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    Unification advisory vice chief expects US-NK talks around US midterms

    Kang Chang-il, senior vice chair of a presidential advisory on unification policy, said he expected talks between North Korea and the United States will resume in the second half of this year, around the U.S. midterm elections in November. “North Korea and the U.S. will likely hold talks around the Trump administration’s midterm elections, potentially late this year or early next year,” Kang, senior vice chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), said Wednesday at his first press conference since taking office on April 17. The PUAC is a presidential advisory body mandated by the Constitution to promote peaceful unification through policy consultation, consensus building and international outreach. President Lee Jae Myung serves as an ex officio chairperson of the body. Kang, a veteran four-term lawmaker who previously served as ambassador to Japan, added that “Washington had no room to maneuver due to the war with Iran ... Once the U.S.-Israel war with Iran ends, the North Korea issue will take center stage as the last major unresolved global conflict. The focus

    2 MIN READBy Park Ji-won
    Unification advisory vice chief expects US-NK talks around US midterms
  • Foreign Affairs

    Filipino killer of Korean businessman nabbed as Lee hails arrest

    2 MIN READBy Jung Min-ho
    Filipino killer of Korean businessman nabbed as Lee hails arrest
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee arrives in Italy for talks with Italian president, PM

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee arrives in Italy for talks with Italian president, PM
  • Foreign Affairs

    Seoul denies report of Japan's request for talks on Fukushima seafood import ban

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Seoul denies report of Japan's request for talks on Fukushima seafood import ban
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee, Belgian PM agree to expand investment in batteries, energy, boost market access

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee, Belgian PM agree to expand investment in batteries, energy, boost market access
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Foreign Affairs

Korea, Japan discuss stronger mineral resources cooperation amid global competition

Korea and Japan held their second round of mineral resources cooperation dialogue Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation amid intensifying global competition over critical resources, Seoul's industry ministry said. At the meeting, the two sides focused their discussions on a joint response to the recent fall in copper treatment and refining charges, and bolstering bilateral cooperation in multilateral frameworks, such as the Minerals Security Partnership, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The dialogue was attended by officials from the Seoul ministry and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The two sides also explored ways to enhance cooperation on the joint development and production of critical minerals in third countries. The resources dialogue between Seoul and Tokyo was launched in February as part of efforts to bolster supply chain cooperation between the two countries as they share a similar industrial structure centered on advanced industries, such as semiconductors and batteries, according to the ministry. The ministry

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Korea, Japan discuss stronger mineral resources cooperation amid global competition
Foreign Affairs

Former deputy FM appointed as ambassador to Indonesia

Former Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Soon-gu was appointed as the new Korean ambassador to Indonesia, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, in a regular reshuffle that also included announcements on two new consular generals. Yoon, a retired career diplomat who previously served as ambassador to Egypt and ambassador to Belgium with concurrent accreditation to the European Union, will lead the diplomatic mission in Jakarta, the ministry said. Yoon served as deputy foreign minister for political affairs under former President Moon Jae-in's government from 2017-19 and has recently worked on the presidential policy planning committee for President Lee Jae Myung. Lee Young-chae, a professor at Japan's Keisen University, was appointed as consul-general in Osaka. Lee is known for his expertise in Japan affairs. Lee Joon-ho, a career diplomat and former ambassador to Qatar, will serve as consul-general in Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Former deputy FM appointed as ambassador to Indonesia
Foreign Affairs

Korean ambassador to China urges deeper bilateral cooperation, exchanges

Korean Ambassador to China Ro Jae-hun has stressed the importance of expanding communication and exchanges between the two countries as he met with senior Chinese officials in Beijing. Ro made the call during a reception event hosted by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) at the National Museum of China on Tuesday, noting recent positive developments in bilateral ties, including President Lee Jae Myung's summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering last month. The reception was attended by Li Shulei, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, SCIO Director Mo Gaoyi and other officials. Li and Mo expressed hope that Seoul and Beijing would continue efforts to overcome shared challenges and improve bilateral ties. Ro was appointed in October as the first Korean ambassador to Beijing under the Lee administration, launched in June.

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Korean ambassador to China urges deeper bilateral cooperation, exchanges
Foreign Affairs

Top Seoul envoy to US presents credentials to Trump

Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha formally presented her credentials to U.S. President Donald Trump in a ceremony Tuesday, a diplomatic protocol that officially recognizes her as Seoul's top envoy. Kang was among 13 other foreign ambassadors attending the ceremony to present the credentials to Trump at the White House in Washington, according to the Korean Embassy in the U.S. Kang, a former Korean foreign minister during Trump's first term, took up her new post on Oct. 4. By practice, an ambassador cannot fully perform his or her duties until presenting the credentials to the leader of the host country. With Washington's consent, Kang presented her credentials in writing and officially assumed her role, accompanying President Lee Jae Myung to his Oct. 29 summit talks with Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. While speaking to Kang at the ceremony for the credential presentation, Trump reportedly sent his special regards to Lee.

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Top Seoul envoy to US presents credentials to Trump
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim pays respects to late father at family mausoleum on death anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid his highest tribute to late state leader and his father Kim Jong-il at the family mausoleum Wednesday, marking the 14th anniversary of his death, state media reported. Accompanied by government and party officials, Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang at midnight, paid tribute to the late leader and prayed "for his immortality," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun serves as the family mausoleum, where the embalmed bodies of the North's founder Kim Il-sung — Kim Jong-un's grandfather — and Kim Jong-il are enshrined. Kim Jong-il died on Dec. 17, 2011, at the age of 70, passing on the leadership he had inherited from his father, North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, to his youngest son, Kim Jong-il. Except in 2022, Kim Jong-un has paid tribute to his father at the family mausoleum every year on his death anniversary. The incumbent leader bowed before the statues of both late leaders "as an expression of noble respects" and flower baskets were laid before the statues, the KCNA said. "All the visitors

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim pays respects to late father at family mausoleum on death anniversary
Foreign Affairs

Top security adviser meets Rubio for talks on post-summit measures

WASHINGTON — National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said, with the two sides expected to discuss follow-up measures to the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in late October. Wi held talks with Rubio, who doubles as national security adviser, as he arrived in Washington for discussions on a range of key issues, including South Korea's push to develop nuclear-powered submarines, and secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities. The visit came about a month after the allies released a joint fact sheet outlining trade and security agreements reached during the second Lee-Trump summit, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at an airport near Washington earlier in the day, Wi said he will navigate the possibility of establishing a separate bilateral agreement with Washington for Seoul's drive to build nuclear-powered submarines. "In the case of Australia, an exception was granted in accord

Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Top security adviser meets Rubio for talks on post-summit measures
North Korea

N. Korea faces rare crisis: Low birthrate, deep poverty

North Korea is quietly joining the ranks of low‑birthrate societies ― but without the economic prosperity that typically accompanies such a transition. Experts warn that this rare combination of deep poverty and shrinking families could leave the regime facing a serious demographic crisis within a generation. Larger families are more common in countries as poor as North Korea, with total fertility rates of three or more children per woman. In contrast, data from the U.N. and South Korea suggest North Korean women have only about 1.6 to 1.8 children on average, far below the replacement level needed to keep a population stable and more in line with wealthier East Asian societies than low‑income states. Almost all nations with similar gross domestic product per capita struggle with limited access to contraception and to clinics, but North Korea’s numbers look more like wealthy countries where women delay marriage and invest heavily in work and education. That gap has led some observers to question the data. But experts contacted by The Korea Times say they think the figure is conv

Dec 17, 2025By Jung Min-ho
N. Korea faces rare crisis: Low birthrate, deep poverty
Foreign Affairs

Dialogue momentum may arise in 2026 to revive stalled NK-US diplomacy: think tank

The dialogue momentum for the United States and North Korea may arise next year based on cooperation between South Korea and the U.S., creating room for a possible breakthrough in the stalled diplomacy with Pyongyang, a think tank said Tuesday. The foreign ministry-affiliated Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) gave the outlook in its annual forecast report on international relations for 2026, citing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's indications that he has not completely ruled out talks. "Based on cooperation between South Korea and the United States, opportunities might be created to revive North Korea–U.S. summit diplomacy and improve bilateral relations," Min Jeong-hoon, an analyst at the KNDA, said in the report. "While such momentum has not gained traction despite U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated calls for talks, Kim's remarks about returning to dialogue indicate that he is willing to improve relations with the U.S. and could return to the negotiating table if conditions for dialogue are in place," he said. Min said that Seoul and Washington will focus on creating "con

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
Dialogue momentum may arise in 2026 to revive stalled NK-US diplomacy: think tank
Foreign Affairs

S. Korea, US launch consultative body on NK policy amid inter-ministry feud

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday launched a new consultative body on North Korea policy, amid persistent tensions between Seoul's foreign and unification ministries over who should take the lead on inter-Korean affairs. The consultative group, led by Jeong Yeon-doo, vice minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence at the foreign ministry, and acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim, held its first meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul. Defense officials from both countries also attended. Known formally as "Follow-up discussions on the South Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet," the body marks the first bilateral consultative mechanism on North Korea to be launched under the Lee Jae Myung government, which took office in June. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea during the meeting, according to the foreign ministry. They also pledged to cooperate on the implementation of the 2018 Singapore Joint Statement between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The allies also urged Pyongyang

Dec 16, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea, US launch consultative body on NK policy amid inter-ministry feud
North Korea

Top security adviser to discuss with US about Korea's push to build nuclear-powered subs

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Tuesday that he plans to discuss with U.S. counterparts about South Korea's push to build nuclear-powered submarines and other follow-up measures to the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in late October. Wi made the remarks as he was set to depart for Washington, adding that the agenda on his visit to the United States also included Seoul's drive to secure uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities. The trip comes about a month after the allies released a joint fact sheet outlining trade and security agreements reached during the second Lee-Trump summit in South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 29, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. With regard to the U.S. approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines, Wi said he "plans to discuss how the U.S. side is being prepared." "There are issues related to (U.S.) Congress to push for nuclear-powered submarines, so I will look at those issues as well," Wi told reporters. "I think it is time to give

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
Top security adviser to discuss with US about Korea's push to build nuclear-powered subs
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