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  • North Korea

    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

    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
  • Foreign Affairs

    Greece eyes more Korean travelers through Santorini tourism showcase in Seoul

    2 MIN READBy Anna J. Park
    Greece eyes more Korean travelers through Santorini tourism showcase in Seoul
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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

USFK commander highlights Korean Peninsula's central role in Indo-Pacific security

The commander of American forces in South Korea has underscored the Korean Peninsula's central role in the U.S. security strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a website of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Tuesday, noting the peninsula's location between the Asian continent and the Pacific region. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK, made the remarks at a lecture at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday at a time when Seoul and Washington are pushing to "modernize" their alliance in a way that would increase South Korea's role in its own defense and its contributions to addressing regional threats. "Korea is not a side chapter in American strategy," Brunson said, according to the website. "If you put the peninsula in the first chapter, the geometry of the region and the value of our alliances become impossible to ignore." Describing the Korean Peninsula as a "hinge between the Asian continent and Pacific maritime approaches," Brunson said the peninsula "should be viewed as a central pillar of U.S. and allied strategy." On the Korean Peninsula, B

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
USFK commander highlights Korean Peninsula's central role in Indo-Pacific security
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim attends ribbon-cutting event for industrial plant with his daughter, wife

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of an industrial complex on the outskirts of Pyongyang, accompanied by his daughter and wife, the North's state media said Tuesday. Kim appeared at the event held the previous day in Kangdong County, where a factory and a multifunctional service facility have been built under his signature regional development policy, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Photos released by the KCNA showed that Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, also attended the ceremony, marking the first public appearance of the three as a family since their attendance at the dedication event for the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone in June. Also notable was the appearance of Ju-ae, widely seen as Kim's potential successor, at a public event related to the economy and people's livelihoods, compared with her previous appearances that have largely been at military-related events. Kim cut the ribbon and toured the food processing plant and the community service complex, expressing satisfaction with the completion

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends ribbon-cutting event for industrial plant with his daughter, wife
Foreign Affairs

Seoul, London sign upgraded FTA deal easing rules of origin for Korean cars, consumer goods

Korea and Britain have signed an upgraded free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at easing rules of origin for Korean automobiles and consumer goods, as well as opening up the latter's high-speed rail and online game markets, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday. The deal was jointly signed by Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and his British counterpart, Chris Bryant, during their bilateral meeting in London, following two-year negotiations between the two countries. The original FTA between Seoul and London was signed in 2019 and implemented in 2021. Under the renewed deal, Britain decided to ease rules of origin for automobiles, beauty and food products exported by Korea, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Currently, Korean carmakers are eligible for tariff-free treatment only if they prove that at least 55 percent of a vehicle's value, including parts and materials, was generated within Korea. But the revised agreement will lower the requirement for tariff exemption to 25 percent, making it easier for automakers to qualify for preferential treatment. Automobiles are o

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul, London sign upgraded FTA deal easing rules of origin for Korean cars, consumer goods
Foreign Affairs

US diplomats highlight focus on aligning foreign aid with Trump policy priorities

WASHINGTON — U.S. diplomats on Monday stressed Washington's focus on aligning foreign assistance with President Donald Trump's policy priorities, saying that it should be a "force multiplier" to promote American interests, while rejecting media criticism about cuts in overseas aid programs. The State Department hosted a conference on U.S. foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific, where diplomats reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to foreign aid in the region, as concerns persisted over the effective closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development and its ramifications. "We never got out of the foreign assistance business as some media narratives have (claimed). In the review (of foreign aid), however, we saw an opportunity to fundamentally reimagine how foreign assistance is done, which required us to step back to examine the underlying principles that would guide our work," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) Michael DeSombre said. "The resulting principles — a strategic framework aligned with core tenets of the National Securi

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
US diplomats highlight focus on aligning foreign aid with Trump policy priorities
North Korea

Officials from UN maritime body visited N. Korea last month for technical audit, report reveals

An international maritime agency under the United Nations sent its officials to North Korea last month for a technical audit to assess the implementation of obligations as a member state, the U.N. website showed Tuesday. Officials from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) visited North Korea in mid-November for the audit under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), according to the website. North Korea has been an IMO member state since 1986. The IMO officials met with their counterparts from the North's national maritime agency and visited several sites as part of the audit. The visit draws attention because the North still restricts the entry of international organizations even after it eased border controls that had been placed during the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea appears to have allowed the IMO officials' visit as an exception as the audit is a mandatory assessment that IMO member states have to undergo every seven years. From Pyongyang's perspective, maintaining cooperation with the IMO may have been considered necessary for the regime to ensure smooth maritime ope

Dec 16, 2025By Yonhap
Officials from UN maritime body visited N. Korea last month for technical audit, report reveals
Foreign Affairs

Nat'l Assembly speaker set to visit Uzbekistan, Turkey

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik was set to embark on a six-day trip to Uzbekistan and Turkey on Monday to discuss ways to bolster cooperation with Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, Woo is scheduled to attend the 3rd Korea-Central Asia Parliamentary Speakers' Conference to address key global issues with parliamentary leaders across Central Asia. Woo plans to outline the parliament's role and vision in line with the theme of the gathering: cooperation for human dignity, social justice and environmental protection. During his trip, Woo will pay courtesy calls on Uzbek Senate Chairperson Tanzila Narbayeva and Legislative Chamber Chairman Nuriddinjon Ismailov to explore ways to deepen bilateral ties in areas of official development assistance and critical mineral supply chains. The meeting will also touch on support measures for some 180,000 ethnic Koreans living in the country, which make up the largest ethnic Korean community in Central Asia. Woo will then travel to Turkey and hold a meeting with Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus, during which the two sides are expected to discuss

Dec 15, 2025By Yonhap
Nat'l Assembly speaker set to visit Uzbekistan, Turkey
North Korea

Foreign, unification ministries at odds over consultative body on NK issues

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Unification appear to be at odds over the planned launch of a new South Korea-U.S. consultative body on North Korea's nuclear issues. The unification ministry said Monday that it will not participate in the group, even as the foreign ministry moves ahead with plans to launch regular consultations on Tuesday. The differing positions underscore a subtle power struggle between the two ministries. Officials at the unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, appear concerned that the consultative body could be heavily influenced by U.S. decision-making. The talks are intended to fine-tune the pace and direction of Seoul and Washington’s North Korea policy as the allies seek to revive dialogue with Pyongyang. According to the foreign ministry, Jeong Yeon-doo, vice minister for intelligence and North Korean nuclear issues at the ministry, and acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim will lead the regular consultative meeting. “As the consultations will focus on bilateral diplomatic agreements, our ministry has decid

Dec 15, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign, unification ministries at odds over consultative body on NK issues
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Laos sign legal cooperation treaties, renew labor MOU after summit

Korea and Laos agreed Monday to elevate their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime, signing treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition. The agreements were reached during a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, who is on an official visit to Seoul. Thongloun’s visit to Korea comes about six years after the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit held in Korea in 2019. Speaking at an expanded summit meeting at the presidential office, Lee said the agreement marks a significant milestone as the two countries commemorate three decades of the resumption of diplomatic relations. “President Thongloun and I have agreed to upgrade our bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations,” Lee said. He noted that since restoring ties in 1995, Korea and Laos have achieved “remarkable progress in just one generation” across a wide range of areas, in

Dec 15, 2025By Anna J. Park
Korea, Laos sign legal cooperation treaties, renew labor MOU after summit
Foreign Affairs

Nat'l security adviser set to depart for Washington for talks on post-summit measures

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac is set to depart for Washington this week for meetings with senior U.S. officials, sources said Monday, as the two sides are expected to discuss follow-up measures to the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in late October. Wi is scheduled to head for the U.S. capital Tuesday and is widely expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who doubles as national security adviser, according to the sources familiar with the issue. The trip comes after the allies released a joint fact sheet last month outlining trade and security agreements reached during the second Lee-Trump summit in South Korea's southern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 29, ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The presidential National Security Office in Seoul has formed three task force teams to handle working-level consultations with the U.S. on security-related agreements. The discussions are focused on key issues, including South Korea's push to develop nuclear-powered submarines, secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocess

Dec 15, 2025By Yonhap
Nat'l security adviser set to depart for Washington for talks on post-summit measures
Foreign Affairs

2025 Africa Week brings culture and sustainability to Seoul

The Korea-Africa Foundation and The Korea Times co-hosted the 2025 Africa Week on Dec. 13, offering the public an immersive, daylong experience of Africa’s diverse cultures through music, literature and sustainability-focused programs. The event ran under the theme “Afro Vibes, Heat Seoul.” Organizers said the festival was designed to broaden public understanding of Africa while promoting cooperation between the cultural and creative industries of Korea and African countries. Held annually, Africa Week seeks to provide Koreans with a more comprehensive and balanced perspective on Africa, moving beyond stereotypes and economic narratives to highlight the continent’s cultural richness, creativity and social diversity through performances, talk concerts and interactive programs. Opening remarks were delivered by Oh Young-jin, the president-publisher of The Korea Times, who pointed to Africa’s expanding global cultural influence and called for deeper mutual understanding between Korea and Africa. “Africa is rising — this is no overstatement,” Oh said. “African music resonat

Dec 15, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
2025 Africa Week brings culture and sustainability to Seoul
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