Moon tells Biden about his offer of papal visit to North Korea

US President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed as good news Pope Francis' expression of a willingness to visit North Korea when he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Rome, an aide to Moon said. Biden made the remarks as Moon told him that he asked the pope to visit North Korea to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula and Pope Francis positively reacted to the offer by saying he is willing to go to the North if he receives an invitation, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Bid

Oct. 31, 2021

Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon re-elected as GGGI chair

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was re-elected as the head of a Seoul-based international organization on green growth for a third term to serve until 2023, officials said Friday. On Thursday, the 40 members of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) unanimously approved the appointment of Ban as president of the institute, according to the GGGI officials. The institute was launched in 2012 to support developing countries' efforts for transition to environmentally-sustainable economic

Oct. 29, 2021

Nationality requirements on flights between S. Korea, EU to be lifted in Nov.

Airlines of South Korea and European Union member states will be allowed to operate without restrictions on their nationality requirements starting next month under a new aviation accord, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. South Korea and 22 EU member states signed a horizontal aviation agreement in June 2020, which goes into effect Monday, the foreign ministry said. The horizontal accord will ease nationality requirements for airlines to allow any EU member states to operate on the routes

Oct. 29, 2021

US state of Georgia hails SKC's substrate plant investment

ATLANTA -- The US state of Georgia on Thursday welcomed SKC Co.'s decision to build a glass-based substrate plant there, saying it would help create jobs. Hailing SKC's decision as an unprecedented big project, Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp tweeted that it would help create more jobs and shows the state is one of the supply chain hubs in America. "400 new jobs coming to Covington, GA via SKC's $473M investment to manufacture glass-based substrates for semiconductor chips," Kemp said. &q

Oct. 29, 2021

US conducting in-depth review of Korean War's end declaration: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States is reviewing the possibility of declaring a formal end to the Korean War from various angles, a ranking US diplomat has said, according to a South Korea official visiting the US. Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark in a meeting with Lee Seok-hyun, vice chairman of South Korea's National Unification Advisory Council, according to Lee. The council offers policy recommendations to the South Korean president. Lamber

Oct. 29, 2021

Moon heads to Europe for meeting with pope, G20 and COP26

South Korean President Moon Jae-in departed for Europe on Thursday, for a meeting with Pope Francis and to attend a Group of 20 summit in Rome and the UN climate summit in Scotland. 　 Moon’s first stop of his nine-day trip is Italy, where he is scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday to discuss a wide range of issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula, as well as global issues, including poverty, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also scheduled to meet Vatican

Oct. 28, 2021

South Korea, Russia agree to cooperate on early resumption of talks with NK

South Korea and Russia stressed the urgent need to resolve North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closely communicate to resume the stalled talks with Pyongyang, Seoul’s top diplomat said Wednesday.  The remarks came after talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, took place in Moscow. 　 “The two countries shared the view on the urgency of resolving North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closel

Oct. 28, 2021

US offers condolences over death of former S. Korean President Roh

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department on Wednesday expressed its condolences for the recent death of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo. "We send our deepest condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the passing of former President Roh Tae-Woo," the department said in a released statement, referring to South Korea by its official name. "While former President Roh leaves a complicated legacy, his tenure included solidification of the ROK's democratic tra

Oct. 28, 2021

Biden nominates Korean-American to work as US attorney in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated four new federal attorneys, including a woman of Korean descent. Cindy Chung, an assistant US attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, has been nominated to become US attorney for the same district she has been serving since 2014, according to the White House. The White House said Chung has served in numerous leadership positions at the Pennsylvania office, including acting deputy chief of the violent crimes section and depu

Oct. 28, 2021

Moon stresses regional cooperation for COVID-19 recovery at ASEAN meeting

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of regional cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future, as he attended a video summit with leaders of China, Japan and the Southeast Asian nations.  Moon said health cooperation was “urgent” to overcome the pandemic, in his opening remarks at the annual ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which involves the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with China, Japan and Korea.  Other p

Oct. 27, 2021

US unaware of N. Korean participation in COP26 climate summit: State Dept.

The United States is not aware of North Korea's possible participation in the upcoming UN climate change conference, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. Ned Price said the US accordingly had no immediate plans to engage with North Korea at the climate conference, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), set to be held in Glasgow, Britain. "I am not aware. First of all, I would have to refer you to Pyongyang to speak to any plans they may have to participate in Glasgow next

Oct. 27, 2021

US, S. Korea aligned on N. Korea, but may differ on sequence of steps: NSA Sullivan

The United States and South Korea are aligned on the need to engage with North Korea diplomatically, but may differ when it comes to when and what steps should be taken to bring the recalcitrant North back to the dialogue table, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. His remarks come amid a South Korean push for a declaration of the end of the Korean War that it insists can be a catalyst to restart dialogue with North Korea. "We may have somewhat different perspectives o

Oct. 27, 2021

‘Comfort woman’ calls on Seoul to bring case to UN body

A 93-year-old former “comfort woman” pleaded with the South Korean government on Tuesday to take the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery to the UN Committee Against Torture.  Speaking at a virtual press conference, Lee Yong-soo urged President Moon Jae-in to refer the case to the UN body, which monitors adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment -- which both South Korea and Japan have ratified. 

Oct. 26, 2021

S. Korea, US to establish senior-level dialogue channel for semiconductor cooperation

South Korea and the United States have decided to set up a new director-level dialogue channel for regular discussions on semiconductor issues, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday. The agreement was reached during a video conference on Monday between Choi Woo-Seok, director general for materials and components industries at Seoul's industry ministry and Monica Gorman, US deputy assistant commerce secretary for manufacturing, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Giv

Oct. 26, 2021

FM Chung set to visit Russia for talks on regional security, bilateral ties

South Korea's top diplomat will visit Russia this week to discuss recent developments related to regional security and bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong plans to embark on a three-day trip to Moscow later in the day to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, the ministry said. They will hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a wide range of topics, includi

Oct. 26, 2021

US enhances restrictions on unvaccinated visitors

WASHINGTON -- The United States is strengthening restrictions for all inbound travelers, including US citizens who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said Monday. Starting from Nov. 8, all non-US citizens and non-immigrant visitors from outside of the country will be required to provide a proof of vaccination before heading for the US, according a proclamation signed by President Joe Biden. Those fully vaccinated, regardless of their citizenship, will continue to be required

Oct. 26, 2021

China can and should help denuclearize N. Korea: Pentagon spokesman

WASHINGTON -- China should help denuclearize North Korea if it wishes to see stability on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. John Kirby also insisted that Beijing has a great amount of influence over Pyongyang that he said can be used to help the North make the right decision. "What I can tell you is that we know China has influence in Pyongyang and that influence could be important to helping us all achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula," the Department

Oct. 26, 2021

Moon, Biden expected to meet on sidelines of G20 summit or UN

President Joe Biden are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Italy or the UN climate summit in Britain, a senior presidential official said Monday.   Moon and Biden are scheduled to participate in the G20 summit next week, as well as the COP26 climate talks on Nov. 1 and 2, when world leaders will assess achievements since the Paris agreement to limit global warming.   Asked whether Moon and Biden could meet on the margins of the global s

Oct. 25, 2021

S. Korea to give 1.1 million doses of AZ vaccines to Iran

South Korea is providing COVID-19 vaccines to Iran, as the country looks to use them as diplomatic leverage with formidable progress in the nationwide vaccination scheme. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Monday that Korea will deliver 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca this month. The vaccines will arrive in Iran on Wednesday as a means to celebrate the 60-year relationship between Korea and Iran. The government said

Oct. 25, 2021

S. Korea to raise need for int'l discussions on Japan's Fukushima plan in IMO meeting

South Korea will once again call for international discussions on Japan's plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean at this week's international maritime gathering, the oceans ministry said Monday. During the London Convention and Protocol meeting set to begin on the day, the ministry will raise the need to discuss Japan's planned disposal within the Protocol framework, and urge Japan to disclose related information in a full and transpar

Oct. 25, 2021