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  • North Korea

    N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report

    North Korea and Belarus are close to signing a visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens, Belarus' state media has reported. The report by the Belarusian news agency BelTA on Sunday (Belarus time) said Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov discussed ways to enhance mutual times with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, including the pending deal. "We will sign it in the very near future," Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying. "We discussed the entire range of bilateral relations, including the upcoming contacts through the foreign ministries and the signing of a number of agreements, including this important agreement on visa-free travel for citizens." The report said only "some technical details" were left to be work out. The move is believed to be a follow-up to the March summit in Pyongyang between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, where they signed an agreement on friendship and cooperation. At that time, Lukashenko was seen receiving an assault rifle as a present from Kim. In another sign of deepening ties, Belarusian Prime Minist

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report
  • Foreign Affairs

    Korean, Mexican FMs discuss cooperation in AI, middle-power solidarity

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korean, Mexican FMs discuss cooperation in AI, middle-power solidarity
  • North Korea

    N. Korea slams Japan's Yasukuni shrine visits as 'neo-militarist frenzy'

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea slams Japan's Yasukuni shrine visits as 'neo-militarist frenzy'
  • North Korea

    No signs of additional deployment of NK troops to Russia detected: S. Korean military

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    No signs of additional deployment of NK troops to Russia detected: S. Korean military
  • North Korea

    N. Korea denounces Japan's record defense budget as 'war preparation'

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea denounces Japan's record defense budget as 'war preparation'
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Foreign Affairs

Korea attracts $165 mil. investment from European firms, signs digital trade agreement with EU

Korea has attracted a combined $165 million in foreign direct investment from four European companies and signed a digital trade agreement with the European Union (EU), deepening economic cooperation with the major economic bloc, Seoul officials said Thursday. The European companies — Germany's Orafol, France's Quandela, the Netherlands' Prodrive Technologies and Sweden's Mycronic — unveiled their investment plans in Korea in the semiconductor, quantum computing and other key industries during the investment announcement ceremony co-hosted by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, according to the officials at the industry ministry. The ceremony was held Wednesday (local time) marking Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Belgium for a meeting with EU leaders. Korea held a separate roundtable event with European business leaders to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the two economies amid heightened geopolitical risks, the global rise of trade protectionism and rapid technological advancements. The ministry said Korea an

Jun 11, 2026By Yonhap
Korea attracts $165 mil. investment from European firms, signs digital trade agreement with EU
Foreign Affairs

Korea, US host energy business forum to expand bilateral cooperation

Korea and the United States have jointly hosted an energy business forum in Washington in a bid to deepen the two countries' cooperation in the critical sector, Seoul's climate ministry said Thursday. The forum was held Wednesday (local time), attended by Korea's Second Vice Climate Minister Lee Ho-hyeon and his U.S. counterpart, Alex Fitzsimmons, as well as major companies in the energy, financial and heavy industries from both countries, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The companies include the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), LG Energy Solution Ltd., Samsung Heavy Industries and Doosan Enerbility from the Korean side, and JP Morgan, ExxonMobil, GE Vernova and NextEra Energy from the U.S. side. On Monday, Lee attended a conference co-hosted by the Atlantic Council and the KHNP marking the 70th anniversary of a cooperation agreement on the civil use of atomic energy between Seoul and Washington. In the conference, Lee called for deeper nuclear power cooperation between the two countries, while continuing effo

Jun 11, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, US host energy business forum to expand bilateral cooperation
Foreign Affairs

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

A hotel in southwestern Japan has decided to remove a stone monument honoring a Korean independence activist from the early days of Japan's colonial rule, its website showed Thursday, after protests from the conservative bloc in the country. Kochi Kuroshio Hotel, located in the Kochi Prefecture, said in a notice it will remove the monument to Ahn Jung-geun from its compound by Friday, according to the website. The monument was erected Saturday with an initiative led by a Seoul-based organization dedicated to honoring Ahn's legacy and the Japan-Korea Friendship Association. Ahn, one of the most revered independence fighters in Korea, is known for assassinating Hirobumi Ito, then the Japanese resident-general of Korea, in the Chinese city of Harbin in 1909, less than a year before Korea was formally annexed by Japan. On Wednesday, Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported strong backlash from conservatives in Japan was behind the hotel's decision to remove the monument. The stone monument carries an inscription highlighting bilateral friendship between Korea and Japan and "peace in the East

Jun 11, 2026By Yonhap
Japanese hotel to remove monument to colonial-era Korean independence activist
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.

Jun 11, 2026By Yonhap
Lee arrives in Italy for talks with Italian president, PM
Foreign Affairs

Seoul denies report of Japan's request for talks on Fukushima seafood import ban

VIENNA — Japan has not formally requested regular talks regarding Korea's ban on seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima and neighboring regions, imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The Seoul government has banned seafood imports from Fukushima and seven neighboring prefectures, including Iwate and Miyagi, since September 2013 over concerns about radiation contamination following the 2011 nuclear disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami. "The Japanese side has not formally requested the establishment of a new consultative body regarding the resumption of imports (of Japanese seafood)," the ministry said in a statement. "The government maintains that the import restrictions are measures aimed at protecting the health and safety of the people. Our position is that, before any such measures can be lifted, domestic consumers' confidence in the safety of Japanese seafood must first be restored," it added. According to a joint survey conducted by Korean daily Hankook Ilbo and Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, a

Jun 10, 2026By 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

BRUSSELS — President Lee Jae Myung and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever agreed Wednesday to work together to expand investment in each other's country by their companies in areas including the battery, materials and energy sectors. The two also agreed to work toward turning their countries into strategic footholds for each other's businesses in their expansion into their respective regions, according to a Korean presidential official. "The two sides agreed to expand cooperation in strategic industries in the future by promoting investment between companies from the two countries, particularly in the battery, materials and energy sectors," Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said of the Lee-De Wever summit held in Brussels. The Korean president is on a two-day visit here that began Tuesday. He is currently on a Europe trip that will later take him to Italy and then to France, where he is set to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit. On the sidelines of the Lee-De Wever summit, Korea and Belgium also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on strengthening cooperation in the d

Jun 10, 2026By Yonhap
Lee, Belgian PM agree to expand investment in batteries, energy, boost market access
Foreign Affairs

Greece eyes more Korean travelers through Santorini tourism showcase in Seoul

The Greek Embassy and the Greek National Tourism Organisation in Korea hosted a tourism promotion event highlighting Santorini and other iconic Greek destinations, as officials and tourism leaders sought to strengthen travel ties and attract more Korean visitors to Greece. Titled “Greece: A 365 Day Destination," Greek Ambassador to Korea Loukas Tsokos opened the event with a speech underscoring the importance of tourism as a bridge between cultures and economies. Calling tourism-related events his “favorite events,” Tsokos noted that tourism brings joy while fostering deeper understanding between nations. The ambassador praised Korea’s growing success in promoting its own tourism industry, pointing to the global influence of K-pop, K-dramas and other aspects of Korean culture. “Korea has become very popular in Greece lately,” he said, adding that Greece hopes to project the image of Santorini to Korean travelers in much the same way Korea has successfully promoted its cultural identity worldwide. While a significant number of Koreans already travel to Greece annually, the Gre

Jun 10, 2026By Anna J. Park
Greece eyes more Korean travelers through Santorini tourism showcase in Seoul
Foreign Affairs

S. Korean, Swedish officials discuss cooperation on Korean Peninsula issues

Jeong Yeon-doo, vice foreign minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, met with Sweden's special envoy for the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday to discuss recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and ways to promote peace in the region, the foreign ministry said. Jeong held talks with Peter Semneby at the foreign ministry in Seoul, where the two sides discussed Sweden's contributions to Korean Peninsula issues, with Jeong noting Stockholm's appointment of a special envoy and its role as a bridge between the two Koreas. Semneby explained Sweden's diplomatic efforts regarding Korean Peninsula issues and said Stockholm would continue close communication with Seoul, according to the ministry.

Jun 10, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korean, Swedish officials discuss cooperation on Korean Peninsula issues
North Korea

Unification advisory vice chief expects US-NK talks around US midterms

Kang Chang-il, senior vice chair of a presidential advisory on unification policy, said he expected talks between North Korea and the United States will resume in the second half of this year, around the U.S. midterm elections in November. “North Korea and the U.S. will likely hold talks around the Trump administration’s midterm elections, potentially late this year or early next year,” Kang, senior vice chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), said Wednesday at his first press conference since taking office on April 17. The PUAC is a presidential advisory body mandated by the Constitution to promote peaceful unification through policy consultation, consensus building and international outreach. President Lee Jae Myung serves as an ex officio chairperson of the body. Kang, a veteran four-term lawmaker who previously served as ambassador to Japan, added that “Washington had no room to maneuver due to the war with Iran ... Once the U.S.-Israel war with Iran ends, the North Korea issue will take center stage as the last major unresolved global conflict. The focus

Jun 10, 2026By Park Ji-won
Unification advisory vice chief expects US-NK talks around US midterms
Foreign Affairs

Britain's Princess Anne to visit S. Korea in July

Princess Anne, the younger sister of Britain's King Charles III, will visit South Korea next month for a series of events commemorating the two countries' partnership and remembering British sacrifices during the 1950-53 Korean War, the British Embassy in Seoul said Wednesday. Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, will make a three-day trip to South Korea from July 13, according to the embassy. During the visit, she plans to attend events marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River and honor British soldiers who fought in the Korean War. She will also take part in events showcasing bilateral cooperation in areas such as maritime manufacturing, advanced technologies, research, education and people-to-people exchanges. Princess Anne previously visited South Korea during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. "There are fond and longstanding ties between the Royal Family and the Republic of Korea," said Colin Crooks, the British ambassador to South Korea. "I know she will receive a very warm welcome."

Jun 10, 2026By Yonhap
Britain's Princess Anne to visit S. Korea in July
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