Declassified document reveals Chun Doo-hwan enlisted US’ help after military coup

A host of declassified US documents revealed former president Chun Doo-hwan reached out to the US in the aftermath of staging a military coup in 1979, that later put him into power.  In about 140 pages of State Department documents released by the Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, the full text report of the meeting between then US Ambassador to Korea William Gleysteen and Chun on Dec. 15, 1979, three days after the coup, was revealed.  Chun told Gleysteen that he staged a c

May 15, 2020

US-S. Korea defense cost deal needs to be 'fully acceptable' to Moon, Trump: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea are negotiating a defense cost-sharing agreement that will be fully acceptable to both President Donald Trump and President Moon Jae-in, a US official said Thursday. The two countries have been wide apart on how much Seoul should contribute to the cost of keeping 28,500 American troops stationed on the peninsula. The US has demanded $1.3 billion a year -- a nearly 50 percent increase from last year -- while South Korea has refused to accept anyt

May 15, 2020

Xi Jinping affirms visit to Korea this year, timing remains undecided

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Seoul reiterated Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Seoul by the end of the year. But the exact schedule of the visit has not yet been fixed, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “We will continue to negotiate while evaluating the coronavirus situation,” said spokesman Kim In-chul in a regular briefing. On Wednesday during their roughly 30-minute phone conference, Xi told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that there was no c

May 14, 2020

Xi affirms determination to visit S. Korea this year during phone talks with Moon

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed Wednesday that he remains firmly committed to a plan to visit South Korea within this year, speaking on the phone with President Moon Jae-in. Moon replied that Xi's trip here is "more important than any other thing" in Seoul-Beijing relations, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. They agreed to continue consultations so that the visit can be made "at an appropriate time" as soon as coronavirus situations stabilize and re

May 13, 2020

S. Korea, US, Japan to hold defense ministers' talk next month via videoconferencing

South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Wednesday to hold their defense ministers' talks at an agreed-upon date via videoconferencing amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the defense ministry said. The agreement was made during the 12th Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT) among the three nations, which also took place online due to the COVID-19 situation, according to the ministry. The defense ministers of the three countries had been set to gather in Singapore in June on the sidelines o

May 13, 2020

US provides declassified documents on Gwangju Uprising

A host of US documents on the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, declassified and provided to South Korea, may offer fresh clues to understand what really happened nearly four decades after the bloodshed.  On Monday, US handed over to Korea the copies of about 140 pages of State Department documents, including those produced by the US Embassy in Seoul regarding the uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980.  “It seems like new documents are included,” Kim In-

May 12, 2020

S. Korea, US, Japan to hold trilateral security talks this week

Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold annual trilateral talks this week to discuss ways to boost collaboration on responses to the coronavirus and other security issues, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The 12th Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT), set for Wednesday, were scheduled to take place in Japan, but will instead be held online due to the coronavirus, according to the ministry. On the table will be how to deepen trilateral collaboration to bett

May 12, 2020

S. Korea renews call for Japan to lift exports curbs

South Korea on Tuesday renewed its call for Japan to lift trade regulations against its neighbor, stressing that the Asian neighbors should join forces to overcome economic jitters sparked by the new coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo initiated a trade war against Seoul in July last year by imposing restrictions on exports of three key industrial materials critical for South Korea's chip and display industries, namely photoresist, etching gas, and fluorinated polyimide. Japan also removed South Kor

May 12, 2020

Videoconferencing emerges as key diplomatic tool amid coronavirus outbreaks

With coronavirus outbreaks restricting in-person meetings and overseas travel, diplomats are turning increasingly to a safer, more convenient mode of engagement with their foreign counterparts: videoconferencing. In recent months, the typical scene of officials huddling together to build rapport and engage in negotiations of some sorts has been replaced by the spectacle of them sitting in front of projection screens or digital displays to keep their diplomacy running. Officials have been co

May 12, 2020

US State Department thanks S. Korea for sending 2m masks

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department thanked South Korea on Monday for sending 2 million face masks in support of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs tweeted its gratitude to South Korea and its presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, noting that the masks are being sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Our alliance remains ironclad as we stand together to fight the global pandemic. #WeAreInThisTogether," it

May 12, 2020

Pompeo discusses COVID-19 with Kang, other top diplomats

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday spoke with his counterparts from six nations, including South Korea, to discuss cooperation against the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said. The video-conference involved Pompeo, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, and their counterparts from Australia, Brazil, India, Israel and Japan. "Secretary Pompeo and his counterparts discussed the importance of international cooperation, transparency, and accountabilit

May 12, 2020

Navy to assess impact of radioactive water on its operations amid Fukushima concerns

The Navy plans to look into possible impact of radioactive contaminated water on its operations, officials said Tuesday, amid concerns over Japan's planned release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. Japan has been preparing to release contaminated water from the power plant devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 into the ocean. More than 1.1 million tons of tainted water is reportedly in temporary storage at the Fukushima plant. According to t

May 12, 2020

Trump says US states to surpass S. Korea in virus tests

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday that every US state will be able to surpass the total number of coronavirus tests performed in South Korea, per capita, and in May alone. Trump has often compared the two countries in touting his administration's claimed successes in the fight against COVID-19. At a White House press conference specifically intended to discuss testing accomplishments, Trump offered new projections based on what he said were his administration's efforts to

May 12, 2020

Government’s legitimacy, solidarity behind Korea’s success battling COVID-19: Sorman

South Korea’s acclaimed response to the coronavirus outbreak stems from the legitimacy of its government and a “deep-rooted sense of solidarity” among its citizens, said Guy Sorman, a renowned French American economist and writer.  Sorman, in a YouTube interview series on the post-coronavirus era organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Korea, along with Taiwan and Germany, stands out for its quick, efficient response to COVID-19.  “I believe that t

May 11, 2020

S. Korea sends 2 million face masks to US

South Korea on Monday sent 2 million face masks to the US, which is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. 　 The Foreign Ministry said a US cargo flight carrying the protective masks left Seoul and is expected to arrive in the US on Monday (local time). They will be distributed to medical facilities at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. 　 The assistance follows a phone conversation between Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on March 24, wher

May 11, 2020

Xi Jinping offers to help NK fight coronavirus

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday offered to help North Korea contain the novel coronavirus, in his reply to an earlier message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 　 “China is willing to enhance anti-epidemic cooperation with the DPRK and provide as much support as its capacity allows for the DPRK in line with the latter’s needs,” Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. DPRK stands for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Re

May 10, 2020

US pushing for $1.3b in defense cost-sharing talks

The defense cost-sharing negotiations between Seoul and Washington appear likely to continue, with the US reportedly proposing a raise more than three times higher than South Korea’s offer. According to a local daily, the Trump administration has proposed that Korea pay about $1.3 billion. Citing an unnamed source, local daily Dong-A Ilbo reported that the US has proposed that Seoul’s share be raised to the “$1.3 billion level,” which would be about 49 percent up from

May 7, 2020

S. Korea eyes leading role in global discussions on overcoming COVID-19

South Korea is seeking to spearhead global discussions on battling the new coronavirus by launching multilateral cooperation groups in the United Nations and two other international organizations this month, a foreign ministry official said Thursday. On the back of global recognition for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul has been pushing to establish "Friends Group" in the UN, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

May 7, 2020

Pompeo thanks Kang for close cooperation on COVID-19, reaffirms strength of alliance

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has thanked South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha for Seoul's close cooperation on COVID-19 and reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral alliance, the State Department said Wednesday. Pompeo and Kang spoke by phone on Tuesday to discuss the two countries' response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a readout from the department. "Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Kang for the close cooperation and information sharing o

May 7, 2020

Uzbekistan to help S. Korean firms in infrastructure projects: deputy PM

Uzbekistan's deputy prime minister said Wednesday that Tashkent will cooperate with Seoul to ensure South Korean companies can boost their participation in infrastructure projects in the central Asian country. Sardor Umurzakov, who is in charge of investment and foreign economic relations, made the comments in a videoconference meeting with South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Last year, South Korean builder SK Engineering & Construc

May 6, 2020