed on the importance of restarting dialogue with North Korea. President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, in the first visit by a South Korean president to China in a little over eight years, as both sides moved cautiously to stabilize relations after a prolonged period of strain. Lee’s trip, a reciprocal visit following Xi’s trip to Korea last November, signaled what officials in Seoul described as "a full restoration of bilateral ties" after relations had grown chilly in recent years amid security and trade friction. Following the meeting, the two leaders oversaw the signing of 14 memorandums of understanding covering areas such as science, technology and trade. On the security front, however, progress appeared limited. South Korea’s presidential office said the two leaders reaffirmed that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula — an apparent reference to the denuclearizat

Jan 6, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Lee-Xi summit exposes differences on key security issues
K-universities

China's degree delisting hits Korean universities, impacting key student pipeline

Several Korean universities are struggling to attract Chinese students after being dropped from China’s list of recognized overseas institutions. With the reasons for the removals unclear, affected universities say they have been left in a difficult position, given China’s long-established role as a major source of international students and tuition revenue. “The university has clearly felt the impact, with a decline in applications from Chinese students,” said an official at Daejin University, one of the institutions affected by the delistings. The Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), an organization under China’s Ministry of Education, updated its list of accredited overseas higher education institutions in late October, removing 270 universities worldwide, including 15 from Korea. CSCSE certifies foreign degrees for use in China’s domestic job market and civil service recruitment system. Of the Korean universities affected, five were removed from the list in July last year, followed by another 10 in October, bringing the total number of delisted instituti

Jan 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
China's degree delisting hits Korean universities, impacting key student pipeline
  • China delists 15 Korean universities from recognized overseas institutions
North Korea

NK leader's daughter appearing at center stage likely aimed at socialist family imagery: official

The appearances of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, at the center of recent public events appear aimed at projecting socialist imagery that portrays society as one great family, a Seoul official said Tuesday. An official at the unification ministry in Seoul made the assessment after Kim's teenage daughter captured headlines by appearing at back-to-back public events alongside her father. Photos carried by state media showed Ju-ae standing at the center of the front row between her parents as they, accompanied by rows of officials, visited the family mausoleum to pay tribute to the former leaders on New Year's Day. The images rekindled long-brewing speculation that Ju-ae may be being groomed as Kim's heir apparent. Again on Tuesday, Ju-ae was seen in North Korean media joining Kim and other officials at a ceremony the previous day to plant trees for a memorial museum in Pyongyang commemorating North Korean soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in the war with Ukraine. The unification ministry official said the focus of North Korea's recent exposure of Ju-ae is likely

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader's daughter appearing at center stage likely aimed at socialist family imagery: official
Foreign Affairs

Lee meets with Chinese premier to shore up critical trade ties

BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung moved to shore up Korea’s most critical economic relationship on Tuesday, holding a third round of high-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang aimed at insulating bilateral trade from broader geopolitical volatility. By engaging Li, who manages the day-to-day machinery of the Chinese economy, the Korean leader, who is on a state visit to China, signaled a preference for functional cooperation over the ideological friction that has often defined regional diplomacy. During the session, Lee characterized the “strategic cooperative partnership” as an essential stabilizer for regional peace, explicitly linking diplomatic harmony to the domestic livelihoods of both nations. He underscored Li’s pivotal role as the architect of China’s economic policy and its primary envoy to the trilateral forum with Japan, framing the premier as a necessary partner in maintaining a predictable environment for Northeast Asian commerce. “Based on people’s livelihoods and peace, I expect the prime minister to continue playing a major role in advancing Korea-Ch

Jan 6, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee meets with Chinese premier to shore up critical trade ties
Foreign Affairs

Lee takes selfies with China's Xi after state dinner

President Lee Jae Myung has posted selfies with Chinese President Xi Jinping, just after they held a state dinner following summit talks. The selfies were taken Monday on a Xiaomi smartphone that Lee had received from Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Korea late last year after the leaders held their first summit talks. In a post on his X account, Lee said he took the selfies using the Xiaomi smartphone. "Thanks to you, I got once-in-a-lifetime photos," Lee wrote on the post titled, "Isn't the image quality great?" Another selfie showed Lee snapping the photo with first lady Kim Hea Kyung, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. Xi had presented Lee with two Xiaomi smartphones equipped with Korean-made displays. At the time, Lee jokingly asked whether the line was secure, prompting Xi to laugh and suggest he check if there was any "backdoor." Lee said he hopes to stay in close touch with Xi to further advance bilateral relations based on personal trust. "The closer we meet, the more Korea-China relations are being untangled. (We) will communicate more often and cooperate even more in the futu

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
Lee takes selfies with China's Xi after state dinner
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim inspects construction of memorial for soldiers killed in Ukraine war

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the construction site of a memorial for the North's soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, hailing their sacrifice as an "eternal cornerstone" for Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday. Kim "visited the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations" in Pyongyang the previous day and dug the first shovelful of earth for the museum's tree planting, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Images released by the North's state media showed Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter Ju-ae accompanied Kim at the event, with Ju-ae seen digging the ground along with her father in the tree planting. Kim said the sacrifice of North Korean troops "would serve as the solid root and eternal cornerstone supporting the mightiness of the motherly DPRK," according to the KCNA. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of the country. While awarding official commendations in August last year to soldiers who were dispatched to support Russia in the war, Kim unveiled a plan to

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects construction of memorial for soldiers killed in Ukraine war
Foreign Affairs

Lee, Xi agree on importance of resuming talks with NK: security adviser

BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday shared the view on the importance of resuming dialogue with North Korea and agreed to explore measures for peace on the Korean Peninsula, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said. During their summit in Beijing, Lee underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation for peace as North Korea ratcheted up tensions by launching ballistic missiles on Sunday morning just hours before his arrival in the Chinese capital for a state visit. "The two leaders underscored the importance of resuming dialogue with North Korea," Wi told reporters, adding that Lee and Xi would continue to seek "creative measures to establish peace" on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders also reaffirmed that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula serve the interests of both countries, and Lee was assured of China's willingness to play a "constructive" role toward that goal, Wi added. They also shared consensus on holding annual meetings and to expand communication and exchanges among defense authorities to "build mutual trust and con

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
Lee, Xi agree on importance of resuming talks with NK: security adviser
Foreign Affairs

Foreign ministry reviews protection measures for Koreans in Iran amid unrest

Korea's foreign ministry held a joint meeting with overseas diplomatic missions Monday to review measures to protect its nationals in Iran amid rising anti-government protests in the Middle Eastern nation. The meeting was chaired by Yoon Chu-sok, director general for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, who urged diplomatic officials in the meeting to closely monitor developments. Yoon also called on diplomatic missions to conduct constant safety checks on nationals residing in the area and to prepare contingency plans in case the situation worsens. The South Korean Embassy in Iran has issued multiple safety advisories to Korean nationals staying in the country, repeatedly urging them to avoid unnecessary outings and travel and to take extra precautions to ensure their personal safety. The unrest in Tehran comes amid growing protests over the rising cost of living. More than a dozen people have reportedly been killed during the demonstrations, while hundreds of others are said to have been injured or arrested.

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
Foreign ministry reviews protection measures for Koreans in Iran amid unrest
Foreign Affairs

Korea, China sign 14 MOUs on cooperation in technology, environment, other areas

BEIJING — Korea and China signed a series of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on cooperation in industrial exchanges, technology, the environment and other areas on the occasion of a summit between Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. The 14 MOUs and a separate agreement on the return of Chinese historical artifacts in Korea underscored the joint efforts by Seoul and Beijing to deepen bilateral ties, as Lee pushes for "pragmatic" diplomacy to stably manage relations with China while ensuring a robust security alliance with the United States. Among the MOUs was an arrangement on the creation of a regular dialogue platform between South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and China's Ministry of Commerce to enhance commercial cooperation between the two countries. On the technology front, the two sides signed an MOU on cooperation for science and technology innovation, as well as a separate MOU on digital technology collaboration. They also inked MOUs to find and nurture promising startups and lay t

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, China sign 14 MOUs on cooperation in technology, environment, other areas
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