[News focus] No easy way out for Seoul-Tokyo deadlock

The conflict between South Korea and Japan over trade and historical issues is likely to intensify in the coming days, but prospects of a diplomatic solution remain unclear. Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a Cabinet meeting Friday that there is “significant” possibility of Japan removing Korea from its whitelist of trade partners. Such a move will result in Japanese firms requiring government approval for individual shipments to Korea of most materials and produc

July 30, 2019

S. Korea, US in talks over new Pentagon chief Esper's possible trip to Seoul

South Korea and the United States are in talks over a possible visit to Seoul by new US Defense Secretary Mark Esper as part of his first Asia trip since taking office last week, a government official here said Tuesday.Esper is considering taking a five-nation trip to East Asia next month, which would include stops in South Korea and Japan, the official said, noting that when he visits Seoul has yet to be decided. "I understand that (the two sides) are making the final coordination (over th

July 30, 2019

Japan's Abe unlikely to meet S. Korea's Moon at UN in Sept. - Sankei

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unlikely to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in during the United Nations general assembly in September, the Sankei newspaper reported, the latest sign of frosty relations between the key US allies.Abe will not hold talks with Moon unless Seoul takes constructive steps over World War-Two era forced labourers and other issues, the Japanese daily said on Monday.Abe will also forgo meeting Moon during other opportunities, including an Association of Southea

July 29, 2019

S. Korean diplomat under police probe over alleged sexual harassment

A senior South Korean diplomat stationed in Japan is reportedly under police investigation for allegedly molesting a female subordinate employee.The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has referred the case to the police after receiving a tip on the consul general's alleged sexual harassment, according to a foreign ministry official. "The commission has not revealed details of the incident to the ministry," the official said. The diplomat is known to be currently in South

July 28, 2019

Trump says he is not upset by NK missile launch

US President Donald Trump said Friday he is not upset by North Korea's ballistic missile launches earlier this week, signaling a commitment to continuing nuclear talks with the regime.Trump's remarks came after North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday (Seoul time) in the first such provocation since early May.Asked by reporters if he was upset, Trump said, "Nope, not at all.""They're short-range missiles and my relationship is very good with Chair

July 27, 2019

Lawmakers from S. Korea, US, Japan seek to boost cooperation, resolve trade spat

Lawmakers from South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Washington on Friday to help boost trilateral cooperation and resolve a trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo.The biannual meeting, organized by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, came at a time of tense relations between the two US allies over Japan's adoption of stricter export controls against South Korea earlier this month.The controls, which affect exports of key materials used in the production of semiconductors and dis

July 27, 2019

S. Korean lawmakers arrive in US to help resolve Seoul-Tokyo row

A bipartisan group of South Korean lawmakers arrived in Washington on Wednesday on a visit expected to focus on efforts to resolve a growing trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo.Five members of the delegation arrived first, with the other two scheduled to arrive Thursday. The group is led by Rep. Chung Sye-kyun of the ruling Democratic Party, a former parliamentary speaker.The main purpose of the visit is to attend a biannual meeting with US and Japanese lawmakers on Friday. But noting the timi

July 25, 2019

US asked partner nations to join military coalition for Strait of Hormuz: envoy

The United States asked its partner nations last week, including South Korea, to join a US-led military coalition to protect strategically vital waters off Iran, Seoul's top envoy to Washington said Wednesday.In a briefing with reporters, South Korean Ambassador to the US Cho Yoon-je said the request was made Friday during a State Department-hosted briefing with the Washington-based diplomatic corps."The US explained its plan for ensuring the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, an

July 25, 2019

S. Korea, Russia to hold working-level talks over mid-air confrontation

South Korea and Russia will hold working-level talks this week over a recent mid-air standoff over the East Sea after the sides offered conflicting accounts of the incident, an official at Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday, "Director-level talks between South Korea and Russia over the airspace intrusion will be held Thursday in Seoul," a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.  On Tuesday, South Korea said a Russian warplane intruded into its airspace above the

July 24, 2019

South Korea, US to continue discussion on Strait of Hormuz

South Korea agreed to continue consultations with the US over cooperative measures for Washington’s effort to safeguard freedom of navigation in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz off Iran, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. South Korea’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, who met with US national security adviser John Bolton in Seoul, agreed on “the need for international efforts for the safe voyage of private merchant ships,” according to Ko Min-jung, presidenti

July 24, 2019

Seoul again presses Tokyo not to implement additional export curbs

South Korea on Wednesday repeated its call on Japan to scrap its planned measure to take Seoul off its list of trusted trading partners granted with preferential procedures for exports, warning it could undermine bilateral economic ties.Early this month, Japan implemented strict regulations for exports of three key materials to South Korea that are crucial for the production of chips and displays on the grounds that Seoul runs a lax system for the control of goods that can be diverted for milita

July 24, 2019

US voices strong support for S. Korea, Japan after 'airspace incursions' by Russia, China

The Pentagon on Tuesday expressed the United States' strong support for South Korea and Japan in their response to "airspace incursions" by Russian and Chinese warplanes.Its mention of Japan in response to a question about Tuesday's incident over South Korea's East Sea, however, could raise questions about its position on the longrunning territorial dispute between its two Asian allies.Earlier Tuesday, a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft trespassed twice into Korea's terr

July 24, 2019

Bolton in Seoul amid regional trade row, Hormuz issue

US National Security Adviser John Bolton began his two-day trip to South Korea on Tuesday, during which he will focus on consultations on a range of issues from North Korea to the Strait of Hormuz.It especially comes as two major allies of Washington -- Seoul and Tokyo -- are locked in a confrontation over shared history and the Shinzo Abe administration's use of trade as political retaliation.South Korea wants the US to help resolve the trade friction in a diplomatic way. Bolton landed at the U

July 23, 2019

[News Focus] Korea-Japan rift likely to be protracted

The latest rocky patch in South Korea-Japan relations appears likely to continue for some time, with neither side willing to make concessions.The Seoul-Tokyo relations have hit a new low following Tokyo’s decision to apply standard conditions on exporting key industrial materials to South Korea, thereby increasing the import process to up to 90 days. Japan claims that the changes, which slow the importing of materials such as fluorinated polyimides, were made in in response to Se

July 22, 2019

Seoul leaves various possibilities open over Hormuz Strait issue: ministry

South Korea is closely monitoring the situation in waters off Iran, including the US' possible request for its troops dispatch to the region, the defense ministry said Monday. The United States has been asking its allies to join a military coalition to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran."So far, we have not received any official requests from the US side over the possible dispatch of our troops," Col. Roh Jae-cheo

July 22, 2019

Korean War veterans to visit S. Korea this week

A group of international soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War under the UN flag will visit South Korea this week as part of a program to express appreciation for their service, Seoul's veterans ministry said Monday.A total of 107 war veterans and their family members from 16 countries, including the United States and Australia, are scheduled to make a six-day trip starting Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.During the visit, they plan to tour major secur

July 22, 2019

[Video] Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

People in Korea have shown mixed reactions to deepening boycotts of Japanese products prompted by Tokyo’s sudden export controls of high-tech materials to South Korea. In a Realmeter survey of 506 respondents, 54.6 percent were in support of the boycott campaign. On Thursday, “NoNo Japan,” an online community displaying consumer brands and products originating from Japan, was temporarily inaccessible due to heavy traffic.“I’m aware that many are boycotting Japanese

July 22, 2019

Seoul ramps up drive to win int'l support over trade dispute with Japan

South Korea's trade ministry said Monday it will send a deputy minister to a meeting of the World Trade Organization General Council this week to tell the international community that Tokyo's export curbs against Seoul run counter to international rules and that it should retract the measures immediately.Kim Seung-ho, deputy minister for multilateral and legal affairs at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will attend the WTO meeting on Tuesday (local time) in Geneva, Switzerland, where

July 22, 2019

Bolton to visit Korea, Japan amid rising tension

US national security adviser John Bolton will visit South Korea this week after a stop in Japan to discuss the two US allies’ deepening row following Tokyo’s decision to curb the trade of materials crucial for the production of memory chips to Seoul. National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis wrote on Twitter that Bolton departed Saturday for Japan and Korea to “continue conversations with critical allies and friends,” without elaborating on details.  B

July 21, 2019

US security adviser Bolton heads for S. Korea, Japan amid trade row

US National Security Adviser John Bolton left for South Korea and Japan on Saturday, a US official said, amid a growing trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor. White House National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said on Twitter that Bolton "departed today for Japan and South Korea to continue conversations with critical allies and friends." The visit by Bolton to South Korea and Japan came a day after US President Donald Trump said he is willing, if

July 21, 2019