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

Memorial ceremony for Sado miners to be held this year

The first-ever memorial ceremony for laborers in the Sado mines, a site associated with the forced labor of Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, will be held by the end of the year, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Wednesday. "The ceremony at the Sado mines will be held by the end of the year," Cho said during a parliamentary session held by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. "We are currently negotiating

Sept. 11, 2024

Harris and Trump spar over Kim Jong-un, alliances

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump traded sharp barbs on Tuesday, spotlighting their sharply contrasting views on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, treaty alliances and a host of pivotal foreign policy issues. The televised presidential debate, the first between these two candidates, continued past the original 90-minutes scheduled, notably sidestepping North Korea and rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including Pyongyang's illicit nuclear buildup and it

Sept. 11, 2024

Germany committed to security in Indo-pacific, says defense chief

German Chief of Defense Gen. Carsten Breuer, reaffirmed Germany’s military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, calling South Korea a crucial partner. “For four years now, we have increased our presence in the Indo-Pacific, and we will continue to consolidate our commitment," he said, adding that Germany’s naval and air forces were being deployed worldwide. “South Korea is once again part of our deployment,” he said appreciating South Korea as a crucial partner, an

Sept. 11, 2024

Seoul summit charts framework on responsible AI military use

A comprehensive framework establishing guidelines and principles for the ethical and regulated use of artificial intelligence in military operations spanning nuclear weapons systems, endorsed by 61 countries, was adopted at a high-stakes summit in Seoul. The two-day 2024 summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain or REAIM concluded Tuesday with the adoption of a "Blueprint for Action," drawing 1,952 participants from 96 countries, including 38 ministerial-level officials, accordin

Sept. 10, 2024

Kenya studying Korean tech for housing

Kenya is studying South Korea's advanced technology to improve housing infrastructure and address the African country's housing challenges. “Our goal is to build 200,000 housing units annually, and we’ve already started over 100,000 units since July 2023,” Charles Hinga, principal secretary of Kenya's State Department for Housing and Urban Development, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday. Kenya plans to use Korean technology, such as aluminum f

Sept. 10, 2024

[Hello India] India's Rajasthan government woos Korean investors

The Indian state of Rajasthan sought to encourage Korean companies at the Rising Rajasthan Roadshow event in Seoul on Monday. The roadshow comes in the lead-up the Rajasthan's government's Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit, to be held from Dec. 9-11 in Jaipur, the capital city of the state. Led by Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the roadshow delegation highlighted the state's opportunities in renewable energy and automotive manufacturing, electronics an

Sept. 10, 2024

Harris, Trump set to face off in high-stakes presidential debate this week

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump are set to face off against each other in their first -- potentially only -- debate this week, with its outcome expected to substantially impact their final sprint to Election Day in November. The high-stakes 90-minute debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, as recent polls have shown Vice President Harris and former

Sept. 10, 2024