South Korea and the United States concluded Wednesday that the possibility of North Korea launching "grave provocations" around the US presidential election in November could not be dismissed, prompting discussions on a coordinated response to a range of potential scenarios. The high-level meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, the alliance's premier annual forum for discussing and coordinating security strategy and policy issues impacting the Korean Penins

North Korea Sept. 5, 2024

Tae Yong-ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat, said Wednesday that his appointment to a vice-ministerial position in the South Korean government sends a compelling message to the North Korean elite -- the key pillars of the Kim regime's sustainability -- by highlighting their potential for a promising future within South Korean society or a unified Korea. Tae has become the first North Korean defector who once served in the North Korean regime to ascend to a high-ranking South Korean o

North Korea Sept. 4, 2024

Ri Il-gyu, the former second-ranking North Korean diplomat in Cuba, on Tuesday publicly proposed strategies to destabilize the Kim Jong-un regime from within by promoting societal change in the North, including the inflow of external information to the North Korean populace. "The so-called elite class, or the cadre class, has undergone a significant shift in their perception of the regime," Ri, who served as a counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Havana, said during the Global Kore

North Korea Sept. 3, 2024

The South Korean presidential office on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive cybersecurity plan with 100 actionable tasks, including measures for enhanced "offensive cyber defense" strategies to proactively counter and neutralize those with intentions of spreading fake information such as deepfakes in cyberspace. The presidential Office of National Security announced the "National Cybersecurity Basic Plan," a collaborative effort developed by 14 government ministries and organizat

Foreign Affairs Sept. 1, 2024

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Thursday organized a first-ever event where families of South Koreans abducted and held captive by North Korea made a direct appeal to foreign missions in Seoul, urging global support in bringing these decades-old unresolved cases to the UN stage for resolution. The event, titled "Families' Call for International Solidarity: Issues of Abduction, Arbitrary Detention and Forced Disappearance," aimed to garner support for highlighting North

North Korea Aug. 29, 2024

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Wednesday aimed to quell rising concerns in Seoul over the omission of US commitments to North Korea's denuclearization from the 2024 platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Kim remarked, "There has been back-and-forth debate recently over the platforms of US presidential candidates," specifically referring to the US Democratic Party’s platform released in August and the Republican Party’s platform from July that set

Foreign Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

As US-China strategic competition has continued to intensify with expectations that it will likely persist, Seoul finds itself increasingly ensnared in a web of structural challenges in its relations with Beijing. With the rivalry itself serving as a key determinant that has caused challenges in critical areas such as economics and security, South Korea's already delicate and intricate China conundrum has become further complicated. South Korea-China relations have reached a pivotal crossro

Foreign Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and underscored their readiness to confront the world’s "greatest challenges" through trilateral cooperation. Seoul, Washington and Tokyo released a joint leaders' statement to "commemorate the tremendous progress" made in their trilateral cooperation over the past year, following the unprecedented standalone summit at Camp David

Foreign Affairs Aug. 18, 2024

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the Japanese defense minister's tribute at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which Seoul views as glorifying Japan's militaristic past, calling it an "anachronistic act" and unfathomable behavior. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's visit to the shrine in Tokyo occurred on the same day Korea commemorated its liberation from Japan’s illegal colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. "Our gover

Foreign Affairs Aug. 15, 2024

Seventy-nine years after Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule (1910-1945), the lingering scars of that turbulent history continue to cast a shadow over bilateral relations, complicating efforts to build future-oriented ties. Although historical disputes between South Korea and Japan remain unresolved, recent efforts by the Yoon Suk Yeol and Fumio Kishida administrations aim to move beyond the past and work towards the future, despite ongoing public debate over these initiative

Foreign Affairs Aug. 14, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday named a new defense minister and national security adviser, while creating the new position of special adviser on foreign affairs and national security to the President, in a surprising shake-up of his foreign and defense policy team. Shin Won-sik, who had been serving as defense minister at the time of his appointment, has now been appointed as the new national security adviser, according to presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk. Shin, a retired three-star

Politics Aug. 12, 2024

North Korea has named new ambassadors to four countries since late July, marking its first ambassadorial appointments since February 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic. From July 30 to Thursday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry announced the appointments of ambassadors to Vietnam, Singapore, Romania and Cuba on its official website. Han Su-chol has been appointed as the ambassador to Cuba, the Foreign Ministry announced Thursday, without providing further details. Han is believed to be the indi

North Korea Aug. 9, 2024

Two workers were killed and two were injured while performing maintenance on the tracks at Guro Station on Seoul Metro Line No. 1 before dawn Friday, according to fire authorities and Korea Railroad Corporation. The three Korail workers were on a mobile elevating work platform, doing overhead wire maintenance at a height of 5 to 6 meters, when a track inspection train on an adjacent track collided with it at around 2:21 a.m. local time. The collision caused the workers to fall, resulting in the

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2024

The South Korean government on Thursday flagged that North Korea's receipt of Samsung-gifted smartphones, specially customized for all athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, could constitute a violation of UN sanctions. The International Olympic Committee has provided all athletes at the Paris Olympics with specially designed Olympic Edition Galaxy Z Flip6 smartphones from Samsung Electronics, an official event sponsor. The Unification Ministry in Seoul said the North Korean Olympic

Foreign Affairs Aug. 8, 2024

South Korea's Foreign Ministry has imposed a travel ban on the Israel-Lebanon border region and issued a special travel advisory for Iran, effective from Wednesday, as tensions rise in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. The areas subject to the travel ban, which is the highest level in the four-tier travel advisory system, include the northern border region of Israel within 4 km of the Blue Line and the southern border r

Foreign Affairs Aug. 6, 2024