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    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
  • 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'
  • Foreign Affairs

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

    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
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Foreign Affairs

FM, US energy secretary reaffirm need for progress on uranium enrichment, reprocessing, nuclear subs

Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright reaffirmed the need to swiftly make progress in Seoul's efforts to secure civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights and acquire nuclear-powered submarines, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Cho had a meeting with Wright in Washington to discuss a range of issues, including the implementation of a joint fact sheet (JFS) that the two governments released in November to outline trade and security agreements from two summits between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in August and October. The JFS includes the United States' approval for Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines and its support for a "process that will lead to Korea's civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses." "The two sides reaffirmed a shared understanding of the need to swiftly make concrete progress vis-a-vis the enrichment and reprocessing segment and cooperation over nuclear-powered submarines, which are part of the JFS," the ministry said in a press release. "F

Feb 5, 2026By Yonhap
FM, US energy secretary reaffirm need for progress on uranium enrichment, reprocessing, nuclear subs
North Korea

N. Korea holds winter sports competition at home after failing to qualify for 2026 Olympics

North Korea has launched a winter sports competition at home, state media reported Thursday, after the country failed to qualify for this year's Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony for the ice hockey, figure skating, skiing and two other winter sports competitions took place the previous day at an ice hockey rink in a sports village in the Mount Paektu district of Ryanggang Province, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. About 50 competitions across the five sports categories will be held, the KCNA said, quoting a speaker from the ceremony as calling the event an "important opportunity to advance winter sports skills" to a higher level. The sports village in the Mount Paektu district, situated on a hill at an altitude of about 1,600 meters, reportedly houses winter sports facilities, including ice rinks, ski slopes and accommodations. The local sports event comes as North Korea failed to qualify for any events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, set to run from Friday through Feb. 22. The North last competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, dispatching a t

Feb 5, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea holds winter sports competition at home after failing to qualify for 2026 Olympics
North Korea

Defense ministry proposes joint, partial management of DMZ to US: source

The defense ministry has proposed to the United States that South Korea's military jointly manage parts of the southern half of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, a source said Thursday. The proposal came as the South Korean government aims to secure control of civilian access to the 250-kilometer-long, 4-km-wide stretch of the DMZ. Currently, the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) administers the military buffer zone as the south-side enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Amid the UNC's outright objection to Seoul's move, the defense ministry proposed a measure under which South Korea's military oversees entry to parts of areas located south of the barbed-wire fence within the DMZ. The South's fence technically runs alongside the southern boundary of the DMZ, or the Southern Limit Line (SLL), located 2 km south of the Military Demarcation Line, the inter-Korean border. But parts of the fence were installed north of the SLL to overcome geographic limitations for surveillance operations. The size of the area is known to account for ro

Feb 5, 2026By Yonhap
Defense ministry proposes joint, partial management of DMZ to US: source
Foreign Affairs

ContributionFood, beauty, luxury power new era in Korea-France relations

This year marks the 140th anniversary of official diplomatic relations between Korea and France. Today’s vibrant exchanges are the result of decades of mutual learning and steady cooperation. When the first generation of the Korean diaspora arrived in France in 1919, the environment was very different. Even decades later, when I arrived in 1992, few people knew much about Korea. Instead, China and Japan dominated public attention. Japan, in particular, enjoyed widespread popularity in France, driven in part by the country’s enthusiasm for anime and then-President Jacques Chirac’s interest in sumo wrestling. Still, sustained dialogue and exchanges gradually laid the groundwork for deeper cultural understanding between France and Korea. The global success of Korean cultural content such as “Gangnam Style,” “Parasite,” “Squid Game” and “KPop Demon Hunters” accelerated the spread of the Korean cultural wave, known as hallyu. In France, hallyu has evolved beyond a passing trend, becoming embedded in everyday culture. French consumers are now familiar with bibimbap and goc

Feb 5, 2026By Paul Shon
Food, beauty, luxury power new era in Korea-France relations
Others

China's top envoy says issue of disputed steel structures in West Sea making positive progress

China's top envoy to South Korea said Wednesday the issue of removing disputed steel structures built in the overlapping waters of the West Sea is making progress in a positive direction. Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing made the remark at an event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul to commemorate the upcoming Lunar New Year, after China's foreign ministry announced last month that work was under way to remove one of the three steel structures in the sea zone where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap. It is making progress in a positive direction, Dai told reporters. Dai pointed to two rounds of summits between President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jiping, including the latest in Beijing, where they discussed the maritime issue. The ambassador added that the countries are stepping up working-level exchanges and need to follow through on what their leaders agreed on. China built two semisubmersible buoys in 2018 and 2024, and a fixed steel platform in 2022 in the Provisional Maritime Zone. The issue has been a source of tension in bilateral relations, as Seoul ha

Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
China's top envoy says issue of disputed steel structures in West Sea making positive progress
North Korea

Former N. Korea-detained missionary Kenneth Bae seeks radio channel broadcasting to North

Kenneth Bae, a Korean American Christian missionary who had been detained in North Korea, said Wednesday he seeks to open a radio channel broadcasting to the North in cooperation with civic and religious groups in the South. Bae's nonprofit organization, New Korea Foundation International, and 45 other civic and religious groups announced the plan to open the radio channel, Korea Link, as they launched a joint association and began collecting donations for the project. Bae said the association has already secured a radio frequency for the project. It will begin with shortwave broadcasting before expanding to medium-wave, or the standard AM broadcast band. He said the unification of the two Koreas is the only answer for suffering North Koreans at a time when they have little chance of escaping their home country. Bae was detained in North Korea from 2012 to 2014 after being arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the regime. He was released in November 2014 through U.S. negotiations with Pyongyang.

Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
Former N. Korea-detained missionary Kenneth Bae seeks radio channel broadcasting to North
Foreign Affairs

Police authorities of Korea, Malaysia agree to boost cooperation against transnational scams

Police authorities of Korea and Malaysia on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding designed to strengthen cooperation to clamp down on transnational crimes, such as online scams, officials said. Yoo Jae-seong, acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency, and his Malaysian counterpart, Mohd Khalid Ismail, signed the preliminary document on the sidelines of their talks held in Seoul. Under the MOU, the two sides agreed to swiftly share information on transnational crimes, such as scam complexes in Southeast Asia, and work together on joint police operations, such as the arrest and repatriation of fugitives. Yoo also asked for Malaysia to join a Korea-led global investigative body launched last October, officials said, noting Ismail pledged to review measures for cooperation to combat new types of cybercrime. Korean police have recently sought to better address crimes targeting its nationals in Southeast Asia in the wake of reports of abductions and confinement of Koreans in Cambodia in connection with criminal rings and scam centers based in the country.

Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
Police authorities of Korea, Malaysia agree to boost cooperation against transnational scams
Foreign Affairs

Seoul’s alleged diplomatic inaction over assault on Korean in Japan sparks criticism

The recent group assault of a Korean tourist in Japan has sparked controversy over the consular response by Korea's diplomatic officials, with the victim and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offering conflicting accounts of the assistance provided. The victim, who suffered serious injuries including three broken teeth, said authorities failed to offer timely and active support after the attack. The foreign ministry, however, rejected those claims, saying it had fulfilled its legal obligations and denying any negligence. According to the victim, the assault happened on Dec. 2, 2025, in Sapporo's Susukino entertainment district. The victim, a Korean man whose identity has not been disclosed, was walking alone when he was attacked by five Japanese nationals after refusing their demand for money. He sustained injuries including crown fractures to three lower front teeth and nerve damage. The victim said he fled to a nearby restaurant and reported the incident to police with the help of local residents. He then sought assistance from the Korean Consulate General in Sapporo, but claimed officia

Feb 4, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul’s alleged diplomatic inaction over assault on Korean in Japan sparks criticism
North Korea

N. Korea may reinstate 'president' title for leader Kim: 38 North

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may inherit the title of president, used by late state founder Kim Il-sung, at a parliamentary meeting following the upcoming key party congress, according to a U.S. website that monitors the North. 38 North assessed the possibility that North Korea may reinstate the "DPRK president" title for the incumbent leader on the occasion of the ninth party congress and its subsequent meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly, according to a report published on Tuesday (local time). DPRK is the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The report focused on how North Korea has referred to Kim Jong-un as the "head of state" since September 2024, noting that this could imply a shift in the regime's structural system. The title of "the DPRK president" was used by Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of Kim Jong-un, from 1972 until his death in 1994. An article of the 1972 constitution stipulates that "The DPRK president is the head of state and represents the national sovereignty of the DPRK." In 1998, North Korea revised the consti

Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea may reinstate 'president' title for leader Kim: 38 North
Foreign Affairs

PHOTO Gender equality minister meets Irish ambassador

Won Min-kyong, third from left, minister of gender equality and family, poses after a meeting with Irish Ambassador to Korea Michelle Winthrop, fourth from left, and other government and embassy officials to discuss gender equality policies at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Feb 4, 2026By Kim Hyun-binphoto
[PHOTO] Gender equality minister meets Irish ambassador
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