US will not accept nuclear N. Korea despite N. Korean ambitions: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea despite the latter's apparent ambition to become a nuclear state, a ranking US intelligence official said Tuesday. Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, argued the North's true intention, at least for the time being, may be to be accepted as a nuclear state. "We have made clear in all of our negotiations -- what it is we expect from t

Aug. 4, 2021

Foreign minister requests ASEAN’s constructive role in Korean peace process

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Tuesday requested the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations play a “constructive role” in resolving the issues on the Korean Peninsula. 　 Chung made the call during the South Korea-ASEAN meeting held virtually in the morning, where he discussed various issues, including responses to the pandemic and regional issues, as well as the inter-Korean relations.  　 During the meeting, Chung explained the recent

Aug. 3, 2021

Vice FM Choi to visit Iran to attend Raisi's presidential inauguration this week

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun will visit Iran to attend the presidential inauguration of Ebrahim Raisi and for talks with his counterpart later this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. On Thursday, Choi is set to attend the inauguration ceremony for Raisi, the former chief justice who won the presidential election in June to succeed Hassan Rouhani. During his stay in Tehran, Choi will also meet his counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to discuss bilateral relations and other issues, th

Aug. 3, 2021

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on cooperation for peninsula peace

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, held phone talks with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, on Monday to discuss cooperation to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The talks came after last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines raised hopes for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang, though Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Sunday the planned summertime military drills betw

Aug. 2, 2021

S. Korea, Singapore agree to enhance defense cooperation

South Korea and Singapore held defense strategy talks in Seoul on Monday and agreed to expand their defense exchanges and cooperation, the defense ministry said. During the meeting, Deputy Defense Minister Kim Man-ki and his Singaporean counterpart Teo Eng Dih agreed to boost exchanges in the fields of defense technology, humanitarian activities and cyber security, according to the ministry. Monday's meeting marked the first time in eight years for the strategy talks between the two countries

Aug. 2, 2021

Top South Korean diplomat to attend ASEAN meetings this week

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will attend a series of virtual talks led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week, with all eyes on whether North Korea will attend one of the meetings. 　 Chung plans to take part in four virtual meetings from Tuesday through Friday, including the South Korea-ASEAN meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three meeting that also involves China and Japan, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Aug. 2, 2021

No decision yet on annual military exercise with US: defense ministry

South Korea and the United States have not yet decided when and how to conduct an annual summertime exercise, the defense ministry said Monday, after North Korea warned the drills will cloud the future of inter-Korean ties. On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying that the combined exercise could undermine efforts to improve inter-Korean relations at "such a crucial time" after the long-severed cross-border communication

Aug. 2, 2021

Senior Japanese Embassy diplomat recalled home after disparaging remarks against Moon

SEOUL/TOKYO -- A senior Japanese Embassy diplomat in Seoul has been recalled home after causing a stir with remarks disparaging South Korean President Moon Jae-in's efforts to improve relations between the two countries, a Japanese paper reported Sunday. Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, has been criticized both in Seoul and Tokyo after telling a South Korean reporter during a lunch meeting last month that Moon's efforts to improve ties with Tokyo were tantamount to "m

Aug. 1, 2021

S. Korea to offer more than $15 million to global education fund from 2021-25

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has announced South Korea's plan to offer more than $15 million to a global fund for quality education for children from 2021-25, the foreign ministry said Friday. Choi made the announcement Thursday during his video-linked participation in the Global Education Summit co-hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The summit served as an opportunity for leaders around the world to make five-year pledges to sup

July 30, 2021

US working with S. Korea to address cause of migration from Central America: Harris

WASHINGTON -- South Korea is one of the important partners of the United States in addressing the root causes of people from Central American nations fleeing their countries, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday. While the United States seeks to mitigate massive migration from Central America to the United States, Harris noted the US "cannot do this work alone." "Our strategy is far-reaching — and focuses on our partnerships with other governments, international i

July 30, 2021

South Korea, US to work for return of 1/4 of Yongsan base by 2022

South Korea and the US will work together to seek the return of about one-quarter of the US military’s Yongsan Garrison site in central Seoul by next year, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.  The tentative timeline was announced by the allies following a teleconference between Ko Yun-ju, the ministry’s director-general for North American affairs, and Lt. Gen. Scott L. Pleus, US Forces Korea deputy commander. The two are the representatives of the joint committee of the Status

July 29, 2021

FM Chung calls inter-Korean hotline restoration leaders' commitment to restore trust, improve ties

This week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines underscores the commitments by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to restore mutual trust and improve bilateral ties, Seoul's top diplomat said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong made the remarks, after the two Koreas reactivated communication lines on Tuesday, 13 months after North Korea severed them in anger over activists having sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border into the North. The react

July 28, 2021

18th Import Goods Fair

July 28, 2021

US welcomes restored inter-Korean hotlines

The US welcomed the reopening of the inter-Korean hotlines that had been severed for more than a year, calling it a “positive step,” sparking conjecture on whether the development could lead to another round of summits or progress in stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington. 　 “The US supports inter-Korean dialogue and engagement, and of course welcomes today’s announcement of restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, and we certainly believe that t

July 28, 2021

US welcomes reopening of inter-Korean communication lines as 'positive step'

WASHINGTON -- The United States welcomes the reopening of direct communication lines between the two Koreas, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday, calling it a "positive step." The remarks come after North Korea reopened its communication channels, including a military hotline, with South Korea on Tuesday (Seoul time). "The United States supports inter-Korean dialogue and engagement and welcomes today's announcement on the restoration of inter-Korean communications lines

July 28, 2021

US approach toward N. Korea leaves doors open to dialogue: Austin

WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to take a practical approach toward North Korea that leaves open the door for dialogue, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday. The US defense chief made the remark as North Korea reopened its direct communication lines with South Korea in an apparent move to improve its relations with Seoul that many believe may also lead to a resumption of dialogue with the United States. "And we're taking a calibrated, practical approach that leaves the

July 28, 2021

US supports inter-Korean dialogue: Kurt Campbell

WASHINGTON -- The United States supports dialogue between South Korea and North Korea, a senior White House official said Tuesday, welcoming the reopening of direct communication lines between the divided Koreas. "We are supportive of the dialogue and communication with North Korea," Kurt Campbell, policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, told reporters after taking part in a breakfast meeting in Washington hosted by the Korea-US Alliance Foundation. His remarks come after North Kore

July 28, 2021

Int'l forum of history teachers seeks ways to preserve legacy of Korean War veterans

WASHINGTON -- An international forum of history teachers from the United States and 21 other countries got under way on Monday to discuss ways to teach the true and accurate account of the Korean War to their students. The 2021 World Congress of Korean War Veterans and History Teachers began at a Washington hotel with some 60 history teachers from the United States taking part in in-person meetings. The annual event is hosted by the Korean War Legacy Foundation (KWLF) and sponsored by South Kor

July 27, 2021

Troubled by pandemic, Tokyo Olympic Summer Games open with scaled-back ceremony

It has been eight years in the making, and the 32nd Olympic Summer Games finally kicked off in Tokyo on Friday, with a sobering, toned-down opening ceremony held at the National Stadium without spectators during the global coronavirus pandemic. Some 11,000 athletes from 205 countries, plus a team of refugees, will compete for 339 gold medals in 33 sports until Aug. 8, while having to abide by strict health and safety protocols, the likes of which haven't been in place at any of the previous Oly

July 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] US looks forward to 'reliable, predictable, constructive' way forward with N. Korea: Sherman

The United States looks forward to a "reliable, predictable and constructive" way forward with North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Friday, redoubling calls for Pyongyang to respond to Washington's overtures for dialogue. Sherman made the remarks after talks with First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun in Seoul, amid uncertainty over the resumption of nuclear diplomacy following Pyongyang's rejection of dialogue last month. "We are looking forward to a rel

July 23, 2021