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  • Foreign Affairs

    S. Korea, US, Japan hold talks on N. Korea

    South Korea had a trilateral meeting with officials from the United States and Japan in Tokyo on North Korean affairs this week, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The ministry said the talks took place Friday involving Kim Sang-il, head of the ministry's North Korean Nuclear Affairs Policy Division; David Wilezol, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Northeast Asia; and Kengo Otsuka, deputy director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at the Japanese foreign ministry. The officials shared their views on recent affairs on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Northeast Asia, and also reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearize North Korea and to ensure the implementation of U.N. and autonomous sanctions, Seoul's foreign ministry said. "We explained our effort in easing tension and building trust in inter-Korean relations, and also exchanged views on trilateral cooperation in ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry added. In a press release issued Friday, the Japanese foreign ministry noted the three officials "expressed their serious concerns over

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    S. Korea, US, Japan hold talks on N. Korea
  • 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

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
Others

Unification minister visits Japan for meetings with senior officials on unification, NK

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho will travel to Japan on Wednesday for a three-day visit that will include meetings with senior officials to discuss policies related to inter-Korean unification and North Korea, his ministry said. Kim's visit to Tokyo through Friday aims to strengthen Korea-Japan cooperation on unification between the two Koreas and North Korea policy under the Shigeru Ishiba administration, according to the ministry. During the visit, Kim plans to hold meetings with Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, a ministry official said. He also intends to brief the association of foreign correspondents in Japan on South Korea's policies on unification and attend a local forum. The ministry said the minister expects his visit to Japan to strengthen Seoul-Tokyo cooperation on issues, including efforts to repatriate abductees held in North Korea. The ministry also said the latest visit is expected to elevate the bilateral partnership to a higher level as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations this ye

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Unification minister visits Japan for meetings with senior officials on unification, NK
North Korea

NK leader's sister slams S. Korea-US-Japan pledge to denuclearize North as 'most hostile act'

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has denounced a recent pledge by South Korea, the United States and Japan to denuclearize Pyongyang, calling it the "most hostile act" and saying it won't change the country's possession of nuclear weapons. Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling party's central committee, issued the statement Wednesday in response to the outcome of last week's trilateral meeting of the three countries' foreign ministers. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing North Korea on the margins of a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) last Thursday. Kim claimed the joint pledge only revealed the uneasiness of the three countries about addressing North Korea's denuclearization, saying they know it is only "a daydream that can never come true." "If they frantically cry out for 'denuclearization,' really believing in it, they must be termed nonsensical," she noted in the statement carried by the Korea

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
NK leader's sister slams S. Korea-US-Japan pledge to denuclearize North as 'most hostile act'
Foreign Affairs

Trump prioritizes tariff talks with Korea, Japan: White House official

U.S. President Donald Trump is prioritizing negotiations with two of America's "closest" allies, Korea and Japan, a senior White House official said Tuesday, as dozens of countries are seeking to engage in talks with Washington over new U.S. tariffs. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, made the remarks in a Fox News interview, as U.S. trading partners are seeking to lower new tariffs that the Trump administration has announced to increase federal government revenue, reduce America's trade deficits and bolster domestic manufacturing. Last Wednesday, Trump announced a minimum 10 percent "baseline" tariff and higher "reciprocal" tariffs on what his administration called the list of the "worst offenders." The reciprocal tariff for Korea and Japan was 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively. "He obviously prioritizes two of our closest allies and trading partners, Japan and Korea," he said, noting the Trump administration is currently managing a "massive" number of requests for negotiations that he cast as "logistically quite challenging to go through." "And the word out

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Trump prioritizes tariff talks with Korea, Japan: White House official
Foreign Affairs

Senate confirms Trump's pick for Pentagon policy chief

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for under secretary of defense for policy, a post that could affect the United States' policy on the Korea-U.S. security partnership. The upper chamber approved Elbridge Colby for the Pentagon's No. 3 post in a 54-45 vote, according to reports. Colby served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development from 2017-2018 during the first Trump administration. Colby has been calling for an adjustment of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)'s role to focus more on threats from China. During an interview with Yonhap News Agency last year, he noted the need for a USFK overhaul to make it "more relevant" to handling China-related contingencies rather than being held "hostage" to countering North Korean challenges. During a Senate confirmation hearing last month, Colby threw his support behind efforts to bolster Korea's role in the alliance with the U.S as he addressed a question over the ongoing efforts for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul. Seoul and Washington have been working on

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Senate confirms Trump's pick for Pentagon policy chief
Foreign Affairs

Acting president, Trump discuss cooperation on shipbuilding, LNG, trade balance

Acting President Han Duck-soo had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening. The phone call began at 9:03 p.m. and lasted for about 28 minutes. It was the first conversation between Korea's acting president and the U.S. president since the latter's inauguration and the ouster of former Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. During the talks, Han emphasized Korea's strong commitment and willingness to cooperate with the U.S. in three key areas: shipbuilding, LNG and trade balance, according to the Prime Minister's Office. "The two leaders agreed to continue constructive ministerial-level discussions on economic cooperation, including the trade balance, in order to find mutually beneficial solutions for both countries," it said in a press release. In addition, Han highlighted the need for cooperation on North Korea's denuclearization. Both leaders agreed to continue close coordination on North Korea policy going forward, sharing the view that the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan is crucial for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Accordi

Apr 8, 2025By Anna J. Park
Acting president, Trump discuss cooperation on shipbuilding, LNG, trade balance
North Korea

N. Korea removes founder's birthplace name from annual Pyongyang Int'l Marathon

North Korea has renamed its annual international marathon in Pyongyang for this year, removing the name of national founder Kim Il-sung's birthplace, a government official said Tuesday. North Korea's state media reported the Pyongyang International Marathon took place in the capital on Sunday, marking the competition's resumption following a five-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Photos of the two events showed that the 2019 edition was named the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, while the 2025 edition was called the Pyongyang International Marathon. Mangyongdae is a neighborhood in Pyongyang that North Korea promotes as the birthplace of national founder Kim Il-sung as part of its propaganda. An official at South Korea's unification ministry confirmed the renaming, adding it appears intended to "dilute the idolization" of the late founder or reduce his influence. This year, North Korea also omitted its usual expression, the "Day of the Sun," which refers to Kim's birthday on April 15, when reporting on the marathon. North Korea has recently been seen reorienting its major ceremonies an

Apr 8, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea removes founder's birthplace name from annual Pyongyang Int'l Marathon
Foreign Affairs

KITA asks US gov't to exclude Korean copper from nat'l security tariffs

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) has expressed its concerns against a possible U.S. move to impose tariffs on copper imports, the association said Tuesday, amid an ongoing U.S. investigation into copper imports. The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) launched the investigation on March 10 under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to assess the national security implications of imports of copper and copper derivative products. The DOC accepted public comments from interested parties through April 1. Section 232 allows the U.S. president to impose import restrictions if imports of an item are found to pose a threat to national security. In its letter to the DOC, KITA argued that Korean copper products do not threaten U.S. national security and, in fact, help strengthen the stability of U.S. supply chains. KITA noted that Korean copper accounted for just 3.5 percent of total U.S. imports last year, and highlighted Korea's ongoing contributions to the U.S. copper industry through investments by LS Cable & System and Poongsan Corp. LS Cable & System, Korea's biggest cabl

Apr 8, 2025By Yonhap
KITA asks US gov't to exclude Korean copper from nat'l security tariffs
Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Rabat seek early start of negotiations for economic partnership agreement

The top trade officials of South Korea and Morocco on Tuesday discussed ways to launch negotiations for a bilateral economic partnership agreement (EPA) in the near future as part of efforts to boost the countries' cooperation in trade and investment, Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun proposed commencing negotiations for the envisioned EPA as quickly as possible in a Seoul meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Ryad Mezzour, according to the ministry. The countries agreed to push for an EPA during the Korea-Africa Summit, held last year, to strengthen their collaboration on supply chains, digital industry and a broader range of other trade issues. Prior to signing the EPA, the two countries can also strike a trade and investment promotion framework to swiftly promote cooperation, Ahn said, according to the ministry. The two ministers also discussed Korean companies' potential investment in Morocco to expand infrastructure ahead of the 2030 World Cup to be held in the Northern African nation, it added. Ahn told Mezzour the two countries may

Apr 8, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul, Rabat seek early start of negotiations for economic partnership agreement
Others

Public diplomacy in action: Peruvian artist's photo exhibition

The Embassy of Peru is deeply honored and proud to bring Korea the talent and artistry of Roberto Huarcaya, presenting a monumental exhibition, “A Sombre Aspect,” with the generous support of the Korea Foundation and the chief curator of the Donggang International Photography Festival Kim, Ms. Kim Hee-jung. There is no doubt that Huarcaya, a 66-year-old from Lima, is one of the most renowned and talented photographers and visual artists in my country, if not the most. His innovative experimental techniques invite us to engage with the world from a natural, empathetic and intimate perspective. The photograms shown in the Korea Foundation gallery embody an artisanal and minimalist process that stands in stark contrast to today’s technology and artificial intelligence-driven trends. It takes us back, in many ways, to the origins of photography: photosensitive paper and light, whether from natural sources like storms or the moon, or from artificial sources like a small handheld flash. The result is a delicate realm of shadows and ephemeral images presenting the opportunity to unveil a

Apr 8, 2025By Paul Duclos
Public diplomacy in action: Peruvian artist's photo exhibition
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