S. Korea vows 'swift responses' to Middle East contingencies: defense ministry

South Korea vowed Monday to work closely with the international community to swiftly respond to any contingencies related to the safety of its people in the Middle East amid simmering tensions between the United States and Iran.  Fears have grown over imminent military conflicts between the US and Iran after top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike last week. Iran has warned of severe revenge for the attack, and even pledged to abandon the 2015 nu

Jan. 6, 2020

Seoul officials on alert over heightened risk of US-Iran conflict

Seoul officials said Sunday they were cautiously watching escalating tensions between the US and Iran and staying vigilant about the possible repercussions here. 　　The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a task force to evaluate the current situation in the Middle East and to discuss measures to protect Koreans living in the area, the officials said. 　On Friday, the US confirmed that President Donald Trump had ordered the airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani -- the head of Iran’s el

Jan. 5, 2020

S. Korea, US agree on strengthening strategic cooperation: deputy FM

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States agree on the need to strengthen strategic cooperation as they jointly deal with issues on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, a Seoul official said Friday.Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn was in Washington to meet with his counterpart, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell, after the former took office last month. He told reporters following the meeting that the two sides held in-depth discussions on

Jan. 4, 2020

FM Kang voices hopes for 'big' step in 2020 toward 'genuine' peace on peninsula

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday expressed hopes for a "big" step in the new year toward establishing "genuine" peace on the Korean Peninsula, despite growing skepticism over the stalemated nuclear talks with North Korea.Kang made the remarks during her ministry's kick-off meeting for 2020, pointing to the continued momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang as a result of "perseverance" despite diplomatic challenges from home and abroad."This year's task

Jan. 2, 2020

Bolton says US should fully resume military exercises with S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Wednesday that the United States should fully reinstate military exercises with South Korea to respond to North Korea's latest threats.Earlier on New Year's Day, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he saw no reason to continue his self-declared moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened to show a "new strategic weapon" in the near future. Kim's remarks came as Pyongyang has grown

Jan. 2, 2020

FM Kang calls for 'mold-breaking' diplomacy amid uncertainty in global politics

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday called for a "mold-breaking" diplomatic strategy to navigate the convoluted global politics marked by growing uncertainty from an intensifying Sino-US rivalry.Kang made the call during the Strategic Coordination Meeting on Foreign Affairs, a gathering of government officials and scholars that was launched in July to discuss policy strategies amid tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, maritime security and other issues.Stressing &q

Dec. 30, 2019

NSC reviews Moon's China trip, vows push for closer ties with Beijing, Tokyo

South Korea's top national security officials agreed Thursday to step up efforts for closer relations between their country and two neighboring powers, China and Japan, as they reviewed the results of President Moon Jae-in's summit talks in China earlier this week.Moon made a two-day visit there for a string of summits with the leaders of China and Japan, including trilateral talks.On Monday, he held bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where they agreed on the need for maintain

Dec. 26, 2019

Facing US trade uncertainty, China seeks closer ties with neighbours

CHENGDU (AFP) -- China made overtures on trade to Japan and South Korea and offered support for an infrastructure initiative as it hosted the leaders of its two neighbours this week amid strained ties with the US.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Beijing was willing to strengthen economic cooperation with Japan in third-country markets.At the meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral summit in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Li a

Dec. 25, 2019

Xi 'almost certain' to visit S. Korea in first half of next year: official

Chinese President Xi Jinping is "almost certain" to visit South Korea in the first half of next year, a presidential official said Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in invited Xi to visit the South in the near future when they held summit talks in Beijing on Monday. Xi said in response that he will positively consider a visit, according to officials. "You can take it as almost certain that Xi will visit South Korea in the first half of next year, though final coordination is necessary

Dec. 25, 2019

Dialogue revived between Moon, Abe, but still has a long way to go

South Korea and Japan have revived top-level dialogue, but it will take a while for the squabbling neighbors to make substantive progress toward resolving the core issues, experts said Wednesday.  South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit, their first formal talks in 15 months, on the sidelines of the South Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.   No breakthroughs were made, but the two ag

Dec. 25, 2019

Constitutional Court to rule on 2015 ‘comfort women’ deal Friday

South Korea’s Constitutional Court is to rule Friday on the constitutionality of the controversial 2015 agreement between Korea and Japan regarding Korean women who were forced to work in Japan’s military brothels during World War II. The now-botched deal, which was meant to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the issue, is one of several reasons behind the two neighbors’ soured relations, with Seoul declaring it critically flawed and Tokyo blaming Seoul for bre

Dec. 24, 2019

Seoul, Tokyo remain apart on forced labor issue, but stress dialogue at summit

President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister agreed to resolve the forced labor and trade issues through dialogue at a bilateral summit held in China, Seoul’s presidential office said Tuesday. At the meeting -- held on the sidelines of South Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit held in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan province -- Moon and Abe stressed the importance of dialogue, but failed to narrow differences over outstanding issues. “(Korea and Japan) confirmed the diffe

Dec. 24, 2019

Moon, Abe to hold summit on disputes over trade, shared history

CHENGDU -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will have his first summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in more than a year Tuesday over trade and historical affairs that have impaired relations between the neighboring countries.They are on a visit to Chengdu, a southwestern Chinese city, for a tripartite meeting to be hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the same day. Moon and Abe plan to attend a "business summit," along with Li, and have an official group summit in

Dec. 24, 2019

Moon, Xi stress importance of maintaining Pyongyang-Washington dialogue momentum

CHENGDU/ BEIJING -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a unified message to North Korea and the United States on Monday that they should maintain the momentum of nuclear talks.Moon and Xi had their summit talks in Beijing as Moon made an stopover of several hours there en route to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, for an annual group meeting with the leaders of China and Japan.It came amid indications of possible preparations by Pyongyang for resuming high-profile

Dec. 23, 2019

Moon stresses China’s role in NK issues, says stalled dialogue harms all parties

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the importance of Beijing’s role in North Korean issues, and called for closer Seoul-Beijing cooperation on the matter in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Going into the meeting held in Beijing, Moon stressed the importance of Seoul-Beijing relations, saying that the two countries cannot move far apart despite temporary differences, going on to express hopes for stronger cooperation. “As China’s dreams present opportuniti

Dec. 23, 2019

Flows of tourists nose-dive between S. Korea, Japan amid trade row

As a trade row between South Korea and Japan has continued for months, their tourist exchanges have taken a steep dive, hammering one of the most lucrative tourist routes in Asia. The number of Korean travelers visiting Japan nose-dived to some 205,000 in November, registering a dramatic fall of 65.1 percent in comparison with the same month last year, according to data by the Japan National Tourism Organization, provided by the Korea Tourism Organization. The Korean inflow into Japan in Novembe

Dec. 23, 2019

Moon set for China trip to meet Xi, Abe and join trilateral summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to China on Monday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seeking to strengthen partnerships on the Korea peace process and address various other issues.Moon is due in Beijing for a summit with Xi on his way to the southwestern city of Chengdu to participate in an annual trilateral summit among the three Northeast Asian countries.It would be their first talks in half a year following the previous session held

Dec. 23, 2019

Foreign ministry welcomes Senate confirmation of Biegun as deputy secretary

South Korea's foreign ministry on Friday welcomed the Senate confirmation of the top US envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, as deputy secretary of state, voicing hope for his role in solidifying the alliance with Seoul and peace efforts with Pyongyang.On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Biegun in a 90-3 vote. He is expected to remain the top negotiator in nuclear talks with Pyongyang even if officially appointed as the State Department's No. 2 official. "We expect that Special Representati

Dec. 20, 2019

Moon to hold bilateral summit with Abe in China on Tuesday : Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold one-one-one talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in China next week, Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday, saying their meeting is "of great significance."Their Christmas Eve meeting in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, will be first official summit in 15 months between the leaders amid soured Seoul-Tokyo ties over a trade fight stemming from a historical issue.They plan to "exchange opinions on pending issues" related to bilateral rel

Dec. 20, 2019

US Senate confirms Biegun as deputy secretary of state

The United States Senate on Thursday confirmed Stephen Biegun, Washington's top envoy for North Korea talks, as deputy secretary of state.Biegun's confirmation by a 90-3 vote came as the special representative has been in Beijing to meet with Chinese officials over North Korea.He has repeatedly expressed his intent to remain the lead negotiator for dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program even if appointed as the No. 2 official at the Department of State. Korea watchers have been divide

Dec. 20, 2019