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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties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

S. Korea to wrap up 2-yr term as elected UN Security Council member

South Korea was set to end its two-year term as an elected member of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) this week, marking its third stint on the U.N.'s core body tasked with maintaining global peace and security. South Korea's term as a nonpermanent UNSC member will end on Wednesday (New York time), the foreign ministry said. It was elected to the council in June 2023, along with four other countries, comprising Algeria, Sierra Leone, Guyana and Slovenia. It was the first time in 11 years that South Korea was elected to the UNSC, following the previous stints in 1996-97 and 2013-14. The UNSC consists of five permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia, and 10 nonpermanent members, five of whom are elected every year. The UNSC is the only U.N. body that has power to make binding decisions on U.N. member states, such as through sanctions like arms embargoes, and it can also authorize peacekeeping missions or military action to stop threats to peace. All U.N. members are legally obligated to comply with its resolutions. Elected members are vested with the same auth

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea to wrap up 2-yr term as elected UN Security Council member
North Korea

N. Korea set to mark New Year with outdoor celebrations, firework display

North Korea is set to hold a nighttime outdoor celebration and launch fireworks Wednesday to usher in the new year, according to the North's state media. At 11 p.m., youths and students will gather at Kim Il Sung Square to hold a nighttime outdoor celebration, with a ceremony to hoist the national flag and firework displays also planned, according to the Korean Central Broadcasting Station. In recent years, North Korea has held such events at the square on the eve of Jan. 1. North Korea may hold a separate art performance celebrating the new year, attended by its leader Kim Jong-un. On the last day of 2024, Kim attended a large-scale art performance held at the May Day Stadium with his daughter Ju-ae. North Korea appears to have held large-scale New Year celebrations in a bid to arouse the people's pride in the nation and strengthen internal solidarity. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, carried a report on Kim's inspections for this year on the front page of Wednesday's edition, highlighting his attendance at the opening ceremonies for regional factories and the overseeing of

Dec 31, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea set to mark New Year with outdoor celebrations, firework display
Foreign Affairs

Only 37 % of Japanese favor diplomatic support for peace on Korean Peninsula: poll

Only 36.7 percent of Japanese people said they support efforts to provide diplomatic support to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, hovering well below the global average, a survey showed Tuesday. The percentage of Japanese citizens who backed the idea of offering economic and military support also stood at 25.8 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for National Unification. The online survey was conducted from Aug. 11-18 on 1,000 respondents in seven countries — Japan, Germany, Mongolia, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Poland — and 2,000 respondents in the United States. Among the eight nations, Japan recorded the lowest figure in terms of all of the diplomatic, economic and military support, the poll showed. Except Japan, the percentage of respondents from the seven countries came to a range of 63.8-76.6 percent in supporting diplomatic solutions, while 40.8-63.8 percent favored the economic support. On the military support, the corresponding percentage reached 24.2-60.3 percent. In the U.S., 52.1 percent of respondents said they sup

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap
Only 37 % of Japanese favor diplomatic support for peace on Korean Peninsula: poll
Foreign Affairs

President Lee to make state visit to China Jan. 4-7, hold summit with Xi

President Lee Jae Myung is set to make a four-day state visit to China next week, during which he will have bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the presidential office on Tuesday, Lee was scheduled to depart Seoul on Sunday, visiting Beijing and Shanghai. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said that Lee will visit Beijing from Jan. 4 to 6, during which he will have a summit with Xi and attend a state banquet. He will then visit Shanghai on Jan. 6 and 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since his inauguration in June, and follows Xi's visit to Korea from late October to early November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting. Their first meeting helped ease previously strained relations between Seoul and Beijing. "During the state visit, talks are expected to focus on issues that directly affect the livelihoods of both countries’ citizens, including supply chains, investment, the digital economy, responses to transnational crime and environmental cooperation," Kang said. In Shanghai, one of the hubs fo

Dec 30, 2025By Anna J. Park
President Lee to make state visit to China Jan. 4-7, hold summit with Xi
North Korea

S. Koreans allowed to access N. Korean propaganda newspaper starting Tuesday

South Koreans can now read Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, without prior approval from the authorities, following the government's relaxation of a decades-long restriction on Pyongyang's publications, the Ministry of Unification said Tuesday. Under the new policy, Rodong Sinmun — long classified as a "special publication" — has been reclassified as a "general publication," allowing the public to access issues at libraries without special approval procedures. "Starting today, visitors to institutions authorized to handle the newspaper will be able to access Rodong Sinmun in the same manner as general publications, without the need for separate identity verification or application procedures," Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung said at a briefing. Kim said the change is intended to guarantee the public free access to information about North Korea, moving away from the current system in which the government controls and selectively provides that information. According to the ministry, 181 institutions nationwide hold copies of Rodong Sinmun,

Dec 30, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
S. Koreans allowed to access N. Korean propaganda newspaper starting Tuesday
Foreign Affairs

Korea, China to accelerate negotiations for 2nd phase of bilateral FTA

Trade chiefs of Korea and China discussed ways to accelerate follow-up negotiations for the second phase of the countries' bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) Tuesday, aiming to expand cooperation in services and investment, Seoul's trade ministry said. The talks between Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and his Chinese counterpart, Li Chenggang, were held in Beijing, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The first phase of the FTA, which took effect in December 2015, eliminated tariffs on major goods. At the time, the two countries agreed to a limited opening of their services and investment sectors and pledged to launch follow-up negotiations within two years. According to the ministry, the two sides agreed on Tuesday to hold regular in-person meetings involving all relevant government agencies starting next year to narrow differences over remaining issues. They also agreed to convene an additional ministerial-level trade meeting in the first half of next year to allow their top trade officials to directly review progress in the negotiations. If the second phase of the FT

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap
Korea, China to accelerate negotiations for 2nd phase of bilateral FTA
North Korea

N. Korean officials' license plates indicate power hierarchy in regime

Car license plates used by ranking North Korean officials may point to their power hierarchy in the regime, according to an analysis of state media Tuesday, with Premier Pak Thae-song appearing to be second in the order of precedence. Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was seen riding the Aurus luxurious limousine having the license plate "7•27 0001," questions have arisen over which North Korean official holds a license plate bearing the following number. Premier Pak was detected riding a vehicle with the plate number "7•27 0002" and that of Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, was identified as "0003," according to state TV network footage analyzed by Yonhap News Agency. Experts said Pak's license plate may indicate the political status of the Cabinet has grown in North Korea as the North Korean leader has empowered the Cabinet to take more responsibility for implementing the economic policy as the "economic control tower." The status of a premier has been enhanced under Kim's rule as he has focused on improving the people's livelihoods, high

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean officials' license plates indicate power hierarchy in regime
North Korea

N. Korea completes building factories, hospital planned for this year under Kim's regional policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony to open a hospital and light-industry factories in the western city of Nampho, state media reported Tuesday, marking the completion of building such modern facilities in 20 cities and counties planned for this year. The inauguration ceremony took place in Ryonggang County the previous day, opening up a "new phase" for advancing the comprehensive development of socialist construction, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The inauguration of the Ryonggang County Hospital and regional-industry factories successfully concluded the construction of model hospitals and leisure complexes and regional-industry factories in 20 cities and counties planned for this year," Kim said. In January last year, the North's leader unveiled his signature regional development policy to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year over a 10-year period to improve the living conditions of people in regional areas. In February, North Korea unveiled a plan to build hospitals in three counties in a pilot project this year and cons

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea completes building factories, hospital planned for this year under Kim's regional policy
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim inspects factory producing multiple rocket launchers

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a munitions factory producing multiple rocket launchers, calling for more production of the weapon system that can be used as a "strategic attack means," state media reported Tuesday. Kim visited a major munitions industry enterprise Sunday to review the production of weapons and combat equipment, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without disclosing the location of the factory. Ahead of next year's key party congress, the North's leader has ramped up his military-related inspections, including a visit to the site of building a nuclear-powered submarine and overseeing launches of anti-air missiles and cruise missiles. Noting the multiple rocket launcher system will be the primary strike capability, Kim called for a "revolution in upgrading the artillery weapon system," according to the KCNA. "The weapon system, which will be used in large quantities for concentrated attack in military operations, is a super-powerful weapon system as it can annihilate the enemy through sudden precise strike with high accuracy and devastating power and c

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects factory producing multiple rocket launchers
Foreign Affairs

Lee's chief of staff departs for trip expected to help arms exports

President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff has departed for a trip as a presidential envoy for strategic economic cooperation, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday, a move widely seen as aimed at helping Korea's defense exports. Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, departed the country on Sunday, the office said, without disclosing his destination and itinerary. Cheong Wa Dae said details on Kang's trip will be released later. The latest trip follows Kang's earlier visits to Poland, Romania and Norway in October and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in November. During those trips, he focused on expanding cooperation in the defense industry and supporting Korean companies seeking overseas contracts. Kang was appointed as Lee's special envoy in October to help carry out the administration's goal of positioning Korea as one of the world's four largest arms exporters. The office said Kang plans to undertake such missions on three occasions through the first half of next year.

Dec 29, 2025By Yonhap
Lee's chief of staff departs for trip expected to help arms exports
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