Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5% of GDP

A former US national security advisor stressed the need Thursday for South Korea to increase its defense spending to 3 percent or 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as Seoul and Washington are in negotiations over a defense cost-sharing deal. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor for former President Donald Trump from 2019-2021, made the remarks, as South Korea and the United States are holding their eighth round of negotiations in Seoul this week to determin

Sept. 27, 2024

Seoul, Tokyo reboot joint maritime resource talks after 40-year freeze

South Korea and Japan are poised to hold talks on the joint development of untapped natural resources, including petroleum and underground minerals, beneath the continental shelf in the East China Sea for the first time since 1985, breaking nearly 40 years of stalled negotiations. The South Korea-Japan Joint Commission, a platform for consultations on the implementation of their bilateral joint development agreement, is set to hold its sixth meeting Friday in Tokyo, the South Korean Foreign Mini

Sept. 26, 2024

[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence

This year Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence and marks the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. Thirty-three years ago, the Constitutional Act on the independence and state structure of Turkmenistan was adopted, according to which Turkmenistan was proclaimed as an independent democratic state. From the date of its independence, under the wise leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan has confiden

Sept. 26, 2024

About 2 in 3 Asian American voters support Harris in tight US presidential race

Roughly two in three Asian American voters support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris over her Republican rival Donald Trump, a recent survey showed, amid expectations over the role of the rapidly growing voting bloc in the Nov. 5 general election. APIAVote, a nonpartisan organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, and AAPI Data, a research entity, released the outcome of the survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the Universi

Sept. 26, 2024

Rwanda seeks stronger ties with S. Korea to shift economy from aid to trade

Rwanda's top diplomat emphasized that building stronger partnerships with South Korea -- particularly in fostering human and technological capital and attracting more investment and Korean companies -- is key to accelerating the country's transition from aid dependency to a self-reliant, trade-driven economy focused on industrialization In an interview with The Korea Herald, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe shed light on the signifi

Sept. 25, 2024

Trump says his reelection would see 'mass exodus' of manufacturing to US from S. Korea, other countries

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday that voters will see a "mass exodus of manufacturing" to America from South Korea, China and other countries if they vote for him in November, as he stepped up efforts to court swing voters in a battleground state. Trump made the remarks during a campaign speech on tax policy in Savannah, Georgia, as various polls have shown the former president and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, in a tight race with the general election l

Sept. 25, 2024

Biden makes no mention of N. Korea in final speech to UN General Assembly as president

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday made no reference to North Korea in his fourth and final speech to the UN General Assembly as president, though he stressed his commitment to diplomacy with Pyongyang and decried its sanctions violations in past addresses to the annual high-level gathering. The absence of his reference to the North came as Washington's repeated overtures for dialogue with the recalcitrant regime have gone unanswered with Pyongyang doubling down on its nuclear and missile pr

Sept. 25, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan eye secretariat to insulate alliance from politics

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on Monday to advance the creation of a trilateral secretariat to institutionalize cooperation and insulate it from potential disruptions caused by leadership changes in any of the three countries. They decided to make for formal announcement of the launch of the secretariat at a summit planned before the year’s end. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minist

Sept. 24, 2024

Yoon returns home from Czech trip focused on nuclear energy cooperation

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned home Sunday from his trip to the Czech Republic, focused on strengthening South Korea's bid to secure a nuclear energy deal and enhance economic ties with the European nation. Yoon held summit talks with Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Thursday and Friday, promoting Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's (KHNP) bid to build two nuclear power plants in Dukovany, after being selected as a preferred bidder in July. His visit came as

Sept. 22, 2024

FM Cho to attend UN General Assembly in New York next week

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will fly to New York next week to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to discuss key international issues and highlight South Korea's efforts toward sustainable peace, his office said Thursday. During the six-day visit starting Monday, Cho will deliver a keynote speech at the general debate of the high-level gathering to reaffirm South Korea's commitment to ensuring global peace and prosperity, foreign ministry spokespers

Sept. 19, 2024

US Fed cuts key lending rate by jumbo half percentage point

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its benchmark interest rate by half of a percentage point, the first cut in 4 1/2 years, in a major policy shift less than seven weeks away from the presidential election. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced the decision to reduce the rate to the 4.75 to 5.0 percent range from its 23-year high, putting an end to its post-pandemic tightening cycle. FOMC members' new median economic projections showed

Sept. 19, 2024

US will not accept N. Korea as nuclear state: Campbell

The United States will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed country, a senior US diplomat said Wednesday, after Pyongyang made a rare disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility last week. During a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell reiterated the US position, reaffirming America's "durable" and "evolving" deterrence commitment to South Korea, and stressing that Washington "will not accept any kind of threat&

Sept. 19, 2024

Biden, Harris offer congratulatory messages at first-ever White House Chuseok reception

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated Chuseok, the Korean autumn harvest celebration, in a message stressing Korean Americans' cultural heritage and contributions to the United States, as the first-ever White House Chuseok reception took place Tuesday. Some 100 Korean Americans, US officials and others gathered at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the event that was made possible under an initiative led largely by former and current Korean American White

Sept. 18, 2024

USFK commander nominee calls NK threat 'single greatest' challenge, pledges 'constant' readiness

The US Forces Korea commander nominee on Tuesday described North Korea's "rapid" advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities as the "single greatest" challenge facing the Korea-based command, vowing to maintain a "constant" state of readiness if confirmed. During a confirmation hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, currently the commander of First Corps, also voiced concerns over growing military exchanges between P

Sept. 18, 2024

Swiss Embassy showcases exhibition to commemorate Geneva Conventions’ anniversary

The Embassy of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions with the immersive exhibition, “Digital Dilemmas – Civilians a+ Heart,” at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. The Geneva Conventions, a set of international humanitarian laws that were concluded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1949, established international legal standards for humanitarian treatment during war. The set of intern

Sept. 15, 2024

S. Korea asked to join Latvia-led drone coalition for Ukraine

Latvia has asked South Korea to join a global coalition to supply Ukraine with thousands of drones, according to officials in Seoul on Thursday, as military drones are becoming increasingly critical in its ongoing war against Russia. The invitation was made during a bilateral meeting between the visiting Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze and her South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul, held Monday in Seoul. “I have invited the Republic of Korea to join the Drone Coalition established by

Sept. 12, 2024

Iraq expected to conclude deal to buy S. Korea's missile defense system next week: reports

Iraq is set to buy South Korea's homegrown medium-range, surface-to-air missile defense system, called Cheongung-II, with a deal expected to be concluded next week, according to Iraqi media reports Thursday. The reports said that Iraq's defense ministry is expected to sign a US$2.5 billion contract with Korean defense firms to purchase eight units of the Cheongung-II system, which is designed to defend against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The decision is part of Ir

Sept. 12, 2024

Biden nominates Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson as new US Forces Korea commander

US President Joe Biden has nominated Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of I Corps, to lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, the Pentagon said Wednesday, a nomination ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. If confirmed, Brunson would replace Gen. Paul LaCamera who has led CFC, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea since July 2021. His Senate confirmation hearing is slated for Tuesday next week. The position for the top US general in South Korea leads the three commands

Sept. 12, 2024

Yoon urges Cambodia to iron out measures to protect S. Koreans

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with head of Cambodian Senate, Hun Sen, on Wednesday and called for measures to stem crimes targeting South Korean nationals in the Southeast Asian country, the presidential office said. Yoon met with the former Cambodian prime minister at the presidential office in Seoul to discuss improving bilateral ties, according to his office. In particular, Yoon asked Sen to pay attention to responding to and preventing increasing crimes targeting South Koreans residing in Camb

Sept. 11, 2024

Hit with lifetime ban, football player Son Jun-ho claims innocence, says China forced him to admit fake charges

South Korean football player Son Jun-ho on Wednesday denied match-fixing and bribery charges levied on him by China, claiming that Chinese authorities coerced him into admitting bogus accusations in exchange for an early release that never came. Son, currently midfielder for the South Korean side Suwon FC, held an emotional press conference a day after the Chinese Football Association (CFA) slapped him with a lifetime ban for manipulating matches for illegal gains. Son, who played for Shandong T

Sept. 11, 2024