The Korea Herald

China replaces key party official in charge of ties with N. Korea

China's ruling Communist Party has replaced a key official in charge of political relations with North Korea and other countries, according to Chinese state media reports on Thursday.Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department who held the post for 12 years, stepped down and career diplomat Song Tao was picked as Wang's successor, media reports said. The website of the department also showed that Song became its head. It was not immediately known why Wang was repl

Nov. 26, 2015

This is the seventh installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into the strengths and weaknesses of the Communist Party of China. -- Ed.The greatest vulnerability facing the Communist Party of China is that it has never been given a popular mandate to rule the nation, China expert Yang Gab-yong said, underscoring the importance of the trust of the Chinese people to keep its govern

Nov. 26, 2015

‘Lack of popular mandate Chinese party’s weakness’

Korea, Egypt agree to jointly fight terrorism

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Egypt agreed Tuesday to work together to combat the growing threat of terrorism in the world, the Foreign Ministry said.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, held talks on a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, regional issues and cooperation on the global stage, the ministry said in a press release.Citing the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks, Shoukry said the international community must work together to fig

Nov. 24, 2015

S. Korea, Japan should address history issue for future: Vice FM

South Korea and Japan need to build mutual trust for "sincere strategic cooperation," a senior South Korean official said on a trip to the United States. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed that resolving the history issue is about "reconciliation and trust" between the neighboring nations, according to his ministry Monday. He was speaking at a meeting with several American pundits well versed in North Korea affairs held in New York last week. Seoul and Tokyo are locked in decades-l

Nov. 23, 2015

Mongolian theater to perform opera

The Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet will stage operas by Rossini, Verdi, Mozart and Puccini for their first Seoul performance in a concert on Dec. 6 to mark the 25th anniversary of Mongolia’s diplomatic relations with Korea.The Mongolian Gala Concert, hosted by the Mongolian embassy, will feature Mongolia’s traditional music and dance and feature 60 instrumentalists and six singers, including Mongolian opera singer Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who was recently recognized as the BBC

Nov. 22, 2015

ASEAN trade, food fair showcases fresh products

Ahead of the ASEAN Community’s inauguration in December, which was announced officially during the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, the ASEAN-Korea Center held a trade and food fair last week to help galvanize the bilateral flow of commerce and communication between Southeast Asia and Korea.Under the banner “ASEAN Fair 2015: Touch and Taste ASEAN,” the venue at Coex from Nov. 18-21 in Seoul gathered over 100 small and medium-sized vendors from the Association of Southeast Asian Natio

Nov. 22, 2015

ASEAN trade, food fair showcases fresh products

Exhibit highlights path to German unification

The German embassy spotlighted the crucial period after the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 to Germany’s reunification a year later in an exhibition last week at Seoul City Hall.Jointly organized by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, the one-week exhibit commemorated the 25th anniversary of Germany’s restored sovereignty. “In celebrating our anniversary, we felt that our experience of separation had actually strengthen

Nov. 22, 2015

Exhibit highlights path to German unification

Bulgaria, Korea celebrate 25 years of ties

The Bulgarian embassy last week marked the silver jubilee of its diplomacy with Korea with a seminar to reflect on the last 25 years of cooperation in political relations, trade and investment, education and literature.The event at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Nov. 16 was jointly organized by the university’s East European and Balkan Institute. “The official visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev to Korea in May opened a new chapter of partnership between our countries

Nov. 22, 2015

Italy promotes south marina tour program

Imagine a turquoise blue ocean that encircles a beach lined with centuries-old edifices, their facades glowing in sunlight and reddish rooftops sloped gently toward the sea. Fancy a plate full of fresh seafood, olive oil, cheese, tomatoes, pizza and legumes, on a balcony overlooking the view. Visualize artfully arranged amenities, museums and monuments that exude the depth of Italian culture condensed over centuries. These are the experiences taken in by those traveling to southern Italy on a “S

Nov. 22, 2015

Italy promotes south marina tour program

Park wraps up Asia summit tour

President Park Geun-hye held talks Sunday with more than a dozen leaders on regional and global challenges of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, terrorism and territorial disputes, wrapping up her 10-day tour.Park asked for cooperation from the leaders of the East Asia Summit to help resolve the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear program, according to Cheong Wa Dae. 귀 기울이는 오바마 미국 대통령 (쿠알라룸푸르=연합뉴스) 백승렬 기자 = 박근혜 대통령이 21일 오후 말레이시아 쿠알라룸푸르 컨벤션센터에서 열린 동아시아정상회의(EAS) 갈라만찬에서 버락 오바마 미국 대

Nov. 22, 2015

Seoul identifying any S. Korean hostages in latest Mali attack

The Seoul government said Friday that it is examining whether any South Korean nationals are being held hostage in a hotel in the capital of Mali that was seized by unidentified gunmen.A group of attackers have occupied a luxury hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako, with about 170 taken hostage."We are checking the safety of every South Korean resident in Mali and identifying whether or not there are any nationals detained in the hotel," an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yon

Nov. 20, 2015

Park arrives in Malaysia for regional summits

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Malaysia on Friday for a string of high-profile summits this weekend with regional leaders to discuss a wide-range of issues, including the economy and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Kuala Lumpur is the third and last stop on her 10-day tour, which already took her to Turkey for the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies.In Manila, Park and other leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum strongly condemned terror

Nov. 20, 2015

Park leaves for Malaysia for regional summits

President Park Geun-hye left for Malaysia on Friday for a string of high-profile summits with regional leaders to discuss a wide-range of issues, including the economy and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Kuala Lumpur is the third and last stop on her 10-day tour, which already took her to Turkey for the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies.In Manila, Park and other leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum strongly condemned terrorism and support

Nov. 20, 2015

East Asian nations vow joint effort for sustainable sea development

Coastal countries in East Asia have agreed to join hands to explore ways for sustainable maritime development, the South Korean government said Friday.The commitment was stated in the Danang Declaration adopted by 11 countries in the region, including the two Koreas, China, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines, at the 5th Ministerial Forum of the East Asian Seas Congress under way in the Vietnamese city of Danang for a six-day run that started Monday, according to the Ministry of Maritime Affair

Nov. 20, 2015

Park calls for inclusive development at APEC

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday urged leaders participating in a regional summit to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to become more vibrant players in the global market as part of efforts to promote inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific region.On the second day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Manila, Park also suggested SMEs join global value chains where the different stages of production are located across numerous countries. She proposed revitalizing the

Nov. 19, 2015

Abe demanded Seoul remove comfort woman statue: report

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has demanded the removal of a statue of a teenage Korean girl, a symbol of Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, as a condition for settling the issue involving the victims, according to a news report Thursday. President Park Geun-hye (right, back row) talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left, back row) as they stand for a photo session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, the Philippines, Thursday. (Yonhap)Citing a

Nov. 19, 2015

Abe demanded Seoul remove comfort woman statue: report

'China, U.S. holding back to conserve strength'

This is the sixth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into the intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry and China’s revisionism. -- Ed.China and the U.S. have been restraining themselves to conserve their strength, as they are caught in a long-term geopolitical rivalry, French China expert Francois Godement said, noting the limitation of conflict is the “main zone of bilateral cooper

Nov. 19, 2015

'China, U.S. holding back to conserve strength'

Seoul would have to take U.S. side in event of collision in South China Sea: expert

South Korea would have to side with the United States if the ally collides with China over the disputed South China Sea, an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs said Thursday."In case of an emergency in the South China Sea, South Korea would have no choice but to move in accordance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Shin Gi-wook, a professor at Stanford University in California, said in a lecture hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.South Korea appears to be under growing dilemma as the

Nov. 19, 2015

Korea, China seek closer people-to-people ties

South Korea and China sought to expand their people-to-people ties Thursday as they held their third conference on public diplomacy.The forum, established in 2013 under a summit agreement between Presidents Park Geun-hye and Xi Jinping, brought together some 200 people from both countries, representing the government, academia, civil society and the media.The forum's three sessions are expected to focus on ways to strengthen bilateral ties through public policy sharing, increased cultural exchan

Nov. 19, 2015

Vice FM due in D.C. for talks on economy, nuclear cooperation

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul left for the United States on Wednesday to hold a series of high-profile talks on economic and nuclear energy cooperation.His four-day trip to Washington is to follow up on a pair of agreements between the two sides to launch a high-level economic council meeting and a separate commission on nuclear energy cooperation.On Friday, Cho is scheduled to hold the inaugural economic council session with Catherine Novelli, under secretary of state for economic growth, e

Nov. 18, 2015