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  • North Korea

    N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report

    North Korea and Belarus are close to signing a visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens, Belarus' state media has reported. The report by the Belarusian news agency BelTA on Sunday (Belarus time) said Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov discussed ways to enhance mutual times with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, including the pending deal. "We will sign it in the very near future," Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying. "We discussed the entire range of bilateral relations, including the upcoming contacts through the foreign ministries and the signing of a number of agreements, including this important agreement on visa-free travel for citizens." The report said only "some technical details" were left to be work out. The move is believed to be a follow-up to the March summit in Pyongyang between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, where they signed an agreement on friendship and cooperation. At that time, Lukashenko was seen receiving an assault rifle as a present from Kim. In another sign of deepening ties, Belarusian Prime Minist

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report
  • Foreign Affairs

    Korean, Mexican FMs discuss cooperation in AI, middle-power solidarity

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korean, Mexican FMs discuss cooperation in AI, middle-power solidarity
  • North Korea

    N. Korea slams Japan's Yasukuni shrine visits as 'neo-militarist frenzy'

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea slams Japan's Yasukuni shrine visits as 'neo-militarist frenzy'
  • North Korea

    No signs of additional deployment of NK troops to Russia detected: S. Korean military

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    No signs of additional deployment of NK troops to Russia detected: S. Korean military
  • North Korea

    N. Korea denounces Japan's record defense budget as 'war preparation'

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea denounces Japan's record defense budget as 'war preparation'
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North Korea

N. Korea's new ambassador to Austria assumes post: state media

North Korea's new ambassador to Austria has assumed the post, as he presented his credentials to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen last week, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. While presenting his credentials last Wednesday, Kyong Hak-min conveyed "warm greetings" from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the Austrian president, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Van der Bellen said he hoped "everything would go well in the DPRK in the future and the relations between the two countries would develop," the report said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Last month, the North's foreign ministry announced that Kyong had been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Austria. He is believed to have replaced Choe Kang-il. North Korea has maintained 43 overseas diplomatic missions worldwide as of June, according to South Korea's foreign ministry. In Europe, the North operates a total of 15 diplomatic missions, including resident embassies in Austria, Germany, Russia, Britain, Switze

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's new ambassador to Austria assumes post: state media
Foreign Affairs

Iran invited Korea to late supreme leader's funeral, later canceled plan: sources

Iran invited Korea to participate in the funeral event for its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but later withdrew the invitation, diplomatic sources said Sunday. "After receiving an invitation from Iran, the diplomatic mission planned to participate, but Iran later noted last-minute that the mission's attendance would be difficult due to venue-related issues," an official from Seoul's foreign ministry said. Observers said Iran appears to have decided not to receive condolences from foreign diplomatic missions in Tehran as it focused on receiving high-level delegations from other countries. The Korean government is also believed to have accepted Iran's change of plan, considering its relations with Washington, they added. The former Iranian supreme leader was killed on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched attacks on the Middle Eastern nation.

Jul 5, 2026By Yonhap
Iran invited Korea to late supreme leader's funeral, later canceled plan: sources
Foreign Affairs

Trump's Coupang stock trades raise conflict-of-interest questions amid diplomatic dispute

U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly traded shares of Coupang Inc. through an asset management firm after beginning his second term, according to U.S. financial disclosure reports, raising questions over a potential conflict of interest in the company that has become a source of diplomatic unease between Korea and the United States. The reports, filed with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and released in May and again this month, show that Trump traded Coupang Inc. shares 18 times between October 2025 and May this year through two investment accounts. Trump is estimated to still hold up to $130,000 worth of common stock in U.S.-listed Coupang Inc., although it accounts for a relatively minor portion of his overall investment portfolio. Several senior foreign policy and trade officials in the Trump administration were also found to have received compensation from the company for speaking engagements, advisory work or consulting services before taking office, although they did not trade Coupang Inc. shares as Trump did. Among them were U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who r

Jul 5, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Trump's Coupang stock trades raise conflict-of-interest questions amid diplomatic dispute
Foreign Affairs

Lee congratulates Trump, US citizens on 250th anniv. of American independence

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump and the people of the United States on the 250th anniversary of American independence, referring to South Korea as a "precious partner" to the U.S. Lee wrote the message on X, formerly known as Twitter, as the U.S. commemorated the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding Saturday. "The U.S. began a great journey toward the ideals of freedom and democracy 250 years ago and has overcome so many challenges and led the international community's peace and prosperity," Lee said. "The Republic of Korea is a precious partner to the U.S., having upheld such values together." Lee highlighted young U.S. soldiers' sacrifices for the 1950-53 Korean War, noting that his country will remember their sacrifices forever and make efforts to further strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance. "Both nations are developing as future-oriented partners of shared prosperity, expanding the scope of cooperation beyond security to future-related areas, including the economy, advanced technology, energy, shipbuilding, nuclear energy and art

Jul 5, 2026By Yonhap
Lee congratulates Trump, US citizens on 250th anniv. of American independence
North Korea

China's Xi vows 'long-term, stable' development of ties with N. Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to ensure the "long-term and stable" development of his country's ties with North Korea in a reply sent to the North's leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. Xi's reply was in response to Kim's congratulatory message sent to the Chinese president on July 1 marking the 105th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Expressing his "sincere" thanks to Kim, Xi said North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea and the CCP are the "Marxist ruling parties," according to the KCNA. "I am ready ... to lead the China-DPRK relations to a long-term, sound and stable development and thus promote the stable and long-term development of the socialist cause of the two countries," the message read. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Xi made a two-day state visit to Pyongyang on June 8-9 in his first trip to North Korea in seven years. During the visit, Kim and Xi agreed to deepen cooperation and strengthen high-level communication. N

Jul 5, 2026By Yonhap
China's Xi vows 'long-term, stable' development of ties with N. Korea
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim observes weapons tests from naval destroyer Kang Kon

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen tests of strategic cruise missiles and other weapons from a new 5,000-ton naval destroyer, ordering the warship to be commissioned into the Navy within two months, state media reported Sunday. Kim observed tests of cruise missiles, naval artillery, automatic guns and electronic warfare means from the destroyer Kang Kon on Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In June last year, North Korea launched the destroyer Kang Kon, about one month after it had tipped over during its initial launch attempt. The South Korean military said Sunday it detected the North's firing of cruise weapons from the warship toward the East Sea on Friday, and Seoul and Washington are analyzing the specifics. Footage taken from various angles, released by North Korea's state-run TV, showed some 10 cruise missiles soaring into the sky in succession. The KCNA reported the latest weapons tests were part of efforts to examine and confirm an ability to "apply various kinds of weapon systems on board the destroyer in combat." The North's leader called for f

Jul 5, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim observes weapons tests from naval destroyer Kang Kon
North Korea

Trump cannot denuclearize NK, says Middle East expert

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow of the Middle East Institute, said U.S. President Donald Trump will not be able to denuclearize North Korea as Pyongyang is already a “nuclear state.” Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity on June 25, Vatanka said Washington would risk a war if it wants to denuclearize Pyongyang. “Trump cannot denuclearize North Korea because North Korea is already a nuclear weapon state, unless you want to take a chance and risk major war,” said Vatanka, a Middle East expert and founding director of the Iran program at the Washington-based think tank. He joined the forum as a speaker during a session titled “The Post-War Future of Middle East Peacebuilding.” The Middle East and Iran expert emphasized that North Korea’s nuclear program is now irreversible, unlike Iran’s program, which remains controllable amid ongoing negotiations with the U.S. to halt its nuclear ambitions and end the war. “I don't know how many (nuclear weapons) they (North Korea) have. They have probably many d

Jul 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
Trump cannot denuclearize NK, says Middle East expert
Foreign Affairs

Korean doctors send advance medical team to Venezuela quake zone

The Korean Medical Association (KMA), the nation’s largest organization of doctors, has dispatched an advance volunteer team to Venezuela to assess needs and prepare broader assistance in the wake of devastating earthquakes last week. The organization’s spokesman told The Korea Times on Friday that KMA Vice President Seo Jung-sung had departed earlier in the day for the quake-struck Caracas region with one staff member as its first team in the South American country. The KMA has been coordinating with the Venezuelan Medical Association ahead of the visit to ensure the mission responds to actual needs rather than providing only symbolic support. “As doctors, we believe our mission should not be bounded by national borders, and in that sense we see this as the right thing to do,” the spokesman said. “Before sending the team, we contacted the Venezuelan doctors’ group in advance and asked whether our team would really be of help, and they told us support is needed, so we decided to go.” As of Friday, the death toll from the two major earthquakes increased to 2,595, according t

Jul 3, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korean doctors send advance medical team to Venezuela quake zone
Foreign Affairs

Korea's Coupang probe not discriminatory: presidential office

Cheong Wa Dae on Friday rejected a U.S. Congress report that accused Korea of discriminating against the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang during its investigation into a massive personal data breach. “Korea does not discriminate against corporate activities based on nationality or single out specific companies for investigation,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a press briefing. His remarks came after the U.S. House Judiciary Committee issued a report earlier this week criticizing the Seoul government for “discriminatory attacks” against Coupang. A White House official also argued that Coupang is being "singled out" by the Lee Jae Myung administration, when asked by a Korean media outlet for comment on the report. The 35-page report followed Korean authorities' investigations into Coupang's personal data leak, which is believed to have exposed the personal information of more than 33 million customers. “The report’s claims that the investigation is discriminatory, targeted or the result of unfair regulation are far from the facts,” Wi said. “It appears th

Jul 3, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Korea's Coupang probe not discriminatory: presidential office
Foreign Affairs

Quantum leaders converge in Seoul as Dutch, Australian and Canadian delegations expand Korea ties

Quantum Korea 2026 continued to serve as a key meeting point for global quantum players this year, with the embassies of the Netherlands, Australia and Canada organizing official national pavilions to strengthen research collaboration, explore business opportunities and expand long-term cooperation with Korea. The three embassies brought delegations of companies, researchers and public organizations to the three-day event at Dongdaemun Design Plaza from Thursday to Saturday, showcasing the strengths of their respective quantum ecosystems and facilitating partnerships with Korean academia and industry. The Netherlands returned for a second consecutive year with six leading quantum organizations — QDNL, TNO, QuTech, Qblox, QuantWare and Delft Circuits — under a government-supported program aimed at strengthening cooperation with Korea. The Dutch delegation showcased expertise spanning quantum computing, hardware, control systems, networking and applied research, while operating a dedicated Netherlands Lounge for meetings with Korean partners. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency supporte

Jul 3, 2026By Anna J. Park
Quantum leaders converge in Seoul as Dutch, Australian and Canadian delegations expand Korea ties
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