Diplomats of South Korea and Japan held talks in Tokyo on Thursday to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and historical issues between the two countries, the foreign ministry said, after tensions flared anew with North Korea's recent missile launches. The talks between Lee Sang-ryol, the ministry's director general for Asian and Pacific affairs, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came after the North fired off two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday fo

South Korea and Vietnam agreed Thursday to strengthen cooperation in defense affairs and the arms industry during annual vice-ministerial talks, Seoul officials said. South Korean Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min and his Vietnamese counterpart, Hoang Xuan Chien, held the Defense Strategy Dialogue in the Southeast Asian nation and discussed regional security issues and ways to strengthen their defense ties, according to Seoul's defense ministry. "The two sides agreed to boost cooperatio

The United States opposed potential counter-coup moves within South Korea's military in early 1980 aimed at reversing then Army Gen. Chun Doo-hwan's seizing of power from an earlier coup, declassified documents showed Thursday. The documents, disclosed by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum at Seoul's request, contain diplomatic cables the US Embassy in Seoul sent to Washington reporting on the political instability in the South in the wake of Chun's military coup. Chun took power i

The United States on Wednesday announced the launch of a new trilateral security partnership in the Indo-Pacific that President Joe Biden said marks a "historic step" in deepening his country's cooperation with Australia and Britain. Biden said the countries will also work to equip Australia with "conventionally armed" nuclear submarines under the new trilateral partnership, named AUKUS. "The United States, Australia, (the) United Kingdom have long been faithful and capa

The United States is prepared to work with North Korea to address its humanitarian concerns "regardless of progress on denuclearization," Washington's point man on Pyongyang said Tuesday. Ambassador Sung Kim made the remarks after holding three-way talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Tokyo to discuss humanitarian aid and other incentives to resume dialogue with the North. The talks came amid renewed security concer

This month, Mexico commemorates 200 years of independence. Heir to millenary civilizations, Mexico has risen to become one of the 20 most populous and largest countries on the planet, both in terms of area and economy, strategically located in the Americas, between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. At these difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilient and optimistic nature of the Mexican people is once more affirmed. Mexico has been a strong advocate from the beginning -- alo

A new “phygital” solution -- a hybrid of physical and digital -- is key for the survival of the art and culture industry that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Dinesh Patnaik, director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Patnaik said future events have to embrace the new hybrid mode. “Culture communication forum (CCF) was exactly the hybrid mode of physical as well as digital participation, it’s fu

The United States remains open to diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea, a White House spokesperson said Monday, despite North Korea's missile launch that it said poses threat to US allies in the region. Karine Jean-Pierre, principal deputy spokeswoman for the White House, said the US offer to meet anywhere, anytime also remains unchanged. "So you know our position has not changed when it comes to North Korea," she said when asked aboard the Air Force One en route to Boise, Idaho whe

  South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States this week to discuss cooperation on various economic topics, including chip supply chains and vaccines, his ministry said Sunday. Yeo will visit Washington from Monday to Friday to meet his US counterpart Katherine Tai and American lawmakers to bolster economic ties between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Yeo spoke with Tai last month, but it was through a virtual meeting. In

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy departed for Japan on Sunday for bilateral and trilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on North Korean issues. "I expect that the upcoming talks will be a productive step to accelerate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Noh Kyu-duk told reporters before his departure at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul. During his three-day trip, Noh will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Fun

South Korea said Sunday it plans to officially deliver its intention to New Zealand to join a global pact on the digital sector that covers a wider array of issues beyond conventional free trade agreements. South Korea completed its domestic procedures to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) in August, and now plans to on Monday propose the official launch of negotiations with DEPA members, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Earlier this month, Trade Minist

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung met on Wednesday with Choi Jin-young, CEO of The Korea Herald, and they exchanged views on bilateral ties between the two countries and the struggles of small businesses coping with COVID-19. “Next year Vietnam and Korea will celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Many opportunities lie ahead,” the Vietnamese ambassador said. “It’s the right time to enhance bilateral cooperation.” Choi echoed

Climate change is the biggest existential challenge for humankind and the world needs to make a collective effort to use the rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to tackle the issue, says Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi. “We shall think green and transform now,” Hadi said in an interview with The Korea Herald, underscoring a need for a new ideology on sustainable development and for industries to undergo a green transformation. “I think, right now, what humanity t

‘Prioritize return of clean air and blue skies’ By Ban Ki-moon Sept. 7, 2021, marks the 2nd International Day of Clean Air for blue skies as designated by the United Nations General Assembly. This day reminds us of the need to act now to reduce air pollution and take a stand for the fundamental right to clean air for ourselves and for future generations. Last year, as the president of the assembly and the chair of the council of the Global Green Growth Institute, I had the pleas

FRIENDLY TIES -- Bader Al Awadi (right), ambassador of Kuwait to South Korea, fist-bumps with The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young during a courtesy visit to the Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday.