Activist groups hold rallies to welcome, protest Trump's Seoul visit

South Koreans appeared to be nearly equally divided Saturday with activists from both conservative and progressive groups staging massive rallies to either welcome or oppose US President Donald Trump's trip to Seoul. Trump arrived in Seoul earlier in the day following his trip to Osaka, Japan, to take part in the Group of 20 summit. The US leader later attended a welcome dinner hosted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. Tru

Social AffairsJune 29, 2019

Moon dines with Trump ahead of summit

US President Donald Trump had a dinner meeting with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday, soon after arriving in South Korea from Japan, where he attended a Group of 20 summit.He landed at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province on Air Force One and was greeted by South Korean and US officials including Washington's top envoy in Seoul, Harry Harris. Trump then boarded the Marine One chopper bound for the US military base in Yongsan in central Seoul. He used a car to reach Cheong Wa

Foreign AffairsJune 29, 2019

Trump anticipates 'really interesting' visit to DMZ

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he expects to have a "really interesting" visit to the inter-Korean border amid keen attention on the possibility of his meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un there.He was speaking to pool reporters just before joining a welcome dinner hosted by President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul's presidential office, shortly after his arrival in South Korea.On a potential three-way summit between the two Koreas and the

Foreign AffairsJune 29, 2019

G20 members, except US, recommit to Paris climate deal

OSAKA, Japan -- Nineteen members of the G20, without the United States, agreed Saturday to the "irreversibility" of the Paris climate deal and pledged its full implementation, after two days of talks.The language in the final statement after the summit in Japan's Osaka mirrors that agreed during last year's G20, but was hard-won after objections from the United States.In a final statement, the participants vowed joint efforts to lower carbon emissions by financing sustainable developme

World NewsJune 29, 2019

S. Korean FM, Ivanka Trump to attend forum in Seoul

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to meet with Ivanka Trump in Seoul later this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday. Kang and Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump and also a White House adviser, will both attend a forum under the theme of "strengthening economic power of global women" at a Seoul hotel Sunday, the ministry said. The forum will bring in some 60 female business women, civic workers and government officials, including

Foreign AffairsJune 29, 2019

Moon ends Osaka trip, set for talks with Trump

OSAKA, Japan -- Having engaged in a brisk round of high-profile bilateral and multilateral summit diplomacy in Osaka, South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed back to Seoul on Saturday. He will have no time to rest this weekend, however, as he will immediately greet US President Donald Trump and hold bilateral talks. Trump's two-day visit to South Korea, his first since November 2017, is widely seen as another crucial event for the slow-going Korea peace process.It comes amid hig

Foreign AffairsJune 29, 2019

'Back on track': Trump, Xi agree to resume trade talks

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump said trade negotiations with China were "back on track" after "excellent" talks Saturday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in which Washington reportedly agreed to hold off on new tariffs.The crunch talks on the damaging trade war between the world's top two economies came on the sidelines of a meeting of the G20 in Japan's Osaka, with all eyes on whether the pair would agree a truce. "We had a very good meeting

EconomyJune 29, 2019

China, US agree at Xi-Trump meeting to restart trade talks: Xinhua

BEIJING (AFP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed on Saturday to restart fractious China-US trade negotiations, with Beijing saying Washington agreed not to slap new tariffs on its exports, according to Chinese state media.The two countries will restart the talks "on the basis of equality and mutual respect", according to the official Xinhua news agency after the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka.  Xi opened the meeti

EconomyJune 29, 2019

BTS tops global ticket chart

Ticket sales from stadium concerts in three countries have earned K-pop group BTS the No. 1 position in the world, a US poll agency said Saturday. Pollstar said BTS gained the top position on LIVE75 chart with an average of 51,106 tickets earned from six sold-out performances at three stadiums on the group's current world tour.London's Wembley Stadium had the highest ticket count of the three buildings, with 114,583, followed by the Stade de France in Paris with 107,328 tickets and 84,728 fans a

PerformanceJune 29, 2019

Actress found dead in Jeonju hotel

Actress Jeon Mi-seon, 48, was found dead in a hotel room in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, at around 11:45 a.m. Saturday, according to police officials.Local police were dispatched upon the call of Jeon's manager that the actress had gone missing.The actress was scheduled for a two-day stay at the hotel for a provincial tour of a theatrical play.Jeon, who was already deceased at the time of discovery, is likely to have taken her own life, officials said.Detailed investigation on the re

Social AffairsJune 29, 2019

N. Korea says Trump's DMZ meeting offer 'interesting suggestion'

North Korea said Saturday that a proposal by US President Donald Trump to meet its leader Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas is a "very interesting suggestion.""We see it as a very interesting suggestion, but we have not received an official proposal in this regard," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui as saying. Trump earlier made the offer on Twitter, hours before he was due to visit

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Trump says meeting with Xi was 'excellent'

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump said Saturday his high-stakes trade meeting with China's President Xi Jinping was "excellent" with negotiations now "back on track"."We had a very good meeting with President Xi of China... I would say excellent," Trump said after the talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit."We are right back on track," he said, adding both sides would be releasing official statements shortly. (AFP)

EconomyJune 29, 2019

Trump tells China's Xi open to 'historic' trade deal

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) -- Washington is open to a "historic" trade deal with China, President Donald Trump said Saturday as he met President Xi Jinping, who called for "cooperation and dialogue"."It would be historic if we could do a fair trade deal," Trump said at the start of the high-stakes meeting to thrash out a tariff war between the world's top two economies. "We are totally open to it," added Trump after Xi said "cooperation and dialogue"

EconomyJune 29, 2019

Trump, Xi begin high-stakes meeting on trade tensions

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping kicked off a hotly awaited meeting Saturday, with the world watching to see if they can strike a deal over their long-running trade war."It would be historic if we could do a fair trade deal," Trump said at the start of the high-stakes meeting to thrash out a tariff war between the world's top two economies. "We are totally open to it," added Trump after Xi said "cooperation and dialogue" ar

World NewsJune 29, 2019

Trump’s Tweet fans speculations ahead of trip to Seoul

OSAKA, Japan -- US President Donald Trump on Saturday further fanned speculations about his visit to Seoul with a Twitter post saying he would like to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while in Korea. “After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon),” Trump wrote.“While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his ha

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae: No decision on Trump-NK leader meeting

OSAKA, Japan -- Responding to US President Donald Trump's latest twitter message on North Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday that "Nothing has been decided."Trump offered in the message to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border between the two Koreas, during his upcoming trip to South Korea. Trump will leave for the South for a two-day trip later Saturday after attending the two-day Group of 20 summit here. He was widely expected

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Putin: N. Korean leader says security assurance is a key corresponding step for denuclearization

OSAKA -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made it clear that security assurance is his key demand in terms of corresponding measures for denuclearization, Russian President Vladimir Putin told South Korean President Moon Jae-in during their talks here Saturday.Putin was briefing Moon on the outcome of his April summit with Kim held in the Far Eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, according to deputy Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Han Jung-woo."President Putin quoted Chairman Kim Jong-un as saying th

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Trump: US has never been more loyal to S. Korea than now

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Friday reaffirmed the close friendship and alliance between South Korea and the United States, saying his country has never been more loyal to the ally nation than now.The comments were published in a press release from the White House ahead of his visit to South Korea on Saturday and Sunday. "The partnership between our two nations and our two people is deep and enduring," Trump said. "We have been proud to stand by your side for many de

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Trump offers to meet Kim at inter-Korean border

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has offered to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border when he travels to South Korea later in the day.Trump made the offer on Twitter on Saturday (Japan time), hours before he was due to visit Seoul from Osaka, Japan, where he has been attending a Group of 20 summit."After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon)," Tru

North KoreaJune 29, 2019

Moon, Putin discuss North Korea, bilateral relations

OSAKA, Japan – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday expressed his support for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, relaying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s words to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The meeting began at 36 minutes past midnight, nearly two hours later than the originally scheduled 10:45 p.m. Despite the late start, Moon and Putin held talks with their aides and Cabinet members in presence until 1:21 a.m., followed by an 8-minute long one-on-one meeti

Foreign AffairsJune 29, 2019