S. Korea redoubles push for forced labor deal, but Japan unmoved

The South Korean government is increasing its efforts to end the long-running historical dispute with Japan over restitution to Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II, but Japan shows little sign of offering what the victims have long sought: a direct apology and compensation. Cho Hyun-dong, Korea’s first vice foreign minister, was less optimistic of a “quick resolution” to the dispute than before, saying Sunday it was “too early to tell”

Feb. 13, 2023

South Korea's dilemma over sending arms to Ukraine

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been under growing pressure from allies in the West to provide arms support to Ukraine in its war against the invader Russia, particularly after his attendance at the NATO summit last year and a visit by the US-led military alliance in Europe to Seoul last month. In a speech at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul on Jan. 30, hours before the two met, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Yoon to “step up” to meet Ukraine’s p

Feb. 13, 2023

S. Korea, Japan continuing to narrow differences over forced labor issue: Vice FM

WASHINGTON-- South Korea and Japan are continuing to consult on ways to resolve their differences over how to resolve the issue of Japan's wartime forced labor, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong said Sunday. Cho made the remarks after arriving in Washington for a trilateral meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, as well as bilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts. "We have been consulting for quite some ti

Feb. 13, 2023

Iranian envoy hopes to mend ties with Korea

Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari has called on the South Korean government and people to work toward better bilateral ties, stressing stagnant political and economic relations between the two countries in recent years. Speaking at a celebration event held for the 44th Islamic revolution on Thursday, the ambassador said he feels "regretful" over the current status of the bilateral relationship despite the countries' ties in modern history, as well as in ancient times, d

Feb. 12, 2023

Korean rescuers free 3 more survivors

A Korean team of rescuers found three more survivors in quake-hit Turkey, raising the number of people rescued by the team to eight, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Sunday. They pulled a 65-year-old woman at 2:02 p.m. from the rubble in Antakya with her dead husband. A few hours later they also rescued a 17-year-old man and his 51-year-old mother from the same building in the city Saturday at 7:18 p.m. and 8:18 p.m., respectively, aided by use of a sound detector and a rock drill. The woman&r

Feb. 12, 2023

S. Korean team rescues two more survivors in quake-hit Turkey

South Korea's disaster relief team operating in quake-struck Turkey has rescued two more survivors, bringing the total number of people it saved to eight, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday. The team pulled to safety a 17-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman from the same building in Antakya at 7:18 p.m. and 8:18 p.m. on Saturday, respectively. The man was unconscious while the woman was in good condition, according to the ministry. "The South Korean team will continue a high-

Feb. 12, 2023

S. Korea resumes issuing visas for China as COVID-19 cases drop

South Korea will restart issuing short-term visas for travelers from China on Saturday, ending a monthlong suspension prompted by a rise in COVID-19 infections in China. Beijing had immediately retaliated with the same suspension, calling it a “countermeasure” and urging Seoul to lift its restrictions first. Kim Sung-ho, the vice interior minister in charge of disaster and safety management, said Friday that the latest shift in policy came in light of the fact that fewer arrivals fro

Feb. 10, 2023

US offer for dialogue remains on table, but will not reduce sanctions on N. Korea: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to remain open to dialogue with North Korea but will not reduce sanctions on the reclusive country just to bring Pyongyang back to the dialogue table, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. On the same token, the department spokesperson said the US will not reduce its joint military exercises with allies. "We have an offer on the table to the DPRK for dialogue right now. This is an offer that the DPRK could have accepted over the course of n

Feb. 10, 2023

Finnish minister visits Seoul to discuss technology cooperation with S. Korea

The Finnish minister of transport and communication visited Seoul to expand technological exchanges with South Korea in the fields of 6G, quantum computing and space, the Finnish Embassy in Seoul said Tuesday. Minister Timo Harakka, addressing the previous cooperation between the two countries on 5G network development at a roundtable held under the theme of "Building Digital Capability," said Finland has already taken steps toward 6G. The minister joined discussions with representativ

Feb. 9, 2023

Foreign aid hits record high on Indo-Pacific strategy

South Korea will spend more this year on official development assistance to the world’s poorest countries, a record on-year rise in foreign aid that also makes the total expenditure its biggest ever, amid Seoul’s push to leave a bigger global imprint. Since December last year, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been looking for ways to deliver on its signature foreign policy, the Indo-Pacific Strategy, as Korea tries building on the plan to recast its image as a major player that i

Feb. 9, 2023

[BREAKING] Korean team rescues 1 survivor in Turkey

A Korean rescue team on Thursday pulled a man in his 70s from the rubble in Antakya, southernmost Turkey, ravaged by the region's worst earthquake in modern history. The team also recovered four bodies from the same site during the rescue and search mission, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul. The survivor was conscious and in relatively good health by the time he was rescued, the ministry added. He was found hours after the Korean team set up base camp at a high school i

Feb. 9, 2023

US not the only country affected by Chinese spy balloons: Kirby

WASHINGTON -- The United States is not the only country affected by Chinese spy balloons, a National Security Council official said Wednesday, adding that China has been improving its surveillance program for years. John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, said the US plans to discuss the issue with its allies and partners. "We are going to have conversations with allies and partners about this program," he said of China's surveillance program. The US shot down an

Feb. 9, 2023

Vietnam War haunts S. Korea as it seeks to settle Japan dispute

South Korea is facing potential hurdles in its yearslong battle to put behind once and for all its longtime historical dispute with Japan over forced labor, as it is now forced to revisit a claim that the Korean military was responsible for murdering civilians during the Vietnam War. This week, a Seoul court ruled in favor of a Vietnamese civilian who had asked the Korean government for damages, saying the Korean Marines fighting alongside US forces hurt her and her family -- all unarmed at the

Feb. 8, 2023

South Korean rescue team departs for Turkey

The South Korean rescue team for the earthquake-damaged parts of Turkey departed Incheon Airport on early Wednesday. The 118 members, mostly from National Fire Agency and South Korean Army, boarded the South Korean Air Force’s KC-330 aircraft after a departing ceremony at the first terminal in Incheon Airport, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This rescue team is the largest-ever dispatched by South Korea for emergency overseas rescue work. They are to headed to Adana Air Base

Feb. 8, 2023

S. Korea sends team to aid rescue efforts in Turkey after earthquake

South Korean rescue workers will fly to Turkey shortly before Tuesday midnight after a powerful earthquake killed at least 5,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria. In Turkey alone, the death toll has surpassed 3,400 as of Tuesday afternoon. The 118-member rescue team -- including doctors, emergency medical technicians and special forces trained to deal with disaster recovery -- is the largest single rescue mission ever put together. President Yoon Suk Yeol was one of the first world l

Feb. 7, 2023

Embassies in Korea commemorate Holocaust victims

The German, Israeli and Italian embassies in Korea paid tribute Monday to victims of the Holocaust during World War II. To commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration and extermination camps 78 years ago in 1945, the German and Israeli embassies co-hosted the International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony in Memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Goethe Institut Seoul in Yongsan-gu. Not only every German government but also every German citizen has the moral duty

Feb. 7, 2023

Georgia, Korea Herald discuss awareness building

New Georgian Ambassador to Korea, Tarash Papaskua, and The Korea Herald CEO, Choi Jin-young, discussed ways to enhance public awareness on the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Georgia on Tuesday. Highlighting the growing interests in Korean culture and music in Georgia, particularly with regards to the Korean language, Papaskua said he wishes to strengthen the economic and cultural relations of the two countries. He also said that The Korea Herald, South Korea's largest English new

Feb. 7, 2023

Argentina seeks stronger science, tech cooperation with S. Korea

Daniel Filmus, Argentina's minister of science, technology and innovation, emphasized the importance of expanding science and technology cooperation with South Korea on Friday. Filmus identified space, nuclear power, biotech, nanotech and lithium as key areas in which his country could work with Korea, citing his meeting with Korea's Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho and the signing of a memorandum of understanding as a significant takeaway. The memorandum allows Argentina and Korea

Feb. 7, 2023

S. Korea seeks to erect statue of British journalist to honor his activism for Korea's independence

South Korea will seek to build a statue of a British journalist in his birthplace to commemorate his activism against Japanese imperialists in the early 20th century, the veterans ministry said Monday. Veterans Minister Park Min-shik unveiled the plan in Britain on Friday as he met with Thomas Owen Bethell, a grandson of Ernest Bethell (1872-1909), who helped reveal to the world Imperial Japan's misdeeds against Korea by publishing newspaper stories. The ministry plans to establish the st

Feb. 6, 2023

[Newsmaker] US downs Chinese balloon, drawing a threat from China

WASHINGTON -- The US military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions. President Joe Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier, on Wednesday. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water, US officials said. Military officials de

Feb. 5, 2023