SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A proposal that would grant the South Korean government authority over civilian access to the Demilitarized Zone — long controlled by the United Nations Command — is facing resistance from key ministries in Seoul and from the U.S.-led command itself. Lawmakers from the governing Democratic Party introduced the bill [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The presidential office reaffirmed Tuesday that South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo are unequivocally South Korean territory, rejecting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s renewed claim over the islets in the East Sea. A senior presidential official dismissed Takaichi’s remarks during a parliamentary session earlier in the day, reasserting that [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Both the United States and China have quietly omitted references to the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” from major national security documents released in recent weeks, raising speculation over whether the two most influential actors in nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang are recalibrating their approach. The omission in Washington was notable. [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — A sweeping shift in American national security priorities — from reasserting influence in the Western Hemisphere to elevating Taiwan’s defense and omitting North Korea’s denuclearization — is prompting fresh debate in Seoul over what the changes signal for South Korea’s security role in Asia. The White House on Thursday [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s unification minister publicly criticized the United Nations Command (UNC) on Wednesday, revealing that it had recently barred a senior presidential security aide from entering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), reviving long-standing tensions over the scope of the UNC’s authority. Speaking at a National Assembly hearing on legislation to expand [...]
ANKARA & SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae Myung’s recent four-nation trip — anchored by his appearance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg and followed by stops in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Turkey — was less a ceremonial swing through diplomatic capitals than a quiet attempt to reposition South Korea within [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, has taken the unusual step of sending personal letters of consolation to more than 300 Korean workers who were swept up in a weeklong immigration raid this fall at a Hyundai–LG joint battery plant in Georgia. The gesture, announced Monday, is at once [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite a global economic downturn and a 14 percent cut to next year’s official development assistance budget, South Korea has pledged US$100 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria—matching its previous commitment and strengthening its standing in international health governance. The announcement was made Friday at [...]
CAIRO, Nov. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday held summit talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and agreed to work together to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East while strengthening economic and defense industry cooperation. The summit in Cairo took place during Lee’s official visit [...]
CAIRO & SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to Egypt, appealed Thursday for deeper cooperation between Seoul and Cairo, invoking what he described as striking historical parallels in the two nations’ struggles for peace and independence. In a keynote address at Cairo University, Lee said that although South Korea [...]