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  • Foreign Affairs

    Korea attracts $165 mil. investment from European firms, signs digital trade agreement with EU

    Korea has attracted a combined $165 million in foreign direct investment from four European companies and signed a digital trade agreement with the European Union (EU), deepening economic cooperation with the major economic bloc, Seoul officials said Thursday. The European companies — Germany's Orafol, France's Quandela, the Netherlands' Prodrive Technologies and Sweden's Mycronic — unveiled their investment plans in Korea in the semiconductor, quantum computing and other key industries during the investment announcement ceremony co-hosted by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, according to the officials at the industry ministry. The ceremony was held Wednesday (local time) marking Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Belgium for a meeting with EU leaders. Korea held a separate roundtable event with European business leaders to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the two economies amid heightened geopolitical risks, the global rise of trade protectionism and rapid technological advancements. The ministry said Korea an

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea attracts $165 mil. investment from European firms, signs digital trade agreement with EU
  • Foreign Affairs

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

    3 MIN READBy Anna J. Park
    Norwegian architect behind Busan Opera House highlights architecture’s role in social change
  • 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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties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    Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties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
  • North Korea

    Was Xi's stance on China-North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia?

    5 MIN READBy SCMP
    Was Xi's stance on China-North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia?
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North Korea

N. Korea's Kim attends opening of new paper mill

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended the inauguration ceremony of a paper mill in South Phyongan Province, state media reported Monday, as new factories are being opened under his signature regional development policy. Kim cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony for a new paper mill in Unsan County the previous day and toured the factory, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Unsan mill is among the factories completed under Kim's regional development policy. In January last year, he ordered the building of modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year over a 10-year period to improve the living conditions of people in regional areas. Kim said the construction of the Unsan paper mill provides a "model experience" for other provinces to build such factories by themselves, according to the KCNA. "We should maintain the clear goal and orientation of our-style papermaking method based on locally available raw materials and the development of papermaking technology," he said. Ahead of the ninth party congress set for early next year, North Korea has been focusin

Dec 29, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends opening of new paper mill
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim oversees firing of long-range strategic cruise missiles

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen launches of long-range strategic cruise missiles, calling for the "unlimited and sustained" development of state nuclear combat forces, state media reported Monday. The missile tests came days after Kim inspected an 8,700-ton "nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine" under construction in a show of military prowess. The missile launching drills took place Sunday in the Yellow Sea, demonstrating "the absolute reliability and combat readiness of the North's strategic counterattack capability," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The strategic cruise missiles flew along the preset flight orbit for 10,199 seconds and 10,203 seconds to hit a target, it said, without disclosing the flight distance. Kim affirmed that North Korea would "as ever devote all their efforts to the unlimited and sustained development of the state nuclear combat force," the KCNA said. He stressed the importance of checking the reliability and rapid response of components of North Korea's nuclear deterrent on a regular basis as Pyongyang is facing va

Dec 29, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim oversees firing of long-range strategic cruise missiles
Foreign Affairs

ContributionKazakhstan and Korea: Deepening an enhanced strategic partnership

The partnership between Kazakhstan and Korea has evolved into a mature and forward-looking relationship grounded in mutual trust, shared values and a common vision for sustainable development. Over more than three decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, our two countries have built an enhanced strategic partnership that continues to expand in scope, depth and substance. The year 2025 marked another important chapter in this journey. It was a particularly successful and dynamic year for Kazakh-Korean relations, characterized by intensive political dialogue, expanding economic cooperation and rapidly growing people-to-people ties. These developments reflect not only strong institutional engagement but also genuine mutual interest between our societies. High-level political dialogue remains the backbone of our bilateral relations. On July 23, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President Lee Jae Myung held a telephone conversation, reaffirming their shared commitment to further strengthening multifaceted cooperation. The leaders exchanged views on a wide range of

Dec 29, 2025By Nurgali A. Arystanov
Kazakhstan and Korea: Deepening an enhanced strategic partnership
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim attends Constitution Day ceremony

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony marking the country's promulgation of its Socialist Constitution more than half a century ago, the North's state media reported Sunday. A national flag-raising and oath-taking ceremony was held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall the previous day to mark Constitution Day, with Kim in attendance, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. North Korea observes Dec. 27 as Constitutional Day in commemoration of the promulgation of its constitution on the same day in 1972. Kim made a commemorative oath marking Constitution Day, followed by participants who vowed to "dedicate themselves ... by always remaining faithful to promoting the people's well-being and the growth and development of the state," the KCNA said. Kim also commended labor innovators and meritorious persons invited to the event, for helping make this year "one of a great turn to be specially recorded in the history of the development" of North Korea. "The country is prospering and our cause is dynamically advancing without a moment's stagnation, thanks to the well-known and uns

Dec 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends Constitution Day ceremony
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim logs most public appearances in nine years in 2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the most public appearances in nine years in 2025, as he increased diplomatic engagement and on-site supervision of the implementation of a five-year national development plan, data showed Sunday. Kim's public appearances, as reported by North Korea's state media, totaled 118 as of the end of November, according to data from the Korea Institute for National Unification. Including additional public activities reported by state media between Dec. 1 and 27, the total number rose to 131. This year's total marks a slight increase from last year's 127 and matches the previous high recorded in 2016. According to the institute, Kim's public activities have been steadily rising since hitting a low of 55 in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's result came as Kim sought to broaden his diplomatic landscape, including making his multilateral diplomatic debut, and to step up implementation of the country's five-year development plan, which concludes this year. Of this year's public activities till Dec. 27, 30 involved public ceremonies, 23 on-site inspections

Dec 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim logs most public appearances in nine years in 2025
North Korea

NK leader Kim sends New Year's message to Putin, calls bilateral ties 'precious common asset'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of greeting to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of New Year's Day, calling the two countries' relations a "precious common asset," the North's state media said Saturday. In the message, Kim described this year as a "meaningful" one when the two countries "steadily wrote a great biography of the alliance" through "full mutual support and selfless encouragement," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim's greeting came after Putin himself sent a New Year's message to the North Korean leader Dec. 18. "I think that today's DPRK-Russia alliance ... is a precious common asset to be carried forward forever, not only in the present era but also by posterity, generation after generation," Kim said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim said the North-Russia relations have been further consolidated into the "sincerest alliance of sharing blood, life and death in the same trench," as he referred to the North's troop deployment to Russia to support the war with Ukraine. "

Dec 27, 2025By Yonhap
NK leader Kim sends New Year's message to Putin, calls bilateral ties 'precious common asset'
Foreign Affairs

Lee to seek Beijing’s support on N. Korea, economic cooperation during January trip

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is expected to seek common ground with Beijing on issues such as North Korea’s nuclear program and sanctions during his January trip, while also working to steady bilateral ties in hopes of creating a more predictable external environment for the country’s economy and businesses, according to experts. Lee is set to visit China in early January, marking his first trip to the country since taking office in June. It is the first visit to China by a sitting South Korean president since Moon Jae-in attended the Korea-Japan-China summit in 2019. The upcoming visit follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to South Korea in late October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting — Xi’s first visit to Korea since 2014. Although details have yet to be announced by either side, a South Korean official said earlier that the two countries were in talks and more information would be made public shortly. Raising further anticipation for Lee’s visit, South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo held a str

Dec 27, 2025By Alyssa Chen
Lee to seek Beijing’s support on N. Korea, economic cooperation during January trip
North Korea

Russia, N. Korea developing joint tourism programs: report

North Korea and Russia are jointly developing new tourism programs, a Russian news agency reported Friday, citing Russia's natural resources minister. "We are working on the development of new tourism programs. I am confident that we will also move on to joint projects to create tourism infrastructure," RIA Novosti quoted Minister Alexander Kozlov as saying. Kozlov currently co-chairs the North Korea-Russia Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology. Kozlov said the two countries are paying special attending to developing transport links needed in increasing tourist flows, referring to the recent opening of a direct rail line between Pyongyang and Moscow, and the launch of the Pyongyang-Moscow air route. The minister noted that tourists from Russia to North Korea more than doubled in 2024 and 2025 compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, with about 4,000 Russians visiting the North last year and an estimated 7,000 this year. He attributed the growth to rising interest in the Masikryong ski resort, as well as the newly opened Wonsan Kalma coastal re

Dec 26, 2025By Yonhap
Russia, N. Korea developing joint tourism programs: report
North Korea

S. Korea to permit public access to N. Korea's main newspaper

The unification ministry said Friday the government will take administrative steps to allow the public's easy access to the Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper of North Korea's ruling Worker's Party. In South Korea, public access to North Korean media and publications, including the Rodong Sinmun, is denied as they are classified as "special materials" due to concerns that they include content praising and promoting North Korea. The unification ministry, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and other related government agencies held a consultative meeting earlier in the day to review ways to reclassify the Rodong Sinmun as "general materials," not as special ones under the spy agency's guidelines. The participants at the meeting shared a consensus on the reclassification of the North's daily and the government will take necessary administrative steps from next week for the access, the unification ministry said in a notice to the press. President Lee Jae Myung took issue with a ban on public access to the North's materials during last week's policy briefing by the unification ministry. L

Dec 26, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea to permit public access to N. Korea's main newspaper
North Korea

S. Korea to merge defector resettlement centers as arrivals from North decline

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification plans to merge its two resettlement centers for North Korean defectors next year as the number of arrivals continues to fall sharply, officials said Friday. A ministry official said the government has decided to move forward with integrating the main Hanawon resettlement center and its branch facility, with a final decision on the location — either Anseong in Gyeonggi Province or Hwacheon in Gangwon Province — expected soon. Unification ministry Deputy Spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong said during a regular briefing that the move reflects a continued decline in the number of defectors entering South Korea. “We are reviewing integration measures and related personnel reassignments to ensure efficient operations,” she said. The plan was included in the ministry’s policy agenda for next year, which was reported to President Lee Jae Myung on Dec. 19. The number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea has fallen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic. Arrivals peaked at 2,914 in 2009 but dropped to 1,047 in 2019. After North Korea closed its bo

Dec 26, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
S. Korea to merge defector resettlement centers as arrivals from North decline
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