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  • North Korea

    N. Korea calls denuclearization 'irreversibly finalized' matter

    North Korea on Sunday called denuclearization an "irreversibly finalized" matter as it denounced recent talks between South Korea and the United States that reaffirmed the goal of the North's denuclearization. An unnamed spokesperson of the North's foreign ministry issued the criticism, after South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the shared goal at the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group meeting on Thursday. "It is an unreasonable talk and fantastic daydream to mention about disarming the other belligerent party's nuclear weapons," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The U.S. and its vassal forces' meaningless rhetoric against the DPRK and cooperation in posing a nuclear threat to it can never affect the irreversible position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state," the spokesperson said. "The 'denuclearization' is an irreversibly finalized matter." DPRK stands for the North's official name — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The spokesperson also took issue with the bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue between the U

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea calls denuclearization 'irreversibly finalized' matter
  • Foreign Affairs

    Korea, Cambodia vow to expand economic ties building on FTA

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, Cambodia vow to expand economic ties building on FTA
  • Foreign Affairs

    Korea, EU strike deal on sharing passenger data

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea, EU strike deal on sharing passenger data
  • North Korea

    N. Korea, Vietnam hold talks over cooperation on public security, law enforcement

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    N. Korea, Vietnam hold talks over cooperation on public security, law enforcement
  • North Korea

    Presidential office reaffirms NK's denuclearization as int'l community's 'consistent goal'

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Presidential office reaffirms NK's denuclearization as int'l community's 'consistent goal'
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Others

Korea raises travel alert for Cuba over power outages, disruptions in essential services

Korea raised its travel alert for Cuba due to concerns over worsening shortages of electricity and other basic necessities, the foreign ministry said Friday. A Level 2 alert, advising travelers to exercise caution, has been issued for the whole country as shortages of electricity and fuel have disrupted transportation, health care and communications services, the ministry said in a release. The measures took effect at 5 p.m. Friday. The ministry advised Korean nationals planning to visit Cuba to carefully reconsider their trip and avoid any unnecessary travel, urging those currently staying in the country to exercise special caution for their safety.

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
Korea raises travel alert for Cuba over power outages, disruptions in essential services
North Korea

Cheong Wa Dae expresses hopes of restoring trust with N. Korea following Pyongyang's statement

Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope Friday for restoring mutual trust with North Korea and easing tensions, after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the unification minister's recent expression of regret over alleged civilian drone flights into the North "sensible." The response came hours after Kim Yo-jong assessed Unification Minister Chung Dong-young voicing regret over drone incursions into North Korea as "sensible behavior" and urged Seoul to take steps to prevent a recurrence. "The two Koreas need to restore trust by easing tensions through mutual communication," a senior presidential official said, adding the two sides "should refrain from actions that undermine the precious peace between them." During a speech at a Catholic Mass on Tuesday, Chung expressed regret over the drone dispatches from the South on Jan. 4 and in September, claimed by Pyongyang last month. The recent exchange of messages between Seoul and Pyongyang was seen as a positive development in the frayed inter-Korean ties, as the Lee Jae Myung administration seeks to resume dialogue to ease mil

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
Cheong Wa Dae expresses hopes of restoring trust with N. Korea following Pyongyang's statement
North Korea

S. Korea vows 'immediate' action to prevent drone incursions into N. Korea

The unification ministry pledged Friday to take "immediate" action to prevent a recurrence of drone incursions into North Korea after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement calling for prevention measures. The ministry's pledge came hours after Kim Yo-jong called Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's recent expression of regret over drone incursions "sensible behavior" and urged South Korea to take steps to prevent a recurrence. "In order to prevent similar cases, (the ministry) will draw up prevention measures and implement them immediately," ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho said in a regular briefing. The ministry takes Kim's statement as "the North signifying the need for joint inter-Korean efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and prevent emergency incidents," the spokesperson said. He said both Koreas may share a common desire to avoid tensions, expressing expectations that "inter-Korean trust, which was destroyed under the previous (Yoon Suk Yeol) government will recover if both sides seek communication with sincerity and frankness."

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea vows 'immediate' action to prevent drone incursions into N. Korea
Foreign Affairs

Foreign minister visits main US military base in South Korea

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun visited Camp Humphreys, the main U.S. military base south of Seoul, on Friday and met with the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to discuss alliance issues, officials said. Cho visited Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers away from the capital, for a meeting with USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, the foreign ministry said. It was Cho's first visit to the base in his current capacity and also the first by a South Korean foreign minister in about six years. At the meeting, Cho asked the commander to "continue to play an active role in ensuring that the ironclad South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture remains firm through close cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said in a release. Brunson said he would fulfill his role to help strengthen the alliance, noting that he would make efforts to continue to assess and reinforce the readiness posture through combined military exercises between the allies. The two sides also agreed to step up efforts to support and advance bilateral cooperation based on the momentum created at the lea

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
Foreign minister visits main US military base in South Korea
North Korea

Chinese envoy reaffirms policy to advance traditional friendship with N. Korea: newspaper

China's Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun has reaffirmed Beijing's "unwavering" policy to advance the traditional friendship with North Korea, a North Korean newspaper reported Friday. "Safeguarding, cementing and advancing the traditional China-North Korea friendship is the Chinese party, and the government's unwavering policy," the Rodong Sinmun newspaper quoted Wang as saying at a Lunar New Year address at the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang the previous day. Wang also reaffirmed his country's willingness to advance the two countries' socialist causes and well-being and to safeguard regional peace and security by thoroughly accomplishing what their leaders have agreed on, the paper said. The message was delivered at a banquet at the Chinese Embassy the previous day, which was attended by Kang Yun-sok, vice chairman of the parliamentary standing committee; Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho; and other North Korean officials. In his own speech, Kang pledged "joint efforts with Chinese comrades" to advance bilateral relations this year.

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
Chinese envoy reaffirms policy to advance traditional friendship with N. Korea: newspaper
North Korea

N. Korea leader's daughter Ju-ae takes center stage with father in photos at Beijing embassy

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, took center stage with her father in photos displayed on an outdoor board at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, amid speculation that she is being positioned as his successor. The embassy's outdoor board, seen by Yonhap News Agency on Friday, was carrying 25 photos of the North Korean leader's activities, including a larger central image juxtaposing Kim with his teenage daughter. Showing their attendance together at a New Year's performance in Pyongyang, the central image featured a Chinese caption saying that Kim was sending New Year's blessings to the people, without mentioning Ju-ae. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing has previously displayed images of Kim, sometimes in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, but this is the first time that a photo of him with his daughter has taken center stage. The other 24 photos also included several images of Ju-ae with the leader, including their attendance at the inauguration of the Wonsan-Kalma beach resort area in June last year, and Ju-ae shaking hands with Xi in Beijing on the

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea leader's daughter Ju-ae takes center stage with father in photos at Beijing embassy
Foreign Affairs

South Africa's top envoy hopes BTS will perform in her country on world tour

South Africa's top envoy has expressed hope that K-pop supergroup BTS will visit her country to perform as part of its world tour, saying it will be her "big assignment" to make it happen. Ambassador Sindiswa Mququ made the remarks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday, as she highlighted cultural exchanges as a vital component of bilateral relations with South Korea and noted that Korean pop culture content has been well received in her homeland. "South Africa is a recipient of what you're exporting, in terms of K-pop, K-drama and K-culture broadly," Mququ said. "K-culture, or 'K-everything' that is offering, sends a very important message that you're communicating and that we're working collaboratively." "I know that South Africans want (BTS to come)," she said. "I have a big assignment now, and I'm also appealing to you if you have connections to BTS, because they want BTS to go to South Africa." BTS' upcoming "Arirang" world tour is set to kick off April 9 in South Korea and span 34 cities around the world, including Tokyo, Mexico City, Madrid, London and others. South

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
South Africa's top envoy hopes BTS will perform in her country on world tour
North Korea

North Korean leader's sister calls Seoul's regret over drone incursion 'sensible'

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the South Korean unification minister's expression of regret over the drone incursion into the North "sensible behavior" and demanded steps to prevent such a recurrence. In a statement, Kim Yo-jong said she thinks it "fortunate" that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday officially expressed regret over the drone incursions into North Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "I appreciate it as quite sensible behavior," Kim said. On Tuesday, the minister expressed regret over drones allegedly sent by civilians to the North during a congratulatory speech at a Catholic Mass, saying South Korea seeks "mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas." It marked the first such expression of regret from Seoul since the North claimed last month that South Korea had sent drones equipped with surveillance equipment in September and on Jan. 4. The South immediately launched an investigation into the claim and identified three civilian suspects, including a graduate student in his 30s, a

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap
North Korean leader's sister calls Seoul's regret over drone incursion 'sensible'
Foreign Affairs

Korea wary of US tariff standoff spilling over into security talks

Korean officials appear wary of the possibility that ongoing tariff tensions with the United States could spill over into upcoming bilateral security talks, even as they emphasize that both sides are working to prevent economic disputes from undermining broader cooperation. Despite Foreign Minister Cho Hyun's visit to Washington last week, where he met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the tariff situation remains largely unchanged, foreign ministry officials said Thursday. "The situation has not fundamentally changed," an official said on condition of anonymity when asked whether Cho's visit had altered Washington’s stance. "At its core, the issue remains the implementation of (Korea's) investment commitments. There has been no change in the fact that further progress is still needed on that." The official said one of the key outcomes of Cho's meeting with Rubio was a shared understanding that the tariff dispute must be carefully managed to avoid damaging the broader alliance. "Both sides agreed that the situation needs to be carefully managed, particularly to ensure that economic

Feb 12, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea wary of US tariff standoff spilling over into security talks
Foreign Affairs

ASEAN-Korea Centre approves 2026 work plan, expands regional outreach

The ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) convened its 18th Annual Meeting of the Council in Seoul on Wednesday, as senior officials reviewed achievements for 2025 and approved the center’s work plan and budget for 2026. The AKC Council, composed of high-level government representatives from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Member States and Korea, reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening cooperation amid evolving global uncertainties. Participants underscored the importance of AKC’s role in meeting growing demand for an enhanced partnership. Deliberations were guided by the ASEAN-Korea Plan of Action for 2026-2030, which supports implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and Seoul’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership vision, titled “Contributor, Springboard, Partner.” Extensive discussions were held regarding proposed 2026 programs aimed at translating strategic commitments into practical initiatives. In 2026, AKC plans to implement around 30 programs focusing on economic cooperation, culture and tourism, media, and people-to-people exchanges. The initiati

Feb 12, 2026By Kim Hyun-bin
ASEAN-Korea Centre approves 2026 work plan, expands regional outreach
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