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US justice says tariff ruling takes time due to 'lots of nuanced legal issues'
A US Supreme Court justice said Tuesday that deliberations on the legality of President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs take time because of "lots of nuanced legal issues," amid questions over when the court will hand down its ruling on the high-stakes case. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the high court's nine members, made the remarks during an appearance on a CBS program as the court weighs the legality of Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose
Feb. 11, 2026 -
N. Korea warns Japan against forging military alliances as war criminal
North Korea warned Wednesday that Japan, a war criminal country, should not forge military alliances with foreign nations, slamming its recent expansion of defense equipment trade with Canada. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's most widely read newspaper published by the ruling party, issued the warning, citing a recent equipment and technology transfer agreement between Japan and Canada aimed at laying the groundwork for exchanges of defense equipment and technology. The newspaper accused Japan of
Feb. 11, 2026 -
Colby recalls 'excellent' talks with Seoul officials on alliance modernization, collective defense
US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has recounted his recent trip to Seoul, noting that he had "excellent" meetings with South Korean officials to discuss joint efforts to "modernize" the bilateral alliance and strengthen collective defense, among other topics. In social media posts on Friday, Colby explained his engagement with top security and foreign policy officials in Seoul, including National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Foreign Minist
Feb. 11, 2026 -
President Lee, NATO chief discuss broadening defense cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed ways to broaden cooperation in the defense sector during a phone call, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. In a written briefing, presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun said the conversation, the second between the two leaders in seven months, was held at Rutte's request. During the call, both leaders shared the need to maintain their partnership and continue close consultation to address global s
Feb. 10, 2026 -
Takaichi’s landslide victory leaves Seoul facing a more assertive Japan
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s two-thirds supermajority gives Tokyo the mandate to move from incremental defense upgrades to structural change — and it confronts Seoul with a new question. South Korea will have to define the scope and limits of cooperation and decide the terms on which it is prepared to work with Japan, whose security posture is growing more assertive. Still, the result — 316 seats in the 465-member House, the largest tally on record — is unlikely to upend the tone of Seoul-Tok
Feb. 10, 2026 -
Expert says Japan's LDP attracting far-right party supporters in election may augur well for Seoul-Tokyo ties
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party having pulled in supporters from a far-right populist party during the weekend election may bode well for cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo, an expert said Monday, amid questions over the poll results' implications for the bilateral relations. Andrew Oros, director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center, made the remarks during a press meeting, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led the LDP to a landslide victory in the general election on
Feb. 10, 2026 -
Defense chief discusses arms cooperation with Saudi natl. guard minister
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has held talks with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, the Saudi minister of the national guard, to discuss ways to deepen their cooperation in the defense and arms industry, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The meeting took place Monday on the margins of the World Defense Show, a major defense exhibition under way in Riyadh through Thursday. In the talks, Ahn noted that both sides are in the stage of establishing a firm partnership and called for further advancing thei
Feb. 10, 2026 -
S. Korea's first embassy site in Washington
A commemorative plaque was installed at the consular section building of the South Korean Embassy in Washington on Monday to mark the historic building as the site of the Asian country's first-ever embassy. Under a Korea Heritage Service initiative, the plaque was attached to the building, which was established in 1949 to serve as South Korea's first embassy. "This place, a starting point for the Republic of Korea's diplomacy, is reborn as a space that bears the memories of numerous diplomats' d
Feb. 10, 2026 -
Greer said US will raise tariffs if no progress made on non-tariff barriers: FM Cho
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told him the United States will revert reciprocal tariffs to the preagreement level of 25 percent if South Korea makes no progress on addressing non-tariff barriers. Cho shared details with lawmakers of his meeting with Greer in Washington last week, as Seoul seeks to keep the trade deal with the ally intact following US President Donald Trump's warning of raising the tariff rate from 15 percent, citing South Korea
Feb. 9, 2026 -
Foreign Minister says US nuclear umbrella remains firm amid OPCON transfer concerns
Three days of parliamentary questioning of the government began Monday at the National Assembly, with lawmakers set to grill Cabinet officials over trade issues with the US and their spillover into key diplomatic and security issues. The first day of questioning, focused on politics, diplomacy, unification and national security, comes as Seoul steps up diplomatic engagement with Washington following US President Donald Trump’s warning of a potential tariff hike on South Korean goods. Despite int
Feb. 9, 2026 -
UN sanctions waivers granted for 17 N. Korea humanitarian projects
Seventeen humanitarian aid projects for North Korea that had been pending at the United Nations have received sanctions exemptions with the backing of the Donald Trump administration, a Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said Friday, in what officials describe as a potential opening for renewed engagement with Pyongyang. The New York-based UN Security Council’s 1718 Sanctions Committee reached a unanimous decision Thursday to approve the waivers for projects led by South Korea, the US and intern
Feb. 6, 2026 -
Cho rejects claims of legislative delay as Seoul scrambles to avert US tariff hike
South Korea is moving on both diplomatic and legislative fronts to address mounting US tariff pressure, as Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Friday denied that Seoul has intentionally delayed the legislative process tied to a bilateral investment deal while lawmakers agreed to fast-track related legislation. Cho said he conveyed Seoul’s position during talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington earlier this week, stressing that the pace of parliamentary procedures should not be interp
Feb. 6, 2026 -
Chinese ambassador pays tribute to Gwangju uprising victims
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing visited a national cemetery in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Friday and paid tribute to honor the victims from a 1980 pro-democracy uprising. Dai laid chrysanthemums and burned incense during his visit to the May 18 National Cemetery, paying tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for democracy in South Korea. The pro-democracy uprising erupted as citizens gathered to stand up against a military junta, led by then Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who sent
Feb. 6, 2026 -
Minister to attend event marking 107th anniv. of key Korean independence movement in Tokyo
Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul will visit Japan this week to commemorate the 107th anniversary of a declaration by Korean students in Tokyo demanding Japan authorize Korea's independence from its 1910-45 colonial rule, the veterans ministry said Friday. On Feb. 8, 1919, some 600 Korean students issued a declaration of Korean independence from Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean Peninsula at a rally in Tokyo. The move led to the March 1 independence movement in 1919, a pivotal nationwide upris
Feb. 6, 2026 -
‘Decisions on N. Korean POWs rest with Ukraine— not Seoul, not media,’ says UN investigator
Decisions over North Korean prisoners of war captured in Ukraine belong to Kyiv, not Seoul or the media, an independent UN human rights investigator said, noting that Ukraine has already recognized the risk of torture if the captives are sent back to North Korea. Media outlets, particularly in South Korea, have reported — based on interviews with two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 — that the men wish to resettle in South Korea, while also publishing th
Feb. 6, 2026