Foreign Affairs

Indian envoy shares spiritual legacy at Buddha’s birthday lantern ceremony

Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar joined religious and academic leaders at Dongguk University on Thursday for a vibrant lantern lighting ceremony to celebrate the birth of Buddha. The event, organized by Dongguk University in partnership with the Embassy of India, drew over 500 participants and featured the lighting of 16,000 lanterns to symbolize the universal values of compassion and wisdom. In a speech delivered at the ceremony, Kumar reflected on the enduring relevance of Buddha’s teachings and the deep historical and spiritual connections between Korea and India. “It is a great honor for me and my spouse to join you all at this auspicious and beautifully illuminated ceremony to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. I extend my warm greetings to you all,” the ambassador said. He emphasized the civilizational journey of Buddhism, which spread from Korea to India through peaceful means led by monks, scholars and spiritual seekers — not through conquest. “Lord Buddha’s core teachings — the Middle Path, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path — offer tim

Korea, China likely to hold maritime talks this month after standoff in Yellow Sea

Korea and China plan to hold working-level talks on maritime issues later this month, diplomatic sources said Monday, as Seoul seeks to reinforce calls for stability following a recent standoff with Beijing in overlapping waters. The two countries are fine-tuning the details to hold the director-general-level dialogue in Seoul, headed by their foreign ministries, sources said. The talks, if realized, would come after the brief standoff between the two neis in the Yellow Sea in February, when Chinese authorities blocked the Southan Coast Guard's attempt to approach a steel structure built by China in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near South Korea's southwest coast. Seoul sent a research ship to investigate the structure China installed without authorization. China claimed that the structure was a commercial aquafarm and that Seoul had no right to investigate. The PMZ is an area where the Exclusive Economic Zones of Korea and China overlap. The two sides have reached an agreement to allow their fishing vessels to operate there and jointly manage marine resources, while prohibiting an

Korea, Uzbekistan sign cooperative deal in procurement service

Acting president says Trump apparently ordered immediate tariff negotiations with S. Korea, Japan, India

Acting President Han Duck-soo said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump "apparently" instructed his administration to conduct immediate tariff negotiations with South Korea, Japan and India. Han made the remark during a meeting with government officials and large business executives, referring to Trump's actions after they held a phone call last week. "We discussed what we are going to do regarding the implementation of the United States' reciprocal tariffs, and which subjects South Korea and the U.S. will hold negotiations on," the acting president said. "President Trump was very satisfied and apparently gave instructions (to his aides) to hold immediate negotiations with South Korea, Japan and India," he added. The basis for Han's remark was not clear, but the same day that Han and Trump spoke by phone Tuesday, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told Fox News that Trump "obviously prioritizes two of our closest allies and trading partners, Japan and Korea," in tariff negotiations. The next day, Trump announced a 90-day pause in the implementation of

N. Korean leader sends educational aid to pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent an educational aid fund and stipends to an association of pro-Pyongyang residents in Japan to mark the upcoming 113th birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Monday. Kim sent 287 million yen ($1.99 million) in such funds to the General Association of Korean residents in Japan for "democratic national education of Korean children in Japan," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Since taking office in late 2011, Kim has sent educational aid funds and scholarships every year to the association around the founder's birthday, which falls on April 15. Last year, he sent 337 million yen to the group. Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il -- late father of the incumbent leader -- and Kim Jong-un have sent a total of nearly 50 billion yen on 171 occasions to children of pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan, the KCNA said. Experts said the North's leader appears to be using the education funds to elicit loyalty from such young ethnic Koreans in Japan. Since last year, Pyongyang has allowed visits to the North by officials and

Korea, Australia vow stronger ties on energy, key minerals amid uncertainty

Korea and Australia have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on key minerals and energy sectors as part of broader efforts to navigate deepening global economic uncertainties, Seoul's finance ministry said Sunday. The consensus was reached during a virtual meeting held Friday between Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. During the meeting, the two ministers shared the view that increasing uncertainty in the global trade environment could negatively impact their trade-dependent economies. To address such challenges, they emphasized the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation to ensure stable supply chains, particularly in the energy and critical minerals sectors, and agreed to pursue joint efforts through the Group of 20 (G20) and other multilateral cooperative frameworks. "As long-standing close partners, Korea and Australia have agreed to work together to overcome current challenges. Korea will continue to maintain close communication with Australia and other key partner nations," the

Top diplomat to visit Vietnam for talks on green growth

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will travel to Vietnam this week for an international meeting on sustainable development, officials said Sunday. The foreign ministry said Cho will be in Hanoi from Tuesday to Thursday for the P4G Summit. P4G stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, a multilateral initiative to promote efforts to build sustainable economies. At the fourth edition of the P4G meeting, Cho will emphasize the importance of the global alliance to respond to climate change and also highlight Korea's efforts to combat climate change. During his visit, Cho will also meet with his Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, for the second round of the bilateral dialogue between the two countries' top diplomats. Korea hosted the first such meeting in May 2024. The foreign ministerial talks were created following the Korea-Vietnam summit in Hanoi in June 2023.

Chinese ambassador shares sheep clash video, credits China's firm stand on Trump tariffs

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing posted Friday a video on social media showing two sheep colliding head-on, with one knocked to the ground, as he credited China's "resolute" countermeasures for the U.S. decision to suspend tariffs for 90 days. The 30-second video clip, uploaded on his X account, shows two sheep charging head-on toward each other. One, labeled "the United States" in Chinese, is knocked backward, stumbling before collapsing to the ground. The other, labeled "China," stands its ground, watching as its opponent slowly backs away in defeat. "The so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' will be suspended for 90 days. Is that a good thing? Don't forget, without China's resolute countermeasures and strong resistance, there would be no 90-day reprieve! Don't forget, this is only a 90-day reprieve!" Dai wrote, in Chinese and Korean. The video comes with a phrase at the top, which says, "If others do not offend me, I will not offend them; but if others offend me, I will certainly offend them," a slogan used by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The tariff war between Washington and

Rwandan envoy urges global responsibility at 31st genocide commemoration

Rwanda’s Ambassador to Korea Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa called for greater global accountability and solidarity during a ceremony Monday in Seoul, marking the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “Today, we gather for the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi — a solemn moment to remember over one million innocent lives taken in just 100 days,” the ambassador said. “It is a time to honor the victims, to comfort the survivors and to salute those who stopped the genocide and rebuilt our country from its ashes.” In a deeply reflective speech, Bakuramutsa underscored that the genocide was not a spontaneous event but the culmination of decades of systemic ethnic hatred. “The genocide did not happen in a vacuum. It was the result of decades of ethnic-based hatred and division, introduced during colonial rule and perpetuated by successive regimes,” he said. “From 1959 to 1994, Tutsi were marginalized, persecuted, and repeatedly targeted in mass killings — all under a system that fostered impunity and enshrined divisionism.” The amba

N. Korea's Mount Paektu designated as UNESCO Global Geopark

The North Korean side of Mount Paektu, an active stratovolcano on the North Korean-Chinese border, has been approved as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) endorsed the addition of Mount Paektu to its list of Global Geopark networks the previous day in Paris. This marks North Korea's first inclusion in the UNESCO Global Geopark networks. The list is maintained and updated to recognize major natural sites of significant geological value and to promote their sustainable preservation. Last year, the UNESCO executive board designated the Chinese side of the mountain as Mount Changbaishan UNESCO Global Geopark under its Chinese name. North Korea sought the UNESCO listing for the mountain in 2019, a year before China, but China secured the designation first as an on-site inspection in North Korea was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The territory demonstrates well-developed glacial geography, with cirques made by glacial erosion and other topographical features such as moraine hills, moraine plains an