Day: May 21, 2023

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok captured his first international title of the season Sunday in Japan.

Woo won the men’s high jump by clearing 2.29 meters at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix at International Stadium in Yokohama.

Joel Baden of Australia also jumped 2.29m but needed two attempts to do so, while Woo only required one attempt.

Woo is the first South Korean athlete to win gold at a Golden Grand Prix event on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold circuit.

It’s the latest “first” of many for Woo, who in 2022 became the first South Korean to win a Diamond League title and also a world indoor gold medal. He finished second at the world outdoor championships last year, the best showing by a South Korean athlete.

Woo had finished in second place at the Asian indoor championships in February and again at the Diamond League season opener earlier in May.

In Yokohama, seven of the nine jumpers began the competition at 2.15m. Woo’s first attempt came with the bar set at 2.20m, and he cleared that easily.

Woo then moved the bar to 2.29m and needed just one attempt to clear it. By that time, only Woo and Baden were left standing.

Woo took three futile cracks at 2.32m. Baden went for 2.35m to topple the South Korean, but he, too, failed in all three tries to settle for second place.

Woo’s personal best is 2.36m.

Woo’s next competition will be the Diamond League stop in Firenze, Italy, on June 2.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Sunday to upgrade trilateral cooperation to a new level, Yoon’s office said.

The three leaders reached the agreement during talks held on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, noting their meeting followed Kishida’s visit to the U.S. in January, Yoon’s visit to Japan in March, which opened a new chapter in South Korea-Japan relations, Yoon’s state visit to Washington in April, and Kishida’s visit to Seoul earlier this month, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

“They agreed to develop three-way cooperation to a new level,” he said in a written briefing, adding the leaders agreed to further strengthen trilateral strategic cooperation to bolster deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threat, and reinforce the free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Yoon, Biden and Kishida last held a three-way meeting in Cambodia in November, during which they agreed to share missile warning data in real time to cope with the growing threat of North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

During Sunday’s meeting, they agreed to deepen detailed cooperation in various areas, including in the sharing of missile warning data, in their Indo-Pacific strategies, and with respect to economic security and engagement with Pacific Island nations, Lee said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up a three-day visit to Hiroshima on Sunday after taking new steps to improve relations with Japan, pledging to do more for the global community and holding his first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Yoon was invited to Hiroshima to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit as the leader of one of eight guest nations, making him the fourth South Korean president to attend a G-7 leaders’ gathering.

The three-day summit set the stage for a flurry of diplomacy, as Yoon held bilateral summits on the sidelines with leaders from Australia, Vietnam, India, Britain and other countries, and also held his third summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in two months.

Relations between South Korea and Japan have warmed significantly since March, when the Yoon administration offered to resolve a row over wartime forced labor by compensating the Korean victims without asking for contributions from Japanese firms.

The solution led to the resumption of “shuttle diplomacy” between the two countries’ leaders after 12 years, with Yoon visiting Tokyo in March and Kishida reciprocating with a visit to Seoul earlier this month.

In Seoul, Kishida said his “heart aches” over the suffering of the wartime forced labor victims, who were made to work in Japanese factories when Korea was under Tokyo’s 1910-45 colonial rule, in what was seen by some as an expression of remorse long sought by the victims and other Koreans in generals.

Yoon took the unprecedented step Friday of meeting in Hiroshima with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing and on Sunday visited a cenotaph for the victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The visit to the cenotaph was unprecedented for a South Korean president. Yoon was joined by Kishida, making it also the first joint visit by leaders of the two countries.

At the G-7 summit, Yoon attended three expanded sessions involving his counterparts from the bloc and the seven other invited countries.

During the sessions, Yoon pledged an additional US$24 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this year, an amount nearly triple what South Korea has contributed to CEPI so far.

Yoon also announced plans to expand the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, a partnership involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and South Korea, China and Japan, and help strengthen rice production capacity in at least seven sub-Saharan African countries.

Moreover, Yoon announced South Korea’s decision to join the Climate Club established by the G-7 and actively push for carbon neutrality policies while fostering new low-carbon industries.

The series of actions was in line with Yoon’s commitment to expanding South Korea’s role in the international community and increasing aid for developing nations.

One of the highlights that received the most coverage, however, was Yoon’s first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday to rally support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid, including demining equipment and ambulances, while reaffirming South Korea’s support for Ukraine, according to his office.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol promised additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine in his first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, Yoon’s office said.

Yoon made the promise after Zelenskyy thanked South Korea for its humanitarian assistance and asked for additional non-lethal aid, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

“The president said he would work to promptly provide items needed by Ukraine, including demining equipment and ambulances,” Lee said in a written briefing.

Yoon reaffirmed South Korea’s support for Ukraine, saying Seoul values an international order based on freedom, international solidarity and rules.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, a day after Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima to rally international support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

It also came only days after Yoon met with Zelenskyy’s wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, in Seoul and pledged to provide active assistance to her country in close coordination with the international community.

South Korea has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine but rejected Kyiv’s requests for lethal weapons.

During her meeting with Yoon, Zelenska made a request for additional aid in areas where South Korea is able, saying she understands its difficulties in providing lethal weapons, according to Yoon’s office.

The Yoon-Zelenskyy meeting was arranged at Ukraine’s request, it said.

Yoon and Zelenskyy agreed on the need for bilateral cooperation for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, including for the participation of excellent South Korean businesses that can help accelerate its recovery.

Zelenskyy emphasized the growing importance of international support amid the prolonged war, and Yoon responded that South Korea will stand with the Ukrainian people until peace is restored, Lee said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a summit Sunday and discussed ways to deepen economic cooperation, Yoon’s office said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, with Yoon saying he is pleased with the progress the two countries have made on various projects since the Indonesian leader visited South Korea last July, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

Yoon also thanked Widodo for his interest and support for strengthening bilateral cooperation in investment, infrastructure and defense.

Noting that South Korea prioritizes cooperation with Indonesia as a key partner for the development of future industries, Yoon requested Widodo’s interest and support for South Korean businesses investing in Indonesia.

Widodo stressed the bilateral relationship is of great importance to his country, and asked for South Korea’s active investment and cooperation related to Indonesia’s agricultural development, electric vehicle ecosystem, information and communication systems, and small modular reactors.

The two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year.

Source: Yonhap News Agency