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  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee arrives in Italy for talks with Italian president, PM

    ROME — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Italy on Wednesday for talks with the country's top leaders on bilateral ties. Italy is the second stop on Lee's 10-day trip to Europe, his first visit to the region since taking office in June last year, which is widely aimed at broadening his diplomatic outreach in the region. As the presidential aircraft carrying him and his entourage entered Italy's airspace, two Italian fighter jets provided an air escort in a show of respect. On Thursday, Lee will attend an official welcome ceremony hosted by President Sergio Mattarella and hold a summit with him before the two leaders make a joint press announcement. The South Korean president will hold separate talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni the following day. On Sunday, he will attend Mass at St. Peter's Basilica and meet with Pope Leo XIV the next day. The president will wrap up his visit to Italy on Tuesday, when he will head to France's Evian for the Group of Seven (G7) summit, to which South Korea has been invited as a partner nation.

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

    Korea, US host energy business forum to expand bilateral cooperation

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, US host energy business forum to expand bilateral cooperation
  • Foreign Affairs

    Japanese hotel to remove monument to colonial-era Korean independence activist

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Japanese hotel to remove monument to colonial-era Korean independence activist
  • 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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North Korea

Chinese ambassador to N. Korea visits Pyongyang's biggest library: embassy

China's ambassador to North Korea has visited the country's biggest library in Pyongyang and expressed hope for the development of bilateral relations, according to the website of the embassy on Friday. Ambassador Wang Yajun visited the Grand People's Study House located at Kim Il-sung Square in the North Korean capital on Tuesday accompanied by Pyongyang-based diplomats, and toured its facilities. He was received by the library's deputy director, according to the embassy's website. The embassy said the library has long offered Chinese language courses, with each session serving as many as 700 Pyongyang citizens eager to learn Chinese. It quoted Wang as expressing hope that the North Korean library would strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Chinese institutions to nurture more talent for socialist development, as well as the advancement of bilateral relations between the two countries. The news came amid signs of Pyongyang and Beijing working to mend ties, which had not been at their best as North Korea recently aligned closely with Russia by deploying troops to support Moscow in th

May 16, 2025By Yonhap
Chinese ambassador to N. Korea visits Pyongyang's biggest library: embassy
Foreign Affairs

Gen. Brunson stresses strategic value of USFK presence in overcoming 'tyranny of distance'

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson has underscored the strategic value of American troops in South Korea in overcoming geographic constraints for security operations in the broader Indo-Pacific, a critical region home to an assertive China. Speaking at a forum Thursday, Brunson depicted South Korea as a "fixed aircraft carrier" in the region that presents multiple security challenges, "largely defined by the tyranny of distance," as he pointed to the role of the 28,500-strong USFK as part of the United States' greater Indo-Pacific strategy. His remarks came amid lingering speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump's America First policy would see a scaling back of overseas U.S. military involvement, and that he could float a troop reduction to pressure South Korea to undertake a greater security burden. "What immediately stood out to me as I looked at the map was the position of the Korean Peninsula, and the fact that it's on the Asian continent, has a sizable U.S. force posture, is inside the first island chain and is the closest allied presence to Beijing," Bruns

May 16, 2025By Yonhap
Gen. Brunson stresses strategic value of USFK presence in overcoming 'tyranny of distance'
Foreign Affairs

Korean, US trade chiefs to hold talks over tariff-related package deal

Korea's trade chief Ahn Duk-geun was set to hold talks with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on Friday on the sidelines of a trade ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, officials said. The meeting to be held on Korea's southern island of Jeju comes about three weeks after their last gathering in Washington for high-level trade consultations, where the two sides agreed to pursue a "package" deal on U.S. tariffs and economic cooperation issues by July 8. Greer is participating in the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting on Jeju, slated to wrap up its two-day run later in the day. In the upcoming meeting, Ahn is expected to discuss follow-up measures to the Washington agreement, hoping to develop a more detailed framework for further trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Last month, Seoul and Washington agreed to focus their talks on four categories — tariff and non-tariff measures, economic security, investment cooperation and currency policies. Korea has been seeking to get a reduction o

May 16, 2025By Yonhap
Korean, US trade chiefs to hold talks over tariff-related package deal
North Korea

US to extend N. Korea travel ban until August next year: State Dept.

The United States will extend its ban on its citizens' travel to North Korea for another year, a State Department notice showed Thursday, citing "serious" risks associated with any trip to the reclusive state. The department posted the notice on the Federal Register on Wednesday, announcing the decision on the extension, which will make the restriction valid from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 next year, as the current measure is set to expire on Aug. 31. Under the measure, all U.S. passports are to be declared invalid for travel to, in, or through the North unless specially validated for such travel. "The Department of State has determined there continues to be serious risk to U.S. citizens and nationals of arrest and long-term detention constituting imminent danger to their physical safety," the department said in the notice. In 2017, the U.S. implemented the travel restriction on North Korea. It has since been extended annually.

May 16, 2025By Yonhap
US to extend N. Korea travel ban until August next year: State Dept.
Foreign Affairs

Belgium promotes innovation and strategic ties with Korea

Belgium spotlighted its role as a hub for innovation, logistics and research in Europe during a high-level business event held in Seoul on Wednesday, emphasizing opportunities for Korean companies to expand into the European market. The forum, titled "Belgian Innovation at the Heart of Europe: Unlocking Business Opportunities," was organized by the Embassy of Belgium in Korea in cooperation with Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) and the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX). Speaking at the event, Bruno Jans, the Belgian ambassador to Korea, highlighted the country's unique cultural and linguistic diversity as a strength that fuels innovation and entrepreneurship. "Belgium is a diverse and dynamic market located at the crossroads of Europe," Jans said. "We attract a wide range of international businesses and talent, supported by a business-friendly environment and thriving sectors such as life sciences, green tech and semiconductors." He emphasized Korea’s potential as a strategic partner, praising its technological leadership and research and development (R&D) prowess. “The syn

May 15, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Belgium promotes innovation and strategic ties with Korea
Foreign Affairs

Philippines launches showroom to boost global reach of Filipino goods

In a strategic push to expand the global footprint of Filipino products and small businesses, Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina A. Roque inaugurated the DTI SME Showroom in Seoul Wednesday. The initiative, aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision for a globally competitive and inclusive “Bagong Pilipinas,” is designed to provide a permanent platform to showcase export-ready goods and foster international partnerships for Philippine small and medium enterprises. “This launch is a concrete step towards bringing Filipino products and small and medium enterprises closer to the global market,” Roque said in her keynote address. “It is a message to the world that the Philippines is ready, our enterprises are capable and our products deserve a place on the global stage.” Roque added that the showroom breaks geographical barriers for local entrepreneurs and helps build the trust international buyers seek. “We are making it easier for the world to do business with the Philippines — one city, one showroom, one export deal at a ti

May 15, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Philippines launches showroom to boost global reach of Filipino goods
Others

Korea to send delegation for Pope Leo XIV's coronation

Korea will send a delegation to Vatican City to attend Pope Leo XIV's coronation, set for Sunday (local time), the foreign ministry said. The delegation will be led by Culture Minister Yoo In-chon, ill be accompanied by Oh Hyun-joo, South Korean ambassador to the Holy See, the ministry said. Yoo also visited the Vatican last month with a condolence delegation to attend the funeral of late Pope Francis.

May 15, 2025By Yonhap
Korea to send delegation for Pope Leo XIV's coronation
Others

USTR Greer to meet HD Hyundai Heavy, Hanwha Ocean CEOs to discuss shipbuilding cooperation

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer was scheduled to meet with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, Korea's leading shipbuilders, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers' meeting this week, industry sources said Thursday. Greer was set to hold separate one-on-one meetings Friday with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Lee Sang-kyun and Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul on Korea's southern Jeju Island, where the trade ministers' meeting is under way. Greer arrived in Korea on Thursday to attend the multilateral meeting. The meetings, arranged at the request of the U.S. side, are expected to cover areas of strategic cooperation in both commercial and naval shipbuilding, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, according to the sources. The outcomes of these talks are expected to serve as leverage in the high-level trade consultations between Greer and Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, scheduled to take place Friday on Jeju. Discussions of shipbuilding cooperation between th

May 15, 2025By Yonhap
USTR Greer to meet HD Hyundai Heavy, Hanwha Ocean CEOs to discuss shipbuilding cooperation
North Korea

'Championing justice, human rights and good values still in US interests'

WASHINGTON — Morse Tan, a former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice in the U.S. Department of State during President Donald Trump's first administration, recalled that the nature of his office at that time had limitations in talking about his work on genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity globally and in specialized regions like North Korea. "In fact, there was one time at a conference at Maryland, different bureaucrats were worried that I would make U.S. policy public through my prayers. So I wasn't even allowed to pray freely," Tan said, laughing. The 51-year-old is a devout Christian known for not skipping prayers. A 1.5-generation Korean American (he left Seoul at the age of 2), his office within the State Department dealt with mass atrocities and provided advice on how to address injustices around the globe to the secretary of state. It is an office not commonly seen in other countries' foreign ministries, dedicated to pursuing justice and addressing injustices. While he could not go into detail, he said he did what he could to advance the situation in No

May 15, 2025By Kim Ji-soo
'Championing justice, human rights and good values still in US interests'
Foreign Affairs

High-level trade talks held in Jeju as APEC ministers' meeting kicks off

JEJU — Top trade envoys of Korea and the United States sat down for tariff negotiations on Jeju, Thursday, amid Seoul’s efforts to sign a package deal that will ease impacts of Washington’s proposed “reciprocal” tariffs. Korea’s Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which kicked off on the southern resort island of Jeju earlier the same day. "During the meeting with USTR Jamieson Greer, (Korea) has inquired the negotiation process between the U.S. and other major countries regarding the U.S. tariff measures, while also discussing trade issues between our two countries," Cheong told reporters after the meeting. "Also, as Korea hosts the APEC summit this year, both countries have agreed to cooperate to draw progressive results (from APEC)." Though details of their talks remain unknown, their meeting is assumed to be serving as a prelude to Korea’s push for a “July package” — a set of trade deals aimed at easing the impa

May 15, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
High-level trade talks held in Jeju as APEC ministers' meeting kicks off
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