US commission says religious freedom remains worst in N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- Religious freedom conditions in North Korea remain among the worst in the world, a US government commission said Monday, recommending the US government to designate North Korea as a country of particular concern. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also called on the state department to bring up human rights issues when negotiating security issues with North Korea. "In 2021, religious freedom conditions in North Korea remained among the worst in the w

April 26, 2022

Yoon’s delegation, Japan share cooperation should be strengthened

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation to Japan met with key figures, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, on Monday and agreed to improve Korea-Japan relations -- the state of which is considered to be at its worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965. After meeting with Foreign Minister Hayashi in the morning, Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party, who led the seven-member delegation, told reporters, “The two countries agreed to maintain and

April 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] Macron: abrasive reformer with chance to leave mark on France

PARIS -- Young, pro-European and unfailingly ambitious, Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to serve a second term in 20 years, giving him a historic opportunity to leave his mark. The 44-year-old, who came to power as France's youngest ever president, secured victory promising more pro-business and welfare reforms but with a "new method" that is expected to be less top-down. He had billed Sunday's vote as a chance to "save the Republic" from the clutches of far-rig

April 25, 2022

Yoon’s delegation departs for Tokyo, seeks to revive long-strained relationship

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation to Tokyo began its five-day trip Sunday, marking the incoming administration’s first move aimed at improving bilateral relations. During the trip, the seven-person delegation, headed by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party, will meet with Japanese authorities to discuss and coordinate policies, while seeking to revive the long-strained relationship between the two countries. B

April 24, 2022

U.S.’ approval rating jumps to 59 percent in S. Korea: poll

The United States’ approval rating in South Korea jumped at one of the steepest rates among Asian countries in 2021, a poll showed Friday. The approval rating of U.S. leadership in South Korea climbed to 59 percent last year from 30 percent a year earlier, according to Gallup. The increase marks the second highest among 33 Asian countries where the poll was conducted between April 2021 and January 2022. “Ratings of U.S. leadership showed substantial improvement in 13 Asian coun

April 23, 2022

S. Korea verifying report of death of volunteer fighter in Ukraine

South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it is ascertaining the veracity of intelligence that at least one of its nationals participating in the Ukraine war as a volunteer fighter has died. Currently, four South Korean nationals are known to have entered Ukraine without government authorization to join the war, the ministry said. "The government recently obtained intelligence from relevant countries that there are deaths among our nationals participating as volunteer soldiers in t

April 22, 2022

Japan's foreign ministry keeps Dokdo claim in annual policy report

TOKYO -- Japan's foreign ministry reiterated its assertion that Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea, belong to the country in its first annual report on foreign policy and activities under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The claim, strongly disputed by South Korea that has long maintained effective control of Dokdo with the permanent stationing of security personnel there, was included in the 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook that was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minist

April 22, 2022

US only seeks 'peaceful' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is seeking to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula but only through dialogue and diplomacy, a Department of State spokesperson said Thursday. Ned Price, however, reiterated that the US will continue to hold the North to account over its recent missile provocations. "Our goal is to achieve that ultimate objective -- the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- through diplomacy and dialogue. That is what we have consistently put forward,&qu

April 22, 2022

Reducing military exercises for dialogue with N. Korea a proven path to failure: Harris

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea must not reduce their joint military drills just to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, former US ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Thursday, calling it a "proven path to failure." He also dismissed the call for an end of Korean War declaration long advocated by the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration. "I think the current administration in South Korea took us down a wrong path. So far this year, North Korea has

April 22, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Toward the Korea-Japan relations of vision and coexistence

Historically, Korea and Japan have long been in conflict and contradiction. Since Japan’s colonization of Korea, it has deepened what some observe to be Japan’s sense of superiority over Korea and Korea’s sense of inferiority toward Japan. Japan’s “Lost Decades” –- a period of economic stagnation caused by an asset price bubble collapsing in the 1990s -- and Korea’s rise in national power in the international community brought some tension to bila

April 20, 2022

Foreign Minster nominee, US envoy agree on ‘impenetrable’ cooperation

South Korea’s Foreign Minister nominee Rep. Park Jin of the People Power Party met Wednesday with Sung Kim, US Special Representative for North Korea, and agreed to maintain an “impenetrable alliance” when the incoming government takes over. In their closed-door meeting, the minister nominee stressed how the series of missile launches by North Korea posed a “serious threat” not only to the Korean people but also to peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the in

April 20, 2022

S. Korea to set up task force on new US-led economic framework

South Korea will set up a task force to deal with its potential participation in a US-led economic framework, as the United States has accelerated preparations to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. The Joe Biden administration has sought to launch the IPEF for deeper cooperation with partner nations in the Asia-Pacific region on digital trade, supply chains and other major emerging trade issues amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. The Seoul

April 20, 2022

Yoon likely to meet Biden virtually first before meeting in person late May

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to meet US President Joe Biden at the global COVID-19 summit virtually first, and the two are expected to meet face-to-face around May 20 in Seoul to strengthen their alliance against North Korea and China. The US will co-host the second global COVID-19 summit on May 12, a virtual gathering intended to build momentum for vaccine donations, attended by leaders of major countries to jointly respond to the coronavirus pandemic. This summit follows the fi

April 19, 2022

US authorities lower COVID-19 travel alert on S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday shifted its travel advisory on South Korea to the lowest tier of Level 1, a sharp change from the highest warning of Level 4 that was issued in February. The announcement followed reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered its own travel recommendation on South Korea by a notch from the "Do Not Travel" level. South Korea is reportedly among around 90 nations and other regions that dropped to "Level 3:

April 19, 2022

US will listen to N. Korea's concerns but only through dialogue: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is willing to listen to any concerns North Korea may have but only if North Korea engages in dialogue, a Department of State spokesperson said Monday, urging Pyongyang to return to diplomacy. Ned Price also reiterated the North will continue to face consequences until it ceases its escalatory actions. "We are willing to listen to the full range of the DPRK's concerns, but this can only happen through dialogue and the DPRK has not yet given any concrete indica

April 19, 2022

Nuclear envoys of South Korea, US condemn NK missile provocations

Top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States condemned the series of missile tests by North Korea while urging the communist regime to return to the “path of dialogue,” in Seoul on Monday. South Korea’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk said he reaffirmed the strong alliance with the United States, with his US counterpart Sung Kim traveling to Seoul to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula. “As North

April 18, 2022

Appeasement policy for NK needs to change, foreign minister nominee says

It’s time for a new policy approach to North Korea from the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration’s Korean Peninsula Peace Process, Rep. Park Jin, the nominee for foreign minister, said Monday. Making his first trip to the preparation office for the parliamentary confirmation hearing, Park of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s People Power Party also denounced Pyongyang’s recent missile launches, calling them a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. “North Korea h

April 18, 2022

Malaysia drums up support for S. Korea's bid to join CPTPP

Malaysia on Monday expressed support for South Korea's bid to join a mega free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region, Seoul's trade ministry said. Malaysia's Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has voiced support for Seoul's envisioned entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) during a virtual meeting with South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. Last week, South Korea announced its decision to join

April 18, 2022

Pope urges peace for Ukraine in this 'Easter of war'

      VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace in Ukraine during this "Easter of war" as he delivered the traditional Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi address on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.    "May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged," the pontiff said.    "Our eyes, too, are incredulous on this Easter

April 17, 2022

Ukraine defiant as key port Mariupol teeters on brink

KYIV, Ukraine -- The battered port city of Mariupol appeared on the brink of falling to Russian forces Sunday after seven weeks under siege, a development that what would give Moscow a crucial success in Ukraine following a botched attempt to storm the capital and the loss of the Russian navy's Black Sea flagship.    The Russian military estimated that about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters holding out at a hulking steel plant with a warren of underground passageways provided the last pocket

April 17, 2022