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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 attend ASEAN-plus-3 vice finance ministers' meeting in Malaysia

Korea, China, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a meeting of vice finance ministers and senior central bank officials in Kuala Lumpur this week to discuss their multilateral currency swap agreement and explore ways to enhance financial cooperation, Seoul's finance ministry said Monday. The ASEAN+3 Finance and Central Bank Deputies' Meeting will take place in the Malaysian capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which senior officials will review key agenda items for the upcoming meeting among their finance ministers scheduled to be held in Italy on May 4, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Korea will send Deputy Finance Minister Choi Ji-young to this week's meeting as its chief delegate, it added. On the table will be how to better develop their Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM), a US$240 billion pool launched in 2010 that can be tapped through currency swap deals in times of financial crises. A currency swap is a tool meant to defend against financial turmoil by allowing a country beset by a liquidity crunch to borrow m

Apr 7, 2025By Yonhap
Korea to attend ASEAN-plus-3 vice finance ministers' meeting in Malaysia
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim sends condolences over death of ex-Lao President Siphandone

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of condolence to the Lao president over the recent death of former President Khamtai Siphandone, the North's state media reported Monday. The message sent to President Thongloun Sisoulith came as Laos observes a five-day mourning period through Monday, following the death of the former president last Wednesday at the age of 101. In the message reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim "expressed deep condolences" to the incumbent Lao president, his party, the government, the Lao people and the bereaved family on behalf of the North Korean government and people. "I am confident that the Lao party, government and the people will overcome the sorrow of the loss and achieve great success in the struggle to uphold and advance the socialist cause, as wished by comrade Khamtai Siphandone," Kim noted. Sharing a socialist ideology, Laos is one of the few countries with which North Korea maintains close ties. In March last year, a North Korean delegation led by Kim Song-nam, director of the international department of the country's ru

Apr 7, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim sends condolences over death of ex-Lao President Siphandone
North Korea

N. Korea hosts 1st Pyongyang marathon in 6 years

North Korea has hosted its annual Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, resuming it following a suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the North's state media on Monday. Marathon enthusiasts from North Korea, China, Morocco, Ethiopia and other countries took part in the Pyongyang International Marathon held the previous day, which featured full and half marathons, as well as 10-kilometer and 5-km races for both men and women, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The opening ceremony took place at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, attended by Vice Premier and Vice Chairman of the state sports guidance committee Pak Jong-gun, Sports Minister Kim Il-kuk and other officials. The marathon competition was launched in 1981 to celebrate North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's birthday on April 15 and had been held annually until it was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rodong Sinmun, the mainstream newspaper for the general public, reported that North Korean workers and adolescent students waved and clapped as runners passed along ma

Apr 7, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea hosts 1st Pyongyang marathon in 6 years
Foreign Affairs

Korean green card holders in US fear traveling abroad

LOS ANGELES — Mina Kim never imagined that the two speeding tickets she received a few years ago would come back to haunt her. With less than a month before her flight to Korea, the U.S. green card holder is scrambling to figure out if there's a risk she may not be able to return to her California home. Traffic violations haven't jeopardized immigration status in the past, but now, many say no situation is completely safe under the new Donald Trump administration. "I consulted four immigration lawyers and all of them are saying the same thing," Kim, 38, said. "There shouldn't be a problem, but there's no guarantee that there won't be a problem." Recent reports and anecdotes of heightened scrutiny at airports and border crossings have put even lawful permanent U.S. residents, also known as green card holders, on edge as they fear their status could be revoked. These concerns are further fueled by the Trump administration's frustration over unmet deportation targets, triggering more aggressive enforcement measures — even against green card holders who have traditionally held the most l

Apr 6, 2025By Jane Han
Korean green card holders in US fear traveling abroad
North Korea

North Korea holds first Pyongyang Marathon in six years

North Korea on Sunday is holding its first Pyongyang International Marathon in six years, hosting foreign runners in the reclusive country that had largely closed its borders during the pandemic. Athletes from China, Romania and other countries have arrived in North Korea to participate in the event, state media KCNA news agency and Rodong Sinmun reported on Sunday. About 200 travellers came into Pyongyang on Friday and Saturday, and runners from overseas practiced at a hotel in Pyongyang for the Sunday race, said Simon Cockerell, general manager at Beijing-based Koryo Tours, in his Instagram posts showing streets and a recreational area in Pyongyang. The Koryo Tours is the official partner of the Pyongyang Marathon, helping arrange the sign-up process for international visitors for the event. The isolated state sealed its borders in 2020 at the start of the pandemic but has been slowly lifting restrictions since 2023. It allowed some Russian tourist groups into the country but its capital still remains closed to regular tourism. The marathon is a return course run through central Pyongyan

Apr 6, 2025By Reuters
North Korea holds first Pyongyang Marathon in six years
Foreign Affairs

Next president should build personal diplomacy with Trump immediately: experts

Korea's next president, whoever it will be, should try to talk with U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as possible and build personal ties with him, as the removal of Yoon Suk Yeol from the presidency has thrown Korea’s foreign policy into a new period of uncertainty amid a rising global trade war. During his nearly three years in office, Yoon sought to elevate South Korea’s role on the global stage, promoting a "global pivotal state" vision centered on strengthening ties with the United States and deepening cooperation with Japan. His impeachment, upheld by the Constitutional Court on Friday, has abruptly halted this agenda, leaving Seoul’s diplomacy in limbo until a new leader is elected in the next two months. Foreign affairs analysts told The Korea Times that while Yoon's ouster has resolved the nation's immediate political crisis, it offered little clarity on how the country will navigate growing global uncertainties in the face of an escalating trade war initiated by U.S. tariffs. "The Constitutional Court's unanimous 8-0 vote and detailed rationale for upholding the impeach

Apr 5, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Next president should build personal diplomacy with Trump immediately: experts
North Korea

North Korea reports on court ruling to remove Yoon from office

North Korea reported on the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Saturday, following a South Korean Constitutional Court ruling this week. The North's state media said the court upheld the impeachment of Yoon in a unanimous vote Friday over his brief martial law declaration in December, immediately removing him from office. Without making its own commentary, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency cited major foreign news outlets' headlines on Yoon's ouster. Yoon has become the nation's second president to be removed from office after former President Park Geun-hye was ousted in 2017 over a corruption scandal. In 2017, North Korea swiftly reported on Park's dismissal about two hours after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment. Observers said the North appears to be keeping a distance from South Korea as its leader Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other." (Yonhap)

Apr 5, 2025By Yonhap
North Korea reports on court ruling to remove Yoon from office
North Korea

N. Korean leader inspects special operation units' training on day of Yoon's ouster

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected training activities of special operations units earlier this week, stressing that strengthening their capabilities was key to building a strong army, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday. Kim visited a training base for the special operation units, Friday -- the day when South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, removing him from office. Kim oversaw the general tactical training and a small-arms shooting contest conducted by the units' soldiers, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The actual war capability for guaranteeing victory in the field is bolstered through intensive training and it is the most vivid expression of patriotism and loyalty to the country," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA. The North's leader noted that the "strengthening of the special operation forces constitutes a major component of the army building strategy at present," the report said. The KCNA said Kim also laid out "crucial" tasks to put the special operation units' capability on "a highly-deve

Apr 5, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean leader inspects special operation units' training on day of Yoon's ouster
Foreign Affairs

Foreign envoys praise Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon’s impeachment

Foreign diplomats in Seoul hailed Korea’s Constitutional Court for its unanimous decision Friday to uphold the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, describing the ruling as a testament to the country’s democratic resilience and institutional strength. The court voted 8-0 to affirm the National Assembly’s impeachment motion, which had accused Yoon of repeated violations of the Constitution, abuse of power and undermining democratic checks and balances. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. “I think it was extremely important that the Constitutional Court has managed to reach the decision unanimously. With that it has put itself above the politics, proved to be the guardian of the constitution and disabled any possible speculations about political interference and thus politically biased ruling,” said a deputy ambassador to Korea, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Hopefully the ruling, which is final and binding, will bring an end — or at least the beginning of an end — to this complicated time for Korea. I hope it will also represent a wake-up call to the poli

Apr 4, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Foreign envoys praise Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon’s impeachment
North Korea

Over 63% of S. Korean students view N. Korea with caution, animosity: poll

More than 6 out of 10 students from elementary to high schools in South Korea view North Korea as an adversary that warrants caution and animosity, a poll released by the unification ministry showed Friday. In the poll, 48.2 percent of elementary to high school students responded that North Korea is an adversary that warrants caution, while another 15 percent said the country deserves animosity. Only 27.8 percent responded North Korea is a partner for cooperation, while 6.5 percent viewed it as a country in need of assistance. The unification ministry, along with the education ministry, surveyed 74,288 students from 775 elementary, middle and high schools across the country from Oct. 21-Nov. 15 to examine school education on unification issues. In a similar survey in 2021, a combined 60.6 percent viewed North Korea as a country warranting cooperation or assistance, while only 34.8 percent saw it as an adversary requiring caution or animosity. In last year's survey, 75.8 percent said the current inter-Korean relations were "not peaceful," while only 4.6 percent viewed them as peaceful. Thos

Apr 4, 2025By Yonhap
Over 63% of S. Korean students view N. Korea with caution, animosity: poll
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