Leaders of Korea, Argentina agree to improve ties, support FTA negotiations

BUENOS AIRES -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Argentine President Mauricio Macri agreed to expand their countries' economic and trade relations Saturday, while pledging joint efforts to accelerate negotiations between South Korea and a South American trade bloc known as MERCOSUR.In a bilateral summit, the two leaders also discussed joint efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Argentine President Mauricio Macri (Yonhap)"In the first summit in

Dec. 2, 2018

Blue House confirms Friday’s meeting between Trump and Moon

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will hold a summit meeting in Buenos Aires on Friday, Seoul’s presidential office confirmed. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the meeting has been set for 3:15 p.m. Friday, Buenos Aires time (3.15 a.m. Saturday in Korean time).  President Moon Jae-in addresses Koreans based in Argentina in Buenos Aires on Thursday. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders will focus on discussing how to increase cooperation on denuclearization, and to stren

Nov. 30, 2018

Ministry to hold forum on cooperation among S. Korea, China, Japan next week

South Korea will hold a semi-governmental forum on cooperation with China and Japan next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, as long-simmering historical feuds remain a major hurdle to improving their relations.The forum on the present and future of trilateral cooperation is set to occur on Monday in Incheon, west of Seoul. It will bring together civilian experts and working-level government officials from the three countries. (Yonhap)"The ministry plans to continuously carry out seminar

Nov. 30, 2018

Korea-US summit to be 'pull aside': report

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will have a "pull aside"rather than a formal bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this week, Reuters quoted the White House spokeswoman as saying Thursday. (Yonhap)Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Buenos Aires, Sarah Sanders said Trump will have "pull asides" with both Moon and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.US National Security Adviser John Bolton earlier said that M

Nov. 30, 2018

S. Korean president arrives in Argentina for G-20 summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Argentina on Thursday for a Group of 20 summit and meetings with various global leaders, including US President Donald Trump.Moon's arrival here followed his two-day unofficial visit to the Czech Republic where he held a summit with Prime Minister Andrej Babis.The president will hold a special meeting with a group of South Korean residents in Argentina later in the day before he attends the two-day G-20 summit from Friday, according to his office Che

Nov. 29, 2018

Korea irked by Japan's 'overreaction' to court rulings

SEOUL/TOKYO -- The South Korean government urged Japan on Thursday to refrain from "overreacting" to Seoul court rulings against a Japanese firm for wartime forced labor. "It's very regrettable that the Japanese government is continuing to respond excessively to our judiciary's ruling, and (we) call for its restraint," the foreign ministry's spokesman, Noh Kyu-duk, said at a press briefing.He said it's natural for an administration to respect a court decision in a democracy. (Yonhap)The ministry

Nov. 29, 2018

OECD forum on well-being closes, adopts Incheon Declaration

An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development global forum on well-being closed in South Korea on Thursday, with the Incheon Declaration adopted to renew its commitment toward better quality of life.During the three-day run, some 3,000 leaders, experts and civic activists from 100 countries attended the OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy. (Yonhap)Under the theme of "The Future of Well-being," participants discussed people's well-being and inclusive growth as the ulti

Nov. 29, 2018

Japan calls forced labor ruling 'unacceptable'

SEOUL/TOKYO -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Thursday that South Korea's additional court rulings against a Japanese firm for wartime forced labor are "very regrettable and unacceptable."Seoul officials, however, said they "respect" the Supreme Court verdicts.In a statement, Kono said they run counter to the 1965 pact between the governments of the neighboring countries on normalizing bilateral diplomatic ties. He said all reparation issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of

Nov. 29, 2018

Supreme Court orders Mitsubishi to compensate Korean forced labor victims

South Korea’s top court on Thursday ruled in favor of Korean victims who were forced into labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, ordering a Japanese company to compensate them for their unpaid work and reaffirming that an international treaty does not negate an individual’s rights to seek damages.The Supreme Court upheld two lower court rulings against the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., and ordered payments in the amount of 80 million won ($71,500) to the

Nov. 29, 2018

Supreme Court to rule on damages suits over Japan forced labor

South Korea's Supreme Court was set to rule Thursday on damages claims filed by Koreans against a Japanese firm over wartime forced labor and unpaid work.The four-judge bench will deliver its ruling at 10:00 a.m., regarding two separate cases involving 11 elderly Koreans and a victim's family who seek compensation from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. (Yonhap)The rulings come about a month after the top court upheld a 2013 appellate ruling that ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay each

Nov. 29, 2018

Korean president heads to Argentina for G-20 summit

PRAGUE -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to Argentina, ending his two-day unofficial visit to the Czech Republic, en route to the Group of 20 summit in the South American country.The president was set to arrive in Buenos Aires early Thursday (Argentine time).(Yonhap)In Prague he held a summit with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and agreed to expand economic and trade cooperation.Seoul and Prague established diplomatic relations in 1990 and upgraded their ties to a strategic partner

Nov. 29, 2018

Leaders of S. Korea, Czech Republic pledge efforts to improve ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis agreed Wednesday to further improve their countries' bilateral ties and make joint efforts to prepare the countries for the fourth industrial revolution.In a meeting in Prague, they noted the countries' relationship has steadily improved since the countries established diplomatic ties in 1990. "The two leaders ... agreed to continue expanding their bilateral trade and investment to further solidify the South Korea-Czech Str

Nov. 29, 2018

Inter-Korean rail connection cannot occur without NK’s denuclearization: US official

A senior US diplomat said Wednesday that the US and the international community are not prepared for the significant lifting of sanctions for an inter-Korean railway connection until North Korea’s “final, fully verified denuclearization.” Marc Knapper, acting deputy assistant secretary at the US State Department, made the remarks during a forum on regional peace and cooperation in Seoul, as the Koreas eye a reconnection of inter-Korean railways. The US wants North Koreans to have a bright future

Nov. 28, 2018

Moon, Trump to hold summit on G20 sidelines

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will hold a summit meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday. Moon, who is currently on a three-nation tour, will arrive in Buenos Aires Friday on a three-day schedule to attend the G20 Summit. US National Security Advisor John Bolton. YonhapIn the meeting with Trump, Moon is likely to focus on North Korea-related issues, as he did in the recent meeting with US Vice Preside

Nov. 28, 2018

S. Korea, Australia to extend free English program for young N. Korea defectors

South Korea and Australia agreed Wednesday to extend a free English-language training program for young North Korean defectors as part of efforts to help them sharpen their competitive edge in the global community, the unification ministry said.The unification ministry signed the agreement with Australia's foreign ministry and UTS Insearch, a language school of the University of Technology Sydney, to extend the 30-week language course for another three years through 2021. (Yonhap)The three sides

Nov. 28, 2018

Korea, Chile hold talks to update FTA

South Korea and Chile opened their first round of talks Wednesday to revise their bilateral free trade agreement to reflect changes in the market over the past 15 years, Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. The bilateral pact went into effect in 2004 as South Korea's first FTA, opening up market access to Chile and setting the foundation for forging trade pacts with other Latin American nations.  (Yonhap)The formal negotiation comes after the two nations agreed in 2016 to amend terms of the tr

Nov. 28, 2018

CIA official in charge of Korea to depart at year-end: sources

A senior US Central Intelligence Agency official in charge of Korea affairs will resign at the end of the year, multiple sources said Tuesday.Andrew Kim, head of the CIA's Korea Mission Center, has tendered his resignation effective Dec. 20 to move to a research post at Stanford University, a senior official at South Korea's National Intelligence Service said. (Yonhap)The Korean-American played a key role in negotiations with North Korea before and after the historic summit between US President

Nov. 28, 2018

Moon, Trump to meet at G20 summit: White House

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this week, the White House said Tuesday.Moon is among several leaders the US president plans to meet during the two-day summit starting Friday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a press briefing.(AP)He did not elaborate.The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.North Korea is expected to top

Nov. 28, 2018

Korea to focus on Asia for overseas aid projects: KOICA chief

South Korea's overseas aid agency plans to place more emphasis on Asia for its future projects, in line with the government's regional strategy as highlighted by the New Southern Policy, the head of the organization said Tuesday.Lee Mi-kyung, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, pointed out that what's most important is to find effective official development assistance programs in partner countries.Lee Mi-kyung, president of the Korea International Cooperation AgencyThe agenc

Nov. 27, 2018

Korea concerned about report of Japanese minister's 'undiplomatic' remark

South Korea voiced strong regret Tuesday about the Japanese foreign minister's reported comments on soured bilateral relations in another sign of a deepening rift over history issues.South Korea's top diplomat, Kang Kyung-wha, earlier said she's considering a visit to Japan, although no schedule has been set, in a bid to mend fences. South Korea's Foreign Misniter Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)Her counterpart, Taro Kono, however, said in a meeting with Japanese lawmakers that Kang does not need to come

Nov. 27, 2018