Ruling on forced labor poses dilemma to S. Korea

Seoul is facing a tough task of respecting the country’s judiciary while mitigating diplomatic fallout with Tokyo in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision that a Japanese firm should compensate four South Koreans forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation.The Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday the lower court’s ruling that ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay 100 million won ($88,000) each to the plaintiffs, who worked at its steel mills between 1941 and 1943, recognizing

Oct. 31, 2018

First lady to visit India next week

First lady Kim Jung-sook will visit India without President Moon Jae-in next week to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a park commemorating the Indian-born wife of the king of an ancient Korean kingdom, the presidential office said Wednesday.The four-day trip starting on Sunday will be the first time in 16 years that a South Korean first lady has made a foreign visit without the president. The last first lady who did so was Lee Hee-ho, wife of late former President Kim Dae-jung. (Yonhap)Kim p

Oct. 31, 2018

Top UAE official to visit South Korea this week

A top United Arab Emirates official will visit Seoul on Thursday to discuss setting up a trip to South Korea by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other bilateral issues, the presidential spokesman said Wednesday.Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, is scheduled to meet with presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok to discuss these issues, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. (Yonhap)The UAE official is expected to visit Cheong Wa Dae to

Oct. 31, 2018

PM says S. Korea hopes to move relations with Japan forward in future-oriented manner

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday that the government respects the Supreme Court’s ruling on wartime forced labor and hopes to move relations with Japan forward in a future-oriented manner.The Supreme Court ruled that a Japanese steel firm should compensate four Koreans mobilized into forced labor during the 1910-45 colonial rule, rejecting Japanese claims that all colonial-era compensation claims were settled under a 1965 treaty that the two countries signed when normalizing diplomatic re

Oct. 30, 2018

Court orders Japan firm to compensate wartime forced laborers

The top court ruled Tuesday that a Japanese steel firm must compensate four South Korean victims forced to work in its factories during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, a decision expected to intensify tension between the neighboring countries.　The Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s 2013 ruling that ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal to pay 100 million won ($88,000) in compensation to each of the four victims, recognizing their rights to sue for damages despite the 1965 Kore

Oct. 30, 2018

26,000 S. Koreans received first-time residence permits in EU in 2017: Eurostat

BRUSSELS -- About 26,000 South Koreans received their first residence permits to stay for three months or longer in European Union countries last year -- the highest number in 10 years -- the EU’s statistics agency said Tuesday.Eurostat said in a report that the number of Koreans who obtained such stay permits for the first time increased 124 from a year ago to 25,767 in 2017. This undated file photo released by German news agency DPA shows the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels. (Yo

Oct. 30, 2018

Senior US congressman vows full support for alliance, peace process

US Rep. Mac Thornberry, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, assured South Korea Monday of bipartisan support for the alliance, Seoul's foreign ministry said. (Yonhap)The Republican congressman from Texas also pledged every effort to denuclearize the peninsula and establish lasting peace.He delivered the message to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in their meeting here.Kang took note of a sea change in the regional security conditions over the past year and briefed him on close cooperat

Oct. 29, 2018

US nuclear envoy urges ‘FFVD,’ close coordination with S. Korea

The final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea is a primary requirement for the US and South Korea to bring an end to the Korean War, a US nuclear envoy said during his visit to Seoul on Monday.　Stephen Biegun, US Special Representative for North Korea, and his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon underscored the need of close coordination amid concerns about a possible discord between the allies over the pace of inter-Korean developments.　“We have a shared goal here, which is to brin

Oct. 29, 2018

S. Korea, US discuss strategy on N. Korea amid reports of discord

Top South Korean and US officials on North Korea met here Monday for discussions on ways to revitalize denuclearization talks amid growing concerns about a possible rift between the allies.Stephen Biegun, the Trump administration's special representative for North Korea, opened talks with counterpart Lee Do-hoon in the wake of a brief meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.(Yonhap)He arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day stay, his fourth visit here as Washington's point man on Pyongya

Oct. 29, 2018

US envoy on N. Korea arrives in Seoul for talks

Stephen Biegun, the US’ special representative for North Korea, arrived in South Korea on Sunday to meet with his counterpart to discuss the countries’ shared efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons programs. Stephen Biegun, the US' special representative for North Korea (Yonhap)On Monday, Biegun is set to hold separate meetings with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, and with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to discuss issues including recent developments on Washington’s e

Oct. 28, 2018

‘US, South Korea falling for Kim Jong-un’s tricks’

South Korea and the US are falling for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s “tricks,” a US expert said, warning of emerging gaps between the allies amid ongoing negotiations with the reclusive country. 　His warning comes amid concerns over South Korea’s efforts to expand cross-border exchanges at a time when North Korea-US talks aimed at moving forward on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula appear to be at a standstill. Bruce Klingner, former CIA deputy division chief for Korea and current

Oct. 28, 2018

US nuclear envoy to arrive in Korea on Sunday

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will arrive in South Korea on Sunday to discuss cooperation with South Korea over North Korea's nuclear disarmament, Seoul officials said.On Monday, Biegun is set to meet Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and his counterpart Lee Do-hoon separately for talks over a set of issues, including Washington's push for high-level and working-level denuclearization talks with North Korean officials.  Stephen Biegun (Yonhap)Observers said that Biegun c

Oct. 28, 2018

Korea, US to hold annual defense ministers' talks next week

South Korea and the United States will hold their annual defense ministers' talks in Washington, DC next week to discuss the fate of this year's combined air exercise, the transfer of wartime operational control and other issues, Seoul officials said Friday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart James Mattis will attend the 50th Security Consultative Meeting on Wednesday amid the allies' efforts to ensure cooperation over denuclearization and a lasting peace regime on the peni

Oct. 26, 2018

Seoul, Tokyo discuss fate of controversial foundation

Vice foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan discussed the issue of a Japanese-funded foundation for South Korean victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery at a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday, according to the Foreign Ministry. 　South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with his Japanese counterpart Takeo Akiba on Thursday on his two-day visit to Tokyo to exchange views on South Korea-Japan relations and their shared goal of the denuclearization of North Korea, the ministry said. 　The meeti

Oct. 25, 2018

S. Korean, Croatian FMs hold talks over ties

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Croatia held talks Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and issues on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe, Seoul's foreign ministry said.The South's top diplomat, Kang Kyung-wha, and her Croatian counterpart, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, agreed to make efforts to boost investment and trade between the two nations, according to the foreign ministry.They also decided to seek cooperative projects in several areas, including science, technology, healthcare and tran

Oct. 24, 2018

Seoul to speak to Tokyo on controversial 'comfort women' funds

South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is visiting Japan on Wednesday and Thursday to meet his Japanese counterpart Takeo Akiba to discuss the controversial compensation fund Tokyo offered in 2015 for Korean victims of Japan’s wartime slavery, which the Korean victims have been refusing to accept, a government official said. 　　The 1 billion yen ($9 million) fund was provided by Tokyo as part of the controversial 2015 Seoul-Tokyo deal to settle the issue of “comfort women”-- South Korean vi

Oct. 24, 2018

NK yet to respond to US request for meeting

A war of nerves between Washington and Pyongyang over efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons appears to be escalating, with North Korea yet to respond to a US proposal for high-level talks and the US delaying a second summit with the North.　High-level talks as well as working-level talks between the US and North Korea to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula have yet to be held, and the two sides have yet to confirm a date or venue for such talks, a senior South Korean

Oct. 24, 2018

Croatian foreign minister to visit Seoul this week

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha plans to hold talks with her Croatian counterpart in Seoul this week on improving ties between the two countries, Kang's ministry announced Tuesday.Marija Pejcinovic, Croatia's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, will begin her first official trip here later in the day. (Yonhap)The ministers are scheduled to meet each other Wednesday to discuss Croatia's plan to open its embassy in Seoul and direct flight services between Incheon and Zagreb, t

Oct. 23, 2018

Korea to use drones to monitor illegal fishing

South Korea will push to expand the use of drones to monitor illegal fishing and marine littering in waters around the nation, the oceans ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said an internal venture team set a goal of utilizing 500 unmanned aerial vehicles by 2022 to effectively monitor offshore illegal activities. (Yonhap)The ministry said it will dispatch three drones to monitor illegal fishing activities next year on a trial basis before moving to develop unmanned aircr

Oct. 22, 2018

Moon heads home with European concessions for N. Korea

COPENHAGEN -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed home Saturday, wrapping up a five-nation European tour that was apparently more successful than anticipated, heralding the possibility of a trip by Pope Francis to North Korea.In a meeting with the pope held in the Vatican on Thursday, President Moon delivered an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the pope to visit Pyongyang.The pope gave conditional but implicit agreement, saying he will be "available" for the trip."(I) wi

Oct. 21, 2018