Japanese FM says Tokyo won't appeal Seoul court ruling over wartime sexual slavery

The Japanese government will not appeal a Seoul court order to compensate South Korean women who were forced to work in military brothels during World War II, its foreign minister said Friday. Toshimitsu Motegi made the remarks hours before a midnight deadline to file an appeal against the landmar ruling, which rekindled diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors. On Jan. 8, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Tokyo to pay financial reparations of 100 million won ($91,300) each to 12 s

Jan. 22, 2021

S. Korean, Costa Rican leaders discuss partnerships on coronavirus, green projects

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Costa Rican counterpart, Carlos Alvarado, had phone discussions Friday on the COVID-19 pandemic and other major issues including efforts to promote a green and emissions-free economy, Cheong Wa Dae said. Alvarado expressed his gratitude to South Korea for support related to the antivirus fight. The government has provided the Central American nation with high-efficiency KF-94 face masks, worth a total of around $1 million, and shared its virus control

Jan. 22, 2021

Foreign ministry hails Biden's pledge to strengthen alliances

The foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed new US President Joe Biden’s pledge to strengthen alliances, saying it will work with Washington to that end and seek an early summit between the two countries. “Our government welcomes that President Biden, through his inauguration speech, has expressed a willingness to lead the international community with the power of example, and particularly, to strengthen alliances,” ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a press briefing

Jan. 21, 2021

FM Kang vows strong ties with Biden admin for denuclearization and peace

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Tuesday vowed to strengthen the alliance with US under the incoming Joe Biden administration to achieve denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.  She made the remark during an opening address of a meeting of related offices and academia to discuss policy direction and ways to strengthen US-South Korea alliance under the new Biden administration, a day before Biden is set to be inaugurated as the next US President on Wednesday.  “We

Jan. 19, 2021

Outgoing US envoy meets PM, expresses hope to play role in advancing alliance

Outgoing US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris on Monday paid a farewell courtesy call on Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and expressed his wish to play a role in advancing the bilateral alliance between Seoul and Washington. Harris, a former Navy admiral-turned-diplomat, also expressed his wish that the friendship between the two countries further develop in a wide range of areas, including politics, the economy and public health, according to the prime minister's office. The ambassador rec

Jan. 18, 2021

Seoul's new envoy to Tokyo committed to "political" solution to historical conflicts

New South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kang Chang-il on Sunday stressed his commitment to exploring "political" solutions to a set of historical conflicts between the two countries and fostering a "future-oriented" bilateral relationship. Kang made the remarks in a virtual meeting with reporters before he officially takes office this week, amid renewed tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over a recent South Korean court ruling ordering the Japanese government to compensate victim

Jan. 17, 2021

Diplomats of S. Korea, Japan hold video talks amid tensions on wartime sexual slavery ruling

Diplomats of South Korea and Japan held video talks Friday to discuss a recent Seoul court ruling ordering Tokyo to compensate victims of its wartime sexual slavery and other pending issues, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Kim Jung-han, the ministry's director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came a week after the Seoul Central District Court ordered Tokyo to make reparations of 100 million won ($91,066) each to 12 Korean victi

Jan. 15, 2021

Ministry replaces top envoy to Nigeria amid probe into alleged unfair hiring

The foreign ministry appointed a new ambassador to Nigeria on Friday, replacing the former envoy under a probe over alleged misconduct in the hiring of an ex-embassy employee. Kim Young-chae, who previously served as the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will head the mission in the African country, according to a ministry release. Kim, a career diplomat, also served as the head of the South Korean missions to the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and in Libya be

Jan. 15, 2021

Seoul's top nuke envoy holds phone talks with Biegun after NK party congress

Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, spoke by phone with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on Friday and discussed North Korea issues following a key party congress in the communist state, the foreign ministry said. The North wrapped up its eight-day gathering of the Workers' Party on Tuesday, in which it called the United States the North's "foremost principal enemy" and pledged to bolster its nuclear arsenal. During a military parade that followed the part

Jan. 15, 2021

[Contribution] The boys and the frogs: How can Biden stop NK from being ‘stoned’

The presidency of the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, will begin soon. It’s a relief. During Trump’s four years in office, the world witnessed what lay behind the organizational facade of the US. The Trump administration’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” rather sounded like “Make America Greedy Again” to me. I am confident that the Biden government will not repeat the same mistakes made under the greedy “America First” pol

Jan. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM calls for Qatar's support for release of seized S. Korean ship, crew

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called for Qatar's support for the swift release of a South Korean ship and its crew detained by Iran during his meetings with top Doha officials this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Choi made the appeal when he met separately with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, minister of state for foreign affairs, to discuss bilateral issues in Doha on Wednesday

Jan. 14, 2021

Kurt Campbell picked to guide Biden's Asia policy: report

US President-elect Joe Biden has picked Kurt Campbell, an assistant secretary of state under former President Barack Obama's administration, to lead his Asia policy, including strategy on China, according to a media report on Thursday. The spokesperson of Biden's transition team confirmed Wednesday that Campbell, the former top diplomat for East Asia policy, will be the "coordinator for the Indo-Pacific" on the White House National Security Council, Reuters reported. Campbell is know

Jan. 14, 2021

Outgoing US Amb. Harris says S. Korea, US are 'friends, partners, allies and family'

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris will leave office next week, his spokesperson said Wednesday, a departure that will coincide with the change of government in Washington. Harris, who took office in July 2018, will stay in the ambassadorial post until next Wednesday, and Rob Rapson, the deputy chief of mission, will serve as Charge d'Affaires ad interim until a new envoy arrives, the spokesperson said. In an impassioned message to Korean citizens, Harris stressed that relations between

Jan. 13, 2021

S. Korea, Iran agree to continue talks on ship seizure, frozen assets after little progress

South Korea and Iran will continue talks for the early release of a seized Korean ship and to resolve the issue of Tehran's frozen assets here, Seoul officials said Wednesday, amid little signs of progress on those issues in their recent high-level meetings in Tehran. A South Korean delegation, led by First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, wrapped up its three-day visit to Tehran on Tuesday (Tehran time) as tensions have flared up after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps seized a South

Jan. 13, 2021

Prospects appear murky for early release of seized S. Korean oil tanker in Iran

The prospects for the early release of a South Korean oil tanker and its sailors seized by Iran appeared murky Tuesday, as Tehran's emphasis on a judicial process over the vessel's alleged oil pollution has dampened Seoul's hope for a diplomatic solution. During his visit to Tehran since Sunday, Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, and his

Jan. 12, 2021

Foreign ministry seeks probe into top envoy in Nigeria over alleged unfair hiring

The foreign ministry has filed a complaint with the prosecution seeking a probe into allegations that the South Korean ambassador in Nigeria was involved in the unfair hiring of a former embassy employee, officials said Tuesday. A local newspaper reported that the ministry filed the complaint after finding substantial grounds to believe that Ambassador Lee In-tae gave undue favors to the Korean employee in the course of recruitment in 2019. The embassy staff member in question quit the job aft

Jan. 12, 2021

Seoul, Tehran still deadlocked over seized tanker

South Korea and Iran remain at odds on the issue of a Korean tanker in Iranian custody despite senior diplomats’ efforts to negotiate the release of the vessel, as well as the matter of Iranian funds frozen in Korean banks. 　 Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss pending bilateral issues on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. 　 Choi’s meeting came days after Iran’s Revol

Jan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun left for Iran Sunday to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew that were seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf last week. 　 Choi left early Sunday and was to arrive in Tehran via Doha the same day. He is expected to meet with counterparts and other high-level officials at the Iranian Foreign Ministry to negotiate the return of the ship and its crew members, along with a government delegation that has already been in Tehran s

Jan. 10, 2021

New S. Korean envoy to Japan vows efforts to improve ties with Tokyo

Kang Chang-il, South Korea's new ambassador to Japan, vowed Friday to do his utmost to help improve the country's relations with Tokyo amid increased tensions after a local court ordered Tokyo to pay damages to Korean wartime sexual slavery victims. "I hold a tremendous responsibility to normalize the frayed relationship between Korea and Japan. I feel heavyhearted and heavy-shouldered," he told Yonhap by phone, hours after his appointment became official. "I will make every eff

Jan. 8, 2021

S. Korean delegation heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker

A South Korean government delegation arrived in Iran on Thursday for talks to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf earlier this week. 　 “I plan to meet my counterpart at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and will meet others through various routes if that will help to resolve the issue of the ship’s seizure,” Koh Kyung-sok, director-general for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Foreign Ministry who is leading the dele

Jan. 7, 2021