Abe to deal properly with history issues during U.S. visit: Japan amb.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deal properly with historical issues that have strained relations with South Korea when he visits the United States next week, Tokyo's top envoy to Washington said Tuesday.Abe is set to make a weeklong visit to the U.S. amid calls for him to use the trip, which includes an address at a joint meeting of Congress, to offer a sincere apology for Japan's wartime atrocities and mend fences with South Korea."I don't have any worry about it and I think the prime

April 22, 2015

Japan’s hard lobbying in U.S. worries neighbors

With Seoul unwavering in its calls for an apology for wartime atrocities, Tokyo appears to be seeking ways to sidestep rising criticism over its revisionist push, boosting lobbying in Washington and other trilateral partnerships to shore up the U.S. strategic refocus to Asia.As the historical and territorial tension drags out between South Korea and Japan, concerns have risen that their strain may derail hard-won trilateral security cooperation involving the U.S. The Stimson Center, a Washington

April 21, 2015

Paraguay designates day to honor Korean immigrants

Paraguay has designated April 22 as a national day to honor the country's Korean population who first settled in the country half a century ago, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.On April 22, 1965, 95 South Koreans arrived by boat in Paraguay's capital Asuncion after joining a government program that sent workers abroad amid extreme poverty at home.Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes issued a presidential decree designating the day as a national day and expressed special affection for the K

April 21, 2015

Lippert sympathetic to S. Korea's concerns over Abe

The top U.S. diplomat here Tuesday sympathized with South Korea's concerns over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's reluctance to repent on its past militarism.Mark Lippert, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was quoted as saying by informed sources that he agreed with Rep. Na Kyung-won on South Korea's concerns over the proposed speech by Abe at the U.S. Congress and that the United States fully understood those concerns.Abe is scheduled to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress next Wednes

April 21, 2015

British Korean War hero donates medals for young Koreans

A Korean War hero from Britain expressed hope on Tuesday that South Korea's younger generation will carry on the lofty spirit of those before them who spared no sacrifice to defend the country and rebuild their war-torn homeland.William Speakman, one of 51 veterans from the former British Commonwealth, arrived here Monday for a six-day trip. The former soldiers fought against the invading North Korea backed by China during the 1950-53 war.In a symbolic goodwill gesture, Speakman donated 10 medal

April 21, 2015

S. Korea, Japan at odds over wartime slave labor

South Korea fights another war of history with Japan as Tokyo tries to register wartime coal mines and shipyards served by Korean slave laborers as UNESCO heritage sites.The two Northeast Asian neighbors have already been in a dispute over Japan's refusal to properly apologize to the victims of Japan's sex slavery during World War II and compensate them.Historians say more than 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were forced to serve as sex slaves during the war, when the Korean Peninsula was under t

April 21, 2015

Success of Abe's visit to U.S. depends on how he honestly apologizes for wartime history: NYT

The success of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States depends on how honestly he faces up to the country's wartime past, the New York Times said, as Abe strongly indicated he won't issue a new apology.Abe is scheduled to make a weeklong visit to the U.S. next week amid calls for him to use the visit, which includes an address at a joint meeting of Congress, to offer a sincere apology for Japan's wartime atrocities and mend fences with neighboring nations."The success of

April 21, 2015

Danish minister visits water forum

Kirsten Brosbol, the Danish minister for environment, visited Korea last week to participate in the World Water Forum in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, to send a political message to the United Nations on water and promote Danish green technologies. At the Danish pavilion in the Daegu Exhibition and Convention Center, Brosbol urged the U.N. to adhere to the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals to protect clean water. The shortage of clean water was identified as the world’s greatest cha

April 19, 2015

Park arrives in Peru for economic boost

President Park Geun-hye will seek the export of South Korea’s light attack aircraft to Peru during her four-day state visit to the South American country, an official said Sunday.Park arrived in Lima on Saturday for talks with her Peruvian counterpart, Ollanta Humala, on how to further strengthen economic and other relations. The talks are set to be held on Monday.South Korea said a planned rollout ceremony for the first basic trainer ,which would be assembled in Peru in cooperation with the Kor

April 19, 2015

Bolivia, Korea to boost trade, exchanges

The Bolivian Embassy held a reception on April 10, two weeks ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, to mark the official launch of an organization for trade and investment here. The G-Ocean group, which deals with international trade and provides consulting for overseas businesses, has organized various cultural and commercial events between the two countries since last year. The group president Shin Tae-yi said Korean companies’ participation in infrastructure projects in Bolivia wil

April 19, 2015

Azeri, Korean musicians consort at concert

An Azeri musical duo teamed up with a Korean violinist at the Korea Foundation Spring Concert at Seoul Arts Center on Friday, showcasing a dazzling performance of classical music. Cellist Aleksey Miltych, pianist Saida Tagi-Zadeh and violinist Kim Bomsori played duets and trios by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla, as well as compositions by Azerbaijan composers Gadjiyev, Amirov, Karayev, Zulfugarov and Gadjibekov. The Azeri musicians told The Korea Herald that they were invited to perform in Ko

April 19, 2015

S. Korea's finance minister highlights role of GCF to G-20

Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan urged the Group of 20 major economies to lend support to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), an organization that helps developing countries tackle climate change-related problems, in Washington on Saturday. In a meeting held immediately after the G-20 financial ministerial gathering, Choi said the GCF can help developing countries deal with environmental issues, adding that climate change can be utilized as growth opportunities.The meeting was also attended by World B

April 18, 2015

Park arrives in Colombia on 1st leg of S. America tour

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Colombia Thursday on the first leg of a four-nation trip to South America to help boost South Korea's ties with the "continent of opportunities."The visit underscored Park's efforts to build confidence with her counterparts from Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil to expand cooperation with the emerging markets.The combined gross domestic product of the four countries stood at US$3.1 trillion, about half that of 33 South and Central American countries.Seoul said l

April 17, 2015

F.M. Yun urges global teamwork against cyber terror

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Friday called for closer global cooperation against cyber-attacks, citing the hacking of Sony Pictures and South Korea's nuclear power plant operator by North Korea.After their own investigations, the U.S. and South Korea announced that North Korea was behind the series of online attacks.The communist nation denied the allegations.The two cases "vividly" showed the gravity of the cyber threat, Yun said while delivering a keynote speech at the Global Conference on Cy

April 17, 2015