Latest news with #KangIn-sun
Korea Herald
23-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, UAE agree on joint pursuit of overseas nuclear power projects
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pursue joint nuclear power projects abroad as part of broader bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The agreement was reached during a high-level consultation on nuclear cooperation between the two countries, held Tuesday in Abu Dhabi and led by South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun and UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei. The consultation was launched in 2018 to discuss bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy. During the latest meeting, the two sides agreed to make a joint entry into overseas nuclear reactor markets and further expand bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, including joint scientific research. They also agreed to expand their nuclear energy cooperation, currently centered on reactor construction and operation, to include nuclear fuel supply chains and reactor maintenance, according to the ministry. In her opening remarks, Kang referred to the launch of the fourth commercial reactor at the South Korean-built Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE last year, expressing hope the meeting would pave the way for "post Barakah" nuclear cooperation. The UAE minister called for broadening the scope of bilateral nuclear energy cooperation to jointly address rising demand for clean energy. The next session of the consultation will take place in South Korea next year. In a separate one-on-one meeting, the two officials also agreed to expand bilateral cooperation on the joint development of crude oil stockpiles and future energy sources, such as hydrogen and solar energy. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
03-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Foreign envoys witness — and ride — Korea's K2 tank, K9 howitzer in action
CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province — Foreign ambassadors and diplomats from 15 countries climbed aboard the K2 Black Panther tank and K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer for a ride during a visit to production facilities, where they witnessed the assembly process firsthand. The Foreign Ministry-led tour provided diplomats with an A-to-Z and behind-the-scenes look at Korea's homegrown defense systems — from the assembly line on the factory floor to a live demo of how they performed in the field. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun hosted a two-day event, inviting diplomatic delegations to tour the defense production plants of Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace in the city of Changwon on Wednesday as well as Korea Aerospace Industries in the city of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. Eight ambassadors from Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Thailand and Uzbekistan, as well as Polish Acting Ambassador to South Korea Artur Gradziuk, took part in the tour. Also in attendance were the Deputy Heads of Mission from Iraq and Peru; defense attaches from Australia, Colombia and the Philippines; and a political counselor from Vietnam. "I find the visits to be a very impressive demonstration of Korea's advanced defense technology and innovation," Tanee Sangrat, Thailand's ambassador to South Korea, told The Korea Herald. "As a close partner of Korea, Thailand's armed forces and private sector collaborate with Korean corporations on current maintenance and repairs, as well as future acquisitions." The core message of the tour was simple: South Korea's homegrown weapons systems are characterized not only by their exceptional performance — developed over decades against existential threats from North Korea — but also by the country's unmatched capacity for mass production and ability to provide integrated maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, support. 'We possess an unprecedentedly fast and comprehensive system for supplying tanks, unmatched globally,' Kim Doo-hong, Hyundai Rotem's chief financial officer, told the diplomatic corps. "We have achieved an operational readiness rate close to 100 percent for equipment used by the Korean military due to our fully integrated logistics support system." The diplomatic corps explored Korea's high-tech defense production on a tour of Hyundai Rotem, where K2 Black Panther tanks are assembled and produced. The tanks are scheduled for delivery to Poland and Peru, as Hyundai Rotem signed a contract with Peru's FAME SAC in November 2024 — the first K2 export to the Latin American continent — and a 2022 framework agreement with Poland to deliver 180 units by the end of this year. At Hanwha Aerospace, the assembly process of the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer was observed. The ambassadors and diplomats were briefed on the streamlined production process — it takes only 100 working days to manufacture a K9 howitzer from the initial welding stage to final testing. In a white-knuckle finish, pairs of diplomats rode the K2 Black Panther tank and K9 Thunder howitzer: one taking the commander's seat while the other sat in the gunner's. The K2 tank and K9 howitzer tore across an open field with tight turns and sudden, fast accelerations, allowing foreign diplomats to experience the mobility and power of home-grown weaponry of South Korea in all its might. Kang rode in the gunner's seat of the K2 tank with Saudi Ambassador to South Korea Sami M. Alsadhan, who sat in the commander's seat. 'It was a meaningful opportunity to witness firsthand the production process of Korea's weapons systems,' Alsadhan said, expressing hopes for continued progress in Korea–Saudi Arabia defense industry cooperation. The diplomatic corps members and ambassadors appeared visibly impressed with the speed and agility of the K2 tank and K9 howitzer, providing a thumbs-up of appreciation. One of the ambassadors who rode the K2 said it was "Faster than I expected." Those riding the K9 howitzer were given a taste of the vehicle's mobility as it traversed the open field at its top speed of 67 kilometers per hour. The diplomatic corps also had the opportunity to ride in an FA-50 light combat aircraft on the tarmac and production site of South Korea's first homegrown KF-21 fighter, which recently commenced mass production, during their Thursday visit to KAI. The Foreign Ministry said it would spearhead tailored diplomatic efforts to position Korea among the world's top four defense exporters by 2027. 'The Korean government is making every effort to provide diplomatic support to enhance defense cooperation with a wide range of countries,' Kang said, calling for the diplomatic corps to show strong interest in advancing defense industry cooperation with South Korea.
Korea Herald
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Vice FM, deputy UN chief discuss cooperation on N. Korean issues in New York
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun has met with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and discussed cooperation on North Korean issues, among other topics, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The meeting took place on Monday in New York as part of Kang's four-day trip, which also included a high-level open debate on UN peace operations as well as a briefing on the situation in Syria. During the meeting, Kang requested that the United Nations continue issuing strong messages denouncing North Korea's violations of UN Security Council resolutions, such as its illegal military alignment with Russia. Kang held a separate meeting with Haoliang Xu, associate administrator of the UN Development Programme, and proposed continuing to carry out more effective and influential joint projects. Attending a UNSC high-level open debate on strengthening UN peace operations Monday, the vice foreign minister also underscored the need to develop missions tailored to each peace operation unit in order to help the UNSC effectively address changing realities, the ministry said. She emphasized that the scope and direction of peace operations need to be adjusted to the specific on-site situations and that peace operations should be accompanied by conflict prevention, peace settlement and other efforts to ensure lasting peace. Kang also vowed South Korea will continue to contribute to building cooperation between the UNSC and the UN Peacebuilding Commission, an intergovernmental advisory body that supports peace efforts in conflict-affected countries, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Vice FM highlights Russia-NK military ties exacerbating N. Korea's human rights situation
A South Korean vice foreign minister has emphasized that growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is further complicating the already dire human rights situation in the reclusive regime, the ministry said Wednesday. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun made the remarks during the high-level segment of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, amid deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang with North Korea's troop deployment in support of Russia's war in Ukraine. Kang "expressed continued concern over North Korea's dire human rights situation, highlighting the issue is increasingly intertwined with international peace and security, particularly due to its illicit military cooperation with Russia," the ministry said. Kang also voiced concerns over the inhumane treatment of North Korean defectors who were forcibly repatriated, calling on countries to abide by the international principle of not forcing refugees back to countries where they face the risk of persecution, known as the principle of non-refoulement. She also urged North Korea to immediately release South Korean detainees in the North and offer an immediate solution to the issues of all abductees and South Korean prisoners of war. While in Geneva, Kang met with key officials of related UN bodies, including Filippo Grandi, commissioner of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Nada al-Nashif, UN deputy high commissioner for human rights. With Grandi, they assessed the active role of the UNHCR in addressing the refugee crisis across the globe and discussed ways for South Korea to expand its contribution to the issue. In the meeting with al-Nashif, Kang discussed efforts to enhance cooperation between Seoul and the UN human rights office, including ways to improve the North's human rights conditions, as well as South Korea's plans as a UNHRC member for the 2025-27 period, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Vice FM condemns N. Korea's troop deployment, weapons supply to Russia
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun has denounced North Korea's troop deployment and weapons supply to Russia, stressing that such illegal activities pose a grave security threat to the international community. Kang made the remarks during the high-level session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Monday, noting the North continues to violate UN sanctions with its weapons development against international efforts to promote peace. "Vice Minister Kang condemned North Korea for supplying weapons and ballistic missiles to Russia and deploying over 11,000 troops, sacrificing them as cannon fodder for the regime," the foreign ministry said in a release. "She pointed out that North Korea continues to violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions with its persistent development of nuclear weapons and missiles, defying international efforts to promote peace," the ministry said. Kang urged Pyongyang to "fully, verifiably and irreversibly" abandon all weapons programs and return to denuclearization talks, and reiterated that North Korea's illegal activities pose a security threat to the entire international community, according to the ministry. Addressing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, Kang voiced concerns over the erosion of the international norms on disarmament and nonproliferation, calling on the five nuclear-weapons states -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia -- to step up bilateral and multilateral discussions to enhance mutual trust and transparency. The CD is a multilateral disarmament forum on negotiating arms control, such as the cessation of the nuclear arms race, prevention of nuclear war and effective measures to assure non-nuclear-weapon states against the use of nuclear weapons. Major arms control agreements negotiated at the CD forum include the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Yonhap)
