Korea, Costa Rica FMs hope for stronger business ties

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Costa Rica expressed hope for stronger business ties between their nations as the Central American country develops its infrastructure, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Costa Rican counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, met on the sidelines of a U.N. climate change conference in Paris on Monday to discuss a wide range of bilateral and other issues of mutual interest, the ministry said in a press release.Yun noted the

Dec. 1, 2015

Korea, U.S., Japan to hold trilateral meeting of nuclear envoys

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting in Washington this week to discuss how to deal with North Korea, the State Department said Monday.Amb. Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will host Thursday's meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Hwang Joon-kook, and Japanese counterpart Kimihiro Ishikane "to exchange views on a wide range of issues related to the North," the department said in a release.Kim will a

Dec. 1, 2015

Korea elected as IMO's Category A member for 8th term

South Korea has been elected to serve the Category A group of the International Maritime Organization for the eighth straight term, solidifying the country's status as a global leader in seafaring affairs, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the assembly of the United Nations agency, which convened in London late last week, picked South Korea as one of the 10 council members of the Category A group, which are countries with the largest interest in providing inter

Nov. 30, 2015

Park arrives in France for U.N. climate change conference

President Park Geun-hye arrived in France on Sunday to attend a crucial U.N. conference on climate change, less than a week after she returned from a three-nation swing to attend a series of annual summits with regional leaders.Park is set to deliver a speech at the leaders' event in Paris on Monday and express South Korea's commitment to actively join global efforts to launch a deal on combating climate change.The leaders' event -- the opening of the conference -- is designed to build political

Nov. 30, 2015

Park to hold talks with Putin on bilateral issues, N. Korea's nukes

President Park Geun-hye plans to meet with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in France in their second summit in two years, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including bilateral economic cooperation, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues, the presidential office said.North Korea's nuclear weapons program is also expected to be high on their agenda.Russia has been involved in the long-stalled six-nation talks a

Nov. 30, 2015

Korea, Japanese, Chinese health ministers agree to jointly tackle MERS

Health ministers from South Korea, Japan and China agreed to jointly tackle future Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreaks and new diseases that pose common problems for the Northeast Asian countries, the government said Sunday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said policymakers at the tripartite meeting held in Kyoto issued a joint statement calling for concerted efforts to deal with various threats to public health, universal health coverage, the rapidly aging population and non-communicab

Nov. 29, 2015

Korea, EEU move to expand trade, investment ties

South Korea and the Eurasian Economic Union are moving to expand trade and investment ties that can open new business opportunities and generate economic growth, the government said Friday.At the meeting between Trade and Industry Minister Yoon Sang-jick and his EEU counterpart, Andrei Slepnev, in Seoul, the two sides inked a memorandum of understanding calling for strengthening cooperation in trade and business investments, as well as more tie-ups in the industrial and energy sectors.In additio

Nov. 27, 2015

House of ex-lawmaker's aide raided over alleged political funds

Prosecutors said Thursday they have raided the house of an aide to a former ruling party lawmaker, who is suspected of receiving illegal political funds.The Daegu District Court said they will summon Sim Hag-bong, former lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, after analyzing materials confiscated from three places, including the house of Sim's aide.Last month, Sim stepped down from his post after the National Assembly passed a motion to expel him on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her

Nov. 26, 2015

Two German financial firms ordered to pay for market manipulation

A South Korean district court on Thursday ordered two German financial institutions to compensate for the losses it caused a local bank after it manipulated the South Korean stock market in 2010 in an incident known here as the "Nov. 11 Options Shock."The Seoul Central District Court sided with KB Kookmin Bank in a civil lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Securities, demanding that the German financial institutions pay 718.5 million won (US$624,600) to the South Korean bank.Deutsch

Nov. 26, 2015

U.N. rapporteur calls for accountability over N.K. human rights abuse

The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation on Thursday called for accountability for the serious human rights abuses in the communist country.Marzuki Darusman made the appeal during his last official visit to South Korea, saying "nothing has changed" in the two years since the U.N. Commission of Inquiry released a landmark report accusing the North of grave crimes against humanity, including keeping political prison camps, abducting foreigners and forcing people to starv

Nov. 26, 2015

China replaces key party official in charge of ties with N. Korea

China's ruling Communist Party has replaced a key official in charge of political relations with North Korea and other countries, according to Chinese state media reports on Thursday.Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department who held the post for 12 years, stepped down and career diplomat Song Tao was picked as Wang's successor, media reports said. The website of the department also showed that Song became its head. It was not immediately known why Wang was repl

Nov. 26, 2015

Korea, Egypt agree to jointly fight terrorism

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Egypt agreed Tuesday to work together to combat the growing threat of terrorism in the world, the Foreign Ministry said.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, held talks on a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, regional issues and cooperation on the global stage, the ministry said in a press release.Citing the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks, Shoukry said the international community must work together to fig

Nov. 24, 2015

S. Korea, Japan should address history issue for future: Vice FM

South Korea and Japan need to build mutual trust for "sincere strategic cooperation," a senior South Korean official said on a trip to the United States.   Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed that resolving the history issue is about "reconciliation and trust" between the neighboring nations, according to his ministry Monday.   He was speaking at a meeting with several American pundits well versed in North Korea affairs held in New York last week.   Seoul and Tokyo are locked in decades-l

Nov. 23, 2015