3 years after 'No Japan' boycott, sentiment toward Japan starts to thaw

The frozen relationship between South Korea and Japan seems to be thawing, at least among the general public. Korean people’s positive sentiment toward Japan bounced back to levels last seen in 2019, before Japan imposed trade sanctions on Korea over historical conflicts and S. Koreans responded with the “No Japan” boycott of anything Japanese. According to a report jointly released by Korean think tank East Asia Institute and Japan-based Genron NPO on Sept. 1, 30.6 percent o

Sept. 11, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Seeking new Korea-China relations: Evaluating social and cultural fields

Now is the time for Korea and China to look back on the past, face the present and talk about the future. Over the past 30 years, Korea-China relations have developed to the point that we may call it explosive in respective fields. The establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations was an important turning point in advancing the new era of prosperity in Northeast Asia. And now both Korea and China have grown into the core countries in the international community. China, along with the United

Sept. 8, 2022

Yoon to meet with US Vice President Harris in Seoul on Sept. 29

President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris in Seoul on Sept. 29 and discuss the bilateral alliance, North Korea and other issues of mutual interest, his office said Thursday. Harris's visit comes four months after US President Joe Biden visited Seoul for a summit with Yoon shortly after the South Korean president took office. Yoon and Harris plan to discuss ways to strengthen South Korea-US relations, North Korea, economic security, and key regional and internati

Sept. 8, 2022

S. Korea, US agree to launch high-level talks on US Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States have agreed to quickly launch ministerial level talks on ways to minimize damage from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on South Korean carmakers, South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Wednesday. Ahn made the remarks after meeting with US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai. "We will discuss specific dates and other details (of the launch) as quickly as possible, but I plan to meet USTR Tai every week, including next week and wee

Sept. 8, 2022

Hopes up for top-level negotiations on IRA, as US vice president plans Seoul visit

Anticipation is growing here for top-level negotiations on the US Inflation Reduction Act that Korean electric-vehicle makers say would hurt their business, following news of a possible visit to the country by US Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris is reportedly coordinating a visit to Seoul to meet with Korean authorities after going to Japan to attend the state funeral of assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 27, according to local government authorities. If her Seo

Sept. 7, 2022

Seoul, Tokyo, Washington top nuclear envoys affirm readiness to 'all contingencies' on NK provocations

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan and the United States reaffirmed the countries' commitment to their shared goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea, and joint efforts to deter the regime's nuclear provocations, at a meeting held Wednesday on Tokyo. The three officials, Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, Sung Kim, Washington's special representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director general for Asian and

Sept. 7, 2022

Brazil celebrates 200th Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE DAY -- Brazilian Ambassador Marcia Donner Abreu delivers remarks to commemorate her country’s 200th anniversary of independence at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on Thursday. Brazil gained independence from Portugal on Sept. 7, 1822. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

Sept. 7, 2022

Prime minister meets with new US ambassador

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with new US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and pending issues, his office said. Han requested Washington's special interest and consideration for South Korean firms entering the US market following the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from subsidies. The IRA, signed by US President Joe Biden in August, gives tax credits to buyers of E

Sept. 6, 2022

Seoul’s top nuclear envoy heads to Japan for trilateral talks on North Korea

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy took off to Japan to attend trilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on North Korea and its nuclear development on Tuesday. Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will meet with Sung Kim, Washington's special representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, in Tokyo on Wednesday. The meeting planned for W

Sept. 6, 2022

Consultative group suggest third party take Japanese firms’ liability in wartime forced labor case

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it will review the various suggestions and opinions raised in the consultative group it formed to find solutions to the wartime forced labor issue involving Japanese companies and Korean workers, and vowed to come up with a solution soon. The ministry also said it has not yet set a deadline for when it would present a government solution to the legal dispute, which has risen as a major point of political friction with Japan.  The ministry's resp

Sept. 6, 2022

S. Korean trade minister arrives in US for talks on Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun arrived in the US on Monday for talks on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax incentives. Ahn said the new US law, which Seoul believes violates the Korea-US free trade agreement, will be an important test for the two countries and their trade relations. "The IRA is an issue that will be a very important touchstone for trade relations between South Korea and the US

Sept. 6, 2022

Court decision is pushed back. What can Seoul do to resolve forced labor issue with Tokyo?

With the top court’s decision on wartime forced labor case being pushed back, the government is striving to come up with a diplomatic solution to a legal dispute that has risen as a major point of political friction with Japan. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry held the fourth government-private consultative meeting discussing possible solutions to the forced labor issue. The Supreme Court was expected to deliver a final ruling on the case of Korean victims seeking liquidation of Japanese f

Sept. 5, 2022

S. Korea, Oman vow cooperation on stable LNG supplies, hydrogen

South Korea and Oman agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation on stable energy supply chains and hydrogen sectors amid global uncertainties, Seoul's energy ministry said. The pledge was made during the meeting between Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang and Oman's Minister of Energy and Minerals Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi held in Seoul, according to the ministry. During the talks, Lee called on the two nations to work more closely as major energy trading partners over th

Sept. 5, 2022

Trade chief to visit US for talks on EV tax credit

South Korea's Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun will depart for the United States on Monday for talks on the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from tax incentives. The IRA, signed by US President Joe Biden in August, gives tax credits to buyers of EVs assembled only in North America, sparking concerns that carmakers here will lose ground in the US market as they make EVs at domestic plants for export. During the three-day stay through Wedn

Sept. 5, 2022

China's top legislator to visit S. Korea for talks with parliamentary speaker

China's top legislator Li Zhanshu will make a visit to Seoul next week for a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker's office said Sunday. It is part of a four-nation trip by Li, chief of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the Chinese Communist Party. He plans to arrive here on Sept. 15 for a three-day stay, leading a large-scale official delegation including four minister-level and three vice minister

Sept. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Leak ruins NASA moon rocket launch bid; next try weeks away

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's new moon rocket sprang another dangerous fuel leak Saturday, forcing launch controllers to call off their second attempt this week to send a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies. The inaugural flight is now off for weeks, if not months. The previous try on Monday at launching the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA, was also troubled by hydrogen leaks, though they were smaller. That was on top of leaks det

Sept. 4, 2022

NSC chief says Korea-Japan summit may take place at UN General Assembly

South Korea’s national security adviser Kim Sung-han said he had discussed a bilateral summit between the leaders of the two nations with his Japanese counterpart, hinting it could take place as early as the middle of this month at the United Nations General Assembly. When a reporter asked upon his arrival on Friday afternoon if he had discussed the specific timing of a summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Kim replied, "We discussed t

Sept. 2, 2022

Seoul, Tokyo, Washington vow to make Pyongyang ‘learn of its fault’ if it carries out nuclear test

South Korea, Japan and the United States agreed to join forces to take strong measures against North Korea if it conducts a nuclear test, to make sure the regime understands it has clearly made a “wrong decision,” Seoul’s security chief said on Thursday (US time). The three countries also vowed to come up with a joint response to prevent disruption in the global supply chain, South Korea’s National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han said after a meeting with his US and Japane

Sept. 2, 2022

S. Korea launches council on economic cooperation with Middle East

South Korea on Friday launched a council involving both government and private sectors meant to jointly seek ways to promote corporate advancement into the Middle East, the industry ministry said. The council on the Korea-Middle East economic and trade cooperation will discuss how to actively participate in various projects by Korean firms in the region and boost cooperation with the countries there in energy and such new industry sectors as bio and games, according to the Ministry of Trade, Ind

Sept. 2, 2022

NSC chief has trilateral talks with US, Japan on NK, economic security

South Korea’s National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han held a meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Japan’s National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba, in Hawaii on Thursday to discuss North Korea, economic security and major regional issues, the presidential office said Friday. At the first such meeting since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the three security chiefs held extensive consultations on North Korea's

Sept. 2, 2022