Recasting himself as a foreign policy pragmatist grounded in national interest, South Korea’s presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung is signaling a reset of the strategic compass for the country’s foreign and North Korea policy. On the Korean Peninsula, Lee prioritizes reducing military tensions and reviving long-stalled dialogue with North Korea — a step he sees as essential to ensuring that Seoul is not sidelined in what he views as an inevitable US bid to thaw relations with the Kim Jong-un

A US State Department spokesperson said Friday that continued cooperation between China and Russia will make the United States and other countries "less safe," "less secure" and "less prosperous" after the leaders of the two countries issued a joint statement defending North Korea. On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin released the summit statement, in which they reportedly called on "relevant states to abandon the policy of unilateral coercive measures a

The second round of the high-level preparatory meeting for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit kicked off Saturday on South Korea's southern island of Jeju, officials said. The 14-day Senior Officials' Meeting, scheduled to run through May 16, brings together more than 3,200 government delegates and private-sector representatives from the 21 APEC member economies. South Korea will use the occasion to highlight the details of key agenda items it has introduced for this year's su

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's deepening partnership with Russia is a variable that will impact US President Donald Trump's leverage in future diplomacy with Pyongyang, a US expert said Friday, as the reclusive regime's reliance on Moscow has significantly lessened the need for dialogue with the United States. During a podcast, Sydney Seiler, former intelligence officer at the US National Intelligence Council, made the remarks amid expectations that Trump might seek to revive his personal diplomacy

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the development of the Pentagon's 2025 National Defense Strategy to prioritize raising "burden-sharing" with allies and deterring China threats in the Indo-Pacific, a Pentagon official said Friday. Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary for public affairs, said that Hegseth directed Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby to begin the NDS development, amid speculation that President Donald Trump might seek a rise in South Korea's share

With just one month left before South Korea’s early presidential election amid critical US tariff talks that have been racing forward, Seoul has been rocked by an unprecedented leadership vacuum: the president, prime minister and top economic chief are all absent due to impeachment or resignation. Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, fourth in the Cabinet hierarchy, assumed the role of acting president on Friday, marking the fourth leadership change in six m

US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan visited South Korea's leading shipbuilders, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hanwha Ocean Co., Wednesday, as Washington seeks to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the sector under President Donald Trump. Phelan, on a two-nation Asia trip also involving Japan, visited HD Hyundai Heavy's headquarters in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and toured a yard where next-generation Aegis destroyers are being built. He then held talks with HD Hyundai

South Korea will host the second high-level preparatory meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on Jeju Island, where it will present detailed plans for advancing discussions on key deliverables such as artificial intelligence cooperation and a joint response to demographic shifts, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. The second Senior Officials’ Meeting, a high-level consultative body for discussions among APEC member economies, and related meetings will be held from May 3 to 1

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed gratitude for North Korea’s military support in Russia’s war against Ukraine, North Korean state media reported Tuesday. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Putin praised the deployment of North Korean forces to Russia’s Kursk region, describing it as consistent with international law and the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between the two countries in June last year. “The dispatch fully conforms to internatio

North Korea’s first official acknowledgment of its troop deployment to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, following around six months of silence, on Monday comes at a timely moment domestically to frame its participation in a more favorable light, as Russia claims momentum on the battlefield has shifted in Moscow’s favor ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Observers in Seoul view that Pyongyang’s announcement is externally aimed at securing reciprocal commitments — effectivel

South Korea and China reaffirmed their differing positions on the contentious issue of Chinese-built structures in their jointly administered West Sea zone during interagency maritime talks, with Seoul requesting that all three structures be relocated outside the zone, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Despite the friction, the two sides launched a working group to address the issue during the 12-hour maritime cooperation dialogue in Seoul — a platform for broad discussions on a wide range of

South Korea, the United States and Japan held a working-level meeting in Seoul this week in preparation for the next round of Defense Trilateral Talks, the three countries' vice-ministerial-level security dialogue, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The meeting took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul, with participation from Andrew Winternitz, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia; Woo Kyung-seok, South Korea’s deputy dire

Acting President Han Duck-soo asked a group of former US government officials Wednesday to support South Korea's upcoming tariff negotiations with the United States, his office said. Han met with a group of former US officials and academics, including former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Center for Strategic and International Studies President John Hamre. The acting president noted their contributions to the development of the Sout

South Korea’s top diplomat on Wednesday told a forum on security and foreign affairs that engaging China aligned with US interests by contributing to regional stability. Former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, meanwhile, warned that confronting the China challenge single-handedly was "a recipe for failure," describing Washington's ability to work with allies and partners as its "most significant ticket to the big game." South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul underscored that “we wi

The position of US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues has remained vacant for more than three months since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second term. According to the US Department of State on Wednesday, Julie Turner — who had held the post since October 2023 — now serves as acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Her departure came as part of a broader reshuffle during the administrative transition — a common process in wh