The Korea Herald

Park, Obama talk over N.K. nuke test

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. counterpart Barack Obama spoke over the phone about North Korea’s latest nuclear provocation for about 20 minutes Thursday morning, Cheong Wa Dae said.The two leaders shared the gravity of Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test and the need for stern countermeasures in the phone call that was made at 09:55 a.m., sources said. President Park Geun-hye at the meeting of the National Security Council in Seoul on Wednesday. YonhapA day before, defense ministers

Jan. 7, 2016

Yun, Kerry condemn North Korea's nuclear test as unacceptable

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed that the North's fourth nuclear test is an unacceptable challenge to the international community, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.The two top diplomats spoke by phone to discuss responses to the North's claims of an successful H-bomb test, denouncing the detonation as a threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and around the world, the ministry said in a statement.They also agreed to respo

Jan. 7, 2016

U.S. assures 'ironclad' commitment to defending Korea

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter assured South Korea of his country's "ironclad" commitment to defending South Korea from North Korea's nuclear threats, the South Korean defense minister said Thursday following the communist country's nuclear test a day earlier."Secretary Carter reaffirmed the U.S.' ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, and this includes all kinds of extended deterrence assets," Defense Minister Han Min-koo said in a joint press release with Carter.The two defense chie

Jan. 7, 2016

[Reporter's Column] Abe’s diplomatic coup

After 24 years of relentless squabbling, Seoul has managed to pull off a compromise to put an end to the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II ― with perhaps the most unlikely leadership of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But the ongoing furor is showing little sign of abating, chiefly over Seoul’s failure to consult with the aging victims before last week’s surprise announcement. A string of protests have since begun in the capital and are poised to spill ov

Jan. 6, 2016

[Reporter's Column] Abe’s diplomatic coup

FM Yun meets U.S. ambassador, USFK commander over N.K. test

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with the U.S. ambassador to Seoul and the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.Amb. Mark Lippert and USFK commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti arrived at the Foreign Ministry building for talks with Yun hours after the North announced the test had taken place earlier in the day.It is the North's fourth nuclear test following those in 2006, 2009 and 2013.Yun, who attended an emergency secu

Jan. 6, 2016

Kerry mourns passing of former Amb. Bosworth

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday mourned the death of former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Stephen Bosworth, calling him "a legend" and "one of our nation's most capable and admired diplomats."Bosworth, a career diplomat who also served as special representative for North Korea policy and ambassador to the Philippines and Tunisia, died at his home in Boston on Sunday after suffering from prostate cancer. "From his tireless efforts as special representative for North Korea policy to

Jan. 6, 2016

Obama urged Japan to resolve sexual slavery issue: aide

U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Japan to take steps to resolve tensions with South Korea over its wartime sexual slavery, a senior aide was quoted as saying in the wake of last week's landmark deal between Seoul and Tokyo to resolve the dispute."He has encouraged Japan to take steps to address the legitimate grievances of the comfort women and the Korean people.And he has urged Japan to be mindful of the legacy of history and to take steps to address that legacy," Deputy National Security

Jan. 6, 2016

U.S. seminar on Japan's wartime sexual slavery to feature controversial scholar

The U.S. think tank Wilson Center plans to host a discussion about Japan's wartime sexual slavery next week that will feature a South Korean scholar accused of defaming victims of the atrocity.The Jan. 11 event is aimed at discussing how to address issues of historical contention, and what role the United States could play to ensure that historical reconciliation between South Korea and Japan continues to move forward, the Wilson Center said. Participants in the event will include Park Yu-ha, a

Jan. 6, 2016

Lippert sends out New Year's cards to officials

Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, sent out New Year's cards to the country's political and governmental officials, sources said Tuesday, which came with a family photo including his son, who was born in Seoul.The card, which had New Year's messages in English and Korean, were sent to local officials. It included a photo of his son, who was born last year.Lippert gave his son the Korean middle name of Sejun, literally meaning "clean and excellent." The move was seen by many as his

Jan. 6, 2016

Opposition calls for renegotiation of sex slavery deal

The main opposition party on Tuesday called on the Seoul government to renegotiate last month’s agreement with Tokyo to settle Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women and apologize to victims for the “unilateral” deal.Four senior lawmakers of the Minjoo Party of Korea including its floor leader Rep. Lee Jong-kul made the demands during their hour-long talks with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se at his office in Seoul.The lawmakers also said that Seoul should not accept Tokyo’s contributi

Jan. 5, 2016

Former U.S. envoy on N.K. dies

Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. envoy for North Korea policy, died Sunday, according to the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, where he had worked until recently. He was 77.Stephen Bosworth (Yonhap)The exact cause of his death was not immediately made public. But he is known to have contracted prostate cancer several years ago. Last November, he was scheduled to visit Seoul to attend an international forum, but his visit was canceled due

Jan. 5, 2016

Korea, Japan mull 'Abe letter' to former sex slaves: reports

South Korea and Japan could soon discuss the possibility of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sending a letter to Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II, according to Japanese news reports.According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se asked his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, to take "steps to approach the victims" during their talks in Seoul last week.The talks produced a landmark agreement under which Japan

Jan. 5, 2016

Ex-U.S. Amb. Stephen Bosworth dies

Stephen Bosworth, a long-time Korea expert who served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea and as Washington's special representative for North Korea policy, has died. He was 76.Bosworth died at his home in Boston on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Bosworth had served as chairman of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS until recently. SAIS did not give the exact cause of his death, but the former diplomat suffered from prostate cancer.Bosworth s

Jan. 5, 2016

Korea-China relations unlikely to suffer despite improvement in Seoul-Tokyo ties: U.S. expert

Relations between South Korea and China are unlikely to suffer despite Seoul's recent landmark fence-mending agreement with Tokyo to resolve the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, a U.S. expert said Monday.South Korea and Japan reached the agreement last week, removing the biggest thorn in their relations and offering hope for significant progress in U.S. efforts to forge stronger security cooperation with the two allies in a region marked by a rising China."The PRC's warm feelings toward

Jan. 5, 2016

S. Korea calls on Japan not to hurt deal on sex slaves

South Korea reiterated its call on Japan Monday to refrain from making comments or taking actions that could damage the spirit of their rare deal over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.Seoul's reaction came as Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said earlier in the day that there is no change in Japan's understanding that a statue symbolizing South Korean victims of Tokyo's sex slavery in front of Japan's Embassy in Seoul will be relocated at a proper manner.The

Jan. 4, 2016

Korea briefs China on Japan deal on wartime sex slaves

South Korea briefed China last week on a landmark deal with Japan aimed at resolving the long-running grievances of Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, a diplomatic source said Monday. The briefing came at the request of the Chinese side, the source said on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters. Under the deal with South Korea announced on Dec. 28, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologized to the Korean victims and Tokyo agreed to provide 1 billion yen (US$8.

Jan. 4, 2016

S. Korea, Japan should open new future: Japan envoy

South Korea and Japan should strive to open a new future by working to develop areas of mutual interest, Tokyo's top envoy to Seoul said Monday.Ambassador Koro Bessho published his wishes for the new year in a monthly newsletter released by the Japanese Embassy, saying that last year was a "monumental" year in bilateral ties. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the normalization of the two countries' relations following Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula."I believe Japan

Jan. 4, 2016

‘Japan, Korea on course to mend fences in 2016’

Seoul and Tokyo will make efforts to harness the positive momentum created by the agreement on wartime sexual slavery for this year and onward, to strengthen trilateral economic cooperation with China and the tripartite alliance involving the U.S, a political scientist highlighted. The landmark accord reached at the tail end of last year to resolve the euphemistically described “comfort women” issue, involving women forced into sexual service for the imperial Japanese army, was “a clear diplomat

Jan. 3, 2016

‘Japan, Korea on course to mend fences in 2016’

‘TPP would open doors for SMEs’

Korea’s anticipated membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership will help the country’s small and medium-sized firms capitalize on overseas markets and will exert pressure on North Korea to open its doors, a respected economist highlighted. Despite Seoul’s belated decision to join the multinational free trade scheme, announced in mid-October, the mega-sized agreement presents myriad opportunities, encompassing goods and services, rules of origin, trade remedies, government procurement, the envir

Jan. 3, 2016

Poland shares reconciliation, democratization lessons

A true reconciliation with neighboring nations takes forgiveness and remembrance from the whole of society, Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Ignacy Majka said in an interview last week. Referring to Poland’s postwar rapprochement with Germany, Majka stressed that the majority of a national community, from top to bottom and across the political spectrum, must be involved to keep the conciliatory momentum alive. “Real reconciliation does not have to take place at the high political level. It can come f

Jan. 3, 2016

Poland shares reconciliation, democratization lessons