European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung celebrated the signing of new a digital trade agreement at a ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday.

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The event marked the EU and South Korea’s 11th summit, with everything from security and defence to trade on the agenda.

“Korea is one of Europe’s closest partners in the Indo-Pacific region and on the global stage,” von der Leyen said. “In today’s uncertain world, stable and trusted partnerships like ours are more precious than ever.”

The trio released a joint statement extolling the value of the talks and committing the two sides to a firm and friendly relationship.

“We reaffirm our shared commitment to effective multilateralism, and to a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order,” the statement reads.

The semiconductor factor

Both sides have an interest in diversifying their trade relationships at a time of growing tensions with both China and the US, and the EU-South Korea digital trade agreement comes more than a decade after a landmark free trade deal.

Since 2015, trade between the EU and South Korea has doubled, with goods trade reaching approximately €124.25 billion in 2025, according to figures from the European Commission.

“The European Union-Korea Free Trade Agreement remains one of the European Union’s most successful trade agreements since its entry into enforcement in 2011,” European Council António Costa said on Wednesday.

South Korea is becoming an increasingly important investor in Europe, particularly in strategic sectors such as batteries, electric vehicles and semiconductors.

For the EU, a key objective is to secure semiconductor supply chains while attracting further investment from Korean companies into Europe.

“Korea has a global leadership position in semiconductors,” an EU official said. “This is clearly an area with significant potential for cooperation that would benefit both sides.”

The digital trade agreement concluded on Wednesday is expected to complement the broader trade partnership by reducing “unnecessary barriers to digital trade” and providing greater “legal certainty” for businesses operating across the two markets, according to another EU official. It will facilitate cross-border data flows while prohibiting the mandatory transfer of source code.

The deal is also designed to establish robust online consumer protection rules, though both partners intend to maintain their respective levels of protection for personal data and privacy.

Economic security was also high on the summit agenda, with the two sides agreeing to establish a high-level dialogue on supply chain resilience.

Supply chains came under pressure last year following China’s restrictions on exports of strategic materials, including rare earths – essential for green technologies and the defence sector – as well as products linked to the chip industry, which are critical to automotive manufacturing.

Security and defence

One thing that did not get over the line was a security of information agreement, which had been touted by EU officials prior to the summit as a means of strengthening the flow of classified information between Brussels and Seoul.

“I hope that the security of information agreement will be adopted soon, so that Korea and the EU can share confidential information safely, which will allow the two sides to engage in industrial and research cooperation actively through information exchange exchange,” President Lee said on Wednesday.

The agreement would build on the Security and Defence Partnership agreement that South Korea and the EU signed in 2024. That deal was designed to facilitate cooperation in areas spanning maritime security, countering hybrid threats, fighting foreign information manipulation and interference, and more besides.

In the run-up to this week’s talks, a senior EU official said a key topic of the discussions will be nuclear non-proliferation, as North Korea continues to hold a small but concerning stockpile of nuclear-armed warheads.

North Korea (the DPRK) and Russia were considered “big questions” at the summit, the source said, with Brussels ready to share information on its support for Ukraine with Seoul.

The joint statement from the summit reiterates this, with words of condemnation directed at North Korea and other nations who enable Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine.

“We urge Russia and the DPRK to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the UN Charter and all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the statement reads.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has been suspended with immediate effect after the court’s governing body referred disciplinary proceedings against him to member states following a sexual misconduct investigation.

The ICC, based in The Hague, is a permanent international court created under the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to act. 

Khan became one of the world’s most controversial prosecutors after seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, making his suspension a major development well beyond the court itself. Israel and the United States have rejected the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, and neither country is a member of the court.

The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute had decided to refer the disciplinary proceedings against Prosecutor Karim Khan to the full Assembly of States Parties, suspend him from duty pending a final decision and convene a special session to consider the matter, the International Criminal Court’s Presidency said in a Tuesday statement. 

ICC PROSECUTOR BEHIND NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANTS STEPS ASIDE AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT PROBE

“The Court respectfully invites the Assembly of the State Parties to conclude the process with the highest priority,” the court’s presidency said. 

Khan, who has denied wrongdoing, led the court’s controversial push for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Khan’s suspension followed an 18-month investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a lawyer in his office. 

Khan’s lawyers have denied the allegations and called the decision “unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.” 

The findings have moved through several layers of review. 

A U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation found evidence supporting the allegations, while a separate judicial review found the evidence was not enough to prove misconduct beyond a reasonable doubt, Reuters reported. The Assembly of States Parties Bureau, which oversees the court on behalf of member states, nevertheless found that Khan had committed serious misconduct involving nonconsensual sexual activity and recommended his removal, Reuters reported.

The disciplinary probe found Khan had engaged in “serious misconduct” and a “serious breach of duty,” The Associated Press reported. 

The case now goes to a special session of the Assembly of States Parties, the International Criminal Court’s 125 member governing body. The final decision lies with the assembly and a date for the special session has not yet been set.

Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital that, “The fact that states parties appear to be taking this seriously is important but the decision is confidential so we can’t comment on it. We will be monitoring next steps closely. Meanwhile, state parties should continue to support the court in its important work across its docket.”

CHIEF PROSECUTOR BEHIND ISRAEL WAR CRIMES CHARGES FACES DISCIPLINARY ACTION AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024 after Khan requested them months earlier. Israel and the United States condemned the move, accusing the court of equating Israeli leaders with Hamas terrorists. 

The Trump administration sanctioned Khan in February 2025 over the court’s actions targeting Israeli officials, under an executive order targeting ICC officials involved in actions against the U.S. or its allies. The order authorized asset freezes and U.S. entry restrictions, and Treasury later added Khan to its sanctions list.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News Digital that the U.S. position on the International Criminal Court “has never wavered.”

“We oppose any overreach by the ICC against the United States or our allies. Period,” Waltz said. “And we expect our partners to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us against these outrageous actions.”

Waltz said the U.S. is watching the disciplinary proceedings against Khan, while declining to comment on the specifics of the case.

“As for the situation with Prosecutor Karim Khan, this is a bit rich that this prosecutor sought to jail a democratically elected prime minister and now we are tracking his immediate suspension and the ongoing disciplinary proceedings,” Waltz said. “Of course, we aren’t going to comment on the specifics of that case while it plays out.”

The suspension drew immediate reaction from Israeli officials, who argued that the decision further undermines the court’s case against Netanyahu and Gallant.

“Want to divert attention from sex crime accusations? Just make up war crime accusations against Israel! Classic,” Netanyahu wrote Wednesday on X. “The ICC is corrupt to the core.”

TRUMP, CONGRESS LOOKING TO PUT SUFFOCATING SANCTIONS ON ‘KANGAROO’ ICC OVER NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANT

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told Fox News Digital that Khan’s suspension proves the International Criminal Court’s problems go beyond one prosecutor.

“The International Criminal Court’s decision to immediately suspend the Chief Prosecutor in The Hague, Karim Khan, following the UN investigation, proves that this body is rotten to the core,” Danon said. “Now is the time to cancel the absurd indictments against Prime Minister Netanyahu!”

Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital that the scandal has damaged the credibility of the entire court.

“The astounding story of the world’s International Criminal Court and its lead prosecutor headed by a criminal, an allegedly rapist, is not just about one rotten apple,” Bayefsky said. “The entire ICC machine let the process to hold Khan to account drag on for two years after his crimes were first reported.”

Bayefsky argued that the court’s actions against Israeli officials should now face renewed scrutiny.

“ICC judges decided that Khan’s efforts to criminalize Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister weren’t tainted by the clear evidence that Khan was trying desperately to use his attack on Israelis to save himself,” Bayefsky said. “Khan has taken the credibility of the whole shameful ICC apparatus down with him.”

US ANNOUNCES MORE SANCTIONS ON ICC OFFICIALS FOR TARGETING AMERICANS, ISRAELIS

The Presidency said the court’s leadership remains committed to “independent and impartial proceedings,” recognition and redress for victims of mass atrocities, and the “dignity, rights and aspirations” of court personnel.

The statement also sought to defend the institution itself, calling the ICC “one of the most significant achievements of human civilisation” and saying the court has a duty to protect “the proper functioning of the Court as a whole and its reputation,” the integrity of judicial proceedings, the rights of victims and suspects, and the well-being of court staff.

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The court did not say whether Khan’s suspension would affect the cases involving Netanyahu and Gallant. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the International Criminal Court and the U.S. Mission for comment.

Hegseth’s visit to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, comes as the Trump administration increases pressure against Cuba’s government.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned that Cuba could invite confrontation with the United States if it seeks to bolster its military capabilities with new purchases.

Wednesday’s comments come as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten possible military intervention on the Caribbean island.

“It would be unwise of the government of Cuba to try to procure or get access to the types of weapons that could reach this base or the American homeland,” Hegseth said during a visit to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“They would be inviting the kind of confrontation not only do they not want but they could not stand. No country on Earth can match the capabilities of the United States of America.”

Hegseth did not offer specifics about the type of military weaponry Cuba might seek.

But his remarks follow a May report in the news outlet Axios stating that the country had acquired more than 300 military drones that could potentially be used against US forces.

Cuba sits roughly 140 kilometres, or 90 miles, from the southern tip of Florida, and the island’s communist leadership has long had a tense relationship with the US government.

Since the Axios report was released, Cuba has reiterated that it is not a threat to the US. It has also underscored that it has the right to defend itself, and it accused the US of “fabricating pretexts” and “creating and spreading falsehoods” to justify “potential aggression”.

Still, friction has increased between the two countries since Trump returned to office in 2025.

Following an attack on January 3 to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump has threatened to take military action elsewhere in Latin America, including in Cuba.

He has also imposed a de facto energy blockade on Cuba, threatening tariffs against any country that supplies the island with oil. The resulting fuel shortages have caused energy blackouts across the country, as well as scarcities of other basic supplies.

Earlier this week, Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, slammed the US restrictions as having an outsized impact on the most vulnerable members of Cuban society.

“Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”

But there are lingering concerns that the US may seek to escalate tensions with Cuba.

Since last year, the US has been increasing its military presence in the Caribbean Sea. In May, it deployed an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, to the region, as well.

The US has repeatedly described Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to its national security, and reports have emerged that Trump is seeking regime change on the island.

Hegseth’s arrival in Guantanamo Bay follows a visit last month from General Francis Donovan, the leader of the US Southern Command, which oversees military action in Latin America.

During Wednesday’s visit, Hegseth said the US is seeking a positive relationship with Cuba and implied change was imminent.

“Soon, we could be a friend of the leadership of the government of Cuba,” he said.

But he did not rule out the possibility of military action.

“For now, let’s see what happens. But the Department of War will give the commander-in-chief every single option he needs within that contingency,” Hegseth said.

“What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of … the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba.”