Articles by Ji Da-gyum
Ji Da-gyum
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com-
[Herald Interview] Ties 'turbulent,' but ball in Seoul's court: Russian Ambassador
South Korea and Russia are currently in a "turbulent" place, but the future will be different if Seoul takes steps to stabilize bilateral ties, according to the new Russian Ambassador to Seoul Georgy Zinoviev. "We perceive that the ball is in the (South) Korean court. So, we are ready when our (South) Korean partners are ready," the ambassador in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. "But, we are not going to enforce or try to impose any goodwill on our
Foreign Affairs Jan. 24, 2024
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'NK's closed-door policy will only hurt itself'
Kim Gunn, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, said North Korea's plan of severing inter-Korean exchanges would only hurt itself, as he attended a meeting with his counterparts from the United States and Japan in Seoul on Thursday to address a laundry list of urgent security issues. "Most recently, North Korea announced the plan to abolish agencies for inter-Korean exchanges. It also clings to the old playbook to shift blame to the ROK and the US," Kim said, referring to South Ko
Foreign Affairs Jan. 18, 2024
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S. Korean, US nuclear envoys vow to 'resolutely' counter NK-Russia arms trade
The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States on Thursday pledged to resolutely counter the continuing illicit military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, emphasizing bilateral alignment and close coordination with the international community. South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn, and US Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak, met in Seoul, two days after a publicly disclosed meeting between Russian President Vladim
Foreign Affairs Jan. 18, 2024
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Putin's meeting with NK envoy raises Pyongyang trip possibility
Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with the North Korean foreign minister in Moscow raised the possibility of his trip to Pyongyang, Wednesday, intensifying concerns about deepening bilateral military cooperation posing challenges to the international order. North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, on her first solo overseas trip since her promotion to the position in June 2022, made a three-day trip to Russia that began Monday. The Kremlin announced that Choe and Russia
North Korea Jan. 17, 2024
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Inter-Korean ties hit new low as NK calls Seoul 'primary foe'
Inter-Korean relations hit a new low as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of all symbols of reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas, a highly volatile and intricate relationship that endured for over 50 years, despite changes in South Korean governments and hereditary power succession in North Korea. South Korea will also be designated as the "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" in the North Korean constitution by Kim's order on Monday, Nort
North Korea Jan. 16, 2024
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N. Korea says tests hypersonic missile
North Korean state media on Monday claimed that the country had successfully test-fired a solid-fuel hypersonic missile with an intermediate-range for the first time on Sunday, the same day the country's foreign minister arrived in Russia. The South Korean military said it was evaluating North Korea's claim. Hypersonic missiles fly at lower altitudes, offering greater maneuverability up through the terminal phase, and travel at speeds of at least Mach 5, equivalent to five times the sp
North Korea Jan. 15, 2024
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Top priority for new FM: 'Economic-security integrated diplomacy'
The primary strategic focus of the South Korean Foreign Ministry is to strengthen diplomatic capabilities to enhance economic security, especially at a time when security and the economy are intricately entwined amid the US-China tech rivalry, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Friday. "I will seek to strengthen the capabilities of economic and security integrated diplomacy, aligning with the contemporary context where the US-China competition for technological hegemony ha
Foreign Affairs Jan. 12, 2024
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N. Korea using Ukraine as 'test site' for nuclear-capable missiles: Seoul
South Korea raised the alarm at the UN Security Council that Russia's use of North Korean missiles has opened the door for North Korea to use Ukrainian territory as a "testing site of its nuclear-capable missiles," posing new security challenges. The 15-member Security Council convened Wednesday to discuss the grinding war in Ukraine after the US disclosed North Korea's illicit transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles t
Foreign Affairs Jan. 11, 2024
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48 countries, EU unite in condemning NK-Russia arms transfer
A united front of 48 countries, alongside the European Union, unequivocally expressed their condemnation in the "strongest possible terms" against North Korea's export of ballistic missiles and Russia's recent use of the ballistic missiles in the assault on war-torn Ukraine. The joint statement, featuring endorsements from foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, Japan, Ukraine, and other participating countries, was issued on Wednesday, Seoul time. "Our gove
Foreign Affairs Jan. 10, 2024
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US presidential election top global risk in 2024: report
The US presidential election could be the foremost global risk, with anticipated effects extending more broadly and profoundly across global security, stability and economic outlook than any other event, according to a report. The biggest challenge in 2024 is the "United States versus itself," marked by the presidential election scheduled in November, Eurasia Group, a New York-based political risk consulting firm, said in its annual forecast report that listed the top 10 risks to the w
Foreign Affairs Jan. 9, 2024
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China trust needed but priority remains on US: FM nominee
Cho Tae-yul, the nominee for South Korean foreign minister, said Monday that the country should manage its relations with China in a way that does not compromise the Korea-US alliance. Cho said the core of South Korea's approach to China is to "define its position amid the strategic competition between the US and China." "During our response to it, the focus should be on the Korea-US alliance," Cho said during his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assemb
Foreign Affairs Jan. 8, 2024
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N. Korea fires shells near western sea border for third day
North Korea has continued to fire shells near the western maritime border area for the third consecutive day since Friday, despite South Korea's repeated calls for an immediate cessation of such military action defying the Sept. 19, 2018, inter-Korean military agreement. The North Korean military fired around 90 shells north of South Korea's front-line island of Yeonpyeongdo from around 4 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. local time, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We issue a grave warni
Defense Jan. 7, 2024
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S. Korea, US, Japan address China, NK, Russia at 1st Indo-Pacific Dialogue
South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly condemned deeper military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait during the first Indo-Pacific Dialogue. The three governments held the inaugural trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue in Washington on Friday, following up on the agreement established during the Camp David summit in August last year. The leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan previously agreed to launch
Foreign Affairs Jan. 7, 2024
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S. Korea to disband foundation for Kaesong industrial park
South Korea has decided to disband the sole government-run foundation tasked with handling matters concerning the now-shuttered Kaesong industrial park, once a pivotal inter-Korean cooperation project, amid simmering tensions between the two Koreas. The Unification Ministry issued a public announcement on Thursday regarding the dissolution of the Gaeseong Industrial District Foundation, which was first established in 2007 under the auspices of the ministry, announcing the decision nearly eight y
North Korea Jan. 4, 2024
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Unification Ministry's NK election interference warning raises concerns
A statement by the Unification Ministry on Thursday has raised concerns as it urged South Korean voters to remain vigilant against North Korea's attempts to interfere in the upcoming April legislative elections. This remark seems inappropriate for the ministry, the primary role of which is to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, and is supposed to maintain political neutrality, according to political commentators here. Stressing that North Korea has consistently sought to interfere in So
North Korea Jan. 4, 2024
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