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☆ Japan, South Korea hold first finance leaders' meeting in seven years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki arrives for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on April 13, 2023. Japan and South Korea held their first bilateral finance leaders' meeting in seven years on Tuesday, a sign relations between the two are thawing as they confront shared challenges from geopolitical tensions and slowing economic growth. The two countries agreed to resume regular finance dialogue "at an appropriate timing," Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told reporters after the meeting. The resumption of bilateral financial discussions comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's planned visit to South Korea next week for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. "Japan and South Korea are important neighbors that must cooperate to address various challenges surrounding the global and economy, as well as the regional and international community," Suzuki said at the meeting with his South Korean counterpart Choo Kyung-ho.

☆ Amending the U.S. Constitution Could Start With the E.R.A. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kate Shaw | Julie C. Suk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The last truly significant amendment — the 26th, which lowered the voting age to 18 — belonged to another era, in 1971, when Richard Nixon was president. It looked to be sailing to ratification, for which the Constitution requires approval by three-quarters of the states. in 1972, it included a ratification deadline, providing that the amendment would be part of the Constitution “when ratified within seven years” — that is, 1979. What Article V of the Constitution does say is that Congress is in charge of proposing amendments that it deems necessary. If the deadline power belongs to Congress, shouldn’t the power to change any deadlines it imposes — as well as the power to refuse to recognize rescissions — also lie with Congress?

☆ Biden to Meet Marcos in Washington as Tensions Grow With China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — President Biden will meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines at the White House on Monday, a visit that is meant to send a message to China that the Filipino leader plans to deepen his country’s relationship with the United States. Mr. Marcos’s trip comes days after the U.S. and Philippine militaries held joint exercises aimed at curbing China’s influence in the South China Sea and strengthening the United States’ ability to defend Taiwan if China invades. The trip is the Biden administration’s latest push to bolster its relationships with key Asian allies as tensions with China rise. Its northernmost island of Itbayat is less than 100 miles from Taiwan, and an increased U.S. military presence could allow for a quick troop response in a war with China. For the United States, Mr. Marcos is an eager but untested partner.

☆ North Korea blasts U.S.-South Korea summit deal for escalating tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 1 (Reuters) - North Korea criticised a recent U.S-South Korea agreement to bolster the deployment of American strategic assets in the region for escalating tension to the "brink of a nuclear war," state media KCNA said on Monday. Both leaders agreed to strengthen South Korea's defences and regularly deploy U.S. strategic assets. As part of the efforts, a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine will visit South Korea for the first time since the 1980s. KCNA said the agreement stipulated the allies' willingness to take "the most hostile and aggressive action" against North Korea, citing Choe Ju Hyon, whom it described as an international security analyst. Pyongyang has reacted angrily to the Yoon-Biden summit, saying it consolidated its conviction to perfect its "nuclear war deterrent."

☆ Sanders brushes aside concerns about Biden’s age: ‘Age is one thing. I think experience is another’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jasmine Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday brushed aside concerns about President Joe Biden’s age following the president’s reelection bid announcement, saying “Age is one thing. Polls have consistently reflected concern about his age, even among Democrats. “(The American electorate is) going to see a race, and they’re going to judge whether or not I have it or don’t have it. I respect them taking a hard look at it. “With regard to age, I can’t even say I guess how old I am.

☆ Biden takes his re-election pitch to financial backers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden made his pitch for re-election on Friday night to a small group that may prove essential to his candidacy: the wealthy. Biden may need to raise and spend more than $1 billion to run a competitive campaign in 2024, allies believe. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed that a majority of registered voters do not want either Biden or Trump, 76, to run again. Instead, Biden has mostly filled his days with traditional Oval Office duties, including hosting South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit. On Saturday, Biden is due to deliver light-hearted remarks at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

☆ North Korea warns Biden and South Korea's deterrence agreement will lead to more danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hit back at a key agreement made between the US and South Korea, claiming it will only serve to worsen security. Washington and Seoul made a pact at the White House on Wednesday that aims to deter North Korean aggression, including a new US commitment to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since the early 1980s. Biden and Yoon met this week, with the United States pledging to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning over any conflict with North Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, is a powerful figure in North Korea after she was promoted to the nation’s top decision-making body in September 2021. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service previously assessed her to be the country’s “de facto second in command.”

☆ Japan PM Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with Yoon - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, April 29 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea in coming weeks and meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said, reciprocating a Tokyo visit by the South Korean leader last month. Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Saturday the two will meet around May 7 or 8, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources. Asked about reports of the bilateral summit, Kishida said in remarks broadcast by public network NHK that nothing concrete had been decided. The two sides agreed to revive shuttle diplomacy when Yoon met with Kishida in Tokyo in March, the first Japan visit by a South Korean president in 12 years. The last visit by a Japanese prime minister to South Korea was made by Shinzo Abe in 2018, according to NHK.

☆ After Warmth From Biden, South Korea’s Leader Faces a Different Tune at Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Yoon Suk Yeol went to Washington to reset South Korean diplomacy by drawing closer to the United States and taking a larger role on the international stage. If the warmth of his reception there was the gauge of success, he did well. President Biden welcomed him as “my friend.” Mr. Yoon belted out “American Pie” while the crowd whooped along during the White House dinner. “Even if you didn’t know my name, you may know BTS and Blackpink,” Mr. Yoon said to chuckles from American lawmakers. “BTS beat me to the White House.

☆ Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan on March 16, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea in coming weeks and meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said, reciprocating a Tokyo visit by the South Korean leader last month. Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Saturday the two will meet around May 7 or 8, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources. Asked about reports of the bilateral summit, Kishida said in remarks broadcast by public network NHK that nothing concrete had been decided. Ties between Japan and South Korea, long strained by issues including war time compensation and trade, have been improving in recent months in the face of North Korea's frequent missile launches and China's more muscular role on the global stage.

☆ Kim Jong Un's powerful sister calls Biden as 'old man with no future' and attacks US nuclear defense pact with Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kim Jong Un's sister attacked a defense agreement between South Korea and the US. Kim Yo Jong criticized the Biden administration, calling the president an "old man with no future." Kim is a powerful figure in North Korea and plays a key role in her brother's regime. A tv screen shows a file image of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul. Kim Jong Un's sister is considered his right-hand woman and crucial to his administration.

April 28 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Friday it was necessary to ensure Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not succeed and that Seoul was considering its options when it came to lethal aid to Kyiv. "If we were to accept nuclear weapons by North Korea, South Korea may have to possess nuclear weapons... and this would lead to a situation of disarmament. Yoon said the Washington Declaration required Seoul to keep respecting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and not acquire its own nuclear weapons. He said there were opinions in South Korean society that said Seoul should acquire nuclear weapons and had the technological capabilities for this, but it was complex equation about politics and economics too. "Those opinions saying that we need to have our own nuclear arsenal are not considering all these things."

☆ China lodges serious representations with South Korea over joint statement with U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, April 28 (Reuters) - China expressed "strong dissatisfaction" to South Korea over its joint statement with the United States about the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a foreign ministry statement said on Friday. Department of Asian Affairs Director-General Liu Jinsong met with South Korean Embassy Minister Kang Sang-wook on Thursday evening to emphasise China's stance on Taiwan and urged South Korea to strictly adhere to the "One-China" principle, the ministry said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a six-day visit to the United States, during which Yoon and President Joe Biden held talks that covered tensions between China and Taiwan and Chinese military activities in the South China Sea. In a South Korea-U.S. joint statement, the presidents stressed the need for peace in the Taiwan Strait and said they opposed "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims, the militarization of reclaimed features, and coercive activities." Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea says U.S.-South Korea agreement will worsen insecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) - North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said a U.S.-South Korea agreement this week about the need to shore up South Korean security will worsen the situation, according to state media KCNA on Saturday. North Korea is convinced it must further perfect a "nuclear war deterrent" as a result, Kim said. Kim's statement is North Korea's first comment on the meeting, and suggests its cycle of military shows of force and weapons development will continue. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met this week, with the United States pledging to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning over any conflict with North Korea amid anxiety over Pyongyang's growing arsenal of missiles and bombs. A U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will also visit South Korea for the first time since the 1980s, to help demonstrate Washington's resolve to protect the country from a North Korean attack.

☆ Russia says US-South Korea nuclear deal could destabilise region
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 28 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry on Friday criticised a nuclear agreement between the United States and South Korea, saying it would destabilise the region and the wider world, and warned of a potential arms race as a result. The United States on Wednesday pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning, while Seoul promised not to seek nuclear weapons itself in an agreement both sides said was aimed against North Korea. Russia has repeatedly railed against what it sees as the United States' growing military presence across Asia. Moscow said the United States and NATO's drive for "decisive military superiority" would "bring nothing but escalating tensions" and could "provoke an arms race". Washington has accused Moscow of nuclear sabre-rattling over various statements from Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, since the start of the Ukraine war that Russia would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its "territorial integrity".

SEOUL, April 27 (Reuters) - For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will visit South Korea to help demonstrate Washington's resolve to protect the country from a North Korean attack. The visit was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday. "That could be a huge pressure on North Korea, because usually they don’t share where those submarines are," said Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader. The United States has pledged to deploy more so-called "strategic assets" such as aircraft carriers, submarines, and long-range bombers to South Korea to deter North Korea, which has developed increasingly powerful missiles that can hit targets from South Korea to the mainland United States. The submarine visit is also seen as a way to reassure South Korea and quell talk in Seoul of developing homegrown nuclear weapons.

☆ EUROPE US recession worries weigh in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin BucklandEurope wakes up to more weakness in equities after stock markets across Asia took cues from Wednesday's slump on Wall Street. But perhaps reassuringly, financials fared relatively better in markets including Hong Kong and Tokyo, suggesting little fear of widening contagion from First Republic's woes. Technology shares in the region didn't benefit much from Microsoft's earnings boost though, which had buoyed the Nasdaq. Meanwhile, the United States continued to cozy up to long-time regional allies South Korea and Japan. Away from geopolitics, the Bank of Japan began its first policy meeting with new governor Kazuo Ueda at the helm.

☆ US, South Korean leaders pledge to cooperate on forex market stability
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol upgraded their commitment to cooperate on maintaining stability in foreign exchange markets at a summit on Wednesday, a senior South Korean economic official said. "It is meaningful that (the two leaders) expressed their willingness to actively cooperate for the financial stability at a higher level than before," Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economy, told reporters in Washington. Biden and Yoon said in a statement following the summit that the two countries "will continue to consult closely on foreign exchange market developments to promote sustainable growth and financial stability". It was a reaffirmation of a commitment made last year but was an upgrade in the sense that it was included in the statement after the summit meeting held on the occasion of President Yoon's state visit, Choi said. Reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol shocked Biden and a White House state dinner audience by performing 'American Pie'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol performed "American Pie" at the White House on Wednesday. President Joe Biden then presented Yoon with a guitar signed by Don McLean. Sure enough, the South Korean president launched into an a capella version of "American Pie." Biden then presented Yoon with one of McLean's signed acoustic guitars, which Yoon showed off to a cheering crowd. "The next state dinner we have, you're looking at the entertainment," Biden joked, pointing to Yoon.

☆ Analysis: Calls for South Korean nuclear arsenal unlikely to fade despite US deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Domestic politics could distort the incentives South Korean leaders face when it comes to limiting their nuclear options over the long run." Nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker warned in January there could be disastrous downsides to Seoul acquiring its own nuclear weapons. The United States once stationed hundreds of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and has made other agreements to reassure Seoul. Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain, told Reuters that South Korea's fundamental answer to the growing North Korean threat remains unchanged. "If you strike us with nuclear weapons, then we will strike back with our own."

☆ Nikki Haley: Biden will likely die within five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday that President Joe Biden, 80, will likely die within five years and that his supporters would have to count on Vice President Kamala Harris if he were to win re-election next year. Biden officially announced his re-election campaign Tuesday with a video that took aim at "MAGA" Republicans, referring to Trump's 2016 campaign slogan "Make America Great Again." Her latest remarks come as Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, works to combat concerns about his age heading into 2024. The video announcing Biden's re-election campaign shows him jogging in his suit jacket. Biden had previously dismissed concerns about his age, responding "watch me" when asked about his fitness for office.

CNN —President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden capped South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official state visit with a glamorous state dinner at the White House Wednesday night to celebrate the two nations’ 70-year alliance. May we do it together for another 170 years.”But Biden wasn’t the only leader who took the mic. Following a round of musical performances, his South Korean counterpart joined him on stage to give his own – a karaoke rendition of Don McClean’s “American Pie” – which received a standing ovation from the crowd. The elaborate dinner is the result of weeks of careful diplomatic preparations, with each detail meticulously planned by a team of White House chefs, social staff, and protocol experts. U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose with South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee in front of the Grand Staircase of the White House before an official State Dinner, in Washington, U.S. April 26, 2023.

☆ Why is the US sending a nuclear submarine to South Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —When the presidents of the United States and South Korea this week announced a landmark deal to deter North Korean aggression, one element of the pact stood out. Here’s what you need to know about the submarine and why it’s heading to South Korea. The Nuclear Threat Initiative at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies estimates that each Trident missile can carry four nuclear warheads, meaning each US ballistic missile submarine could be carrying about 80 nuclear warheads. One arriving in South Korea on a port visit – which must be arranged 24 to 48 hours in advance – would be far more visible, giving North Korea an advantage, Schuster said. Kim’s threats have prompted some in South Korea to call for Seoul to become a nuclear-armed power itself.

☆ Jill Biden and the Statement of No Statement Dressing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The day after President Biden released a video announcing he would be running for a second term, he and the first lady, Jill Biden, stood in black tie and evening gown on the red carpet outside the north entrance to the White House to welcome President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, to the second state dinner of the Biden administration. If the dinner itself largely takes place behind closed doors, one photo always goes wide: the greeting portrait, the two couples, side by side, dressed in pomp and circumstance and symbolism. It tells an implicit story of soft power and priorities. The chairs were bamboo, with cushion designs evoking traditional Korean brush painting! — the one subject they did not officially communicate on was what the first lady was wearing?

☆ South Korea's Yoon sings 'American Pie' at White House state dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jeff Mason | Thomson Reuters | Jeff Mason Is A White House Correspondent For Reuters. He Has Covered The Presidencies Of Barack Obama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden gifts a guitar signed by artist Don McLean to South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at an official State Dinner, during Yoon Suk Yeol's visit, at the White House in Washington, U.S. April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - It turns out South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol can sing. When the singers finished, President Biden and President Yoon took the stage and Biden invited Yoon, because of his love of the song, to give it a whirl himself. "Something touched me deep inside, the day the music died," he finished, sparking a standing ovation and loud applause from the audience and the Broadway singers, who were still on stage. Biden told Yoon he had "no damn idea" he could sing, and then presented him with a guitar signed by Don McLean, who wrote the song.

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