President Yoon Suk-yeol named ambassadors to the United Nations, Japan, China and Russia on Tuesday. Yoon appointed Hwang Joon-kook (62), former ambassador to the United Kingdom, as ambassador to the United Nations, and Yun Duk-min (63), former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, as ambassador to Japan. Chung Jae-ho (62), a professor of foreign affairs at Seoul National University, was appointed ambassador to China, while Chang Ho-jin (61), a chair professor at Korea Maritime &

Senior foreign affairs officials of South Korea and Ukraine met privately to discuss the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, officials said Tuesday. It is the first time that a high-level Ukrainian official made a public visit to Korea since the Russian invasion in February. Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon met with Ukraine’s Vice Foreign Minister Dmytro Senik on Tuesday and exchanged views on the recent situation in Ukraine, support for the country, economic cooperation between the tw

Henry Kissinger, a former US national security adviser, said South Korea and the US should work together to solve multiple challenges the world faces, in an international conference held in Seoul Friday. The Asan Institute for Policy Studies held the Asan Symposium “Celebrating Korea-US Relations: 140 Years and Beyond” to commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the US. In the virtual congratulatory remarks, Kissinger said South Korea has built

President Yoon Suk-yeol said South Korea seeks to develop the relationship with the US into a comprehensive strategic alliance at the global level and to expand its role based on their strong alliance, in talks with US academic figures on Friday. His remarks reaffirm the agreement made in a summit with US President Joe Biden last month to upgrade the Korea-US alliance. At the meeting with former and current members of US academia groups in the presidential office, Yoon said, “We pl

The main opposition Democratic Party took a major loss in the local elections, but Kim Dong-yeon’s narrow victory for Gyeonggi Province governor came as a partial relief and possible sign that all may not be lost for the party. Although the party lost 12 of the 17 seats in the elections of metropolitan government to the ruling People Power Party, it won in the biggest battleground Gyeonggi Province. According to the National Election Commission on Thursday, Kim got 2,827,593 votes, de

President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party’s political clout is growing, following a landslide victory in the June 1 local elections despite the opposition dominating the National Assembly. Yoon vowed to dedicate all his energy to stabilizing people’s livelihoods. The local elections are crucial for Yoon, as they determine the political direction of the first two years of his administration before the 2024 general election takes place. In the elections held 22 day

Former President Moon Jae-in has sued four people, including members of conservative groups, for protesting in front of his residence on charges of defamation and death threats. Moon’s legal representative visited the Yangsan Police Station on Tuesday and filed a complaint on behalf of Moon and his spouse Kim Jung-sook against the four people from three protest groups. The accusations include abusive language, repeated dissemination of false information, defamation, threats murder a

The presidential office has backtracked on its stance on abolishing the role of an independent inspector general as criticism arose even within the ruling bloc, saying it would not get rid of the position. A senior official from the presidential office told reporters Tuesday, “We are sorry that it seemed like we were discussing the premise of abolishing (the position of) the independent inspector general.” “We are reviewing a good system -- including an independent inspect

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday nominated two female experts to fill remaining Cabinet seats after being criticized for a lack of female representation. Yoon also appointed a female expert to co-head the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Yoon nominated Seoul National University professor Park Soon-ae for education minister and former lawmaker Kim Seung-hee as health minister. He also nominated Seoul National University professor Oh Yu-Kyoung as vice minister of food and drug safety. Wit

Seoul is closely monitoring North Korea for a possible nuclear test, with authorities having detected the testing of nuclear warhead detonation devices, a top security official said Wednesday, following a National Security Council meeting to address North Korea’s three ballistic missiles launches early the same morning. When asked about the possibility of the North’s nuclear test, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, said, “It is unlikely th

President Yoon Suk-yeol said it is necessary for Korea’s future energy sources to be a “rational” mix of nuclear power, renewable energy and natural gas to achieve carbon neutrality amid global supply chain instability and rising energy prices. Yoon attended the 28th World Gas Conference held at Exco in Daegu on Tuesday, his first public attendance at an international event since taking office. The World Gas Conference is the world’s largest international event in the

President Yoon Suk-yeol promised to build a reciprocal supply chain for semiconductors and batteries in the Indo-Pacific region and share experiences and cooperate in all fields covered by the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework at the first IPEF summit on Monday. The US-led economic alliance was launched on Monday, with South Korea joining as an initial member. This is a follow-up to the Korea-US summit on Saturday, with the presidents of both countries pledging close cooperation through the ec

US President Joe Biden concluded his trip to South Korea after visiting a joint airspace control center on Sunday before leaving for Japan. During his three-day stay here, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to military and economic alliances and agreed to step up deterrence against North Korea. Before ending his trip, Biden visited the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at the US Air Force Base in Osan, where the two nations’ militaries work to direct and control aerospace o

The leaders of South Korea and the US have agreed to develop the Korea-US relationship into a global comprehensive strategic alliance, reaffirmed the shared goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea, and formalized Korea’s participation in the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework during their first summit in Seoul on Saturday. At a joint press conference after the summit that lasted more than 100 minutes, President Yoon Suk-yeol said, “At the summit, the two of us shared

South Korea and the US will expand mutual investment and cooperate to stabilize the supply chain in strategic industries such as semiconductor and batteries, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said during a summit with US President Joe Biden on Saturday. “Currently, we are living in an era of economic security where the economy is security and security is the economy,” Yoon said. “Changes in the international trade order and disruptions in supply chains directly impact peo

A 90-minute summit between the US and South Korea began as US President Joe Biden arrived at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul around 1:30 pm on Saturday. When the vehicle arrived in front of the main gate of the presidential office building, President Yoon Suk-yeol greeted Biden in person. The two leaders shook hands at the entrance and entered the building side by side. The Korea-US summit was held on the fifth floor of the presidential office, and included a talk with a small n

US President Joe Biden will arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon to begin his three-day visit focused on strengthening the Korea-US alliance. After President Biden arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, he will move to the Pyeongtaek campus of Samsung Electronics to tour the world’s largest semiconductor production base. President Yoon Suk-yeol will accompany him and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will guide them through the facility. It is the

South Korea will expand its military and economic alliance with the US to include technology at the upcoming summit this weekend, seeking to join a US-led new coalition that will set new trade and supply chain rules, a senior security official said Wednesday. 　 US President Joe Biden will arrive in Korea on Friday afternoon and visit Samsung Electronics’ chip facilities in Pyeongtaek. The next day, he will hold a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol and attend an official banquet along wi

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday paid tribute to protesters of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising, an unusual move for a conservative president that some say is aimed at dispelling concerns of his bloc’s negligence of the Jeolla provinces and to strengthen the message of national unity. “The spirit of May is the restoration of universal values and constitutional spirit of liberal democracy. That spirit belongs to all of us and is a valuable asset of the Republic of Korea,” Y

Henk Ovink, a flood expert and special envoy from the Netherlands to the United Nations, says investment in water projects must be scaled up, as population growth and economic development adds to water-related challenges. “No matter where in the world, water is life -- it helps build a better future and inform sustainable actions, and it helps bring us together,” Ovink said in a written interview with The Korea Herald. Ovink said three water-related challenges - scarcity, pollu