US lawmaker expresses support for end of war declaration, urges N. Korea to engage

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Wednesday expressed support for a South Korea-proposed declaration for the formal end to the Korean War while urging North Korea to return to dialogue. He, however, said the proposed end of war declaration should come as part of a more "comprehensive process and talks" to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. "I commend the Biden and Moon Administrations for taking steps to engage North Korea and urg

Jan. 20, 2022

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, US discuss N. Korean missiles, regional issues

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States had a phone conversation Wednesday to discuss North Korea's recent missile tests and reaffirmed the bilateral alliance's efforts to tackle regional challenges, the foreign ministry said. Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his US counterpart Wendy Sherman talked over the phone after Pyongyang said it test-fired two tactical guided missiles Monday, the fourth show of force this month alone. "The vice ministers shared t

Jan. 19, 2022

Ex-FM Kang to face public hearing for ILO leadership bid Thursday

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who is running to be the next director general of the International Labor Organization, will face a public hearing to present her candidacy and take questions from the organization’s governing body on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland. 　 The ILO on Wednesday said public dialogues with five candidates for its top job will be held on Thursday and Friday. A Foreign Ministry official said Kang’s meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. (Geneva time) on Thur

Jan. 19, 2022

US calls for new UN Security Council meeting Thursday on NK’s missile launch

The US has called for a new UN Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea’s fourth missile launch this month, as Washington seeks to ratchet up pressure on the reclusive regime to curb its prohibited weapons program.   Closed-door consultations of the UN’s most powerful body are expected to take place on Thursday, at the request of the US, along with the UK, France, Albania, Ireland and Mexico, according to Agence France-Presse. 　 “We will continue to ramp up the pre

Jan. 19, 2022

S. Korea, US discuss new economic framework, supply chains

The top trade officials of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership to actively respond to supply chain issues, new technologies and other major trade issues, Seoul's industry ministry said. South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai held a teleconference earlier in the day ahead of Yeo's planned visit to the US next week. During the talks, Tai stressed the importance of regional cooperation th

Jan. 19, 2022

US takes N. Korea's 'improving' missile programs seriously: Pentagon

The United States takes very seriously the threat posed by North Korea's "improving" missile programs, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday. He, however, said the US is still assessing the nature North Korea's recent missile launches, apparently to learn their exact capabilities. "We will continue to take this threat and this improving program of Pyongyang's very, very seriously," he told a press briefing when asked about North's recent missile launches. North

Jan. 19, 2022

Kazakh national completes 9-day cycle trip to celebrate Korea-Kazakhstan ties

Kazakhstani Damir Kusheyev, a former professional cyclist, has finished a 793.8-kilometer bicycle trip across Korea, which he embarked on to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Kazakhstan and to support Busan in its bid to host the World Expo 2030. Kusheyev began his trip at Haeundae Beach in Busan on Jan. 8. He cycled over nine days, passing through Samnangjin, Daegu, Mungyeong, Jeungpyeong, Daejeon and Jincheon, before arriving in Seoul. In Seoul, Kush

Jan. 18, 2022

Seoul rebuts Japanese Dokdo claims

Seoul on Monday strongly protested against Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi’s remarks that renewed territorial claims over South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, demanding an immediate retraction.  South Korea’s reaction came after Hayashi reiterated Tokyo’s stance that Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan, is a territory inherent to Japan in view of historical facts and international law in his speech outlining the government’s foreign

Jan. 17, 2022

Seoul condemns Tokyo's sovereignty claim to Dokdo

South Korea on Monday denounced Japan's repeated sovereignty claim to the easternmost islets of Dokdo and urged the neighbor to face up to history in order to improve bilateral relations. The foreign ministry lodged a strong protest after Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi reiterated Tokyo's stance on the East Sea outcroppings in his parliamentary speech earlier in the day. "The Japanese government should stop its unreasonable claim to Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territo

Jan. 17, 2022

S. Korea, Canada vow to boost trade, supply chain ties during ministerial talks

The top trade officials of South Korea and Canada agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation on supply chains of key materials and other trade issues, Seoul's industry ministry said. Seoul's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and his Canadian counterpart, Mary Ng, reached the consensus during a video conference earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. During the meeting, the two sides vowed to boost ties in supply chains of raw materials and major minerals by promoting

Jan. 17, 2022

UAE imports M-SAM2 on Moon’s visit

  President Moon Jae-in, who is visiting the United Arab Emirates, met with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai Expo on Sunday and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in defense, nuclear power plants and Korea’s plan to host the 2030 Busan Expo. During the meeting, the UAE decided to import the Korean interceptor missile Cheongung II, or M-SAM2, becoming the first country to operate the missile other than Korea. The UAE Ministry of Defence announced a p

Jan. 17, 2022

S. Korea and UAE to increase partnership in hydrogen economy

South Korea will strengthen cooperation with the United Arab Emirates in major technologies related to the hydrogen economy, President Moon Jae-in said Sunday. The president, who is in Dubai for a three-day visit as part of his trip to the Middle East, made the remark at a business forum attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE. “Korea and the UAE will expand energy cooperation into the hydrogen sector, a core energy resource in the

Jan. 16, 2022

N. Korean cargo train arrives in Chinese city of Dandong: sources

BEIJING/SHENYANG -- A North Korean freight train crossed the Yalu River railroad bridge into China on Sunday, multiple sources said, raising the prospect of the two sides resuming land transactions in earnest following more than a year of suspension attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The train from Sinuiju arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong at around 9:10 a.m., they said, while it was not immediately confirmed whether it carried cargo or was empty, they said. It is likely to ret

Jan. 16, 2022

S. Korean govt. bolsters supply crunch early warning system abroad

The South Korean government has further beefed up its early warning monitoring system on thousands of core industrial items in a bid to prevent the recurrence of a problem like the abrupt supply crunch of urea solution late last year, according to the country's foreign ministry Sunday. The ministry said such a strengthened "economic security" system has been established at 37 embassies and other diplomatic missions abroad to monitor the supply conditions of more than 4,000 items. In

Jan. 16, 2022

S. Korea extends overseas travel advisory through Feb. 13

South Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the global spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the foreign ministry said Friday. In the advisory, people are recommended to cancel or postpone nonessential trips abroad until Feb. 13, while asking those overseas to take measures to prevent exposure to the virus, such as refraining from going to large-scale events. It was first issued in March 2020 and has been extended every month. (Yonhap)

Jan. 14, 2022

S. Korean flight on way back home from Kazakhstan a week after stranded

A South Korean passenger jet carrying dozens of citizens departed Thursday from a Kazakh airport to return home, eight days after it got grounded in the Central Asian nation gripped by political turmoil. The Asiana Airlines Inc. flight took off from Almaty International Airport at 1:13 p.m. (local time), carrying 43 South Koreans and four Kazakh nationals, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said. The plane had been stranded in Kazakhstan since it landed there on Jan. 5, when protesters to

Jan. 13, 2022

US offer of more UN sanctions on N. Korea seen as part of efforts for dialogue: Seoul

South Korea said Thursday the US push for additional UN sanctions on North Korea appears intended to drum up a unified response from the international community to Pyongyang's recent provocations. Washington appears to want to expand sanctions under existing UN Security Council resolutions rather than to adopt new resolutions, according to Choi Young-sam, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was referring to a public message by the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield t

Jan. 13, 2022

Senior S. Korean, US diplomats discuss alliance, regional security in phone call

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Wednesday to discuss the bilateral alliance and other issues on the Korean Peninsula, according to officials. Yeo Seung-bae, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, and his US counterpart Daniel Kritenbrink had comprehensive discussions on regional and global issues, a foreign ministry official said without elaborating. "I had a great conversation with Deputy Foreign Minister Yeo on the US-ROK relationship and o

Jan. 12, 2022

US allows S. Korea to pay compensation to Iranian investor over ISDS ruling

The United States has authorized the South Korean government to send overdue compensation to Iran's Dayyani Group under a 2018 investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The US Treasury Department's Office Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a "specific license" on Jan. 6 to allow the Seoul government to pay compensation to the Iranian investor over a failed takeover of Daewoo Electronics dating back to 2010, according to the ministry. Earlie

Jan. 12, 2022

S. Korea, India to resume talks on upgrading trade pact next month

South Korea and India have agreed to resume negotiations to upgrade their bilateral trade pact next month after more than two years of hiatus, Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. The two nations implemented the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in January 2010 and began talks to upgrade the pact in 2015. But negotiations have been suspended since June 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and India's Commerce and In

Jan. 12, 2022