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S. Korea, US reconfirm fundamental principle to avoid manipulating exchange rates
South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed a fundamental principle to avoid manipulating exchange rates and to monitor the "stability" of the foreign exchange market, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday. The two countries have agreed to "avoid manipulating exchange rates or the international monetary system to prevent effective balance of payments adjustment or to gain an unfair competitive advantage," the agreement released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance said. The agreement w
Oct. 1, 2025 -
Security adviser not optimistic about US FX swap request, hopes for trade talk compromise
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said he is not optimistic about a currency swap arrangement with the United States as a safeguard for South Korea's $350 billion investment pledge, but voiced hope that Seoul and Washington could eventually reach a compromise in trade talks. Wi said Seoul and Washington are struggling to narrow differences over the investment package, which is tied to lowering US tariffs on Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent. "Our government has suggested a currency
Sept. 30, 2025 -
Lee voices hope for S. Korea, US to find 'reasonable' solution in trade talks
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed hope for Seoul and Washington to work out a "reasonable" solution to finalize a bilateral trade deal as he met foreign affairs experts in New York, the presidential office said Wednesday. Lee shared the latest developments and challenges in trade negotiations with the United States during a dinner meeting with them on the margins of the UN General Assembly, as the two countries strive to finalize details of Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge
Sept. 24, 2025 -
Japan's Ishiba arranging to visit Busan on Sept. 30 for talks with Lee: reports
Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been arranging to visit the South Korean port city of Busan on Sept. 30 for talks with President Lee Jae Myung, Japan's Kyodo News reported. Ishiba has been coordinating the visit to Busan for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, Kyodo reported, citing multiple sources. Japan's Mainichi Shimbun has also reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Lee and Ishiba are expected to meet in Busan later this month. The Japanese newspaper reported that Lee and Ishiba wer
Sept. 19, 2025 -
New S. Korean ambassador to present credentials to UN chief this week
South Korea's new ambassador to the UN plans to present his credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week to officially start his duties, Seoul's UN mission said Thursday, as the Asian country serves as president of the UN Security Council this month. Ambassador Cha Ji-hoon, the first top envoy to the UN under President Lee Jae Myung's administration, is set to meet the UN chief of protocol on Thursday afternoon before presenting his credentials to Guterres the following day. Hi
Sept. 19, 2025 -
Trade minister meets USTR Greer to narrow differences over Korea's investment package
South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Tuesday, an informed source said, as Seoul and Washington have been in negotiations to hash out specifics of a bilateral trade deal struck in late July. Their meeting was the latest round of negotiations between the two countries, after Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jong-kwan held talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in New York last week. On July 30, the two sides reached a frame
Sept. 17, 2025 -
Trade minister says 'devil is in the details,' S. Korea, US in 'intense' negotiations
South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Monday that the "devil is in the details," noting that Seoul and Washington are engaging "intensively" in negotiations to hash out specifics of a bilateral framework trade deal struck in July. Yeo made the remarks in a meeting with reporters upon arrival at Dulles International Airport near Washington, as he plans to meet US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and other officials in the US capital to continue follow-up negotiations on the July deal.
Sept. 16, 2025 -
S. Korea proposes bilateral currency swap with US in trade talks
South Korea has proposed setting up a bilateral currency swap with the United States in recent trade talks with Washington, according to officials Monday, amid prospects of little breakthrough in Seoul's investment package in the US. Seoul has made the proposal of establishing an "unlimited" currency swap arrangement with Washington to defend its currency in its follow-up negotiations on a tariff deal stuck between the two countries in late July. Under the framework deal, South Korea pledged to
Sept. 15, 2025 -
FM Cho urges steps to avoid repeat of Georgia detention in talks with U.S. senators
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun called for steps to prevent a repeat of incidents like the mass detention of South Korean workers in Georgia and voiced hope the US Congress will support visa reforms for Korean businesses, the foreign ministry said Friday. Cho made the call during his meetings with US Sens. Todd Young, Bill Hagerty and Andy Kim in Washington between Wednesday and Thursday, following last week's major US immigration crackdown on a South Korean joint venture site in the southeastern US s
Sept. 12, 2025 -
Senior US diplomat to visit S. Korea to stress commitment to alliance: State Dept.
A senior US diplomat will visit South Korea this week as part of a multi-nation trip aimed at highlighting the United States' commitment to alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, the State Department said Thursday. From Friday through next Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will travel to Korea, Papua New Guinea, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, it said, noting that he will focus on fostering collaboration, enhancing security and deepening economic ties as W
Sept. 12, 2025 -
Law firm partner appointed top envoy to UN
President Lee Jae Myung has appointed a law firm partner as the new ambassador to the United Nations, a source said Thursday. The appointment of Cha Ji-hoon, a lawyer with the law firm Hwawoo, has been finalized as it does not require "agrement," a diplomatic process in which the host country's consent is sought, a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. The appointment came shortly before Lee is scheduled to deliver an address at the 80th session of the General Assembly at the UN headqua
Sept. 11, 2025 -
S. Korean trade delegation heads back home after working-level talks in Washington
A South Korean delegation concluded working-level trade talks with US officials in Washington this week, sources said Tuesday, as Seoul and Washington are trying to flesh out a broad-brush trade deal struck in late July. The delegation arrived in Washington late Sunday and held talks with officials from the Commerce Department and the Office of the US Trade Representative on Monday. It marked the first bilateral working-level talks since Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump held a summit in
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Top diplomats of S. Korea, US to meet Wednesday over Koreans detained in immigration raid
South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun plans to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, a day later than initially planned, with their agenda expected to focus on hundreds of South Koreans detained in a recent US immigration crackdown in Georgia. The South Korean Embassy in the US capital said Cho and Rubio will meet at 9:30 a.m. (local time) on the day the Koreans are set to head back home aboard a chartered plane in the form of "voluntary departure" rathe
Sept. 10, 2025 -
S. Korean delegation in US for talks on details of tariff deal: officials
A working-level South Korean trade delegation is currently on a visit to the United States for talks on the details of a framework trade deal reached between the two countries in late July, Seoul's trade officials said Tuesday, with the talks expected to cover the investment package proposed by Korea and non-tariff trade measure issues. The delegates are meeting with officials from the office of the US Trade Representative and the Commerce Department, according to the officials. Seoul and Washin
Sept. 9, 2025 -
Sawasdee Seoul Festival 2025 marks Thai-Korean ties with culture and ceremony
Thailand’s biggest cultural showcase in South Korea wrapped up Sunday after drawing thousands of visitors to Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul, marking expanding cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries as the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025, held on Sept. 6 and 7, was hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul and supported by both Thai and Korean government partners. This year’s edition, held under the theme “Discover Thailand,” was
Sept. 8, 2025