Articles by Choi Si-young
Choi Si-young
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com-
Ministry to aid S. Koreans facing death penalty for drug trafficking
Two South Korean nationals sentenced to death for drug trafficking by a Vietnamese court will be offered consular services necessary for due process and a fair trial in case of appeal, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Monday. The two Koreans were among 18 defendants found guilty of drug offenses in a trial court ruling last week, according to VnExpress, a Vietnamese online media outlet. Kim, 63, and Kang, 30, were partners who had made ties in a Korean prison for unrelated crimes. A Chinese na
Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2023
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N. Korea chides US over relations with Russia
North Korea criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for “irresponsible and provocative” remarks last week about deepening military ties between the North and Russia, saying destabilizing actions by the US and its partners on the Korean Peninsula would be met with strong countermeasure. The top US diplomat said Pyongyang is providing military equipment to Moscow to use for its war in Ukraine, while the North in return receives technical support to advance its military programs
North Korea Nov. 12, 2023
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S. Korea, Italy agree to boost future-oriented cooperation
President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, on a state visit to South Korea, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. “Italy is a country that had helped us during the Korean War with medical support. … Together we share values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law. I look forward to strengthening exchanges in the future,” Yoon said at the meeting Wednesday. Rome was one of five countries that deployed
Foreign Affairs Nov. 8, 2023
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S. Korea, US weigh curbs on N. Korea cyberattacks
South Korea and the United States discussed bolstering steps to curb North Korean cyberattacks that the two allies say are meant to bankroll the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs. The two-day meeting that ended Tuesday in Washington focused on coordinating policy on sharing information about tactics Pyongyang has been using, such as deploying its overseas information technology workers. They work remotely through freelance platforms to steal cryptocurrencies, among other hack
North Korea Nov. 8, 2023
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S. Korea to open 10 new embassies
South Korea will open 10 new embassies overseas next year to provide manpower and resources increasingly needed to support its rising global profile, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. Countries that will see the new Korean diplomatic missions are: Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Jamaica, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Zambia. Among the ten nations, Georgia and Jamaica will see their previous embassy-level offices promoted to official embassies. Seoul
Foreign Affairs Nov. 7, 2023
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N. Korea vows military action after US missile test
North Korea said Friday that it will carry out efforts to step up its military deterrence and take military action, following a US intercontinental missile test late last month, in a commentary released by the official Korean Central News Agency. An Air Force Minuteman III ICBM exploded over the Pacific Ocean following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. An anomaly was detected, the US Air Force said without elaborating further. South Korean defense officials attended the
North Korea Nov. 3, 2023
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Japan returns favor again by flying 15 S. Koreans out of Israel
Japan has brought back 15 South Korean nationals and one foreign national family member from Israel to Tokyo on a Japanese military plane, reciprocating for the second time Korea’s rescue flight last month that included Japanese nationals. According to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, the plane landed at Haneda International Airport on Friday evening. Aboard the aircraft are 20 Japanese nationals, four Taiwanese citizens, one Vietnamese national and their five foreign national family members
Foreign Affairs Nov. 3, 2023
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Kakao taxi-hailing service ‘unethical,’ Yoon says
President Yoon Suk Yeol said the country’s most popular taxi-hailing service from Kakao Mobility demonstrates an “extremely unethical example” of a monopoly, at a regular meeting Wednesday on the economy. The comments at the gathering, attended by a group of 60 ordinary people in addition to policymakers, were in response to suggestions floated by an audience member who asked about lowering the fees taxis pay to the tech giant’s mobility unit, which controls about 90 perc
Politics Nov. 1, 2023
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FM Park, Blinken to meet in Seoul next week
Foreign Minister Park Jin will discuss North Korea’s nuclear threats and other key issues with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the US diplomat’s two-day trip to South Korea from Nov. 8, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Wednesday. The visit, the first in two and a half years, comes as South Korea doubles down on the importance of the US nuclear umbrella to prevent a North Korean strike. The two allies agreed on giving Seoul a bigger say in how Washington deliv
Foreign Affairs Nov. 1, 2023
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Rental fraudster’s ‘luxury life’ sparks anger
Victims of a local housing rental scam who claim the fraudster is living off their money have gotten increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of the police investigation, calling for immediate action, according to a report Tuesday. The suspect, who fled the country in May with rental deposits ahead of a police investigation the following month, is currently in the US, the victims said, adding that he, his wife and son recently moved away from Atlanta, Georgia, after learning that they had been
Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2023
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Yoon urges ministers to act on rental scam, pension reform
President Yook Suk Yeol on Monday instructed his ministers to do everything possible to hold responsible those who allegedly scammed young Koreans seeking home rentals, and pledged to have the government’s pension reform proposal reach a “social consensus,” without offering further details. “The majority of (those affected by) this ‘jeonse’ scam are young Koreans. This is an egregious crime that hurts our next generation,” Yoon said at the weekly Cabinet
Politics Oct. 30, 2023
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US House to adopt resolution for ‘Kimchi Day’
The US House of Representatives will adopt a resolution in early December to recognize Kimchi Day, honoring the Korean dish of fermented vegetables. According to the Museum of Korean American Heritage in New York, the adoption will take place on Dec. 6 after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee puts the resolution on the floor, which Rep. Young Kim (R-California) proposed with bipartisan backing. The resolution did not pass last year. The adoption this time, an official at the museum
Foreign Affairs Oct. 26, 2023
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S. Korea, US, Japan condemn N. Korea arms supplies to Russia
The top diplomats of South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the supply of military equipment and munitions by North Korea to Russia, confirming some of the deliveries in a joint statement Thursday. Foreign Minister Park Jin and his US and Japanese counterparts -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, respectively -- said such supplies would raise the “human toll” in Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We remain resolved to support Ukraine&r
North Korea Oct. 26, 2023
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[Top Envoy] S. Korea is done with ‘strategic ambiguity,’ ex-envoy says
The Korea Herald publishes a series of interviews with South Korea’s former and current top diplomats who have played a central role in shaping the country’s foreign policies to confront the complexities of an increasingly contested international order while managing its historical relationships with allies and neighbors, for lasting peace beyond the Korean Peninsula. This is the third installment. -- Ed Heightening threats from North Korea to use its nuclear weapons against South Ko
Foreign Affairs Oct. 25, 2023
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Yoon’s trip offers momentum for economic growth: experts
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s six-day trip to the Middle East, largely meant to expand economic ties, offers fresh momentum for South Korean companies to ride out global headwinds in the long-run, experts said Monday. The state visit to Saudi Arabia has already led to a signing of deals including memorandums of understanding worth $15.6 billion in total, over areas ranging from food to oil to energy, according to Yoon’s office. He returns home Thursday after a one-day tour to Qatar the p
Foreign Affairs Oct. 23, 2023
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