Two South Korean nationals who were kidnapped by a gang in Haiti in late July have been released, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The two employees of a South Korean company were abducted in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, on July 31 while staying in the country on business. One of the two was released on Aug. 18, while the second was freed on the afternoon of Sept. 1, local time, according to the ministry. Both are safe and in good health. Following a report of the kidnappin

The 44-member Korea Disaster Relief Team arrived in Nepal on Wednesday to support search-and-rescue operations following devastating floods that have left more than 1,000 people dead and thousands missing across Nepal and neighboring Tibet. A South Korean Air Force KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker carrying the team landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at about 6:27 a.m. local time. Led by Lee Kyoo-ho, director-general for development cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign

South Korea has asked China to play a constructive role in supporting Seoul’s push for peaceful coexistence with North Korea and progress toward denuclearization, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday. Speaking at a press briefing, Wi said he conveyed Seoul’s position on denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, earlier this month. Wi said Seoul had “actively requested China’s constructive cooperation”

North Korean troops recently crossed the Military Demarcation Line on the eastern front, moving about 10 meters into South Korean territory while conducting a foot patrol, South Korean military officials said Friday. According to Joint Chiefs of Staff official, the military had confirmed the crossing and was maintaining readiness in accordance with standard operational procedures. “We are maintaining our readiness posture in accordance with normal operational procedures regarding the recent cros

South Korea will support efforts to restart dialogue between the United States and North Korea while ensuring that Seoul is not sidelined and that its security posture is not weakened in the process, National security adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday. “President Trump has recently scaled back South Korea-US combined exercises and field training exercises, while continuing to express his willingness to engage with North Korea,” Wi said, referring to US President Donald Trump's recent comments conc

South Korea will intensify its crackdown on Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, including by deploying more Coast Guard special forces and strengthening cooperation with Beijing, the government said Thursday. The Korea Coast Guard announced the measures at a joint briefing in Seoul with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Unification, National Defense and Oceans and Fisheries. The package focuses on tougher enforcement near the NLL, the remova

The South Korean government will dispatch an 11-member joint rapid response team to Nepal on Thursday to assist search and rescue efforts following devastating floods that have left nine South Koreans unaccounted for. The team will consist of four Foreign Ministry officials, five firefighters and two police officers, according to authorities. It will be led by Lim Sang-woo, the Foreign Ministry’s ambassador for overseas Koreans protection and consular affairs. The team is scheduled to depart Inc

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met his Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco in Seoul on Monday to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation and strengthening coordination between the two middle powers. During talks at the Foreign Ministry, Cho said the relationship between South Korea and Mexico had become increasingly important amid growing uncertainty in the global economy. "With global economic uncertainty increasing in areas ranging from supply chains and energy to food and security, re

North Korea and Belarus are set to sign a visa-waiver agreement, in the latest sign of rapidly expanding ties between Pyongyang and Moscow’s close ally as North Korea deepens a Russia-centered network of cooperation amid the war in Ukraine. According to Belarusian state media, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said the two countries were nearing an agreement allowing their citizens to travel visa-free, and that the issue was discussed during talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Cho

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday passed a motion to set up a special committee to support Busan’s bid to host the 2028 United Nations Ocean Conference. Speaking at the party's Supreme Council meeting in Busan, where the motion was passed, Democratic Party leader Rep. Kim Min-seok pledged that the party will throw its full weight behind the bid. “The 2028 UN Ocean Conference is an event on a larger scale than APEC and (the party) will do its utmost to ensure that (the event) beco

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook met Bill Gates, chairman of TerraPower, in Seoul on Friday to discuss cooperation on small modular reactors and energy solutions for the artificial intelligence era. Han said securing sufficient electricity would be critical as South Korea pushes ahead with three major projects to accelerate the country's AI transformation. The government is exploring an energy mix that includes renewable power and small modular reactors, or SMRs, she said. Han also wel

Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that President Lee Jae Myung agrees in principle with a possible constitutional revision that would introduce a four-year, two-term presidency while strengthening the powers of the National Assembly. “We believe a four-year, two-term presidential system with enhanced powers for the National Assembly would have the broadest public acceptance,” a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters. The official said Lee shares concerns about problems stemming from South Korea’s heavily

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest level since taking office, with negative assessments outpacing positive assessment for the first time, weighed down by real estate policies. In the Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 46 percent of the respondents negatively assessed Lee’s performance, while 44 percent gave a positive assessment. Compared to the Gallup poll conducted in the final week of July, positive assessments slid 7 percentage points while negative assessment

Senior South Korean military officials met Wednesday with troops from United Nations Command member states participating in this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in a goodwill event at the War Memorial of Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The event, attended by Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won and other senior JCS officials, was organized to thank the visiting troops for taking part in the annual combined exercise and to strengthen cooperation between Sou

Cyberattack attempts targeting South Korea’s Overseas Koreans Agency surged to 4,271 in the first seven months of this year, more than 12 times the 353 attempts recorded throughout last year, according to data released Tuesday. The agency, launched in June 2023, has yet to establish a dedicated cybersecurity unit and only began allocating a separate information security budget this year. According to cybersecurity management data submitted by the Overseas Koreans Agency to the office of Rep. Kim