AJU PRESS ASIA FIRST NEWS AGENCY

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Will Xis Washington visit bring North Korea back to dialogue table?
Will Xi's Washington visit bring North Korea back to dialogue table? SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - A busy week of global diplomacy lies ahead as the world's major powers face a familiar but increasingly difficult challenge of managing a growing number of conflicts while their own rivalries deepen. In New York, the U.N. General Assembly will bring world leaders together as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to grind on, adding to a growing sense of fragility in the international order. In Washington, President Donald Trump will meet C September 21, 2026
  • Lee embarks on weeklong trip to US, Mexico
    Lee embarks on weeklong trip to US, Mexico SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to leave for the U.S. and Mexico on Monday for a weeklong trip highlighted by a U.N. General Assembly address and a summit with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. At a press briefing at Chong Wa Dae in central Seoul, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Lee will deliver an address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday afternoon, outlining his administration's vision for peaceful coexist September 21, 2026
  • South Korea taps Latin America for defense exports as Lee heads to Mexico
    South Korea taps Latin America for defense exports as Lee heads to Mexico SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - South Korea is stepping up its push into Latin America's defense market as President Lee Jae Myung embarks on a state visit to Mexico this week, where expanding defense cooperation is expected to feature in talks with President Claudia Sheinbaum amid Mexico's military modernization drive. The strategy was highlighted at a public-private seminar on expanding defense exports to Latin America held on Monday at the National Assembly Members' Offic September 21, 2026
  • Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begin 16-day run
    Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begin 16-day run SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - The 20th Asian Games officially open in Japan on Saturday, launching 16 days of competition across Aichi Prefecture and other parts of the country as Japan hosts the continental sporting event for the first time in 32 years. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya and run for about two hours. Nagoya-born director Yukihiko Tsutsumi is overseeing the ceremony, built around a “Heartbeat” concept s September 19, 2026
  • Seoul, Washington discuss Hormuz, investment and North Korea
    Seoul, Washington discuss Hormuz, investment and North Korea SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed Friday to deepen cooperation on the Strait of Hormuz and Korean investment in the United States, a day after President Lee Jae Myung ruled out any deployment that could draw Seoul into the Middle East war and said parts of a nearly completed U.S. investment deal remained difficult to accept. Cho and Rubio reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-South Korea alliance and September 19, 2026
  • Seoul draws Hormuz line as Tokyo weighs mine-clearing role
    Seoul draws Hormuz line as Tokyo weighs mine-clearing role SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ruled out any South Korean military deployment that would draw the country into the war involving Iran, while leaving room for a narrowly defined mission to protect Korean vessels, citizens and energy routes around the Strait of Hormuz. The remarks marked Lee’s clearest attempt yet to draw a line between joining a war and contributing to maritime security as Seoul faces sustained U.S. pressure over Hormuz. &ldquo September 18, 2026
  • Jeonju ASEAN Hall gathers crafts from all 11 member states
    Jeonju ASEAN Hall gathers crafts from all 11 member states SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Traditional crafts from all Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, including the newest member, Timor-Leste, were on display Thursday in Jeonju as a new ASEAN cultural hall opened in the southwestern South Korean city. Timor-Leste was formally admitted as the bloc's 11th member on Oct. 26, 2025, at the 47th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur. The half-island nation applied in 2011, held observer sta September 17, 2026
  • Kazakh minister honors independence hero Hong Beom-do
    Kazakh minister honors independence hero Hong Beom-do SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Kazakhstan's culture minister burned incense on Wednesday at the grave of Hong Beom-do, the Korean independence commander who died in exile in Kazakhstan. The visit came a day after he signed an agreement with South Korea to preserve sites linked to the Korean independence movement. Arman Kyrykbayev, Kazakhstan's Minister of Culture and Information, signed the memorandum of understanding on Sept. 15 with Kwon Oh-eul, South Korea's Minister o September 16, 2026
  • Yeouido trip exposes public-notice gap in Seoul summit security
    Yeouido trip exposes public-notice gap in Seoul summit security SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Traffic on Olympic-daero, the major artery running along the southern bank of the Han River, is rarely free-flowing. On Wednesday, the stretch near Yeouido Hangang Park appeared closer to a parking lot, with rows of police vans, ambulances and black limousines lining the area. Inside the park, police moved cyclists, joggers and pedestrians away from restricted paths as security tightened around a visit by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Many September 16, 2026
  • Lee proposes new Silk Road partnership with Central Asian countries
    Lee proposes new 'Silk Road' partnership with Central Asian countries SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called on the five Central Asian nations to build a "new Silk Road," proposing deeper cooperation in trade, critical minerals and infrastructure as Seoul hosted the first multilateral summit with leaders from the region. Speaking at the Korea-Central Asia Business Summit in Seoul, Lee said the region's rich reserves of lithium, uranium and other critical minerals could be combined with South September 16, 2026