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Foreign Affairs

UNESCO review finds Japan's Sado mines follow-up still falls short

Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday that a draft UNESCO decision validates its long-standing position that Japan has failed to adequately address the "whole history" of Korean forced labor at the Sado Island Gold Mines, as the World Heritage Committee (WHC) prepares to adopt the review at its 48th session in Busan. The draft decision, reviewing of Japan's State of Conservation (SOC) report on the site, welcomes the progress Japan has made on "management, conservation planning and visitor management." But on the history question, it finds that "further clarification is needed" on how the site's interpretation strategy addresses "the whole history of the property throughout all periods of mining exploitation" and asks Japan to keep the World Heritage Centre "regularly informed of its progress." The committee also recommends that Japan hold "close consultation with the States Parties concerned," referencing Korea, to improve the site's interpretation strategy, after finding that Japan's approach to presenting the whole history "has shown some progress but remains to be fully developed

Jul 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
UNESCO review finds Japan's Sado mines follow-up still falls short
Foreign Affairs

'Coupang issue persisting longer than expected,' Korea's top envoy to US says

Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha said the conflict between Seoul and Washington over the U.S.-headquartered e-commerce firm Coupang's data breach last year is persisting longer than expected. She made the remarks on Wednesday before meeting Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the ministry headquarters in Seoul, after Cho requested her to come to Korea to discuss various bilateral issues affecting relations between the two countries. As such a request for in-person discussion is unusual, her visit has brought about speculation that the Coupang issue and other bilateral matters may require deep coordination between Korea and the U.S. When asked about the pressure coming from the U.S. with regard to Korea's handling of its Coupang investigation, Kang told reporters, “This issue is dragging on much longer than I expected," adding that Korea is managing the issue on its own while continuing to discuss other matters across various levels and on multiple fronts. “Bilateral relations between Seoul and Washington are intertwined, which means the two have many issues to be handle

Jul 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
'Coupang issue persisting longer than expected,' Korea's top envoy to US says
Foreign Affairs

France marks 140 years of ties with Korea at largest-ever Bastille Day in Seoul

France celebrated its National Day, commonly known as Bastille Day, in Seoul on July 14, with this year's reception carrying added significance as the two countries marked the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, the reception drew around 1,000 guests, making it the largest French National Day celebration ever hosted by the French Embassy in Korea. The embassy began holding its Bastille Day reception at an external venue last year, after traditionally hosting the event at the ambassador's residence, reflecting the growing scale of bilateral exchanges. The holiday traces its origins to the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, an event widely regarded as the beginning of the French Revolution. It also commemorates the Fête de la Fédération, held one year later to celebrate national unity following the revolution. July 14 was officially designated as France's national holiday in 1880 and has since been observed with military parades, fireworks and public festivities across the country, most notably the annual parade along the C

Jul 15, 2026By Anna J. Park
France marks 140 years of ties with Korea at largest-ever Bastille Day in Seoul
North Korea

N. Korea's women's union stresses ideological education at 1st congress in 5 years

A major North Korean women's union has convened its first congress in five years and underscored the importance of ideological education to strengthen regime unity, according to state media Wednesday. The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK) held its eighth congress in Pyongyang on Monday and Tuesday, seeking to bolster regime unity while laying out tasks for the next five years, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The women's union is one of the four largest labor organizations under the guidance of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and is mainly aimed at instilling party ideology in the people. In a congratulatory message, the WPK central committee urged the women's union to "safeguard" the socialist ideology and culture against "reactionary" capitalism. "The members of the SWUK should thoroughly reject reactionary capitalist ideology and lifestyles and wage a staunch struggle to defend our socialist ideology and culture," it said, noting that the women's group should emphasize patriotic, class and moral education as its key tasks. The party also highlighted t

Jul 15, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's women's union stresses ideological education at 1st congress in 5 years
North Korea

The new physics of global power requires more than just efficiency

For decades, the highest echelons of business, politics and strategy operated under an unspoken, perhaps unchallenged assumption: Economics and geopolitics lived and breathed in two distinct, separate ecosystems. The global stage remained a calculable, efficiency-first ecosystem. This worldview followed a simple, progressive, linear-adjacent mandate: reduce friction, enhance capital velocity and remain “apolitical” to maintain access and optimal positioning. The most successful strategists excelled by mastering efficiency, valuation and execution — while remaining neutral on the broader strategic currents. That era, of course, is a bygone relic. Today, we’re operating in a regime shift where the lines between national security and economic decisions have effectively been airbrushed-blurred. The global economy is no longer drifting toward a seamless, neatly faceted integration of markets — it’s aggressively bifurcating. Every strategic move — a major capital deployment, supply chain reconfiguration or cross-border transaction — now serves as a blunt instrument of regional

Jul 15, 2026By Soo Kim
The new physics of global power requires more than just efficiency
North Korea

Lee says understanding N. Korean-born citizens 'special asset' for 2 Koreas' future

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday the experience of understanding North Korean-born citizens in South Korea will become a "special asset" to prepare for a future shared by the two Koreas. Lee made the remarks in a written address delivered by Lim Woong-soon, the second deputy director of the National Security Office, in commemoration of the day for North Korean defectors, which falls on July 14. "The experience of understanding and trusting one another in a new community will lay the foundation for social integration and serve as a valuable asset in preparing for a future in which South and North Korea live together," Lee said. "We will establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and move steadily toward shared prosperity for the two Koreas," the president said, adding that he will make all-out efforts to usher in a future of "coexistence and cooperation" beyond conflict and confrontation. During the speech, Lee consistently referred to North Korean defectors as "bukhyangmin," or people whose hometown is North Korea, a new term adopted by the unification minister earlier this year

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Lee says understanding N. Korean-born citizens 'special asset' for 2 Koreas' future
Foreign Affairs

Britain's Princess Anne visits UN cemetery in Busan

Princess Anne, the younger sister of Britain's King Charles III, visited a cemetery in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday to honor British and Commonwealth service members killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. The princess arrived in Korea the previous day to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battles of Imjin River and Gapyeong, major Korean War engagements involving British forces. Accompanied by her husband, Vice Adm. Sir Tim Laurence, she laid a wreath at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in a tribute to the 1,598 British and Commonwealth troops laid to rest there. The cemetery is the resting place for a total of 2,339 service members from 14 countries who fought alongside Korea under the U.N. flag. While visiting the graves of British troops, Princess Anne said it would have been difficult for Korea to become the developed nation it is now without their sacrifices and that they would be proud to see the country in its current state, according to officials. She later met with Korean veterans of the war, who shared stories about the battles they fought in. The princess is scheduled

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Britain's Princess Anne visits UN cemetery in Busan
Foreign Affairs

Korea, China in talks over possible visit by Chinese FM to Seoul: officials

Korea and China are in close consultations over a possible visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Seoul, officials said Tuesday. In January, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he was seeking to meet one-on-one with Wang sometime "in the first quarter," raising the possibility of Wang traveling to Seoul. But no such meeting has taken place. "Korea and China have been maintaining close working-level consultations regarding exchanges between their foreign ministers," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a release. "We welcome Wang's potential visit as part of follow-up measures to implement agreements reached at the Korea-China summit," it added. The remarks came after local media reported that the two sides are discussing details of a possible trip by Wang to Korea as early as next month. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul also said both sides remain in communication through diplomatic channels regarding the issue. "Both sides are looking forward to Wang's visit to Korea and will continue to communicate through diplomatic channels," the embassy said in a statement sent to Yonhap News Agency. If reali

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, China in talks over possible visit by Chinese FM to Seoul: officials
Foreign Affairs

Korean envoy to US to return home briefly for consultations on bilateral issues

Korea's Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha will temporarily return home this week for consultations with government ministries on a range of bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. During her five-day stay here starting Wednesday, Kang will hold discussions with relevant government agencies on overall relations between Seoul and Washington, according to the ministry. The visit comes at the instruction of Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and Kang is expected to meet with officials from the industry, finance, defense and science ministries, officials said. The consultations are expected to cover a range of pending bilateral issues, including follow-up measures related to investment commitments outlined in a joint fact sheet issued after a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025. Security-related issues, including Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines and secure civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities, are also expected to be discussed. Also on the table is the government's response to conc

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Korean envoy to US to return home briefly for consultations on bilateral issues
North Korea

China's top political adviser to visit N. Korea this week: KCNA

Wang Huning, China's top political adviser, will visit North Korea this week, the North's state media reported Tuesday, amid high-level exchanges between the two nations, marked by the North Korea premier's recent trip to Beijing. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will lead a party and government delegation on an "official goodwill visit" to the North from Wednesday through Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The visit will take place at the invitation of the North Korean government and the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, it said. Wang, a member of the Communist Party's highest decision-making body, is China's fourth-ranking official. His trip comes amid high-level exchanges between the two neighbors marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of their friendship treaty. North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song visited China last week to attend events marking the anniversary. North Korea and China signed the Tre

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
China's top political adviser to visit N. Korea this week: KCNA
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