India bets on Korean shipbuilding ties for top-five push by 2047

India is turning to South Korean investment and technology to help build one of the world’s top five shipbuilding industries by 2047, Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. The initiative followed talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during Lee’s state visit to New Delhi on April 20. During a four-day visit to South Korea, Sonowal told The Korea Herald that partners developing a proposed shipyard in Thoothukudi

Oct. 30, 2026

Japanese scholar sees little chance of 'meaningful' Kim-Trump summit this year

A summit between North Korea and the United States is likely to be difficult within this year, a leading Japanese scholar has said, doubting that either side is ready for a meeting that leads to any "meaningful" negotiations. Junya Nishino, a professor of political science at Tokyo's Keio University, made the remarks in a meeting with Korean reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 22, as US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year. "I think a sum

Oct. 30, 2026

Hegseth calls talk of shaky S. Korea-US alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brushed off concerns over a perceived growing rift in the South Korea-US alliance as "fake news," Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday after a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart earlier this week. Kang said the secretary made the comment when the minister brought up South Korean media reports citing alliance friction over key bilateral issues, including an apparent gap in advancing the wartime operational control transition from Washington to Seoul

Oct. 30, 2026

Germany, S. Korea can’t replace US or China but can bolster stability: envoy

Germany and South Korea can bolster economic and security stability through closer cooperation as middle powers amid conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, German Ambassador Georg Schmidt said, while cautioning that neither can replace the United States or China. Speaking with The Korea Herald on Wednesday ahead of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s summit with President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, Schmidt pointed to industrial partnerships, technological cooperation and political coordination as

Oct. 29, 2026

Lee set to hold summit with German chancellor on economic cooperation

President Lee Jae Myung was set Thursday to hold a summit with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Seoul to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation between the two countries. The trip marks Merz's first visit to South Korea since taking office and the first visit by a German chancellor to the country in three years. Lee and Merz are scheduled to hold a summit at Cheong Wa Dae later in the day, followed by a joint press statement and an official dinner, according to Seoul's presidential offic

Oct. 29, 2026

Czech Republic, S. Korea envision wider nuclear, tech ties

South Korea and the Czech Republic aim to expand cooperation in nuclear energy, robotics and batteries, building on the Dukovany nuclear project, officials said at a national day reception Tuesday. South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan pledged government support for the project and said he hoped it would lead to further nuclear cooperation, including at Temelin. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed a contract in June 2025 to build two reactors at Dukovany. The agreement includes an option f

Oct. 28, 2026

Turks and Koreans chose to rebuild: envoy

South Korea and Turkey should expand cooperation in defense, energy and advanced technologies as bilateral ties gain fresh momentum, Turkey’s new ambassador to Seoul, Fatih Yildiz, said Monday. Speaking at an event in Seoul marking the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, Yildiz highlighted the longstanding ties between the two countries and called for deeper cooperation in strategic industries. Turkey supported South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, and the two c

Oct. 27, 2026

Rubio to host G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta this week to discuss ways to advance cooperation on shared economic and security challenges, his office said Monday. Rubio will travel to Atlanta to host the two-day meeting starting Friday, the State Department said in a release, adding that Washington will work with G20 partners "to address geopolitical crises contributing to global economic shocks, including threats to freedom of navigation, energy

Oct. 27, 2026

Experts discuss Lee's pragmatic diplomacy

South Korea should convert its technological and industrial strengths into greater diplomatic influence while also delivering tangible benefits to its partners, officials and experts said at a meeting in Seoul on Friday. The Jeju Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting, hosted by the Jeju Peace Institute at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, central Seoul, examined pragmatic diplomacy, cooperation with the Global South and follow-up measures to the inaugural Korea-Central Asia summit in September. Experts

Oct. 24, 2026

Hungary marks 1956 uprising, calls for closer S. Korea ties

Hungary called for closer investment and technology ties with South Korea at a reception in Seoul on Thursday marking the 70th anniversary of its 1956 uprising against Soviet rule. Anett Szelezsan, chargé d’affaires at the Hungarian Embassy, linked the uprising’s legacy to what she described as the countries’ shared commitment to democracy and human rights. “Our nation was brave enough to stand up for freedom,” she said. Soviet forces crushed the uprising, but it became an enduring symbol of res

Oct. 23, 2026

S. Korea proposes military talks with N. Korea to ease tensions along border

South Korea renewed its offer Friday to hold military talks with North Korea to discuss their conflicting views on where the inter-Korean border sits, seeking to ease tensions sparked by last month's land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Seoul and Pyongyang have traded sharp rhetoric since South Korea blamed the North for the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the DMZ that injured three South Korean troops. Pyongyang has denied responsibility and vowed to take military actions along the b

Oct. 23, 2026

Uzbekistan, South Korea put people at center of ties

Uzbekistan and South Korea called for more educational and local exchanges on Wednesday, highlighting the role of students and communities in Uzbek-Korean ties. Speaking at a reception marking Uzbekistan’s Independence Day in Seoul, Uzbek Ambassador Alisher Abdusalomov said more than 107,000 Uzbek citizens live and work in South Korea, including 22,000 students. “At the end of the day, our partnership is really about people,” he said, describing Uzbek students as a “living bridge connecting our

Oct. 22, 2026

Rwanda can be Korea’s AI entry point to Africa: minister

Rwanda is a strong market for the South Korean IT industry to seek expansion across the African continent, Yves Iradukunda, Rwanda's minister of state for ICT and innovation, said Wednesday. “We think Rwanda is a good entry point for Korean companies,” he said. “The goal is for those companies to expand into other African markets.” During his first visit to South Korea, Iradukunda met with Vice Minister of Science and ICT Ryu Je-myung to discuss artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure an

Oct. 22, 2026

S. Korea, Ukraine had no discussion on timing of disclosing N.K. POW repatriation: diplomat

South Korea and Ukraine had formed a consensus to keep discussions on the repatriation of captured North Korean soldiers confidential for as long as possible, a South Korean diplomat said Sunday. Yoon Ji-wan, charge d'affaires at the South Korean Embassy in Ukraine, made the remark during a parliamentary audit by the subcommittee on foreign affairs conducted at the South Korean Embassy in Poland. "We had no discussions on a timeline for disclosure, but we did share the idea that confidentiality

Oct. 18, 2026

[Contribution] Harnessing the Korean Wave: Reflections on three years of strengthening Thai-Korean relations

I arrived in Seoul in early 2024 as a stranger fresh from a term in Washington. Aside from a brief visit during my time in International Organization for Migration in 2003, South Korea was known to me only as home of the Korean Wave. I however spent the next three years learning how to harness this Korean Wave to serve Thai-Korean relations. My time in Korea was highlighted by key leaders’ meetings and visits which paved the way for our countries’ relations. The most consequential did not take p

Oct. 15, 2026