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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

InterviewEgypt invites Korean firms to build industrial zone along Suez Canal

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for an expansion of bilateral economic cooperation with Korea, highlighting Egypt’s role as a gateway to African and Middle East markets and urging Korean companies to establish a dedicated industrial zone along the Suez Canal. Speaking to reporters at the Egyptian Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday, Abdelatty, who is visiting Korea for the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, said Korea and Egypt share a “very strong and long-standing relationship” and should now focus on translating their robust political ties into broader economic and industrial cooperation. “We would like to further enhance our cooperation with South Korea,” he said. “What we need to do more is in the economic and trade areas.” A central theme of his remarks was Egypt’s strategic location and its potential as a manufacturing and logistics hub for Korean companies seeking access to wider markets. “Egypt is engaged in 11 FTA agreements,” Abdelatty said. “We have FTA agreements with the European Union, with Mercosur countries in Latin America, with Ara

Jun 2, 2026By Anna J. Park
Egypt invites Korean firms to build industrial zone along Suez Canal
Foreign Affairs

Korea asks Libya to support greater presence of Korean firms in African nation

Korea has asked Libya to support the expansion of Korean companies' presence in the North African country, particularly in the oil and refining sectors, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo made the request during a Monday meeting with Fatalla Elzuni, Libya's minister of state for African affairs, who was in Seoul to attend the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting, according to the ministry. Noting that Libya's security, economic and political situation has been stabilizing in recent years, Elzuni expressed hope that more Korean companies would expand into Libya's construction and infrastructure sectors. Park told Elzuni that the Korean Embassy in Libya will soon fully reopen, noting the move would help lay the groundwork for mutually beneficial cooperation, according to the ministry. The embassy has operated on a rotational basis between Libya and Tunisia since March 2022. Separately, Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina met with Chad's Deputy Foreign Minister Fatime Aldjineh Garfa on Monday. Kim called for expanding bilateral cooperation i

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Korea asks Libya to support greater presence of Korean firms in African nation
Foreign Affairs

Korean FM holds talks with 11 African counterparts on cooperation, development issues

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has held a series of one-on-one talks with his counterparts from 11 African countries and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Cho met separately with the foreign ministers of Ghana, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, Kenya, Angola, Rwanda, Benin, Algeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Botswana in Seoul on Monday on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting, according to the ministry. Cho welcomed their visits to Korea, while the ministers congratulated Seoul on the successful hosting of the gathering and praised its commitment to cooperation with Africa by proceeding with the event as scheduled despite challenging circumstances. In talks with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Cho appreciated Ghana's role as co-chair of the ministerial meeting as the vice chair of the African Union (AU). They agreed to expand cooperation across a wide range of areas, including economy, defense, maritime security, development cooperation and coordination on the international stage. Duri

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Korean FM holds talks with 11 African counterparts on cooperation, development issues
North Korea

Why some experts fear S. Korean missile sites could incentivize N. Korean strikes

South Korea’s military appears to have deployed more than 300 short-range ballistic missiles in fixed concrete bunkers near Seoul, an arrangement that suggests it could be used as a first-strike weapon against North Korea, two U.S. security analysts have assessed. But some South Korean experts contend that the missile bases are aimed at rapidly responding to a North Korean attack rather than preemptive strikes, highlighting a debate about how the two Koreas’ development of increasingly precise missile systems exacerbates escalation risks. According to a study published in Survival, a bimonthly journal by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the three South Korean sites for the fixed concrete blockhouses in Gyeonggi Province collectively field 38 launch bays capable of housing up to 304 Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missiles (KTSSM). The study was written by Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, and Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar of global security at Middlebury College. The authors geolocated the sites after the Joint Chie

Jun 2, 2026By NK News
Why some experts fear S. Korean missile sites could incentivize N. Korean strikes
Foreign Affairs

Korea, US open talks on nuclear subs, investment pledge from Lee-Trump summit

Korea and the United States launched formal negotiations on Seoul's push to develop nuclear-powered submarines and its pledge to invest $350 billion in the U.S. in exchange for reduced tariff rates. Those issues are part of discussions held to implement security and economic agreements outlined in the joint fact sheet published in November 2025, following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. delegation, led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and the Korean delegation, led by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, started their two days of meetings in Seoul, Tuesday. The American delegation reportedly includes officials from the National Security Council, the Department of State, the Department of Energy and other agencies, while from the Korean side, officials from the Office of National Security, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Ministry of Science and ICT took part in the discussions. Key items on the

Jun 2, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea, US open talks on nuclear subs, investment pledge from Lee-Trump summit
North Korea

N. Korea's Kim visits key political school for party cadres on its 80th founding anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a key political school of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to mark its 80th founding anniversary, calling it a "strategic fortress" ensuring the party's existence, state media reported Tuesday. Kim paid a "congratulatory" visit to the Central Cadres Training School of the WPK the previous day, accompanied by senior party officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Central Cadres Training School is North Korea's top political education institution designed to cultivate and reeducate party cadres. The school is "now glorifying its sacred original name ... as a strategic fortress guaranteeing the existence and development of the Party," Kim was quoted as saying in a speech by the KCNA. Kim highlighted the importance of the school's role in educating young cadres, noting that young party officials may lack party spirit amid generational shifts. He also emphasized North Korea's people-centered policy approach will remain unchanged even in the midst of shifting times, though "anti-people acts," including abuse of power,

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits key political school for party cadres on its 80th founding anniversary
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Canada discuss stronger space, defense cooperation amid submarine bidding race

Korea and Canada have discussed deeper partnership in advanced industries, including space and defense, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday, as the country is making last-minute efforts to win Canada's submarine project. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) jointly hosted a business roundtable in Toronto on Monday (local time) to promote cooperation between Korean and Canadian companies. The event was attended by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, currently in Canada as Seoul's envoy for special economic cooperation, along with Vice Industry Minister Moon Shin-hak, Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration Lee Yong-cheol and some 50 business leaders from the two countries, according to the ministry. The visit by the high-ranking Korean officials to Canada is widely seen as a move to support Seoul's bid to win Ottawa's high-profile submarine procurement project. Currently, Korea's Hanwha Ocean-HD Hyundai Heavy Industries consortium is competing with Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for the es

Jun 2, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, Canada discuss stronger space, defense cooperation amid submarine bidding race
Foreign Affairs

Interview'After they get comfortable, Koreans are just like us': Italy's ambassador to Korea

When Italy marks Republic Day on June 2, the occasion carries more weight than patriotism. Festa della Repubblica commemorates the 1946 referendum that transformed Italy from a monarchy into a republic — and the first time Italian women were granted voting rights. Nearly eight decades on, it remains a moment for Italians to reflect not only on history but also on identity and values. For Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto, who arrived in Seoul in September 2023, the celebration comes amid another personal journey — discovering Korea and, perhaps unexpectedly, finding echoes of home. After nearly three years of diplomatic life in Korea, she has increasingly come to see similarities between the two countries' peoples, so much so that she now understands why Koreans often describe themselves as "the Italians of Asia." At first, she admits, she did not quite understand the comparison. But after living in Seoul, interacting with people and observing everyday life, she says she began to see the resemblance herself. "We have many differences, of course. Koreans are much shyer at the

Jun 2, 2026By Anna J. Park
'After they get comfortable, Koreans are just like us': Italy's ambassador to Korea
Foreign Affairs

Full text of joint statement of Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Seoul

The following is the full text of a joint statement adopted at the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Seoul on Monday, where the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation for shared prosperity and joint responses to global challenges. Joint Statement 2026 Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting Overview 1. We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of African countries; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea; representatives of the African Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) met in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as 'Korea'), on 1 June 2026, for the Korea–Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Korea–Africa Relations 2. Recalling with satisfaction the 2024 Korea–Africa Summit, and with a view to building upon its outcomes, we convened this Korea–Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting. We recognize the commonalities and complementarity between Korea's key task of "Diversifying diplomatic engageme

Jun 1, 2026By Yonhap
Full text of joint statement of Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Seoul
  • Korea seeks minerals, supply chain cooperation from African nations
Foreign Affairs

Korea seeks minerals, supply chain cooperation from African nations

Korea is seeking deeper ties with African nations as it looks for new partners in critical minerals and supply chains amid growing uncertainties over global trade, energy security and geopolitical tensions. The effort was highlighted at the 2026 Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul, where officials discussed expanding cooperation in key industries and holding a second Korea-Africa Summit in 2029. The meeting brought together representatives from 50 African countries and four regional organizations — the African Union, the African Development Bank, the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The gathering marked the first time Korea has independently invited African countries and major regional organizations to a ministerial-level meeting focused on Africa. It also served as a follow-up to the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit held in 2024. “We gather today at a critical juncture where the global order is rapidly shifting,” Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in his opening remarks. “The world is facing multifaceted chall

Jun 1, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea seeks minerals, supply chain cooperation from African nations
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