‘Mexican FTA talks looking bright’

Talks for a long-stalled free trade agreement between Mexico and South Korea could resume by the end of the year, according to the incoming Mexican ambassador to South Korea. The talks, stalled since 2008, could restart with impetus from a face-to-face meet-up between the nations’ leaders on the sidelines of either of two multilateral summits in September and October, said Mexican Ambassador to South Korea Jose Luis Bernal. “We are waiting for the next meeting of our leaders,” Bernal said during

Sept. 8, 2013

Park arrives in Vietnam for state visit

HANOI, ST. PETERSBURG -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye kicked off her schedule in Vietnam Sunday by attending a joint fashion show and a meeting with business leaders of South Korea and Vietnam to discuss wider cooperation and investment on the second day of her state visit. Park arrived in Vietnam on Saturday for a five-day stay that she plans to use as the starting point for her “sales diplomacy” drive. The highlight of the trip is a summit with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on M

Sept. 8, 2013

Envoy warns against nuke testing

Karipbek Kuyukov was severely disfigured as a result of radioactive fallout from a nearby nuclear weapons testing site in Kazakhstan ― he was born without arms ― but that did not stop him from pursuing his dreams.He is now an artist, painting artworks with his mouth and feet, a key figure in the nation’s anti-proliferation efforts, leading an international movement against testing.Kuyukov was born in the late 1960s in the village of Yegyndybulak, a poor rural area on the Central Asian steppe abo

Sept. 1, 2013

Latin American envoys join forces in bid for Korean investment

Envoys from countries belonging to the Pacific Alliance, a Latin American trade bloc, pitched to some 150 Korean executives and entrepreneurs from manufacturing, energy and mining sectors on investment opportunities during a day-long seminar in Seoul on Thursday. Heads of diplomatic missions and commercial chiefs from Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Chile took turns proffering the advantages of investing in their countries, members of the Pacific Alliance, a new trade bloc that is fast becoming an im

Sept. 1, 2013

Turkish envoy announces retirement at Victory Day reception

Turkish Ambassador to South Korea Naci Saribas said farewell to colleagues, friends and the foreign diplomatic community during a reception celebrating his country’s 91st anniversary of Victory Day at a hotel in Seoul on Thursday. Turkey’s Victory Day is celebrated on Aug. 30 to commemorate the Turkish victory in the Battle of Dumlupinar, a decisive fight in August 1922 during the Turkish War for Independence.Anticipation within the diplomatic community for the Turkish ambassador’s farewell anno

Sept. 1, 2013

Omani Embassy, other missions open doors to public

Five embassies here opened their chanceries to the public on Friday as part of the foreign diplomatic community’s participation in “2013 Seoul Open Night,” which took place over the weekend at several sites around the capital. The embassies of Oman, New Zealand, Poland, Turkey and Brazil opened their doors as part of the Seoul metropolitan government’s “Open House Seoul,” when more than 200 facilities opened to the public including the mayor’s official residence, large companies, museums and gal

Sept. 1, 2013

[Photo News] Independence Day

Sept. 1, 2013

Japanese envoy to head Korea-Japan-China body

Shigeo Iwatani, a former Japanese ambassador to Austria and Kenya, has been named the new secretary-general of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat of Korea, China and Japan, the agency said Tuesday. The three countries set up the organization in May 2011 to facilitate and document their summits and other key tripartite dialogues, devise joint projects and conduct related research. Iwatani will begin his two-year term on Sept. 1, replacing Shin Bong-kil, the TCS’ inaugural chief and Korea’s fo

Aug. 27, 2013

U.N. chief Ban takes swipe at Japan over attitude to history

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Japan to face up to history and foster forward-looking relations with its neighbors, expressing concerns over heightened tension in the region. In a news conference in Seoul, Ban also called on the leaders of Korea, China and Japan to “open-mindedly” discuss contentious issues for a “future-oriented solution based on the correct historical understanding.” “I think the political leaders of the Japanese government need a very profound introspectio

Aug. 26, 2013

Korea launches forum on U.N. agendas

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry launched a local forum on Monday to discuss new international aid agendas to replace the United Nations millennium development goals when they expire in 2015. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the event held in the ministry building to launch the annual Post-2015 Korea Forum, with about 200 civic activists, lawmakers and government officials also on hand.The local forum is designed to formulate South Korea’s proposals for

Aug. 26, 2013

Singapore lauds S. Korea ties at National Day celebration

Singaporean Ambassador to South Korea Peter Tan put the bilateral ties between South Korea and the island city-state center stage during his country’s National Day celebration this year.“It is not only about Singapore’s National Day. It is also about Singapore’s excellent relations with South Korea,” said Tan during welcome remarks at the 48th anniversary of Singapore’s independence from Malaysia during a reception in Seoul on Thursday.Singapore officially celebrates its National Day on Aug. 9.B

Aug. 25, 2013

Ecuador rounds off Independence Day celebration of music

The Ecuadorian Embassy here rounded off its celebration of the Andean nation’s Independence Day with a musical performance by acclaimed violist Simon Gangotena and his equally talented younger brother, Tadeo, who accompanied him on piano at Ilshin Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul, on Friday.Ecuador celebrated its Independence Day on Aug. 10.The embassy first featured Ecuadorian music during a reception celebrating its Independence Day at a hotel in Seoul earlier this month. The musical duo of Noreia M

Aug. 25, 2013

Israel seeks to aid ‘comfort women’ campaign

Israel is lending its know-how to South Korean educators on how the Middle Eastern nation preserves Holocaust history, know-how that could help them raise awareness of Japanese aggression before and during World War II, including Japan’s colonial rule over Korea and the sexual enslavement of women and girls, the so-called “comfort women.”The two countries are organizing a delegation of South Korean educators to visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s state-of-the-art Holocaust history museum in Jerusalem, to

Aug. 25, 2013