NK says ‘hopes for talks with US is fading’

North Korea’s hopes for talks with the US is fading, a senior North Korean official said Saturday, accusing the US of pushing Pyongyang to reconsider its measures. “Our hopes for talks with the US is gradually fading, and (the US is) pushing us into a situation where we cannot but reconsider all measures taken until now,” North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement on Saturday.  Referring to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement

North KoreaAug. 31, 2019

US sanctions 3 shipping firms over illicit NK activity

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States on Friday sanctioned three shipping firms for allegedly engaging in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum goods to North Korea.The US Treasury Department announced the measures on its website, adding that the companies are based in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The department also sanctioned two Taiwanese individuals and designated a Panama-flagged vessel as blocked property for engaging in related activity."Shipping companies trading with Nort

North KoreaAug. 31, 2019

Pompeo calls out NK over forced disappearances

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out North Korea and other nations on Friday for forcing disappearances of citizens viewed as a threat to their regimes.The statement marked International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, established by the United Nations."Authoritarian regimes often disappear advocates for freedom and human rights, journalists, political opposition and others to silence the voices of those who challenge their authority or express

North KoreaAug. 31, 2019

N. Korean leader visits resort construction site

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a resort construction site, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday, making his first open field guidance trip in four months.  Kim visited Yangdok County Hot Spring Resort, located north of the capital city, Pyongyang, with senior party officials, including Kim's key aide, Choe Ryong-hae, and the leader's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.It was the first time in four months that state media reported a fiel

North KoreaAug. 31, 2019

Moon distributes puppies of Pungsan dogs gifted by N.K. leader

Six puppies of two dogs given to President Moon Jae-in by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift last year were distributed to local governments Friday, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. The North's leader gifted the pair of Pungsan-breed dogs, one male named Songkang and a female named Gomi, after their third summit in Pyongyang in September. Gomi gave birth to the six white puppies -- three male and three female -- in November. "The six puppies Gomi gave birth to are having t

North KoreaAug. 30, 2019

Moon appoints new agriculture minister

President Moon Jae-in formally appointed veteran bureaucrat Kim Hyeon-soo as the new agriculture minister Friday, the presidential office said.Kim, 58, a former vice agriculture minister, will assume the post Saturday to replace incumbent Lee Gae-ho. He is the first to be appointed among seven minister-level nominees tapped by Moon on Aug. 9 and subject to confirmation hearings. Kim went through a confirmation hearing Thursday at the National Assembly's agricultural and fisheries committee. In i

PoliticsAug. 30, 2019

World martial arts competition kicks off in Chungju

About 3,200 martial arts masters and officials from 106 countries gathered in Chungju, a city in the central South Korean province of North Chungcheong, on Friday to kick off the 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships.The competition, dubbed the Martial Arts Olympics, will continue through Sept. 6 at Chungju Gymnasium and seven other venues in Chungju, about 150 kilometers southeast of Seoul, under the slogan “Beyond the Times, Bridge the World.” A total of 2,414 athletes, accom

More SportsAug. 30, 2019

S. Korean nuke envoy to visit Russia for denuclearization talks

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon will visit Russia next week for talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday.The special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs is set to leave for Vladivostok on Monday to meet Russian Vice Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov the following day. They are expected to discuss the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s latest missile launches, and ways

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2019

[Herald Interview] Lawyers probing NK waitresses’ defection blast ‘uncooperative’ S. Korean officials

The mass defection by North Korean restaurant workers in 2016 may have been orchestrated by South Korean authorities for political reasons, according to two lawyers from an international fact-finding committee. Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific Secretary-General Jun Sasamoto and Vice President Niloufer Bhagwat spoke to The Korea Herald on Friday morning in Myeong-dong, Seoul, before departing for Beijing on Saturday en route to Pyongyang.Sasamoto and Bhagwat were in Seoul from Sun

PoliticsAug. 30, 2019

In NSC session, Cheong Wa Dae decides to seek early return of USFK bases

Cheong Wa Dae said Friday it will redouble efforts for the early return of more than two dozen US Forces Korea bases.It was briefing media on the results of a weekly meeting of the National Security Council's standing committee.The USFK has been moving its bases nationwide mainly to a refurbished garrison in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. It's named Camp Humphreys.The process of South Korea regaining the sites of the affected bases has been going slowly, however, partly due to ha

DefenseAug. 30, 2019

China's top diplomat to visit N. Korea next week

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to North Korea next week for talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, Beijing's foreign ministry said Friday. Wang will leave China on Monday for a three-day visit, ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing, without giving further details on his trip. The visit comes as North Korea has been ramping up pressure on Seoul and Washington amid a deadlock in its denuclearization talks with the United States. On Saturday, Py

North KoreaAug. 30, 2019

POSCO workers reach tentative wage deal

POSCO, South Korea's largest steelmaker, said Friday it has reached a tentative wage and collective bargaining agreement with its labor union. POSCO said the union is set to vote on Sept. 9 on whether to accept the agreement. POSCO and its labor union began this year's collective bargaining in May. POSCO, founded in 1968, had its first union in the late 1980s, with its membership peaking at more than 18,000. (Yonhap)

TechnologyAug. 30, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae urges National Assembly to hold confirmation hearing on justice minister nominee

Cheong Wa Dae on Friday ratcheted up pressure on the National Assembly to hold a confirmation hearing for the justice minister nominee, frustrated by a political dogfight over the issue.Cho Kuk, a law professor who served as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, is at the center of intensifying bickering between ruling and major opposition parties.Three weeks earlier, President Moon Jae-in nominated Cho to be the new justice minister amid his drive to reform the state prosecution.Cho,

PoliticsAug. 30, 2019

Parties clash over Cho’s confirmation hearing

The confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk appears unlikely to be held on schedule, with the ruling and opposition parties failing to agree on witnesses who will be called to the stand. Cho’s confirmation hearing was scheduled to be held Monday and Tuesday. On Friday, the parliamentary Legislation and Judiciary Committee met to discuss the issue, but the meeting ended within minutes. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party is demanding that members of Cho’s fa

PoliticsAug. 30, 2019

Taste of Argentina in Seoul

Park Hyatt Seoul recently held the Argentina-inspired gastronomy event “Comilona” as part of the global hotel brand’s Masters of Food & Wine program. Comilona, a Spanish word meaning “a feast” in English, is a nomad food festival held by Argentine chefs. It was founded in 2014 by three chefs -- Diego Jacquet, Soledad Nardelli and Martin Baquero -- hoping to introduce the culinary arts of their home country.  The festival travels around the world and is host

FoodAug. 30, 2019

Perfume brand launches cologne for pets

Local perfume brand Edenique has launched a label exclusively for pets. Comoella Puppy Label comprises three types of cologne approved as quasi-drugs for animals. The scents were inspired by lavender, lilac and apple mango. The products are being sold through online channels and offline shops for pet-related products. According to the brand, they are set to be exported to Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US, Brazil and more.  “Components harmful for humans are harmful to animals,

CultureAug. 30, 2019

SK Innovation to sue LG Chem over EV battery patent infringement

A dispute between major South Korean battery manufacturers was taken up a notch Friday with SK Innovation revealing counter lawsuits against LG Chem in the US over alleged violation of patents for electric vehicle battery technology. The move comes four months after LG Chem filed a lawsuit with the Delaware District Court in April, accusing SK Innovation in the US of making batteries by using technologies leaked from former LG Chem employees who were hired by SK. SK Innovation said in

IndustryAug. 30, 2019

Volkswagen to bolster SUV lineup with launch of five new models by 2020

Volkswagen plans to launch five more models of sport utility vehicles in Korea by 2020 to bolster its SUV lineup, the head of the automaker said Thursday.Amid increasing demand for larger multipurpose SUVs here, the company will relaunch its bestselling model Tiguan in October and the third-generation Touareg in November.The compact SUV T-Roc, large SUV Teramont and upgraded seven-seater Tiguan Allspace will be launched next year, completing the German carmaker’s SUV lineup here with vario

MobilityAug. 30, 2019

Moon resumes overtures to Japan, hopes for NK leader’s participation in ASEAN summit

President Moon Jae-in said Friday he would “embrace” Japan if it shifts to dialogue to end diplomatic and trade rifts between the two sides, again extending an olive branch to Tokyo.“I’m ready to embrace and cooperate with Japan when it returns to the table for dialogue and cooperation, whenever that may be,” he said in a written interview with the Bangkok Post. He is scheduled to visit Thailand next week on a Southeast Asian trip that will also take him to Myanmar

Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2019

Korea, Japan, China vow cultural cooperation despite diplomatic spat

Despite diplomatic and trade tension between Korea and Japan, the two countries, along with China, laid the groundwork Friday for cultural cooperation over the next 10 years.Culture Minister Park Yang-woo and his counterparts Masahiko Shibayama and Luo Shugang signed the Incheon Declaration containing the 10-year vision during the 11th annual meeting of cultural ministers of the three countries in Incheon. The declaration stated that the conference -- first held in China in 2007 -- has contribut

CultureAug. 30, 2019