Korean court dismisses appeal by Japanese firm contesting asset seizure in forced labor case

A South Korean court has dismissed an appeal filed by a Japanese steelmaker against a ruling that authorized the seizure of its assets in Korea to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. 　 The Daegu District Court’s Pohang branch said Monday that it had found “no reason” to accept the appeal by Nippon Steel, formerly known as Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal. The decision, however, is not final and the case now moves to a higher court of appeal in Daegu. 　 Nippon Steel

Aug. 17, 2020

Seoul should not give up alliance with Washington in US-China spat: Nye

Caught in a spiraling spat between the US and China, South Korea should balance its strategy to maintain the alliance with its longtime ally the US and at the same time prosper from the Chinese economy, a renowned American political scientist said Thursday.  Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University professor emeritus who served as assistant secretary of defense for international security under former US President Bill Clinton, said South Korea, sandwiched between larger countries like China and

Aug. 13, 2020

Germany says Russia hurdle to Korea’s G-7 participation

While Germany welcomes South Korea’s participation in an upcoming Group of Seven summit in the US, it opposes the expansion of the setting if Russia is readmitted, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul quoted the country’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas as saying. 　 Maas made the remarks during his meeting in Berlin on Monday (local time) with South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha. 　 The German official called South Korea an “important country in the world that shares values with Ger

Aug. 11, 2020

Trump says he wants to host G7 summit after election

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to host a Group of Seven summit after the presidential election in November, not in September as previously planned. South Korea has paid keen attention to the upcoming G7 meeting since Trump said in May that he will invite the country, along with Australia, India and Russia, to join the forum. "I'm much more inclined to do it sometime after the election," Trump said during a White House press briefing. "We wer

Aug. 11, 2020

FM in Germany to discuss G-7 invitation, COVID-19 responses

  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in Berlin on her first overseas trip in six months since the coronavirus outbreak. 　 The Korean official was set to hold a meeting with German counterpart Heiko Maas on Monday morning (local time) to discuss various issues, including the two countries’ responses to the pandemic, bilateral ties, people-to-people exchanges and other international issues, according to the Foreign Ministry  　 Kang flew to the German capital Sunday

Aug. 10, 2020

S. Korea to lift restrictions on arrivals from China's Hubei from Monday

South Korea will lift restrictions on arrivals from China's Hubei province, believed to be the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreaks, starting Monday, as virus cases have eased there and China has relaxed entry bans for South Koreans, health authorities said Friday. Since Feb. 4, South Korea has imposed entry bans on foreigners who visited or traveled to Hubei province in the preceding two weeks and holders of visas issued by Hubei authorities. South Korea also has suspended visa-issuance work by i

Aug. 7, 2020

Japanese company appeals S. Korean court's decision on asset seizure

DAEGU -- A Japanese company has appealed a South Korean court's ruling to seize its assets in the country to compensate victims of wartime forced labor in a move expected to worsen tensions between the two countries. Nippon Steel Corp. has submitted an immediate complaint against the court's decision to seize some of its stake in PNR, a joint venture established with Korea's top steelmaker, POSCO, the Daegu District Court in the southeastern city of Daegu said Friday. The move, which came day

Aug. 7, 2020

Two S. Koreans suffer minor property damage in Lebanon explosion: Seoul ministry

The homes of two South Koreans in Beirut were damaged in the massive deadly blast in the Lebanese city that killed at least 135 people and injured over 5,000, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. "We have found that two of our nationals suffered partial damage to their houses," the ministry said, adding that no South Korean casualties have been reported so far.  The South Korean Embassy in Lebanon is mobilizing all available resources to find out if any other Koreans have

Aug. 6, 2020

No South Korean casualties reported in Beirut explosion

The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that there were no reports so far of South Korean casualties in a huge explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut that left more than 100 people dead and more than 4,000 injured. 　 On Tuesday, two massive explosions at port warehouses storing highly explosive materials rocked the Port of Beirut, shaking buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. It is still unclear what exactly caused the blast, according to t

Aug. 5, 2020

No reports of S. Korean casualties in Lebanon explosion: foreign ministry

The foreign ministry said Wednesday that there have been no reports of South Korean casualties yet in this week's massive explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that left more than 70 people dead and thousands injured. Tuesday's blast at Beirut's port occurred after a warehouse that had unsafely stored large amounts of confiscated ammonium nitrate, an explosive compound, for six years caught fire, reports said. About 140 South Korean citizens are currently in the country. There are also

Aug. 5, 2020

Japanese company to appeal S. Korean court decision on asset seizure: reports

SEOUL/TOKYO -- A Japanese company plans to appeal a South Korean court decision on the seizure of its assets here to compensate victims of wartime forced labor, reports said Tuesday, a move that would defer the judicial process feared to worsen tensions between the two countries. Nippon Steel Corp. will file an appeal immediately, as a branch of the Daegu District Court has become able to kick off the procedure to liquidate some of its stake in PNR, a joint venture established with Korea's top

Aug. 4, 2020

Korean diplomat accused of sexual assault in New Zealand ordered to return home

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday ordered a senior diplomat who has been accused of sexual assault when he was stationed in New Zealand to return home immediately.  A senior ministry official said the order is part of disciplinary action taken for the diplomat causing a lot of trouble. He also said the government is willing to cooperate if New Zealand requests extradition of the diplomat.  “We can cooperate in accordance with the procedure for mutual assistance on

Aug. 3, 2020

With sale of Japanese firm’s assets looming, Tokyo may retaliate further

A Korean court’s action to liquidate seized assets of a Japanese firm involved in wartime forced labor is set to kick off Tuesday, which could aggravate already fragile bilateral relations and prompt Tokyo to retaliate further. 　 　 Japan has warned of strong retaliation if Seoul goes ahead with the sales of assets to compensate victims, with its Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that Tokyo is looking at “all available measures” and has a “clear direction abou

Aug. 3, 2020

Senior diplomat ordered to return home immediately over sexual assault allegations in New Zealand

The foreign ministry has ordered a senior diplomat to return home immediately over allegations that he sexually assaulted a local embassy employee when he was stationed in New Zealand, an official said Monday. The New Zealander has accused the diplomat of groping parts of his body on three different occasions in 2017. The case has drawn fresh attention after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in a phone call with President Moon Jae-in last week. "We issued an or

Aug. 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] New Zealand ups pressure on Korea to cooperate in diplomat sexual assault case

New Zealand authorities have heightened pressure on South Korea to cooperate in its probe of a Korean diplomat who has been accused of sexual assault. 　 Winston Peters, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, urged the Korean government to cooperate by waiving the accused man’s diplomatic immunity and sending him to New Zealand to defend himself. 　 “It’s over to the Korean government, and for them to allow him to waive the diplomatic immunity

Aug. 2, 2020

New Zealand disappointed with S. Korea not cooperating with sexual assault probe involving diplomat

New Zealand said Thursday it has expressed disappointment that South Korea's government did not cooperate with a police investigation into allegations that one of its diplomats sexually assaulted a local embassy employee when he was stationed in Wellington. The male employee has accused the Korean diplomat of groping parts of his body over three different occasions in 2017. The case has drawn fresh attention after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in a phone call with

July 30, 2020

S. Korea plans to handle diplomat's sexual harassment in New Zealand

President Moon Jae-in told the leader of New Zealand that his government will handle a sexual harassment allegation involving a senior South Korean diplomat, once based in Wellington, after finding relevant facts, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Moon had phone talks with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern the previous day. She raised the issue at the end of the 30-minute conversation, the official told reporters. The 2017 case has drawn public attention again since a recent news report i

July 29, 2020

Korean drug suspect arrested in Cambodia

A South Korean national has been arrested in Cambodia on charges of attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into South Korea and Japan, prosecutors here said Wednesday. The drug suspect was apprehended in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, after having allegedly been involved in drug trafficking in five Asian countries, according to the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) and the Incheon District Prosecutors Office. An accomplice was also taken into custody on drug charges, they said. The suspe

July 29, 2020

Pompeo cites S. Korea as 'democratic friend' that shares American values

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has mentioned South Korea as one of America's "democratic friends" that value freedom and economic prosperity under the rule of law, as he criticized China for undermining such values. Pompeo made the remark Tuesday after he and Defense Secretary Mark Esper held annual "two plus two" ministerial consultations in Washington with their Australian counterparts. China was a key topic in this year's meeting. "I'm confident t

July 29, 2020

Kneeling man’s statue stirs controversy in Seoul, Tokyo

A statue installed in a private garden in South Korea showing a man bowing to a sitting girl is stirring controversy both in Seoul and Tokyo, for its potential to further aggravate already fragile bilateral relations. The installation work, entitled “Eternal Atonement,” has been erected on the grounds of the privately run Korea Botanic Garden in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.  The two-piece bronze sculpture features a man in a formal suit bowing on his knees in front of a sea

July 28, 2020