China, Japan, Russia show differing views on inter-Korean summit

China, Japan and Russia -- members of the six-party talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- are showing different views on the inter-Korean summit slated for April. While China and Russia welcome the development, Japan appeared to be perplexed, expressing cautious doubt toward the communist regime.(Yonhap)The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Tuesday showing support for the decision to hold the top-level meeting, which would be the third of its kind. The first inter-K

March 7, 2018

Are hurdles cleared for US-NK talks?

After North Korea said it was willing to discuss denuclearization with the US, both hope and skepticism are growing over a potential diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Pyongyang. 　US President Donald Trump hailed the North’s offer to denuclearize as “very positive” and “sincere.” He also said in the Oval Office it would be “a great thing” for the world, North Korea and the peninsula, adding he will “see what happens.”　In what many see as an unexpectedly bold move, North Korean leader

March 7, 2018

Why Panmunjeom, not in Pyongyang or Seoul?

The key achievement of President Moon Jae-in’s envoys to North Korea is that the two Koreas laid the groundwork for easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and opened a possibility for talks between the reclusive regime and the US to tackle the nuclear deadlock, experts said Tuesday. South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit at the Peace House in Panmunjeom at the end of April, Moon’s top security adviser said Tuesday, following a two-day trip to Pyongyang as Moon

March 6, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Shift to renewables takes political will’

In Korea, spring always comes with an unwelcome guest -- fine dust -- and it has become a norm to check the fine dust level every morning, put on a mask and bear with it. But that does not have be a norm. South Korean people hold the key to challenging the status quo by pressuring the government and businesses, said Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wide Fund for Nature. Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)“Negative changes can be reversed. We decide t

March 6, 2018

'Release of detainees not on agenda for envoys to N. Korea’

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoys to North Korea have no plans to discuss the release of South Koreans and Americans detained in the communist state just yet, the presidential office said Monday.“I cannot be 100 percent certain that the matter will not be discussed, but it is not an agenda item (for the special envoys to North Korea,)” an official from the presidential office told reporters on condition of anonymity. “The core of preliminary talks between North Korea and the US

March 5, 2018

‘Next US ambassador may have military background’: expert

With the position of the US ambassador to South Korea still vacant amid ongoing inter-Korean exchanges, analysts speculate that an official with a military background may surface as a viable candidate.  Former USFK commander Walter Sharp. (US Department of Defense)“There are talks in the diplomatic sphere that someone with a military background may fill the position,” Shin Beom-chul, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told The Korea Herald. The post -- which has been vacant fo

March 5, 2018

Moon’s envoy to head to North with challenging task: experts

With South Korean President Moon Jae-in planning to send a special envoy to North Korea on Monday, the delegation’s pressing task will be convincing Pyongyang to put its nuclear weapons programs on the negotiating table to open talks with the US, experts say.　The presidential office said Sunday that Moon would send a five-member delegation led by Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office, to North Korea. The delegation includes the National Intelligence Service’s chief Suh Hoon and Vi

March 4, 2018

S. Korean, Russian foreign ministers vow to peacefully resolve NK nuke issue

The top diplomats of South Korea and Russia have agreed to step up their diplomatic cooperation toward peacefully resolving North Korea's nuclear issue, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, met in Geneva earlier in the day (local time) on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting, according to the ministry. "The two agreed to make diplomatic efforts to maintain th

Feb. 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] US envoy on NK leaves amid peninsular detente

WASHINGTON -- Joseph Yun, a 30-year veteran of the US foreign service who retained quiet contacts with North Korea amid the Trump administration’s turbulent first year, is retiring as Washington and Pyongyang step up considerations for formal diplomatic talks.Yun told The Associated Press he will stand down as special representative for North Korean policy on Friday. He said his decision to retire is entirely his own but it comes at a surprising juncture, just after American ally South Korea rel

Feb. 28, 2018

Russia may seek 'spoiler role' in NK sanctions regime: US expert

WASHINGTON -- Russia would be acting rationally if it sought to weaken the international sanctions regime against North Korea, a US expert on Korea said Tuesday.Scott Snyder, chief Korea analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, was commenting on concerns Russia has not been fully enforcing United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang. Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, backed all four resolutions that were adopted last year in response to the North's nuclear a

Feb. 28, 2018

FM Kang urged int'l unity for peaceful resolution of NK nukes in Geneva disarmament conference

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for international unity for a peaceful resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue at the Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, her ministry said.The conference's high-level session on Tuesday was attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization as well as ministers from roughly 30 countries to discuss North Korea's nuclear and

Feb. 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] FM urges North Korea to improve human rights in UN speech

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and improve human rights of its people in her keynote speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Kang also raised the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, saying a controversial 2015 deal between Korea and Japan on “comfort women” lacked a “victim-oriented approach.”“North Korea must heed the call of the international commu

Feb. 27, 2018

In UN speech, S. Korean FM calls on N. Korean regime to improve human rights

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday called on the North Korean regime to improve the human rights of its people during her keynote speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, her ministry said."North Korea must heed the call of the international community and abandon its nuclear and missile programs. It should invest more of its resources in its people and the protection and promotion of their human rights," Kang said in her speech to the high-level meeting of

Feb. 26, 2018

Will North Korea and US talk this time?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that the US should lower the bar for talks with North Korea and dialogue between the two countries should begin soon, a day after a top North Korean official said that Pyongyang is willing to hold talks with WashingtonIvanka Trump, US President Donald Trump’s daughter and senior White House adviser, and Kim Yong-chol of the North Korean delegation attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics on Sunday. (Reuters-Yonhap)“The US should lower its ba

Feb. 26, 2018

China paves way for Xi Jinping to remain leader for years

BEIJING — China’s ruling Communist Party has proposed scrapping term limits for the country’s president, the official news agency said, appearing to lay the groundwork for party leader Xi Jinping to rule as president beyond 2023.The party’s Central Committee proposed to remove from the constitution the expression that China’s president and vice president “shall serve no more than two consecutive terms,” the Xinhua News Agency said Sunday.“Xi Jinping has finally achieved his ultimate goal when he

Feb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Olympics leave legacy as Peace Olympics

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics were marked by not only hard-fought competition for medals, but also fierce diplomatic efforts on the sidelines of the sporting event, intent to pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula. 　With nuclear-armed North Korea’s participation, the Olympics left behind a legacy of peace and reconciliation for the world after a year of tensions heightened by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. 　The momentum for peace began building after North Korean leader

Feb. 25, 2018

Speculations over NK-US talks rise

Speculations mounted Sunday over possible interaction between officials from the US and North Korea on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, as North Korea’s delegation includes a specialist on US-North Korea relations. Led by Kim Yong-chul, vice chairman of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee, the eight-member delegation crossed the inter-Korean border on Sunday to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics. The North’s delegation includes Choe Kang-il, deputy dir

Feb. 25, 2018

Allison Hooker: Low-key figure who could pave way for US-NK talks

Although Ivanka Trump may not have any plans to meet any North Koreans, someone else in her team might be gearing up for a meeting with representatives from the reclusive nation.  Allison Hooker, a National Security Council official arrives at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday. (Yonhap)South Korean analysts and media have pinpointed Allison Hooker, a National Security Council official who specializes in Korean affairs as a potential key player in establishing foundations for future US-North Korea talks. H

Feb. 24, 2018

[Photo News] Ivanka's four-day trip for PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony

Ivanka Trump, US President Donald Trump's daughter and a senior adviser to the White House arrived in South Korea on Friday, for a four-day visit to lead the US delegation to the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Here are some of the photos showing Ivanka's first two days here. Trump arrived at around 4 p.m. here on Friday, and participated in a dinner meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at Sangchunjae, traditional Korean house inside the presidential office.The Blue

Feb. 24, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] First lady Kim, Ivanka watch snowboarding final

South Korea's first lady Kim Jung-sook and Ivanka Trump, the US president's daughter and senior advisor, watched a snowboarding competition together at the ongoing PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Saturday, a presidential aide here said. Ivanka Trump (left), First Lady Kim Jung-sook, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap) Ivanka Trump (left), First Lady Kim Jung-sook, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)They watched the men's big air final competition at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in the no

Feb. 24, 2018