Top S. Korean, British discuss bilateral cooperation, peninsula issue

The chief diplomats of South Korea and Britain discussed bolstering bilateral cooperation in various areas, such as tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, as they met on the sidelines of a major UN climate conference, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong sat down for talks with his British counterpart, Liz Truss, in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday (local time) on visits there for the 26th Conference of the Parties, according to the ministry. During their meeting, the tw

Nov. 2, 2021

Moon to report Seoul’s emissions goal at UN climate summit

President Moon Jae-in plans to report South Korea’s raised goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at U.N. climate talks on Monday, as the COP26 talks opened with a sense of urgency regarding the need to limit global warming.  More than 100 heads of state, including Moon, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, gathered in Glasgow, Scotland‘s biggest city, for the U.N. climate summit, which came a day after leaders of G-20 major economies stopped s

Nov. 1, 2021

Nuke envoys of S. Korea, China discuss end-of-war declaration for NK dialogue

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and China held a videoconference Monday to discuss measures for an early resumption of the Korean peace process, including the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, held the virtual talks with his Chinese counterpart Liu Xiaoming to explain Seoul's efforts to revive stalled dialogue with North Korea and requested

Nov. 1, 2021

Moon urges solidarity to tackle global supply chain crisis

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday attended a global supply chain summit that was convened by US President Joe Biden in an apparent move to rally allies in reshaping the global supply ecosystem less dependent on China. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the gathering of the G-20 leaders in Rome. A total of 14 countries, mostly the US’ key allies like Italy, Germany, Canada, India and Australia, attended the meeting, with China being absent.  Biden stressed the urgent need for a

Nov. 1, 2021

At G-20, Moon pledges to complete phaseout of coal power plants by 2050

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday pledged that South Korea will compete the phaseout of coal-fired power generation by 2050 and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality on a global level.  Moon made the remarks as the leaders of the Group of 20 countries gathered for the second day of the Rome summit, their first in-person gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic, with attention focused on whether they will reach a meaningful agreement on how to fight global warming.  "In line with

Oct. 31, 2021

S. Korea, US discussing Washington's nuke policy review on 'various occasions': Seoul official

South Korea and the United States have been discussing the latter's nuclear policy review on "various occasions," a Seoul official said Sunday, amid reports that Washington is mulling a policy shift feared to weaken military deterrence. The Financial Times reported Saturday that US allies have been lobbying President Joe Biden not to alter America's policy on the use of nuclear weapons, amid speculation he is considering a "no-first-use" approach that critics say could embol

Oct. 31, 2021

CIA ran previously undisclosed office in Seoul until last year: sources

The US Central Intelligence Agency ran a previously undisclosed office in Seoul until last year, legal sources said Sunday. The existence of the office, which was used to collect open-source intelligence on South Korea as part of the CIA's Open Source Enterprise, became known after three former employees sued the US government for firing them, according to the sources. The plaintiffs, all South Koreans, were hired between 2005 and 2009 and laid off around February and March of last year. They

Oct. 31, 2021

Moon, EU leader agree to bolster vaccine supplies for developing nations

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed Saturday to step up efforts to boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations, the presidential office said. Moon met with the European Union leader on the sidelines of this year's summit of the Group of 20 major economies that opened in the Italian capital on Saturday for a two-day run. The two leaders agreed to jointly take steps to increase the supply of vaccines to developing natio

Oct. 31, 2021

Moon tells Biden about his offer of papal visit to North Korea

US President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed as good news Pope Francis' expression of a willingness to visit North Korea when he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Rome, an aide to Moon said. Biden made the remarks as Moon told him that he asked the pope to visit North Korea to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula and Pope Francis positively reacted to the offer by saying he is willing to go to the North if he receives an invitation, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Bid

Oct. 31, 2021

Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon re-elected as GGGI chair

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was re-elected as the head of a Seoul-based international organization on green growth for a third term to serve until 2023, officials said Friday. On Thursday, the 40 members of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) unanimously approved the appointment of Ban as president of the institute, according to the GGGI officials. The institute was launched in 2012 to support developing countries' efforts for transition to environmentally-sustainable economic

Oct. 29, 2021

Nationality requirements on flights between S. Korea, EU to be lifted in Nov.

Airlines of South Korea and European Union member states will be allowed to operate without restrictions on their nationality requirements starting next month under a new aviation accord, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. South Korea and 22 EU member states signed a horizontal aviation agreement in June 2020, which goes into effect Monday, the foreign ministry said. The horizontal accord will ease nationality requirements for airlines to allow any EU member states to operate on the routes

Oct. 29, 2021

US state of Georgia hails SKC's substrate plant investment

ATLANTA -- The US state of Georgia on Thursday welcomed SKC Co.'s decision to build a glass-based substrate plant there, saying it would help create jobs. Hailing SKC's decision as an unprecedented big project, Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp tweeted that it would help create more jobs and shows the state is one of the supply chain hubs in America. "400 new jobs coming to Covington, GA via SKC's $473M investment to manufacture glass-based substrates for semiconductor chips," Kemp said. &q

Oct. 29, 2021

US conducting in-depth review of Korean War's end declaration: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States is reviewing the possibility of declaring a formal end to the Korean War from various angles, a ranking US diplomat has said, according to a South Korea official visiting the US. Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark in a meeting with Lee Seok-hyun, vice chairman of South Korea's National Unification Advisory Council, according to Lee. The council offers policy recommendations to the South Korean president. Lamber

Oct. 29, 2021

Moon heads to Europe for meeting with pope, G20 and COP26

South Korean President Moon Jae-in departed for Europe on Thursday, for a meeting with Pope Francis and to attend a Group of 20 summit in Rome and the UN climate summit in Scotland. 　 Moon’s first stop of his nine-day trip is Italy, where he is scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday to discuss a wide range of issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula, as well as global issues, including poverty, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also scheduled to meet Vatican

Oct. 28, 2021

South Korea, Russia agree to cooperate on early resumption of talks with NK

South Korea and Russia stressed the urgent need to resolve North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closely communicate to resume the stalled talks with Pyongyang, Seoul’s top diplomat said Wednesday.  The remarks came after talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, took place in Moscow. 　 “The two countries shared the view on the urgency of resolving North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closel

Oct. 28, 2021

US offers condolences over death of former S. Korean President Roh

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department on Wednesday expressed its condolences for the recent death of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo. "We send our deepest condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the passing of former President Roh Tae-Woo," the department said in a released statement, referring to South Korea by its official name. "While former President Roh leaves a complicated legacy, his tenure included solidification of the ROK's democratic tra

Oct. 28, 2021

Biden nominates Korean-American to work as US attorney in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated four new federal attorneys, including a woman of Korean descent. Cindy Chung, an assistant US attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, has been nominated to become US attorney for the same district she has been serving since 2014, according to the White House. The White House said Chung has served in numerous leadership positions at the Pennsylvania office, including acting deputy chief of the violent crimes section and depu

Oct. 28, 2021

Moon stresses regional cooperation for COVID-19 recovery at ASEAN meeting

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of regional cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future, as he attended a video summit with leaders of China, Japan and the Southeast Asian nations.  Moon said health cooperation was “urgent” to overcome the pandemic, in his opening remarks at the annual ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which involves the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with China, Japan and Korea.  Other p

Oct. 27, 2021

US unaware of N. Korean participation in COP26 climate summit: State Dept.

The United States is not aware of North Korea's possible participation in the upcoming UN climate change conference, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. Ned Price said the US accordingly had no immediate plans to engage with North Korea at the climate conference, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), set to be held in Glasgow, Britain. "I am not aware. First of all, I would have to refer you to Pyongyang to speak to any plans they may have to participate in Glasgow next

Oct. 27, 2021

US, S. Korea aligned on N. Korea, but may differ on sequence of steps: NSA Sullivan

The United States and South Korea are aligned on the need to engage with North Korea diplomatically, but may differ when it comes to when and what steps should be taken to bring the recalcitrant North back to the dialogue table, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. His remarks come amid a South Korean push for a declaration of the end of the Korean War that it insists can be a catalyst to restart dialogue with North Korea. "We may have somewhat different perspectives o

Oct. 27, 2021