Tears for relatives after fatal US hunger strike

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- Hope Keown was reading the newspaper in her kitchen when she noticed a face she hadn't seen in years. Staring up from the page was her estranged stepfather's mug shot, next to a story about how he starved himself to death in a Kentucky prison.The story triggered tears, confusion and a torrent of memories about James Kenneth Embry, the man she knew as ``Kenny'' and ``Spider Red.'' She recalled the good times, such as when a sober Embry helped with homework and folded

May 16, 2014

Korea reaffirms stance on Japan's 'collective self-defense'

South Korea said Thursday that Japan should dispel doubts and concerns shared by its neighboring countries as it moves closer to exercising the right to "collective self-defense."   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a review of the interpretation of the pacifist constitution that has banned Japan from exercising the right to collective self-defense. The right would allow Tokyo to fight alongside its allies and beyond its borders.   Seoul's foreign ministry said that Japan's move shou

May 15, 2014

Korea, Japan resume sex slavery talks

Korea and Japan on Thursday discussed ways to resolve the long-festering issue of Tokyo’s mobilization of Korean women as sex slaves during World War II. Lee Sang-deok, director general for Northeast Asian affairs at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, touched down in Tokyo early in the day for a two-day stay. He held talks with Junichi Ihara, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Tokyo’s Foreign Ministry, and was expected to meet with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki. The meeting

May 15, 2014

Korea, Japan set for new talks on sex slavery

Seoul and Tokyo plan to hold working-level talks Thursday on the long-standing issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, the Foreign Ministry here said Tuesday.The meeting will mark a second round of consultations aimed at improving the two countries’ relations frayed by revisionist moves by Japanese officials and politicians. Lee Sang-deok, director general for Northeast Asian affairs at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday for a t

May 13, 2014

Korea, Japan to resume talks on sex slavery this week

South Korea and Japan will hold director-general level talks in Tokyo later this week to discuss the Japanese wartime army's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.Lee Sang-deok, director general for Northeast Asian affairs from the foreign ministry, will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Junichi Ihara, on Thursday and Friday in their second negotiations to discuss the issue of comfort women, a source of diplomatic tension between the two

May 13, 2014

39 U.S. lawmakers offer condolences to victims of Korean ferry accident

Thirty nine U.S. lawmakers have joined a wave of sympathy for South Korean people suffering the loss of hundreds of people in a ferry sinking last month, the nation's embassy here said Monday."If you share happiness, it multiplies by double, if you share sadness, it lessens by half. We go together," wrote Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. His words were inscribed in a book kept at Capitol Hill last week, according to the embassy.Rep. Ed Royce, who chair

May 13, 2014

Korea, China to hold security talks

BEIJING (Yonhap) ― South Korea and China plan to hold high-level security talks in Beijing later this month, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter said Monday, as Seoul seeks to persuade Beijing to do more in dissuading North Korea from conducting its fourth nuclear test. South Korea‘s Presidential Security Adviser Kim Jang-soo is scheduled to visit Beijing and hold talks with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policymaker, in the fourth week of this month, the s

May 12, 2014

China rejects potential Japanese protest at monument to Korean independence fighters

China on Monday dismissed a potential protest by Japan over a stone monument honoring Korean soldiers who fought for their peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, saying such a monument would help remind people of Japan's wartime past.Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also confirmed that the Chinese authorities have completed setting up the monument in the ancient city of Xian, where the Korean independence fighters were based, and will unveil it to the public

May 12, 2014

Nine ancient Korean seals returned from U.S. to go on display

Nine ancient Korean seals that were returned last month after being illegally transferred to the United States during the 1950-53 Korean War will be on display at a Seoul museum starting this week, the government said Monday.The Cultural Heritage Administration said it will hold a special exhibition of the seals at the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul from May 13 to Aug. 3.  The nine are three national seals and one royal seal of the Korean Empire and five signets of the royal co

May 12, 2014

U.S. to continue to return looted artifacts from abroad: HSI

The U.S. government will continue efforts to return stolen artifacts from abroad although the process could be quite arduous, the chief of the Seoul regional office of the primary investigative arm for the U.S. customs authorities said."The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations has a commitment between the United States of America and partnering countries like South Korea to combat the illegal trade in stolen art and antiquities," HSI Attache Seoul Cho Taeku

May 12, 2014

China envoy greets diplomatic community

The new Chinese Ambassador here hosted a reception in Seoul on April 17 to officially introduce himself to some 300 guests, including envoys from the foreign diplomatic community, top government officials and the Chinese expatriate community.Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong also took time to express condolences to the families of the more than 300 killed or missing in the tragic sinking of the Sewol passenger ship that occurred on April 16.Qiu lauded how far South Korean-Chinese bil

May 11, 2014

Exhibition highlights South America, Amazon rainforest

Envoys from South American nations extended their support for an exhibition that highlights the art and beauty of their region, as well as the importance of protecting the Amazon rainforest, at Oulim Art Gallery in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.Envoys from Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela attended the opening reception for “Amazon Color,” an exhibition that continues through Aug. 17.Organized by Bellarte, a group established in Seoul in 2004 with the aim of promoting Latin American art to the public

May 11, 2014

Korean, U.S., Japanese defense ministers to meet in Singapore

Defense ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit in Singapore late this month, a Seoul official said Sunday, with expected discussions on cooperation in dealing with the North Korean nuclear program."South Korean, U.S. and Japanese defense ministers have met annually during the Asia Security Summit, and this year is expected to be no exception, considering the North's nuclear provocations,"the official said. "Specific

May 11, 2014

U.S. House panel backs review of wartime command transfer

The U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Thursday backed Washington’s decision to review the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea, slated for 2015. The bipartisan support for the decision, made at a summit between the two countries’ leaders last month, was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, according to Seoul officials and news reports from Washington. The bill was approved unanimously by the panel and will head to the floor of the House later t

May 9, 2014

N. Korea nuke test would be direct challenge to China: Yun

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Wednesday that should Pyongyang press ahead with its fourth nuclear test, it would be a “direct challenge” to China.During a press conference in New York, Yun noted that Beijing has made a flurry of efforts to discourage its wayward ally from conducting another test, which would substantially enhance the North’s nuclear capability.Yun was in New York to lead U.N. activities as South Korea holds a one-month presidency at the U.N. Security Council th

May 8, 2014

European business delegation to visit N. Korea in Sept: report

A European business delegation plans to visit North Korea in September to explore business opportunities in the isolated country, a U.S. radio report said.The Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Tuesday that the delegation is set to travel to the North from Sept. 23 to Sept. 28, citing GPI Consultancy, a consulting company in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that focuses on North Korea and other developing countries.The delegation is also scheduled to attend a trade fair in Pyongyang and

May 7, 2014

Will U.S. back Korea over Dokdo?

After U.S. President Barack Obama publicly sided with Japan over a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing last Thursday, questions have arisen about his stance on the long-simmering spat between Seoul and Tokyo over Dokdo.Seoul wants Washington to clarify that the allies’ mutual defense treaty applies to its easternmost islets. But experts say that the idea of the U.S. taking the side of either of its core allies regarding Dokdo is out of the question.“It is much easier for the U.S. to ta

May 1, 2014