Trump hints at prospects for talks with North Korea as US scales back joint exercise SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has responded to his overture for talks, describing the current state of U.S.-North Korea relations as "very positive." When asked why Kim had not responded to his calls for talks, Trump pushed back, saying, "How do you know he hasn't responded?" When pressed on whether Kim had in fact responded, Trump replied, "Yeah, he has." But Trump did not p August 18, 2026

Trump orders cut to US-S. Korea joint military drill SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - Hours before South Korea and the United States opened their largest annual exercise, United States President Donald Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military drills on the peninsula, pointing to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was not happy the U.S. had agreed long ago to take part in the exercises, which he called costly and largely paid for by Washington. He August 17, 2026

Takaichi drops 'remorse,' Seoul scorns ministerial visit to Yasukuni *Updated with new information SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) -Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dropped the word "remorse" from her first Aug. 15 war memorial address on Saturday, returning to language associated with her political mentor Shinzo Abe even as she stayed away from the diplomatically sensitive Yasukuni Shrine. Marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, Takaichi pledged that the horrors of war "must never be repeated," but om August 15, 2026

Why North Korean leader keeps putting his daughter in spotlight SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - In one of the world's most closed societies like North Korea, what matters may lie in what happens before a successor is ever named. For decades, the isolated country's hereditary Kim dynasty has shown that power is not simply passed down when the previous leader dies. It has to be prepared, groomed and carefully managed to prevent any chaos. That process now appears to be underway for current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae. I August 14, 2026

Kazakhstan joins Korea's list of countries eligible for foreign worker visa SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Kazakhstan has been added to the list of countries eligible to send workers under South Korea's E-9 visa program, which allows companies facing labor shortages to hire foreign workers. At a government meeting on Friday chaired by Lim Ki-keun, who is in charge of policy coordination under the Prime Minister's Office, Kazakhstan became the 18th country entitled to send E-9 visa holders given to non-professional laborers to South Korea under the country August 14, 2026

Iran envoy urges South Korea to rebuild ties SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korea should draw on its historically strong relationship with Iran to seek a role in postwar reconstruction and favorable terms for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian envoy in Seoul said. “We should close our eyes and look to the future,” Mohammad Esmaeil Passandideh, counselor and deputy head of mission at the Iranian embassy in Seoul, said in a recent interview with AJP. “The post-war period will be a gre August 13, 2026

Central Asia emerges as South Korea's AI frontier SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) -South Korea wants to become one of the world's top three artificial-intelligence powers, and Central Asia may offer something lacking at home - ample space, energy and governments willing to build the physical infrastructure that AI requires. But Seoul is arriving at a market where U.S., Gulf, Chinese and Japanese players are already staking out positions. Kazakhstan is planning a data-center zone with eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt. Uzbekistan is August 13, 2026

Lee accepts credentials of US Ambassador Steel and others SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung welcomed U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel on Wednesday in their first meeting since the Korean American and former congresswoman took up her post in Seoul. Lee greeted Steel at Cheong Wa Dae during a ceremony in which he received credentials from newly appointed ambassadors of four countries. After accepting Steel's credentials, Lee said, "Welcome," before posing with her for a commemorative photo. He t August 12, 2026

Korea, Tajikistan industry officials meet ahead of C5 summit SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Ahead of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in September, South Korea and Tajikistan on Tuesday discussed expanding economic cooperation in critical minerals, supply chains and new technologies. South Korean Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Moon Shin-hak met Isojon Qurbonzoda, Tajikistan's first deputy minister of industry and new technologies, in Seoul to discuss projects that could produce tangible economic outcomes at the upcoming summi August 11, 2026

Korea, Uzbekistan put AI minerals atop business agenda for C5 summit SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence, from the critical minerals needed to build its infrastructure to the data centers and digital technologies that power it, is emerging as the centerpiece of the business agenda for Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to South Korea next month. Mirziyoyev is expected to bring a roughly 200-strong business delegation to Seoul during his first state visit to South Korea in nearly five years, coinciding with the inaugural Kor August 11, 2026