Yoon to embark on three-nation Central Asia trip this week

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to pay state visits to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this week to explore expanding cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Yoon will embark on the six-day trip Monday, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, and visit the resource-rich Central Asian nations through June 15, his office said. On the first leg of the trip, Yoon will arrive in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Monday, hold a summit with the country's President Serdar Berdimuham

June 9, 2024

UN Security Council to hold meeting on NK human rights next week

WASHINGTON -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will have an official meeting on North Korean human rights issues next week for the first time in less than a year, its work schedule showed Friday, as South Korea as this month's UNSC president seeks to highlight the link between the North's security challenge and its repressive political climate. The council is set to hold a briefing on the North's human rights situation on Wednesday. It last held a meeting on the same i

June 8, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 3rd round of defense cost-sharing negotiations in Washington next week

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States will hold their third round of cost sharing negotiations for stationing US Forces Korea (USFK) in Washington next week, the chief US negotiator said Friday. Linda Specht, senior advisor and US lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, said that the two sides will have the negotiations over the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) from Monday through Wednesday. The South Korean delegation is led by Le

June 8, 2024

Vietnamese FM urges business community to grow with Vietnam-Korea ties

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son urged the Vietnamese community in South Korea to capitalize on growing Vietnam-Korea ties, as he recently attended the kick-off ceremony of the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea (BAViK). "Currently, the relationship between Vietnam and Korea is at the highest stage of development, and despite the challenging global and Korean economic situations, there are ample opportunities for growth and collaboration," Bui said on May 30, addressi

June 7, 2024

Georgia lauds Korea, partners on Independence Day

Tarash Papaskua, Georgian Ambassador to South Korea, celebrated its 106th Independence Day and the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union at a recent event held in Seoul. "Despite the short period of its existence from 1918 to 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia had a significant impact on the development of Georgian statehood in the long run," said Papaskua, during his remarks at the event on May 27. Georgia is now facing geopolitical challenges from Russia�

June 7, 2024

UNESCO advisory body withholds designation of Japan's Sado mine as World Heritage

An advisory body to a committee of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has deferred the nomination of a controversial former Japanese gold mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Japanese government said Thursday. The International Council on Monuments and Sites, one of the three advisories to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, recommended "withholding" Sado mine's designation and demanded additional documents, the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs said

June 6, 2024

Putin 'highly appreciates' S. Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he highly appreciates South Korea's position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine, and that Moscow is ready to restore relations with Seoul. Putin made the remark during a meeting with representatives of leading international news agencies, including Yonhap News Agency, which was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The remark drew attention in that Putin, who began his fifth term as president last mon

June 6, 2024

Hybrid threats, economic coercion, other challenges drive NATO-S. Korea engagement: expert

A security expert on Wednesday cited "hybrid" threats, economic coercion and other common challenges as a driver of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's engagement with South Korea and other Asia-Pacific partners, as a NATO summit is set to take place in Washington next month. Kristine Berzina, managing director of GMF Geostrategy North, an institute analyzing various security issues, made the remarks, anticipating that the NATO summit, set for July 9-11, will bring together t

June 6, 2024

Cuba's high-level diplomat to make first-ever official visit to S. Korea

A high-level Cuban diplomat will make a first-ever official visit to South Korea to participate in an annual Seoul-hosted forum focused on enhancing cooperation between South Korea and Latin America, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Wednesday. Carlos Miguel Pereira, Director-General of the General Division of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, will deliver his presentation at the 2024 Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum, scheduled for June 10 in Seoul. Pereira is re

June 5, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] S. Korea's assistance to Africa is an investment, says Rwandan president

Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed high hopes to forge mutually beneficial ties with South Korea, stressing that the support from Asia's fourth-largest economy to the continent, particularly Rwanda, is an investment for mutual gains. “Korea should, in fact, say that the support they give to countries in Africa or to Rwanda in particular is a sort of investment," the president said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday. "It's investing your money

June 5, 2024

China expresses 'firm opposition' against S. Korea for remarks on Taiwan issue

China's embassy in South Korea on Tuesday expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to South Korea for making "consecutive erroneous remarks" regarding the Taiwan issue in coordination with the United States and Japan. On Friday, senior South Korean, US and Japanese diplomats met in the US, and announced that they oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific and recognize the importance of opposing unlawful mari

June 4, 2024

[From the Scene] Yoon tests Global Pivotal State vision at first Korea-Africa summit

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province — South Korea held the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit on Tuesday to forge new strategic cooperation with African countries which serve as a cornerstone of the Global South, putting the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's key agenda to become a "global pivotal state" to test. The Korea-Africa summit is seen as a crucial assessment for the Yoon government in realizing the core national security and foreign policy vision of becoming a "global pivotal st

June 4, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] Morocco urges Korea to enhance cooperation in Atlantic coast vision

Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, called on South Korea to enhance cooperation with the country’s Atlantic coast vision, which aims to connect its coastline to the Americas. "Today, the focus of the African continent has shifted towards developing and enhancing the Atlantic coast,” said Bourita in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. “We must strive to reach landlocked African nations that also need these benefits," he said, noting th

June 4, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] Nigeria seeks Korean EV investment

Nigeria's plans to create a favorable environment for electric vehicle investment will be an opportunity for South Korean carmakers, Nigeria's foreign minister told The Korea Herald. "You can mine the lithium, refine it in Nigeria, produce the EV cars there, and sell them to consumers locally,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Monday. “It’s a complete value chain ready to be exploited,” he said. Nigeria has significant lithium deposits in Nasaraw

June 4, 2024

[Contribution] Empowering Africa’s green future by bridging climate finance gap

Africa’s abundant natural resources, rich biodiversity, huge potential for renewable energy and active workforce make the continent a vital player in the global transition to green economy. Today, Africa stands ready to propel itself into a green revolution, capitalizing on its many opportunities and resources, and driven by unwavering determination to steer the continent towards a sustainable, resilient future. This commitment is exemplified through innovation, collaboration, and by forgi

June 3, 2024

S. Korea, African nations hold foreign ministers' meeting ahead of summit

South Korea and more than 40 African nations held a foreign ministerial meeting to discuss cooperation ahead of a leaders' summit later this week, Seoul's foreign ministry has said. The rare gathering on Sunday came as South Korea is set to host the first-ever Korea-Africa summit for Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing together the leaders of 25 of the 48 participating countries. The talks were led by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, his counterpart from Maurita

June 3, 2024

Yoon to meet 10 African leaders ahead of Korea-Africa Summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to have a series of meetings with leaders of 10 African nations Monday to discuss ways to expand cooperation on the eve of the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit, the presidential office said. Yoon will hold back-to-back meetings with leaders from Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Togo, Rwanda, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde at the presidential office in Seoul. The leaders were in South Korea to attend the inaugural Korea-Afri

June 3, 2024

How can South Korea leverage its UN Security Council seat?

JEJU ISLAND -- As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, South Korea is uniquely positioned to address not only North Korean issues but also pressing global challenges, leveraging its strengths — successful experiences and significant global contributions in areas such as food security and peacekeeping operations, senior UN officials and experts emphasized on Thursday. Furthermore, South Korea's direct concern with the impact of human rights violations on security —

May 31, 2024

What role should Asian countries play amid Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

JEJU ISLAND -- South Korea and other Asian countries should take a realistic approach and explore feasible options for de-escalating the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while acknowledging the limitations of their influence on the matter, Asia-based experts said Thursday during the Jeju Forum. "The Korean government should soberly evaluate the extent of its leverage in shaping its stance on the issue," Ma Young-sam, who served as South Korean ambassador to Israel as well as the inaugural h

May 31, 2024

NATO-S. Korea ties, ‘powerful signal’ against rule breakers: Stoltenberg

JEJU ISLAND -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the increasing cooperation between the North Atlantic alliance and its Indo-Pacific partners including South Korea, sends a "powerful signal" against active attempts by countries including Russia to "rip up" the rules-based international order. "These ties matter today more than ever. We live in a dangerous world," Stoltenberg stated in a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the

May 30, 2024