The Korea Herald

S. Korea, Russia hold talks on N. Korea's nuke issue

South Korea's top nuclear envoy met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Tuesday to explore ways to resume the long-stalled six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program, officials said. The meeting between Hwang Joon-kook and Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Morgulov Igor came amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts by five countries -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- to reopen the denuclearization talks. The six-party negotiations, which also i

Feb. 25, 2015

Kuwait, Korea diversify partnership

February is a joyous month for the State of Kuwait as it celebrates its 54th National Day on Feb. 25 and the 24th anniversary of Liberation Day on the following day. I am grateful to be able to celebrate these happy occasions in the Republic of Korea ― an ally and a partner in many ways since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979. Located at the head of the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait has a history rooted in foreign trade and commerce, even before the discovery of oil. Kuwait’s prosperity has d

Feb. 24, 2015

Koreas to spar over N.K. human rights at U.N. session

South and North Korea are expected to clash over the communist country's human rights conditions at a United Nations meeting in Geneva next week, sources here said Tuesday. The high-level segment of the 28th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, scheduled from March 2-5, will draw keen attention as ranking diplomats from the rival Koreas are scheduled to make keynote speeches on the North Korean human rights issue. Along with the communist country's nuclear arms matter, its human rights is

Feb. 24, 2015

Five middle powers to hold senior officials' meeting this week

South Korea and four other middle powers will hold a senior officials' meeting in Seoul this week in the run-up to a meeting of their foreign ministers slated for late May, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. MIKTA is an informal cooperative body created by Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia in September 2013 in a bid to enhance coordination on global issues of common interest. The name MIKTA is an acronym of the member nations. MIKTA plans to have a deputy forei

Feb. 24, 2015

China's FM warns against whitewashing history of aggression

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against whitewashing "past crimes of aggression" at a United Nations meeting, in a thinly-veiled barb at Japan's nationalistic moves to downplay Tokyo's wartime atrocities. Wang made the remarks at a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York on Monday as China holds the rotating presidency of the Council this month, according to Wang's speech posted on the Chinese foreign ministry's website. In his speech, Wang implicitly accused Japan o

Feb. 24, 2015

Seoul vows efforts for headway in N.K. nuke talks

South Korea plans to do its best to achieve "meaningful" progress for the resumption of the long-stalled six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, the foreign minister said Tuesday. The remarks by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se came as a flurry of diplomatic efforts by five countries to the six-party talks -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- are under way to explore ways to reopen the denuclearization talks that have been dormant since late 2008. "Seoul plan

Feb. 24, 2015

Pressure building on Abe ahead of U.S. visit

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is coming under mounting pressure to defuse his revisionist views and embrace a more repentant attitude toward wartime history as some activists seek to submit a petition against his envisaged plan to address U.S. Congress this year. The Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues, a group consisting chiefly of Korean-American scholars and activists based in the U.S. capital, said it plans to send a letter to Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Committee on

Feb. 23, 2015

Pressure building on Abe ahead of U.S. visit

S. Korea raps N. Korea over criticism of President Park

South Korea hit back at North Korea on Monday for its renewed verbal attacks on President Park Geun-hye, saying Pyongyang should have good manners despite strained bilateral ties. Last week, the communist neighbor's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, claimed Park's mouth is an obstacle to inter-Korean relations and the very source of misery. It was condemning the president's call for the North to choose a path of reform and opening to the outside world. "Our government expresses serious regre

Feb. 23, 2015

S. Korean envoy heads to Russia for talks on N.K. nukes

South Korea's top nuclear envoy departed for Russia on Monday for talks with his Russian counterpart on ways to resume the long-stalled six-party dialogue on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the foreign ministry here said. During his three-day trip to Russia, Hwang Joon-kook is scheduled to meet with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Morgulov Igor on Tuesday to assess recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and explore ways to restart the denuclearization talks, according to

Feb. 23, 2015

Foreign Ministry blasts Japan’s Dokdo event

Seoul on Sunday slammed the Japanese government’s dispatch of a high-level official to a local event designed to stress its claim to the Korean islets of Dokdo. The Shinzo Abe administration sent a vice minister-level official for a third straight year since its launch to the “Takeshima Day” ceremony in Shimane Prefecture attended by some 500 politicians, local government officials and residents. The islets are an “inherent part of Japan’s territory under international law. We will make all-out

Feb. 22, 2015

Ebola medics recount mission on edge of death

Propelled by her lifelong wish to help the needy and thirst for field experience, Hong Na-yeon volunteered to head to Sierra Leone and look after Ebola patients as part of Korea’s first emergency response team in December. There, the virus’ worst epidemic in history continues to unfold. Dozens of new patients pour every week into the Goderich treatment center in the suburbs of the capital Freetown. The 100-bed hospital, run by Italian relief group Emergency, is hardly able to keep track of patie

Feb. 22, 2015

Ebola medics recount mission on edge of death

[Herald Interview] ‘Russia-N. Korea cooperation will clear way for Eurasia Initiative’

South Korea should take advantage of cooperation between Russia and North Korea to smooth the way for regional economic integration and improve inter-Korean relations, an expert said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week.According to Park Byung-in, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies and at Kyungnam University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, the recent harmonization between Moscow and Pyongyang is the result of both countries’ desire to wriggle out of

Feb. 22, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Russia-N. Korea cooperation will clear way for Eurasia Initiative’

Korean embassy to open in Georgia in 2015

With a Korean embassy scheduled to open in Georgia this year, the two countries will benefit from enhanced support for diplomacy and business, Georgia’s top envoy to Korea told The Korea Herald last week.“Since diplomatic relations were established in 1992, bilateral relations have reached a point where it’s not just a matter of desirability but necessity to open embassies in both countries,” Georgian Ambassador to Korea Nikoloz Apkhazava said.“The new embassy in Tbilisi will give new energy to

Feb. 22, 2015

Korean embassy to open in Georgia in 2015

Korea pledges various contributions to curbing violent extremism

South Korea pledged Thursday to make various contributions to international efforts to curb violent extremism as a top diplomat of the country attended an international conference hosted by the White House to move such efforts forward.Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said no country is immune from violent extremism, citing the case of a South Korean teenager who is believed to have crossed the border from Turkey into Syria voluntarily to join the militant group Islamic State, the ministr

Feb. 20, 2015

Korea pledges various contributions to curbing violent extremism

Russia adds to geopolitical complexity

With its courting of North Korea, Russia is adding to complexity in the dynamics on the Korean Peninsula as Seoul seeks to improve its relations with both Cold War foes without creating a rift with Washington. Moscow has been reaching out to Pyongyang in recent months in an apparent effort to increase its influence in inter-Korean affairs and secure investment from the South in major trilateral economic projects, such as a joint industrial district, railway, gas pipeline and power grid. With the

Feb. 17, 2015

Former sex slaves thank U.S. historians

A group of Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement on Monday expressed their gratitude to 19 U.S. historians who criticized Tokyo’s attempts to whitewash the dark side of its history in a joint statement earlier this month.In a letter to the historians, victims from the House of Sharing, a civilian shelter for them in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, said they were grateful to the scholars for “courageously pointing out Japan’s wrongs.”“We express our gratitude and support to you for sta

Feb. 17, 2015

[Newsmaker] Would-be China envoy to face daunting task

Former top presidential security adviser Kim Jang-soo faces the daunting task of addressing lingering political distrust between South Korea and China, after he was tapped last week as Seoul’s new ambassador to Beijing. President Park Geun-hye’s decision to field the former defense minister illustrates her desire to cement her country’s strategic partnership with China, which has recently suffered a setback due to the possibility that Washington will deploy an advanced missile defense system to

Feb. 16, 2015

[Newsmaker] Would-be China envoy to face daunting task

Vice foreign minister to attend global antiterror meeting

A Korean vice foreign minister plans to attend an international conference on antiterrorism to be held in Washington this week in a bid to join global efforts to fight violent terrorism, officials said Monday.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will attend the conference on fighting violent extremism slated for Thursday (local time) that will bring together government officials from 60 nations, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. Cho will leave for Washington on Wednesday for a four-day visit.T

Feb. 16, 2015

S. Korea, Japan finance ministers meeting being arranged to tackle outstanding issues

Finance ministers of South Korea and Japan may meet in the coming months after such talks have been suspended for over two years due to frayed diplomatic relations, an official source at the finance ministry said Monday."Efforts are underway to hold the ministerial meeting in the near future although no date has been agreed upon yet," a source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The last time the two ministers met formally in a bilateral setting was in November 2012, before the uproar in So

Feb. 16, 2015

Seoul's vice FM to attend global anti-terror meeting

A South Korean vice foreign minister plans to attend an international conference on anti-terrorism to be held in Washington this week in a bid to join global efforts to fight violent terrorism, officials said Monday.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will attend the conference on fighting violent extremism slated for Thursday (local time) that will bring together government officials from 60 nations, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. Cho will leave for Washington on Wednesday for a four-day

Feb. 16, 2015