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US not likely to hike tariffs if special investment bill passed in parliament: industry minister
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Sunday he has been told the United States is not likely to hike tariffs on South Korea if the National Assembly passes a special bill on Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge to the US Kim made the remarks at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, after visiting the US to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others to discuss tariff issues and other bilateral trade matters between Seoul and Washington. "At a meeting with Lutnick, I explaine
March 8, 2026 -
Chartered plane departs from UAE to bring home 203 S. Koreans: ministry
A chartered plane departed from the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to bring home hundreds of South Koreans stranded in the Middle Eastern country amid the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States, the foreign ministry said. An Etihad Airways chartered flight carrying 203 South Koreans and their three foreign spouses departed from Abu Dhabi at 5:35 p.m. (Korean time), according to the ministry. The plane is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at aroun
March 8, 2026 -
Speculation grows over possible USFK redeployment to Middle East
Recent military movements in South Korea are raising questions over whether some United States Forces Korea assets could be redeployed to the Middle East as tensions between Washington and Tehran intensify. The speculation comes as the conflict in the Middle East appears increasingly likely to drag on, potentially increasing demand for US military assets and prompting the Pentagon to draw on forces stationed overseas. Such a scenario carries particular weight in Seoul. The “strategic flexibility
March 8, 2026 -
Chartered plane to bring home S. Koreans from UAE on Sunday: ministry
A chartered plane to evacuate South Koreans from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will take off this weekend amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The ministry said it is arranging a 290-seat Etihad Airways chartered flight, set to depart from Abu Dhabi at noon on Sunday (local time). Starting early Saturday, the South Korean Embassy in the UAE will receive applications from South Korean nationals wishing to board the plane, with priority given to critica
March 7, 2026 -
US expects it will take 4 to 6 weeks to achieve 'achievable' Iran operation objectives: White House
WASHINGTON -- The United States expects it to take four to six weeks to meet "achievable objectives" of its military operation against Iran, the White House said Friday, underscoring that the US is "well on its way" toward the objectives. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt made the remarks during a press availability at the White House, as the US operation, codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," entered its seventh day, seeking to dismantle Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and its Navy, an
March 7, 2026 -
Korea secures UAE oil, flights to bring home stranded nationals, amid Middle East crisis
South Korea will secure oil supplies from the United Arab Emirates and the two countries will resume limited commercial flights to evacuate South Korean nationals stranded in the UAE, amid the widening conflict in the Middle East. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik on Friday announced that the two countries had agreed on South Korea’s emergency procurement of more than 6 million barrels of crude oil from the UAE. “The emergency import of more than 6 million barrels of UAE crude oil — more
March 6, 2026 -
Seoul to send delegation to US for nuclear fuel talks as Middle East war delays US visit
South Korea will send a delegation to Washington for consultations with the United States on uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing after a planned visit by a US negotiating team to Seoul was delayed by the ongoing war in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and officials said Friday. “The schedule had already been delayed due to logistical issues, and the outbreak of the war made further delay unavoidable,” Cho said during an emergency parliamentary session of the National
March 6, 2026 -
Lee says ‘only we can save ourselves’ amid Middle East turmoil
President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that South Korea must rely on its own strength to protect its interests as the war in the Middle East deepens global uncertainty amid what he described as an every-nation-for-itself world. Lee underscored that building the country’s internal strength must begin with a crackdown on entrenched illicit practices at home across the board, including drug crimes, illegal real estate dealings and stock manipulation. “The global economy is facing a vortex of upheaval
March 6, 2026 -
FM Cho, UAE counterpart discuss Middle East conflict, S. Korean evacuation
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has spoken by phone with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Middle East conflict and coordinate efforts to bring home South Korean nationals stranded in the UAE, the foreign ministry said Friday. During the phone talks Thursday with Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's foreign minister, Cho explained that some 3,000 short-term Korean travelers are seeking to return home from the UAE amid flight disruptions, calling for the UAE government's speci
March 6, 2026 -
Trump calls on Iranian diplomats to request asylum, shape 'new, better' Iran
US President Donald Trump called on overseas Iranian diplomats to request asylum and help shape a "new and better" Iran as the United States and Israel continue a military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Trump made the remarks during a White House event celebrating Inter Miami's 2025 Major League Soccer Championship, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed that it is a "really bad miscalculation" for the Iranian military to hope that America cannot sustain the ongoing war. "We also
March 6, 2026 -
S. Korea imposes travel ban on Iran amid rising Middle East conflict
South Korea imposed a travel ban on all of Iran amid rising security concerns linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Thursday. A Level 3 travel alert, which advises nationals to leave the country, was upgraded to a travel ban effective at 6 p.m., the ministry said, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The ministry warned that Korean nationals who visit or stay in Iran without authorization may face punishme
March 5, 2026 -
Seoul cautious on potential redeployment of USFK assets amid Iran strikes
Seoul was cautious Thursday on news reports that South Korea and Washington are discussing the potential redeployment of some United States Forces Korea assets, as tensions escalate in the Middle East. A Cheong Wa Dae official, declining to be named, said Thursday, "It would not be appropriate for our government to comment on the operational employment of USFK." The official added, "The mission of USFK is to maintain a strong combined defense posture with South Korean forces and contribute to pe
March 5, 2026 -
Israel, Iran envoys defend positions in same-day press briefings
The embassies of Israel and Iran held separate press briefings in Seoul on Thursday, with each side reiterating their positions in the ongling conflict in briefings held about an hour apart. In his briefing, Israel's Ambassador to South Korea Rafael Harpaz underscored his country's resolve to continue until its objectives are achieved, while Iranian Ambassador Saeid Koozechi condemned the Israeli and US actions. According to Harpaz, Israel concluded that immediate action was necessary after obse
March 5, 2026 -
Lee orders all available means mobilized for Koreans’ evacuation from Middle East
President Lee Jae Myung ordered the mobilization of all available means, including military aircraft, for the safe evacuation of South Korean nationals from war-affected Middle Eastern countries in case of contingencies. Lee convened an extraordinary Cabinet meeting Thursday morning to discuss the government’s response measures to the ongoing war in the Middle East after returning the previous night from his four-day state visit to Singapore and the Philippines. "While minimizing damage to the e
March 5, 2026 -
Trump: 'When crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen'
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that when nuclear weapons are in the hands of "crazy people," "bad things" take place, as he defended the ongoing US military operation against Iran that led to the death of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Speaking at an energy-related event at the White House, Trump also said that everybody who wants to be an Iranian leader "ends up dead," in what appears to be a warning against the next Iranian leadership that could also pu
March 5, 2026