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  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee to receive Italy's highest decoration for promoting bilateral ties

    ROME — President Lee Jae Myung will receive Italy's highest state decoration from Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday in recognition of his contributions to bilateral ties, a presidential official said. Mattarella was to confer the Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on Lee during a state banquet in Rome, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing. The honor comes after the two leaders held summit talks earlier in the day at the Quirinal Palace, during which they agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership. Lee is currently on a state visit to Italy, the first such visit by a South Korean president in 26 years. The Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic is Italy's highest decoration bestowed on foreign heads of state. Italy conferred the honor on King Charles III of Britain and the president of the United Arab Emirates last year. The conferral reflects Italy's "highest expression of respect for Lee in appreciation of his contributions to strengthening friends

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee to receive Italy's highest decoration for promoting bilateral ties
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee says S. Korea, Italy are 'optimal partners' for business cooperation

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee says S. Korea, Italy are 'optimal partners' for business cooperation
  • Foreign Affairs

    Lee hopes S. Korea, Italy will work together to promote free trade, multilateralism

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Lee hopes S. Korea, Italy will work together to promote free trade, multilateralism
  • Others

    Korea, Italy sign MOUs to enhance advanced science cooperation, explore joint projects in Africa

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, Italy sign MOUs to enhance advanced science cooperation, explore joint projects in Africa
  • Others

    Korea, Britain sign revised nuclear cooperation protocol, discuss partnership

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, Britain sign revised nuclear cooperation protocol, discuss partnership
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Foreign Affairs

Acting president calls for redoubling efforts to ease burden of US tariffs

Acting President Han Duck-soo instructed the government Thursday to redouble efforts to ease the burden of U.S. tariffs after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in the implementation of "reciprocal" tariffs on all countries except China. Trump announced the pause on social media Wednesday (local time), hours after the steep levies, including 25 percent for Korea, took effect, deepening a global trade war. During the pause, a baseline 10 percent tariff will be in effect for all countries with the exception of China, whose duties Trump raised to 125 percent. "We received somewhat comforting news this morning," Han said during a ministerial meeting, referring to the pause. "For the Republic of Korea, whose growth and development rely heavily on trade, we must redouble our efforts to rid ourselves of the burden of these tariffs by making progress in all negotiations over the next 90 days." Han explained the basis for the 25 percent tariffs is a perception on the U.S. side that the two countries' products are not competing under equal conditions in terms of tariffs, taxes, n

Apr 10, 2025By Yonhap
Acting president calls for redoubling efforts to ease burden of US tariffs
Foreign Affairs

Korea to host working level meeting on int'l clean energy discussions

Korea is set to host a senior working-level meeting of a global forum on clean energy this week to lead international discussions on expanding the use of eco-friendly energy sources to tackle climate change, Seoul's industry ministry said Thursday. The 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) working-level meeting will take place in Seoul for three days until Saturday, with the attendance of some 280 senior government officials from 24 member nations and international organizations, as well as energy experts, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The meeting will focus on ways to expand distribution of clean energy to meet global climate targets and foster technological innovations for the transition to nature-friendly energy sources. The main agenda items of the event include clean electricity, hydrogen energy and artificial intelligence (AI). A senior working-level meeting of the Mission Innovation (MI) will be held on the sidelines of the event. MI is a global initiative launched in 2015 to accelerate public and private investment in clean energy research and development

Apr 10, 2025By Yonhap
Korea to host working level meeting on int'l clean energy discussions
Foreign Affairs

Trump signals US will make defense cost-sharing part of talks for 'package' deal on trade, other issues

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that his administration will make a defense cost-sharing issue a part of negotiations for a "package" deal with U.S. allies and others over trade and other bilateral matters. Trump made the remarks during a press availability amid concerns that he could demand a hefty rise in Korea's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, although a bilateral cost-sharing deal — valid for 2026-2030 — was already struck last year. "It depends. We pay for military over in Europe. We don't get reimbursed by much ... Korea too," Trump told reporters at the White House, responding to a question about whether he has any plans to reduce the number of American troops in Europe. "It would be one of the things we discuss. That's unrelated to trade, but I think we'll make it part of it because (it) makes sense. (It would be) nice to wrap it all up in one package for each country. You know, it's nice and clean," he added. On Tuesday, Trump said he had a "great" call with Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo, during which he said the

Apr 10, 2025By Yonhap
Trump signals US will make defense cost-sharing part of talks for 'package' deal on trade, other issues
Foreign Affairs

US Sen. Andy Kim blasts Trump's immigration crackdown as 'political retribution'

U.S. Senator Andy Kim, a Korean American lawmaker from New Jersey, slammed the Donald Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, calling it a "political retribution" which abandons constitutional principles. Kim’s condemnation comes in response to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, which have now led to the revocation of hundreds of international student visas based on the students’ political expression. This development has stoked fear among immigrant communities, including Korean Americans. "No matter the challenges we face, there is no justification for abandoning basic constitutional principles like the right to due process and freedom of speech in our country," Kim told The Korea Times in a recent email. "The cruelness being inflicted on people like Yunseo Chung, who has been in the U.S. since she was a little kid, is yet more evidence of this administration’s lawlessness and failure to lead with a sense of humanity," he said. Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia University student and permanent U.S. resident, had faced deportation proceedings f

Apr 9, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
US Sen. Andy Kim blasts Trump's immigration crackdown as 'political retribution'
Foreign Affairs

Luxembourg’s envoy shares diplomatic insights with students

The University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) welcomed Luxembourg Ambassador to Korea Jacques Flies for a special lecture in Incheon on Tuesday, aimed at deepening students’ understanding of global diplomacy and the relationship between Luxembourg and Korea. Titled “From Luxembourg to Seoul: A Diplomatic Journey & Luxembourg-Korea Relations,” the lecture drew students, faculty and staff eager to gain insights from the ambassador, whose decadeslong career in diplomacy has taken him from West Africa to the United Nations and now Seoul. Speaking at the university situated in Incheon Global Campus, Flies reflected on Luxembourg’s unique diplomatic identity as a small but influential European state and its evolving strategic ties with Korea. “Diplomacy goes beyond state-to-state relations — it’s about connecting people, cultures and building trust,” Flies said. “It’s a pleasure to share Luxembourg’s experience, especially as our relationship with Korea continues to grow stronger.” Flies emphasized the critical role of multilateral diplomacy, noting that smaller states like

Apr 9, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Luxembourg’s envoy shares diplomatic insights with students
North Korea

S. Korea to break ground in H1 for N. Korean human rights center in Seoul

The government plans to begin the construction of a new national center for North Korean human rights in western Seoul within the first half of this year as part of efforts to improve human rights conditions in the country, the unification ministry said Wednesday. The ministry announced the plan as part of this year's road map for implementing projects aimed at improving inter-Korean relations, which it is required to draw up every year, along with a broader five-year vision for enhancing inter-Korean ties. The plan to build the center in Seoul's western neighborhood of Magok has been conceived as a "hub" for addressing North Korean human rights issues, with completion targeted for next year under a 26 billion-won ($17.5 million) budget. The government also plans to establish an intergovernmental consultative body, potentially involving the unification and foreign ministries as well as the national spy agency, to support the entry of North Korean refugees residing in China or other foreign countries into South Korea. (Yonhap)

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea to break ground in H1 for N. Korean human rights center in Seoul
North Korea

Ex-N. Korean commando dies at age 83

Kim Shin-jo, a former North Korean special forces soldier who infiltrated South Korea on an assassination mission and later became a pastor, died Wednesday, his church said. He was 83 years old. Kim passed away early in the morning, according to Sungrak Church in Seoul. Trained in North Korea in the 1960s, Kim was one of 31 commandos sent on a mission to assassinate then South Korean President Park Chung-hee in 1968. He was the only one in the squad to be captured alive, while another survivor fled to North Korea. The former commando was allowed to settle as a civilian in the South and became a citizen in 1970. He converted to Christianity and had been serving as a pastor since 1997. (Yonhap)

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-N. Korean commando dies at age 83
People & Events

Kim In-su, NK-born US Special Forces commando, dies at 92

Kim In-su, a former member of a U.S. Special Forces unit made up of North Korean defectors, has died. He was 92. Kim died March 31 in Rockville, Maryland, according to the U.S.-based obituary site Tribute Archive. The cause of death was not disclosed, but the obituary described it as a "peaceful passing." He served in the 8240th Army Unit, a U.S. Far East Command group that used islands off North Korea’s east and west coasts to launch special operations — gathering intelligence, disrupting supply lines and rescuing prisoners during the 1950-53 Korean War. Although operated and overseen by the U.S. military, the unit was largely composed of young North Korean defectors familiar with the region's geography, culture and dialect. The unit, referred to in official U.S. military documents as “North Korean Partisans,” grew to about 22,000 members at its peak in 1953. Born in Pyongyang — now the capital of North Korea — in 1932, Kim went into hiding to escape communist persecution of Christians in 1950 following the outbreak of the Korean War. He later joined the United Nations force

Apr 9, 2025By Park Ung
Kim In-su, NK-born US Special Forces commando, dies at 92
  • S. Korea begins annual excavation project for fallen soldiers of Korean War
  • Korea aims to recover remains of 220 soldiers killed during Korean War in 2025
  • Chinese officials managing Korean War memorial facility return to North Korea after 5 years
North Korea

6 months into troop deployment to Russia, N. Korea rewarded with key military tech, economic aid

Around six months after deploying its troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, North Korea appears to have lost thousands of young men but received rare military technology and economic aid as a reward to potentially offset international sanctions. In October, North Korea dispatched more than 10,000 troops to fight alongside Russians in the front-line Kursk region, just a few months after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a landmark comprehensive strategic partnership in Pyongyang in June. South Korea's military estimated that around 4,000 of the troops dispatched last year have been killed or injured, reportedly due to the frequent use of drones in the war, a feature of modern warfare they are unaccustomed to facing. The North is believed to have sent an additional 3,000 troops to the war earlier this year, according to Seoul officials. Criticism has grown that North Korea has deployed its young soldiers to the front lines merely as cannon fodder. Testimonies from two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces revealed that they h

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
6 months into troop deployment to Russia, N. Korea rewarded with key military tech, economic aid
Foreign Affairs

Korea to prioritize lowering tariffs rates in US negotiations: official

South Korea will prioritize efforts to lower tariff rates in upcoming negotiations with the United States, a senior official said Wednesday, as Washington prepares to slap a 25 percent levy on imports from Seoul. The remarks came after acting President Han Duck-soo's first phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, during which they discussed a wide range of issues, including tariffs, shipbuilding and potential energy deals, security and North Korea. "As high-level talks have taken place, we will now prepare concrete proposals and begin negotiations on individual issues with relevant trade authorities," the official from the Prime Minister's Office told reporters. "Our foremost goal is to adjust (U.S.) tariff rates." South Korea's trade minister is traveling to Washington to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for tariff negotiations. Trump described the call with Han as "great," saying the two leaders touched on several key topics, including trade, the purchase of liquefied natural gas, a pipeline project in Alaska, shipbuilding cooperation and defense cost-sharin

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Korea to prioritize lowering tariffs rates in US negotiations: official
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