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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
  • Others

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

    1 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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties
  • Foreign Affairs

    PM offers condolences over death of ex-Japanese politician Kono

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    PM offers condolences over death of ex-Japanese politician Kono
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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

Daughter of N. Korea's Kim pays tribute at family mausoleum for 1st time

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter Ju-ae has paid tribute at the family mausoleum for the first time, accompanied by her father, the North's state media images showed Friday. Her first known attendance at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the North Korean leader's late father and grandfather lie in state, came amid growing speculation about her presence in the North Korean communist dynasty's potential succession. Kim, his wife and Ju-ae, as well as key party and government officials, visited the family mausoleum on New Year's Day. While the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not mention that Ju-ae visited the family mausoleum, state media photos showed the Kim family standing in the front row. Ju-ae was spotted in the center, with her parents standing on each side. It marked the first known visit to the family mausoleum by Ju-ae, who first appeared in North Korean state media in 2022. "All the visitors made a firm pledge to fulfill their responsibility and duty in the vanguard of accomplishing the sacred cause for the eternal prosperity and development of t

Jan 2, 2026By Yonhap
Daughter of N. Korea's Kim pays tribute at family mausoleum for 1st time
North Korea

North Korea's Kim attends New Year celebrations with daughter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended New Year's celebrations in Pyongyang that included fireworks, patriotic songs and dances and a taekwondo demonstration, state media KCNA said on Thursday. Kim's daughter Ju-ae, who some analysts view as the frontrunner to become his successor, accompanied Kim during the celebrations, hugging ‍children along with her father, sitting next to him and holding hands with him, KCNA photos showed. In a speech, Kim lauded the North Korean people's efforts which led to "successes and phenomenal changes" in 2025, and called for their unity ‍as a key party congress expected to be held in ‍early 2026 will lay out the future direction for the country. North ‌Korea is expected to hold the 9th Congress of ‍the ruling Workers' Party of Korea soon, which will lay out the country's plans for the next ‌five years in various fields such as nuclear and weapons development, as well as the economy. Kim also sent a New Year's message to North Korean troops fighting on ‍Russia's side in the war in Ukraine, calling them the "greatest strength and ‍pride and

Jan 1, 2026By Reuters
North Korea's Kim attends New Year celebrations with daughter
North Korea

From Buldak noodles to photo booths: North Korea copies South Korean trends

Even as North Korea spent 2025 pushing a political strategy centered on ignoring South Korea, the country simultaneously copied South Korean products, designs and cultural content — from food packaging to football fan zones — revealing what analysts describe as a contradictory yet calculated pattern of imitation. While Pyongyang continues to warn against the inflow of South Korean culture, it has selectively adopted popular elements and repurposed them as its own through what observers call “subjective adaptation.” According to Kang Dong-wan, a professor at Dong-A University and head of the Busan Hana Center, North Korea’s tendency to “follow the South” became more blatant over the past year. One example is a noodle product whose packaging closely resembles Samyang Foods’ Buldak Ramen, complete with a similar black background and fiery chicken mascot. North Korea reportedly produced the imitation product, labeled “Spicy Kimchi Bibim Noodles,” and exported it to China in an apparent attempt to benefit from the global K-food boom. Photos provided by Kang also show a ra

Jan 1, 2026By Hankookilbo
From Buldak noodles to photo booths: North Korea copies South Korean trends
North Korea

Pyongyang briefly reports on New Year's greeting by China's Xi to N. Korea's Kim

Pyongyang's state media on Thursday briefly reported on a New Year's message by Chinese President Xi Jinping to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The report by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), however, did not provide details of Xi's message. The KCNA listed Xi and his wife among a number of foreign leaders who have sent New Year's messages to Kim, including leaders from Vietnam, Myanmar and Belarus. Last month, the KCNA reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a New Year's message to Kim, which it disclosed in detail. Putin sent the New Year's message on Dec. 18 and the KCNA released it last Thursday, quoting him as hailing the North's "heroic" dispatch of troops in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Jan 1, 2026By Yonhap
Pyongyang briefly reports on New Year's greeting by China's Xi to N. Korea's Kim
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim hails troops in Russia for cementing 'invincible alliance' with Moscow

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told the country's troops dispatched to support Russia in its war against Ukraine that their combat participation helps cement the "invincible alliance" between Pyongyang and Moscow, state media reported Thursday. Kim delivered the message in a New Year's letter addressed to North Korean soldiers stationed overseas, dated Wednesday and released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war efforts, with thousands believed to have been killed in action. Extending New Year's greetings, Kim said 2025 was shining brightly thanks to the "imperishable" honor the troops safeguarded with their blood and lives, "All of you have safeguarded heroically the dignity and honour of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," Kim said, lauding them as "the greatest strength, pride and a strong pillar" of the country. Kim said he hopes to reunite with the soldiers as early as possible, adding that he has no greater hope than seeing all of them return home safely and urging t

Jan 1, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim hails troops in Russia for cementing 'invincible alliance' with Moscow
Foreign Affairs

US official voices concerns revised Korean network act could 'endanger' tech cooperation

WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. diplomat has expressed concerns over a recently passed revision to a South Korean law aimed at addressing false and fabricated online information, saying it could give regulators an "invasive license for viewpoint-based censorship" and would undermine technology cooperation. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers made the remarks in social media posts on Tuesday — in a public display of concern over the revision that stoked worries over the possibility of diplomatic and trade tension between the two countries. South Korea's National Assembly passed the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act last week, which seeks to stop acts of spreading illegal and fabricated information online, which would instigate violence and discrimination. "South Korea's proposed amendment to its Network Act, ostensibly focused on redressing defamatory deepfakes, reaches much further — and endangers tech cooperation," she wrote on X. "Deepfakes are understandably concerning, but it's better to give victims civil remedies than give regulator

Jan 1, 2026By Yonhap
US official voices concerns revised Korean network act could 'endanger' tech cooperation
Foreign Affairs

S. Korean, Chinese FMs discuss preparations for 'substantive' outcomes ahead of Lee's state visit to China

The top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed to make thorough preparations to produce "concrete" and "substantive" outcomes from President Lee Jae Myung's upcoming state visit to China during their phone talks this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, held the phone conversation on Wednesday, as President Lee Jae Myung is set to visit China from Sunday through Wednesday to attend summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and other events. "Both ministers assessed the trend of the development of the South Korea-China relations, and agreed to continue close communication for the success of the upcoming state visit to China, which is the first summit diplomacy schedule for both countries," the ministry said in a press release. "In particular, they agreed to make thorough preparations to yield concrete and substantive outcomes that people of both countries can actually feel, while solidifying the efforts for the full restoration of the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership," it added. The two sides also

Jan 1, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korean, Chinese FMs discuss preparations for 'substantive' outcomes ahead of Lee's state visit to China
Foreign Affairs

Envoys send season’s greetings

EU Ambassador Ugo Astuto As we welcome the new year, I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to all readers of the Korea Times on behalf of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Korea. Korea and the EU enjoy a strong strategic partnership, grounded in shared values. We believe in democracy and respect for human rights. Together, we support a cooperative approach to international relations, multilateralism and the rules-based system of international governance. This is particularly crucial now, as we face the continuing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and renewed challenges to the UN Charter. With Korea, a trusted partner and friend, the EU will continue to advance cooperation across the board —from the green and digital transition to trade, security and the fight against climate change. Our shared values will guide our actions in the year ahead as we work to build a more secure, peaceful and prosperous world. Best wishes! French Ambassador Philippe Bertoux On the occasion of the New Year, I would like to extend my warmest and most sincere wishes to the Korean peop

Jan 1, 2026
Envoys send season’s greetings
Foreign Affairs

What's at stake for Lee in upcoming visit to China?

President Lee Jae Myung is set to visit Beijing next week for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, drawing attention to whether the rare trip by a South Korean leader will yield tangible results as long-strained bilateral ties show signs of improvement. Analysts say that while the two sides are unlikely to reach concrete agreements on sensitive security issues, progress could be made in economic and cultural areas. According to the presidential office, Lee will depart on Sunday for a four-day visit to China. He will spend three days in Beijing, where the summit with Xi will be held, before traveling to Shanghai on Tuesday. The trip will mark the first visit by a South Korean president to China in nine years. Relations between Seoul and Beijing have been cool for much of that period, though signs of improvement emerged after the two leaders met in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Still, Lee's visit comes at a sensitive moment, with the two countries remaining far apart on key security issues. South Korea

Dec 31, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
What's at stake for Lee in upcoming visit to China?
North Korea

S. Korea to prioritize confirming fate of separated families' kin in N. Korea

The unification ministry said Wednesday it will prioritize confirming the fate of separated families' relatives in North Korea if strained inter-Korean relations begin to improve. Under the 2026-2028 plan for supporting families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, the ministry said it will make efforts to resume exchanges between such divided families at the government level and facilitate civilian-level exchanges between them. "When there is progress over inter-Korean relations, the government will prioritize confirming the fate of the families' relatives in North Korea," the ministry said. Since the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, the two Koreas have held 21 rounds of separated family reunions. Since the last event in August 2018, state-arranged family events have been suspended amid frosty inter-Korean ties. North Korea dismantled a reunion facility for separated families inside its Mount Kumgang tourist area after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered officials in 2019 to tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities built by South Korea at the mountain resort. The ministry said

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea to prioritize confirming fate of separated families' kin in N. Korea
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