Park seeks U.S. ties on space industry

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday visited the Goddard Space Flight Center, a major NASA space research lab in Washington, to seek wider bilateral cooperation in the space industry.The visit, a rare schedule by a foreign leader, was viewed as her attempt to enhance the Korean space technology that still stands far behind other advanced nations. President Park Geun-hye attends a special session demonstrating new satellite-servicing technologies at NASA`s Goddard Space

Oct. 15, 2015

Blue House slams NPAD’s electoral fraud allegations

WASHINGTON ― Just hours after touching down in Washington for summit talks, a presidential official lambasted an opposition lawmaker Tuesday for alleging fraud in the 2012 presidential election.Chief presidential press secretary Kim Sung-woo, accompanying President Park Geun-hye on her four-day U.S. trip, offered an impromptu briefing to the accompanying media some three hours after arrival.He slammed Rep. Kang Dong-won of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy for suggesting th

Oct. 14, 2015

On U.S. trip, Park staying at Blair House

WASHINGTON ― South Korean President Park Geun-hye will stay at the Blair House, a state guest house near the White House in the heart of Washington, during her four-day trip to the U.S., Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.Amid growing interest over how Park will be treated during her “official working visit” ― one level down from a “state visit” ― the presidential office said the South Korean leader was invited to the house, calling it a barometer of how much Washington values having her here.  A group

Oct. 14, 2015

How will Park be treated in U.S.?

How President Park Geun-hye will be treated during her visit to the U.S. this week is drawing keen attention as it comes at a delicate juncture when she should show strong unity with the U.S. against North Korea and dispel the growing impression that Seoul is tilting toward Beijing.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung before boarding the presidential plane at the Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Like her visit to the U.S. in

Oct. 13, 2015

'Xi has greater foreign policy clout than predecessors’

This is the first installment in a series of interviews with renowned scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power triggering shifts in the regional order. This installment analyzes the evolution of China’s foreign policy. -- Ed.　By Song Sang-ho　Chinese President Xi Jinping has forged a new institutional mechanism to enable him to ease the constraints of the country’s collective leadership structure and take control of foreign policy, a China expert said. Kim Heung-kyu, political sci

Oct. 13, 2015

Korean encryption device missing in Russia

South Korea’s state-run arms development institute was found Monday to have lost a fax encryption system in Russia, stoking concerns over a potential compromise of sensitive information that may pose a threat to the country’s national security. The Agency for Defense Development acknowledged that the device disappeared from its office in Moscow last October. The equipment, last used in June 2014, is attached to a fax machine and designed to encode plain text and decipher encrypted messages.  (Yo

Oct. 12, 2015

Kazakh students mark national day with bicycle journey

Kazakhstan celebrated 550 years of statehood this month in a series of pageantries across its vast territory covering Central Asia. People wearing traditional costumes, with pointed fur hats, hunting eagles and stringed instruments, evoked images of their nomadic ancestors, who descended from Genghis Khan. Starting from 1465, the migratory tribes were united by Sultans Kerey and Zhanibek and settled in the valleys of rivers Shu and Talas, forming the first “khanate,” according to historic record

Oct. 11, 2015

ASEAN, Korea connect through investment, education

The ASEAN-Korea Center and Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board jointly held an investment seminar on Tuesday to spread the knowledge of Indonesia’s food, beverage and agro industries, and open up the flow of Korean investment into the country.ASEAN-Korea Center secretary-general Kim Young-sun, Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio, and government officials from North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and East Java regions participated in the event at the Plaza Hotel. Following presenta

Oct. 11, 2015

New Zealand, Korea celebrate growing commercial, cultural ties

The New Zealand Embassy kicked off a monthlong festival in October to celebrate growing commercial and cultural links with Korea, expected to expand further after the free trade agreement likely comes into force this year. The bilateral agreement was signed in March during the visit of New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, Trade Minister Tim Groser and delegation of 35 business representatives to Korea. New Zealand’s parliament has completed its ratification, while Korea’s National Assembly is

Oct. 11, 2015

Park to visit Pentagon during U.S. trip

 President Park Geun-hye will visit the United States this week for summit talks with her American counterpart, Barack Obama, a senior presidential official said Sunday.President Park Geun-hye is poised to offer letters of credence to newly appointed diplomats at Cheong Wa Dae last Thursday. (Yonhap)Park will depart for Washington on Tuesday for a four-day trip, which will include a summit with Obama on Friday, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs Ju Chul-ki said during a press brie

Oct. 11, 2015

Park, Obama to discuss more N.K. sanctions, but not THAAD: envoy

Amid North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, Seoul and Washington will explore the possibility of additional sanctions and other ways to deter another major provocation during their summit next week, the U.S. ambassador here said Thursday. Mark Lippert, however, ruled out a stationing of advanced U.S. missile defense assets on the peninsula as an item on the agenda for Presidents Park Geun-hye and Barack Obama, though she is scheduled to visit the Pentagon during her trip accompanied

Oct. 8, 2015