The Korea Herald

S. Korea to hold summit with Iceland

South Korea plans to hold a summit with Iceland next week, the presidential office said Monday, where the two leaders will discuss ways to forge deeper ties on global issues such as climate change. Under the plan, South Korean President Park Geun-hye will meet Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson on Nov. 9, and share ideas on expanding practical ties regarding the Arctic projects. Iceland is a member of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental gathering that handles Arctic-related issu

Nov. 2, 2015

S. Korea mulls travel ban on some Filipino areas

South Korea is considering imposing a travel ban on some crime-prone Filipino regions, an official here said Monday after a South Korean national was found dead while in captivity by Muslim militants in the Southeast Asian country. The man in his 70s, identified only by his surname Hong, was kidnapped in January in the southern region of Zamboanga in Mindanao Island. His body was found over the weekend and transfered immediately to his family. Local police said Hong seemed to have died due to

Nov. 2, 2015

Park, Abe break impasse in bilateral ties: experts

Experts on South Korea-Japan ties welcomed the results of Monday's summit between President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying the meeting paved the way for better bilateral relations even without producing concrete outcomes. Park and Abe held their first bilateral talks in Seoul on the sidelines of a trilateral summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.The format was intended to keep the first South Korea-Japan summit in three and a half years as low-key and practical a

Nov. 2, 2015

China’s proposal for EEZ talks sparks Ieodo concerns

China urged an early resumption of official maritime demarcation talks with South Korea during a summit in Seoul on Friday, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said Monday, sparking concerns that the talks could rekindle the dispute over Ieodo, a rock in the East China Sea. President Park Geun-hye and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pose for a photo before their talks at Cheong Wa Dae last week. (Yonhap)The ministry revealed its proposal in a press release on its website. Seoul did not mention the proposal in

Nov. 2, 2015

China’s proposal for EEZ talks sparks Ieodo concerns

Cautious hopes raised for Japan ties

Cautious optimism emerged for relations between South Korea and Japan, after their leaders agreed Monday to “speed up” negotiations to address one of the thorniest bilateral issues -- Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.Analysts said the first summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe was meaningful in itself, as it would offer some momentum toward normalizing relations, which have been strained by historical and territorial disputes. “The two

Nov. 2, 2015

Park, Abe spur sex slavery talks

The leaders of South Korea and Japan on Monday agreed to accelerate the ongoing negotiations on wartime sexual slavery for an early breakthrough, thawing years of frozen ties in their first-ever summit, but leaving most of the details unresolved.Sitting down for a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered officials to speed up the consultation process for an early finalization without setting a specified deadline.President Park

Nov. 2, 2015

Norway showcases sustainable Arctic solutions in exhibition

Those enchanted by the Northern Lights, icy deserts, polar bears, sea voyages or research exploration in the Arctic will have an opportunity to satiate their curiosity at an exhibition in Seoul that runs until Nov. 12. “Explore the Arctic ― Past, Present and Future” at the Korea Foundation Gallery is a collaboration between the Norwegian Embassy, the Fram Museum, the Korea Polar Research Institute and Korea Foundation.The venue displays posters and videos with detailed descriptions of the landsc

Nov. 1, 2015

Norway showcases sustainable Arctic solutions in exhibition

Irish peace process offers alternative path to unification

As a result of united efforts to follow through the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the island of Ireland, by and large, is a separated country at peace now. The agreement ended an ethnoreligious conflict of over 750 years, which had intensified from the late 1960s fueled by Irish independence causes. Violence has withered substantially, after more than 3,000 people were killed along the way. The paramilitary Irish Republican Army was disbanded and transformed into a political party, and cooperat

Nov. 1, 2015

Irish peace process offers alternative path to unification

Polish activist awarded for N.K. human rights

The Polish Embassy on Thursday awarded two individuals for their contributions to promoting Poland in Korea. The deputy director of the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, Joanna Hosaniak, was given the “Bene Merito” honor from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and composer Ryu Jea-joon received the “Gloria Artis” badge from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Ryu is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow, where he studied under the Polish composer Krzy

Nov. 1, 2015

Polish activist awarded for N.K. human rights

Regional powers sidestep history, choose 'practical' summit

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China failed to produce a dramatic deal Sunday on history or territorial disputes, focusing more on sending a signal that they want to work together on economy and regional security.In their first summit in more than three years, the Northeast Asian powers made the practical choice of keeping the hard-won momentum rather than breaking the mood."We agreed to hold the trilateral summit on a regular basis," President Park Geun-hye told reporters after meeting w

Nov. 1, 2015

[Newsmaker] Abe in Seoul amid frosty ties

After years of bitter ties between Seoul and Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived at Seongnam Airbase, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, for a trilateral meeting and his first-ever talk with President Park Geun-hye on Monday.Though previous leaders of the two countries have held summits at least once a year ― visiting each other quite on a regular basis ― Monday’s summit is the first of its kind since May 2012, when Park’s predecessor Lee Myung-bak sat down with the then Japanese Premier Y

Nov. 1, 2015

[Newsmaker] Abe in Seoul amid frosty ties

[Herald Interview] Expert calls for bottom-up approach to aid

As fragmentation and a lack of long-term vision continue to plague Korea’s aid system, the government should rethink its top-down approach and embrace different parts of society in its decision-making process, a leading scholar said. Sohn Hyuk-sang, a professor at Kyung Hee University’s Graduate School of Public Policy and Civic Engagement, stressed the need for across-the-board cooperation not only within government organizations, but also with businesses and civil society in carrying out a new

Nov. 1, 2015

[Herald Interview] Expert calls for bottom-up approach to aid

[Graphic News] Seoul, Beijing to collaborate on vision of transcontinental networks

South Korea and China on Saturday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on their shared vision of building logistics, trade and infrastructure networks that connect Asia, Europe and Africa.Citing similarities between Seoul’s “Eurasia Initiative” and Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative,” the two sides said they would collaborate in a wide range of fields including policy formulation, infrastructure connectivity, investments and trade promotion, and financial cooperation. The agreement was si

Nov. 1, 2015

[Graphic News] Seoul, Beijing to collaborate on vision of transcontinental networks

S. Korea, China, Japan agree to bolster cooperation, dialogue

South Korea, China and Japan on Sunday agreed to further “institutionalize” their trilateral cooperation to enhance mutual trust and regional stability by holding their summit on a regular basis and bolstering the role of their cooperation secretariat.Korean President Park Geun-hye, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hold a joint press conference after their summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. (Yonhap)They also agreed to speed up their negotiations on a trila

Nov. 1, 2015

S. Korea, China, Japan agree to bolster cooperation, dialogue

Trilateral summit spurs cooperation momentum

The trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan on Sunday helped create the much-needed momentum for cooperation in defusing geopolitical tensions, bolstering trade and economic exchanges and deterring North Korea, analysts said Sunday. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left)and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hold hands together for a photo before their trilateral summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. (Yonhap)What was initiated as a regular summit in 20

Nov. 1, 2015

Trilateral summit spurs cooperation momentum

China's No. 2 man expresses will to recommend 'samgyetang'

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Sunday he will recommend "samgyetang," or South Korea's ginseng chicken soup, to his people, a day after the neighbors agreed to draw up rules to pave the way for exporting the signature dish to China. "I will recommend samgyetang to China through this visit ...which will allow more (Chinese) people to enjoy this delicious food," Li said in his congratulatory remarks during the closing ceremony of the 2015 China Visit Year in Seoul.On Saturday, the two na

Nov. 1, 2015

Korea, Japan FMs discuss agenda of summit talks

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan on Sunday tried to narrow differences in the interpretation of shared history ahead of a summit between the leaders of the two sides.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se talked for 50 minutes with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, in Seoul on the eve of the bilateral meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe."The main purpose (of the Yun-Kishida talks) was to prepare for the South Korea-Japan summit tomorrow," a South Korean

Nov. 1, 2015

Leaders of Korea, Japan and China hold talks in more than 3 years

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China called Sunday for cooperation in the region long mired in historical and territorial disputes as they met for the first time in more than three years.The meeting represents the resumption of a trilateral summit, which had been suspended since 2012 due to a territorial dispute between China and Japan, as well as Japan's attempts to whitewash its wartime atrocities and colonial occupation.President Park Geun-hye said the three countries are deepening the

Nov. 1, 2015

Indonesia approves budget for joint development of Korean fighter jet

The Indonesian parliament has approved the first batch of funds for joint development of a new South Korean fighter jet with stealth capabilities, government officials said Saturday, amid mounting questions here over the possibility of the very project.According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Indonesian parliament approved a 1.07-trillion-Rupiah (US$78.6 million) budget Friday to be invested in South Korea's fighter jet development project, called KF-X.The money is th

Oct. 31, 2015

Park holds talks with Chinese PM

President Park Geun-hye began talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday ahead of a trilateral summit with Japan. Park and Li are expected to discuss ways to further boost bilateral relations and exchange opinions on issues of mutual interest, including North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to South Korean officials. Li arrived in Seoul earlier in the day in his first trip to South Korea since 2013 when he took office. Park and Li are set to meet with Japanese Prime Mini

Oct. 31, 2015