Deputy FM Kim to visit Myanmar this week to discuss bilateral cooperation

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit Myanmar this week for talks with his counterpart and other officials to discuss joint efforts to fight the new coronavirus and bilateral cooperation in other areas, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his visit to Myanmar from Tuesday to Friday, Kim plans to hold policy talks with his counterpart, U Chan Aye, on ways to deepen practical cooperation on the occasion of the 45th anniversary this year of the establishment of the two countries' diplom

Nov. 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] FM Kang voices hope for strengthening anti-virus cooperation with Latin America

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed hope Monday for South Korea and Latin American countries to strengthen cooperation in overcoming the new coronavirus and charting a path for a post-pandemic economic recovery. Kang delivered opening remarks during the 2020 Korea-LAC Future Cooperation Forum hosted by Seoul's ministries of foreign affairs and health to promote cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries. "We are in a situation that urgently calls for the entire world to

Nov. 23, 2020

Seoul-Tokyo ties still mired 1 year after GSOMIA row

A year has passed since South Korea decided not to scrap its intelligence-sharing deal with Japan in hopes that Tokyo would retract the export restrictions it had imposed on Seoul, but the frigid bilateral relations show no signs of thawing, even after a recent diplomatic overture from South Korea. 　 In August last year, South Korea decided to terminate a bilateral military information-sharing pact with Japan known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement, in retaliation for J

Nov. 22, 2020

In virtual G20 summit, Moon urges int'l cooperation for pandemic response, economic recovery

South Korean President Moon Jae-in participated in an annual conference with the leaders of 19 other major economies, held via video links Saturday, and emphasized the importance of concerted efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the Day 1 session of the Group of 20 (G20) summit, chaired by Saudi Arabia, the president pointed out that uncertainties facing the global economy are still running high. He stressed the need for the development and equitable distribution of vaccines

Nov. 22, 2020

Moon to join virtual G-20 summit, focused on pandemic response

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will participate in a virtual conference along with the leaders of 19 other major economies Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae said. The two-day Group of 20 (G-20) summit, chaired by Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to open at night (Seoul time) for discussions on pending global issues -- from climate change to growing inequality. This year's event comes as the world is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic and its crippling economic impact. With the theme of "Realizing the

Nov. 21, 2020

APEC nations vow cooperation against pandemic, adopt Vision 2040

Leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member states on Saturday agreed to continue cooperating in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and adopted a vision that aims to strengthen trade and investment, and seek sustainable and inclusive growth until 2040. Following the APEC summit, held virtually for the first time due to the pandemic, the countries announced their resolve to work together against the pandemic, referring to it as “one of the most challenging health and economic crises

Nov. 21, 2020

Foreign ministers of S. Korea, China to hold talks in Seoul next week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Seoul next week, her ministry announced Friday, amid expectations the two sides will likely focus on bilateral relations and cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. The talks will take place on Thursday, a day after Wang arrives in Seoul for a three-day visit, according to the ministry. Wang will fly in from Japan after a two-day trip there. He last visited Seoul in December last yea

Nov. 20, 2020

Japan willing to work with S. Korea on monitoring of Fukushima water treatment: embassy official

Japan is willing to work with South Korea on the monitoring of the envisioned treatment and release into the ocean of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, a senior embassy official said Friday. The official's remark comes as Tokyo is expected to soon announce its plan to gradually discharge into the sea more than 1.2 million tons of radioactive water stored in tanks since the 2011 meltdowns following an earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo has pushed for the disposal int

Nov. 20, 2020

Reinforcing US alliance will be on Biden's everyday agenda through cabinet: McDonough

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will work every day to strengthen his country's relationship with its key allies, such as South Korea, as he promised, former US National Security Adviser Dennis McDonough said Thursday. McDonough noted Biden may not be able to personally take charge of the issue on a daily basis, but that his cabinet members will. "When you think about the fact, 'Well, is this gonna be on the president's to-do list every day?' Not necessarily," said McDonough in

Nov. 20, 2020

Suhyup chief demands Japan cancel plan to release radioactive water

The head of South Korea's National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives on Thursday demanded that Tokyo withdraw its plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Im Joon-taek, chairman of the federation, also known as Suhyup, met with Masato Nagai, a councilor from the Japanese embassy, at the organization's headquarters in eastern Seoul and expressed his opposition to Tokyo's plan to release the contaminated water, according to Suhyup. According to Suhy

Nov. 19, 2020

Chinese FM likely to visit Seoul next week

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to visit Seoul next week for talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, diplomatic sources said Thursday, a trip likely to stress bilateral cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. Seoul and Beijing have been fine-tuning details on Wang's visit that could begin on Wednesday after his two-day visit to Japan, the sources said. Wang and Kang are likely to meet on Thursday. Wang's visit would come after Democrat Joe Biden was decla

Nov. 19, 2020

China will work together with S. Korea to pursue multilateralism: Chinese ambassador

China will work together with South Korea to pursue multilateralism, Beijing's top envoy here said Thursday, cautioning against a "zero-sum game" and "unilateralism" amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. Ambassador Xing Haiming made the remarks, as worries persist that multilateralism has been eroded by the great-power rivalry heightened amid US President Donald Trump's tough stance on China and Beijing's growing assertiveness. "History has proven and will continue to

Nov. 19, 2020

Suh, Miller reaffirm efforts to strengthen Korea-US alliance

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller spoke by phone and reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance between the two countries, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Miller also reaffirmed the US commitment to South Korea's defense in his first phone call with Suh since taking office earlier this month after President Donald Trump fired Miller's predecessor, Mark Esper, just a few months before leaving office. "On November 17, Acting

Nov. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] US successfully destroys ICBM with sea-launched interceptor in test: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States has successfully intercepted and destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its latest test of a sea-based missile defense system, the Defense Department said Tuesday. The field test involved a threat-representative ICBM, launched from a US missile test site in the Marshall Islands early Tuesday morning (Washington time). A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile launched from a US destroyer out in the sea intercepted and destroyed the tar

Nov. 18, 2020

Moon congratulates 4 Korean-Americans on recent House election victories

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday congratulated four Korean-Americans on their recent election to the US House of Representatives. "Delighted and thrilled! Together with the Korean people, I extend my congratulations to newly elected Congresswomen Young Kim, Michelle Park Steel, and Marilyn Strickland, and Congressman Andy Kim who won a second term," Moon tweeted. "They have friendly Korean names – Young-oak, Eunjoo, and Sun-ja," Moon said, adding "Today, your f

Nov. 17, 2020

Moon to stress cooperation at APEC, G-20 summits

President Moon Jae-in will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits on Saturday and Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Both multilateral summits will be held via video link. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will take place Saturday, when the members will discuss issues concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a 20-year vision for the group. “At the summit, President Moon will share Korea’s experience in containing COVID-19, and

Nov. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] IHO to identify seas with numerical codes amid East Sea naming dispute

The International Hydrographic Organization has reached a consensus to adopt a new way of identifying seas by number, rather than by name, a move that could put an end to the long-standing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over what the body of water between two countries should be called, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. 　 During a virtual General Assembly of the international organization on maritime data on Monday, the 65 member states agreed to revise the existing standard for a world map

Nov. 17, 2020

S. Korea calls for information sharing on essential traveler policies in APEC ministers' meeting

South Korea has called for countries to actively share information about policies on allowing the entry of essential travelers from overseas as part of efforts to facilitate trade and investment amid the pandemic, officials said Tuesday. Seoul made the proposal during a ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held virtually on Monday (Seoul time) and attended by senior government officials of 21 member countries, the foreign ministry said. The meeting came ahead o

Nov. 17, 2020

No. of S. Korean students in US shrinks amid COVID-19 pandemic

WASHINGTON -- The number of South Korean students in the United States dropped from a year earlier this year, a US report showed Monday, amid the coronavirus pandemic that has led to a plunge in number of travelers between the two countries. However, the number of US students in South Korea has jumped sharply over the same period, according to the report from the US State Department. In the 2019-2020 school year, the number of South Korean students enrolled in US schools came to 40,809, down 4

Nov. 17, 2020

S. Korean candidate hints at continuing bid for WTO top job

South Korea's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee on Tuesday hinted that she may not shelve her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Yoo has failed to drum up landslide support from the WTO's member countries to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, standing ahead in a two-way race. Asked by a radio host about the possibility of her resignation as a candidate, Yoo did not give a direct answer. Instead, Yoo told a KBS ra

Nov. 17, 2020