WASHINGTON -- An additional document detailing extended deterrence measures will be unveiled following the summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to the South Korean presidential office. Yoon's senior press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, told reporters Monday evening in Washington that the upcoming document will specify a more advanced version of the extended deterrence strategy. Extended deterrence refers to the US' commitment

Politics April 25, 2023

WASHINGTON -- Netflix chief Ted Sarandos said his company will invest $2.5 billion in Korean content for next four years during a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol, who arrived in Washington on Monday. President Yoon met Sarandos as his first official engagement in the US. The meeting was accompanied by the ministers of finance, culture and industry, as the Netflix management team, according to the presidential office. “The investment will be a significant opportunity for all Korean

Politics April 25, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday began his five-day state visit to the US to mark the 70th anniversary of bilateral ties and to set a new direction for the alliance with US President Joe Biden, amid intensifying nuclear threats from North Korea and mounting trade issues. The primary focus of the summit scheduled for Wednesday is on the level of bilateral agreement to be reached on extended deterrence as well as the extent of economic and security cooperation. This will be Yoon�

Foreign Affairs April 24, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a five-day state visit to the United States from April 24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden. During the visit, the two leaders are expected to strengthen their joint defense posture, discuss details of extended deterrence and further enhance economic and security cooperation. President Yoon's trip marks the first visit of a Korean president to the United States in 12 years, following the visit of former President Lee Myung-bak in 2011. The Whi

Foreign Affairs April 20, 2023

Victor Cha, a former senior adviser on North Korea for the George W. Bush administration, said North Korea could conduct a nuclear test ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's US visit next week to renew the allies' commitment to regional security. "When there is no diplomacy between the US and DPRK and we have military exercises (against the regime), North Korea does a lot of activities and a lot of negative activities," Cha, senior vice president and Korea chair at the Center

Foreign Affairs April 19, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has made a firm commitment to eliminate unfair employment succession practices, condemning them as against the spirit of the Constitution and as depriving future generations of opportunities. The elimination of employment succession at industrial sites is considered one of the key tasks of labor reform for Yoon. The goal is in line with his broader efforts to strengthen transparency in union accounting and enforce strict measures against violent acts. During a livestreame

Politics April 18, 2023

Lim Jong-deuk, the second deputy director of the National Security Office, is set to attend the NATO Cyber Champions Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania from Monday, according to the presidential office. The meeting's purpose is to prepare for the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, which Lithuania will host in July, with a focus on expanding and strengthening global cooperation to combat advanced cybersecurity threats. In addition to NATO members, key partners from the Asia-Paci

Foreign Affairs April 17, 2023

    ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province -- South Korea has achieved remarkable economic success after the 1950-53 Korean War, but faces grave challenges ahead as the country suffers from rapidly aging population, low birth rate, and unhappiness. North Gyeongsang Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, who also heads the Governors Association of Korea, believes that the quality of Koreans' lives is being deteriorated by what he calls "metropolitan sickness.” The phenomenon of metropolitan

Politics April 12, 2023

On rising security concerns over North Korea's continued provocations, former US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said South Korea and the United States should strengthen their joint military drills and impose stronger sanctions to deter Pyongyang's threats. “We can’t stop the North outright, short of war. I believe Kim Jong-un wants four things: sanctions relief, keep his nukes, split our alliance and dominate the peninsula. What we can and must do, however, is cre

Foreign Affairs April 11, 2023

The presidential office said Monday it would request "appropriate measures" from the US if necessary after the two countries finish assessing allegations that the US intelligence agency had wiretapped the South Korean government. The US reports that brought the spying allegations to light are "not confirmed fact," a senior official from the presidential office told reporters, stressing that fact-checking must come first. It is also difficult to rule out the possibility that i

Politics April 10, 2023

The South Korean presidential office said on Sunday it “will have necessary consultations with the US side” following a high-profile American media report that the US intelligence services had wiretapped the Korean government regarding its arms support for Ukraine. The New York Times reported on Saturday that a significant amount of classified documents from the US Department of Defense were leaked on social media. At least two of the documents contained internal discussions of the K

Politics April 9, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has reiterated the importance of cooperation and solidarity with countries that share universal values ​​at a meeting on national affairs Wednesday, underscoring the need for security collaboration with the United States and Japan to counter the North Korean threat. Yoon presided over the second national task inspection meeting to discuss major diplomatic and security issues, including Korea-Japan relations and North Korean nuclear threats, with 100 experts and citizens,

Foreign Affairs April 5, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has exercised his presidential veto for the first time to reject a bill designed to revise the Grain Management Act, a bill that requires the government to purchase excess rice yields. Calling it a typical populist tactic, Yoon vetoed the bill passed by the National Assembly because it would place financial burden on the government, according to the presidential office. This marks the first veto by a Korean president in seven years. The bill was passed last month by parli

Politics April 4, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday told a delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions that the country's southeastern port city of Busan "is ready" to host the World Expo in 2030. During a private dinner he hosted in the evening, the president said South Korea and its port city Busan have the capacity to host the international event and that the delegation team are going to see that. "The Busan World Expo will provide an opportunity to share

Politics April 3, 2023

The presidential office announced on Friday that there would not be a joint concert of K-pop girl group Blackpink and American pop star Lady Gaga during President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming state visit to the United States. In a written statement, the office clarified that the performance being reported in the media is not included in the president's official schedule for his visit to the United States. The statement did not provide any further explanation for the decision. The announcem

Politics March 31, 2023