Biegun meets senior Seoul officials over stalled nuke diplomacy

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun held back-to-back talks with senior Seoul officials Wednesday to explore ways to revive stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, despite Pyongyang's repeated rejections of dialogue with Washington. Biegun began his three-day trip here Tuesday, apparently to renew the US' commitment to diplomacy with the communist state and forestall escalation of tensions caused by its recent demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office, warnings of now-suspended mili

July 8, 2020

S. Korea to provide $4m in aid to 14 countries hit by locust swarms

South Korea decided Tuesday to provide $4 million in humanitarian aid to 14 countries suffering from food crises due to desert locusts, the foreign ministry said. The assistance will be provided to Yemen, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya and other Southwest Asian and African countries via the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), according to the ministry. In East Africa alone, more than 25 million people are estimated to be in a food crisis. Of the total, 11 mi

July 7, 2020

[Newsmaker] New visa guidelines perplex Koreans attending US schools

The recent announcement that foreign students taking online classes in the US should leave the country is creating confusion and turmoil among South Korean students at colleges and universities there. Many of them are now being forced to head back to Korea or shift to in-person classes, taking the risk of contracting the new coronavirus, if they want to maintain their visa status. The latest announcement from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement applies to F-1 and M-1 non-immigrant visa h

July 7, 2020

FM holds talks with Uzbek deputy PM on bilateral cooperation

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with a deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan in Seoul on Monday and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, her office said. Sardor Umurzakov, Uzbekistan's deputy prime minister for investment and foreign economic relations, is the first senior foreign government official to visit South Korea since the coronavirus outbreak began. "We have created a very special strategic partnership and even under the difficult circumstances of the coronavirus

July 6, 2020

S. Korea to award appreciation plaques to Korean War comrades

South Korea was to hold a ceremony Monday to express thanks to countries that fought during the 1950-53 Korean War in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict, the veterans affairs ministry said. During the event, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun was to deliver plaques of appreciation to ambassadors of 22 countries that fought alongside South Korea in the three-year war, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Around 1.95 million foreign warriors

July 6, 2020

With new team, Moon set to push for inter-Korean breakthrough

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in, having reshuffled his top security team with figures known to be for engagement with North Korea, is widely expected to push to make a breakthrough in stalled relations with North Korea. 　 On Friday, Moon tapped Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service, as his national security adviser, and nominated Park Jie-won, a former lawmaker and special envoy to North Korea, to succeed Suh as the spy chief. Lee In-young, a four-term lawmaker from

July 5, 2020

Osan city holds annual memorial event honoring fallen US soldiers in 1st Korean War battle

OSAN -- An annual memorial ceremony was held Sunday to honor the American soldiers killed in the UN forces' first ground battle during the 1950-53 Korean War, followed by the opening of a new peace park in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war. The 540-strong US special force, known as the Task Force Smith, fought some 5,000 North Korean forces in the Battle of Osan on July 5, 1950. It was the US' first ground battle under the UN flag against the North, in which mor

July 5, 2020

Govt. fully activates task force on Sino-US row

The foreign ministry has fully activated a public-private task force set up to explore South Korea's security and economic strategies in the face of a growing rivalry between the United States and China, officials said Sunday. The task force, comprising government officials, people from academia and corporate sectors, was established in December last year, but its operation has been limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, with members discussing issues via email without in-person meetings. N

July 5, 2020

S. Korea's top nuke envoy holds talks with Chinese, Russian ambassadors

South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Lee Do-hoon met separately with the top Chinese and Russian envoys to Seoul on Friday and discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The meetings took place as Lee reported to work for the first time since his release from mandatory two-week self-isolation after returning from a trip to Washington, where he held talks with his counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun. Lee first met with Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming, who was seen ar

July 3, 2020

FM vows all-out efforts to resume dialogue with NK

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday said the government is making an all-out effort to resume stalled dialogues with North Korea, amid recent heightened tensions between the two Koreas.  “For the time being, North Korea has stopped taking additional measures that could worsen the situation in the Korean Peninsula. The ministry will remain vigilant and focus on managing the situation to prevent deterioration, and make all-out diplomatic efforts for the North to return to the

July 2, 2020

EU approves lifting of entry ban on S. Korea, 13 other countries

BRUSSELS/SEOUL -- The European Union (EU) has approved a guideline recommending its member states reopen their borders to 14 countries, including South Korea, after restricting all non-essential entries from outside the bloc over coronavirus fears. The European Council representing 27 member states adopted the non-binding recommendation on Tuesday (Belgium time), taking effect the next day, according to the council. Each member state will have the final say on to what extent the restriction

July 1, 2020

Korea, EU agree to strengthen ties, COVID-19 response

South Korea and the European Union on Tuesday agreed to continue cooperating on a range of global issues, from the COVID-19 pandemic and environment to multilateralism and global security issues, in a teleconference summit. President Moon Jae-in spoke with President of the European Council Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in place of the canceled South Korea-EU summit that was originally planned to be held in Seoul last month. In his opening remarks, Moo

June 30, 2020

Biegun planning visit to S. Korea as early as July: sources

Stephen Biegun, US deputy secretary of state and the point man on North Korea, is planning to visit South Korea as early as next month, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. Officials in Seoul and Washington have been in talks to arrange details for the envisioned trip, taking into account various circumstances amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources. A local newspaper reported that Biegun plans to travel to Seoul early next month and related ministry officials in Seoul are in ta

June 30, 2020

FM Kang says Bolton's memoir reveals 'far-right' perspective

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday described former US National Security Advisor John Bolton's memoir as being fraught with a "far-right" perspective. She made her first comment on the publication during a parliamentary session amid growing controversy here over Bolton's accounts of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea. Kang said "The Room Where It Happened" is "a book that clearly displays a far-right perspective." "It is clear that Bolton had advis

June 29, 2020

Tokyo objects to expanded G-7 summit including Seoul: report

The Japanese government has raised objections to the US proposal to invite South Korea to an expanded Group of 7 summit in September, Japan’s Kyodo News reported Sunday, citing diplomatic sources from Washington and Tokyo. In a message relayed to Washington upon its announcement to have Seoul at the table for the first time, along with three other countries, Japan said South Korea prioritizes inter-Korean reconciliation and leans on China, so the engagement would be inconsistent with

June 28, 2020

Remains of 6 fallen UN service members from Korean War repatriated to Hawaii

The remains of six service members who died during the 1950-53 Korean War while fighting under the UN flag were sent to Hawaii, the United Nations Command (UNC) said Saturday. The remains, believed to be of Americans, were excavated at multiple locations in South Korea across various periods of time and had been kept by Seoul's defense ministry, according to the US-led UNC and the ministry. On Thursday, which marked the 70th anniversary of the onset of the conflict, the remains of the six ser

June 27, 2020

S. Korea voices 'deep regrets' over Yemen's Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia

South Korea on Friday voiced "deep regrets" over recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels, reiterating any assault on civilians should not be tolerated. On Monday and Tuesday, Houthi rebels launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on several densely populated areas in Saudi Arabia, ratcheting up tensions in the conflict-laden Middle East. "The government expresses deep concerns about the drone and missile attacks targeting civilian areas, and reaffirms that a

June 26, 2020

Five South Korean sailors abducted in waters off Benin

Five South Korean sailors and a Ghanaian have been kidnapped by unidentified armed groups in waters off Benin in West Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.  Unknown gunmen, believed to be pirates, attacked the fishing vessel at about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, Benin time, in waters 111 kilometers south of the country’s Contonou Port.  A total of 30 crew members were onboard the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier ship, but the kidnappers took off with only six people. The remaini

June 25, 2020

Diplomats of S. Korea, US hold video talks to prep for senior economic meeting

Diplomats of South Korea and the United States held a videoconference Thursday to prepare for annual vice-ministerial economic talks where America's push to shift global supply chains away from China could be high on the agenda. The foreign ministry said that Yang Dong-han, director-general for bilateral economic affairs, and two deputy US assistant secretaries of state -- David Meale and Marc Knapper -- discussed plans for the Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) slated for later this year. The ta

June 25, 2020

Amb. Harris says S. Korea-US alliance will thrive as linchpin of regional security

US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris said Thursday that the South Korea-US alliance will continue to thrive for generations to come, calling it a linchpin of regional security amid "serious threats and challenges reshaping the world." In a message marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Harris also stressed that the alliance has developed into a multidimensional partnership reinforced by "shared values, shared concerns and economic interests." "

June 25, 2020