FM Yun expects 'wise' court ruling on Korea-Japan ties

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se expressed hope Wednesday for a "wise" verdict by the Constitutional Court, just hours before its ruling on a 1965 deal between South Korea and Japan.The court is scheduled to deliver a verdict later in the day on whether or not the bilateral Claims Settlement Agreement is constitutional.Japan claims that the deal, signed to normalize their diplomatic relations, settled all issues of compensation to victims of forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1

Dec. 23, 2015

Korea, China hold first talks on EEZs in 7 years

South Korea and China opened the first talks Tuesday on their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in seven years but skepticism is rampant over an early deal.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin began the negotiations here in an amicable mood as they cited good relations between Seoul and Beijing these days.Cho said the two sides are bracing for "difficult and lengthy" talks due to legal and technical issues."The negotiations are very difficult and im

Dec. 22, 2015

Seoul, Beijing hold EEZ talks Tuesday

The vice foreign ministers of South Korea and China will hold maritime demarcation talks in Seoul on Tuesday for the first time since 2008, as the two neighbors remain poles apart over how to address their overlapping exclusive economic zones.The talks were arranged after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed the early resumption of the official talks during his summit with President Park Geun-hye in Seoul on Oct. 31. The talks, which used to be director-general-level, have been elevated to the vi

Dec. 21, 2015

Korea, Israel to provide $4 mln in R&D funding to SMEs

South Korea and Israel will provide $4 million in research funds to small and medium enterprises in 2016 to promote close economic cooperation, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Seoul and Tel Aviv will each foot $2 million to support joint projects by SMEs from the two countries.The money will be used in areas like electronics, machinery, biotech and renewable energy. Companies picked can expect upwards to three years of support with maximum funding set a

Dec. 21, 2015

U.S. should more forcefully intervene in resolving Seoul-Tokyo tensions: expert

The United States should intervene more forcefully in improving relations between South Korea and Japan, an American expert said, stressing that tensions between the two key allies are hindering the U.S.'s ability to deal with North Korea, China and other challenges.Mark Manyin, an Asian affairs specialist at the U.S. Congressional Research Service, made the point in a paper to the Council on Foreign Relations, arguing that forceful intervention carries risks, but the "costs of nonintervention a

Dec. 21, 2015

Pentagon rejects accusations that USFK lied about anthrax shipments

The U.S. Defense Department rejected accusations that U.S. Forces Korea lied about a record of anthrax shipments to South Korea, claiming that the first anthrax-involved training mentioned in a May press release meant the first such training only at Osan Air Base.  USFK came under fire after a joint Korea-U.S. working group found that USFK brought anthrax test samples into South Korea 16 times since 2009 as part of its bio-defense tests in South Korea, including the latest shipment in April of p

Dec. 20, 2015

S. Korea opens embassy in Georgia

South Korea has opened an embassy in Georgia, 23 years after the countries establish diplomatic ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.The embassy in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi opened on Tuesday, one day after the countries marked the 23rd anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.One diplomat will be permanently stationed there with the South Korean ambassador to neighboring Azerbaijan concurrently serving as the chief of the South Korean mission in Georgia, a member of the former

Dec. 19, 2015

Korea to host largest ministerial-level African cooperation meeting in 2016

South Korea will host the largest ever ministerial-level African cooperation meeting in 2016, as the country moves to strengthen economic ties with the continent, the government said Friday.The Korea Africa Economic Cooperation gathering set for Oct. 24-27 in Seoul is expected to be attended by some 54 senior policymakers, officials from the African Union and the head of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the finance ministry said.This is much larger than the 36 ministerial officials who were

Dec. 18, 2015

Lippert back to forum nine months after being attacked

Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, rejoined a forum on inter-Korean reconciliation Friday, nine months after he suffered a knife attack.In March, he was attacked by a knife-wielding man during a breakfast function in downtown Seoul hosted by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. He sustained face and arm injuries that needed 80 stitches.The council invited the envoy back to its forum, though it did not open its forum to the media.Around 60 members of the pro-unifi

Dec. 18, 2015

Korea, Japan hold talks on 'comfort women' issue

South Korea and Japan opened another round of talks Tuesday to resolve the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II.  The issue of the so-called comfort women has been a major thorn in bilateral ties and the two countries' leaders agreed last month to accelerate negotiations for a swift solution.  On Tuesday, the two sides met in Tokyo for the 11th session led by Lee Sang-deok, director-general of the South Korean Foreign Ministry's Northeast Asi

Dec. 15, 2015

Seoul to offer aid to Honduras, Guatemala hard hit by climate change

South Korea will provide Honduras and Guatemala with $550,000 in humanitarian aid as the countries are troubled by frequent disasters caused by climate change, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.  The government has decided to offer $300,000 to Honduras, which is reeling from the worst drought in half a century. Around 13 million people, 15 percent of the nation's population, are facing a food crisis.  South Korea will also deliver humanitarian assistance worth $250,000 to Guatemala, which i

Dec. 15, 2015