Park arrives in S. Korea after trip to Africa, France

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Seoul on Sunday after her swing through Africa and France that strived to boost economic cooperation and win broad support to sanction North Korea's for its nuclear weapons program.The trip illustrated South Korea's efforts to tap into business opportunities on the African continent that has huge growth potential as well as to further strengthen existing economic ties with Paris.Asia's fourth largest economy signed dozens of initial deals with Ethiopia, Uganda

June 5, 2016

Park visits French company to promote hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle cooperation

South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited a research institute of French Air Liquide SA, the world's biggest supplier of industrial gases, on Saturday to boost cooperation in fuel-cell vehicles as she wrapped up her state visit to France.The trip to the research institute in Grenoble, a city in southeastern France, underscores the importance South Korea places on liquefaction technology in further spreading the use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.She looked around the facility that liquefies h

June 5, 2016

Korean FM makes first visit to Cuba

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrived in Cuba Saturday (local time) to attend a regional summit, officials said, marking the first time Seoul's top diplomat has visited the Caribbean state.Yun is scheduled to stay in Havana for two days to attend a summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and hold meetings with some of his counterparts from the participating nations.Yun's visit is widely seen as an effort to improve ties with Cuba, with which South Korea does not have dip

June 5, 2016

S. Korea, Japan agree to augment military hotline

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan agreed Saturday to augment their military hotline as the neighbors seek to intensify joint cooperation in defense against North Korea's worsening nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said.The agreement was reached during bilateral talks between Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Singapore on the fringe of the ongoing Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.Currently, South K

June 4, 2016

S. Korea, France vow to take necessary steps over N. Korea

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her French counterpart, Francois Hollande, pledged Friday to take additional steps against North Korea, if necessary, in the latest move to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program."I would like to continue cooperation with France in the future,” Park said in a news conference with Hollande after their summit, citing France's leading role in adopting U.N. sanctions on North Korea.Hollande said France will make all efforts to deter North Korea’s provoc

June 4, 2016

U.S. lawmaker calls Seoul-Washington alliance 'cornerstone' in regional peace

A visiting U.S. lawmaker has called the alliance between the United States and South Korea a "cornerstone" for regional peace and stability, expressing his conviction in its value and importance, the foreign ministry said Friday.Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is visiting South Korea, along with his colleagues Reps. Bill Flores and Ted Lieu. They met with Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam on Thursday in Seoul. "During the meeting, Rep. Royce said he has convictio

June 3, 2016

Key Trump ally blasts Korea-U.S. FTA again

A key Donald Trump ally, who oversees his foreign policy, displayed deeply negative views of the U.S. free trade agreement with South Korea, saying the deal ended up increasing Korean exports to the U.S. The remark by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) reinforces concern that Trump, if elected to the White House, could seek to overhaul the pact, which has been in effect since 2012 and is considered a symbol of the economic alliance between the two countries.In an interview with Politico published Tuesday

June 1, 2016

U.S. finance minister to visit Korea

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew will visit South Korea on June 2-4 to discuss ways to strengthen economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, the finance ministry here said Wednesday.During his trip, Lew will meet with his South Korean counterpart Yoo Il-ho on Friday, some two months after their last meeting in Washington in April.It is the first time in nearly 10 years that a U.S. finance secretary has visited South Korea to hold a ministerial meeting since then-Secreta

June 1, 2016

Korea set to take first step to implement deal with Japan on sex slaves

South Korea will officially start work to implement a landmark agreement forged with Japan late last year to compensate South Korean women sexually enslaved by Japanese soldiers during World War II, the government said Monday.The government will launch a steering committee on Tuesday in the run-up to the official establishment next month of a foundation aimed at compensating the South Korean women who were forced to serve in frontline brothels for the imperialist Japanese army during the war.The

May 30, 2016

NATO military committee chairman visits Korea

The chairman of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization arrived in South Korea on Monday for a four-day visit which includes a meeting with the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff, the military said.Having arrived in Seoul in the morning, Chairman Petr Pavel, who is a Czech army general, will hold a meeting with JCS Chairman Lee Sun-jin later in the day to discuss military cooperation between South Korea and NATO, the JCS said in a press release.During his vis

May 30, 2016

Lippert recalls last year's knife attack as chance to prove strong Korea-U.S. alliance

The near-fatal knife attack he sustained during a lecture event in South Korea last year turned out to be a good opportunity to prove the robust nature of the bilateral alliance between Seoul and Washington, U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert said Monday.The U.S. envoy was attacked by a knife-wielding South Korean man in March 2015, which left him with deep gashes that required more than 80 stitches and six days of hospitalization. The 56-year-old assailant, Kim Ki-jong, is currently serving

May 30, 2016