S. Korea expresses regret as Japan honors war criminals

South Korea on Tuesday expressed regret over visits by Japanese lawmakers to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead from 1868 to 1954, including 14 convicted Class A World War II war criminals. Marking its liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, the Korean government issued a statement, urging Japanese leaders to “face up to the country’s past.” “We express deep disappointment and regret that the Japanese leaders in the governm

Aug. 15, 2023

Summit to set protocol for trilateral ties

The US, South Korea and Japan are expected to set up protocols to bolster three-way ties at a Camp David summit in Maryland on Friday, according to a media report. News website Axios said Monday that Biden, South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will unveil the “Camp David Principles,” which will institutionalize progress in relations and make it harder for the two Asian leaders to reverse course amid their recent thaw over historical disputes.

Aug. 15, 2023

Iranian funds held in S. Korea will only be used for humanitarian purposes: state dept.

WASHINGTON -- The Iranian funds currently held in South Korea can only be used for humanitarian purposes while the United States will continue to hold Iran accountable for any destabilizing actions, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, also emphasized that the money had always been available to Iran for humanitarian use. "Allowing Iran to use such funds for humanitarian purposes is consistent with long standing US

Aug. 15, 2023

Park to meet US, Japan top diplomats virtually

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it was in talks with the US and Japan to hold a virtual meeting of foreign ministers ahead of their first three-way summit at the US presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland on Friday. A day earlier, the US State Department said the three top diplomats would hold talks on Tuesday, Korean time, which was a misunderstanding according to a source with knowledge of the matter. “The date had been floated as one possibility but it was neve

Aug. 14, 2023

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan to hold virtual meeting ahead of trilateral summit

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold discussions virtually ahead of a trilateral summit among their leaders slated for later this week, the US State Department has said. The virtual meeting among South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m., the department said Sunday. US President Joe Biden is set to host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Jap

Aug. 14, 2023

FM urges S. Korean envoys in Arab countries to promote World Expo bid

Foreign Minister Park Jin met with a group of South Korean envoys stationed in the Middle East to discuss ways to strengthen diplomacy in the region and urged efforts to promote Seoul's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, his office said Monday. Park also stressed that an "unprecedented change in the recent political situation of the Middle East has presented new challenges and opportunities" at the meeting held in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. The meeting was attended by 16 he

Aug. 14, 2023

FM visits Rwanda, seeks future-oriented cooperation

Foreign Minister Park Jin visited Rwanda and held talks with senior officials on ways to strengthen cooperation in technology and other future-oriented areas, his office said Sunday. Park held talks with his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta, in Rwanda's capital of Kigali on Saturday, and the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening strategic dialogue between the two countries foreign ministries, according to Seoul's ministry. Park is the first South Kore

Aug. 13, 2023

No impact from release of Iranian assets from S. Korea: White House

WASHINGTON -- There will not be a significant impact from the release of frozen Iranian assets in South Korea, a White House official said Friday, amid reports that the transfer of up to $7 billion from South Korea may weaken the local currency. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the US has worked "extensively" with South Korea to that end. "All I can tell you without getting into too much of the details is that we have worked ex

Aug. 12, 2023

S. Korean FM meets Zambian president over key minerals, bilateral ties

South Korea's top diplomat has held talks with Zambia's president over supply chain cooperation for key minerals and other issues, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Saturday. Foreign Minister Park Jin met with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Friday (local time) in the capital of Lusaka and stressed that cooperation between the two countries over the supply chains of cobalt, copper and other key minerals used for electric vehicle batteries will bring about mutual benefits, acco

Aug. 12, 2023

No impact from release of Iranian assets from S. Korea: White House

There will not be a significant impact from the release of frozen Iranian assets in South Korea, a White House official said Friday, amid reports that the transfer of up to US$7 billion from South Korea may weaken the local currency. John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, said the U.S. has worked "extensively" with South Korea to that end. "All I can tell you without getting into too much of the details is that we have worked exte

Aug. 12, 2023

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Zambia hold talks on Seoul's expo bid, key minerals, bilateral ties

The top diplomats of South Korea and Zambia have held talks in the African nation to discuss Seoul's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, supply chain cooperation for key minerals and other issues, the foreign ministry here said Friday. Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Zambian counterpart, Stanley Kasongo Kakubo, met Thursday as Park was in Zambia as part of his overseas trip that includes visits to Ethiopia, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates. Park's multination trip comes as Seoul is r

Aug. 11, 2023

FM seeks Ethiopia's support for S. Korea's World Expo bid

Foreign Minister Park Jin met with the Ethiopian prime minister in Addis Ababa as he seeks support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. During his luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Wednesday, Park stressed that Ethiopia serves as a crucial gateway for South Korea's diplomacy with Africa as a host of the African Union and called for efforts to further advance their relations into a "strategic partnershi

Aug. 10, 2023

Upcoming S. Korea, Japan, US summit has historic importance for world: NSC official

The upcoming trilateral summit between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States will be of historic importance to the region and the entire world, a National Security Council official said Wednesday. John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, also highlighted the importance of a strong trilateral relationship between the countries. The White House earlier announced that President Joe Biden will host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fu

Aug. 10, 2023

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Ethiopia hold talks on development cooperation in education, public health

The top diplomats of South Korea and Ethiopia held consultations to discuss the strengthening of development cooperation in education, public health and infrastructure, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. In the meeting in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Ethiopian counterpart, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, agreed on the need to further strengthen cooperation in these areas and expand economic ties through trade and investment. To this end, Park proposed that the two

Aug. 9, 2023

US concerned about N. Korea-Russia cooperation, will enforce all sanctions: state dept.

The United States remains concerned about growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, a state department spokesperson said Monday, adding the U.S. will continue to implement all existing sanctions on the two countries. The department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, also called on Pyongyang to stop its pursuit of illegal weapons programs and engage in dialogue. "Obviously, we have seen close cooperation between Russia and North Korea," the spokesperson told a daily press

Aug. 8, 2023

Japan to start Fukushima water release

Japan plans to release treated radioactive wastewater from its destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean late this month, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun said Monday, citing unnamed government officials. The discharge will take place shortly after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds three-way talks with his South Korean and US counterparts at Camp David on Aug. 18, a meeting US President Joe Biden will host for the first time, according to the newspaper. “Prime Minister K

Aug. 7, 2023

China executes S. Korean for drug trafficking

China on Friday executed a South Korean national convicted of drug trafficking, despite appeals from South Korean authorities for clemency, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has announced. “Chinese authorities just notified us of the execution,” a Foreign Ministry official said at a briefing held the same day. Beijing had informed Seoul of when the execution would take place, according to the official. The Korean, whose name, age and gender were withheld because the family wants n

Aug. 4, 2023

US working to bring Travis King home but N. Korea remains unresponsive: Blinken

WASHINGTON -- The United States is working to learn more about the safety of a US service member who crossed into North Korea last month, but the reclusive state has yet to offer any response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The top US diplomat added that the US is also working to bring the US soldier home safely. "I wish we did know more," Blinken said when asked what information the US government had on Travis King in an interview with American TV network ABC. "

Aug. 4, 2023

[Herald Interview] Digitalization, green tech key areas for future cooperation

Digitalization of the manufacturing sector and green technology are potential areas for bilateral cooperation between South Korea and Indonesia for the countries' future growth, suggested Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto as he wraps up his two-year mission in Seoul in September. He is set to leave the country for a new position as an elected member of Indonesia's Presidential Advisory Council, he said. “I tried to actualize my priority to promote the digital and

Aug. 3, 2023

S. Korean FM visits Holy See for talks on bilateral ties celebrating 60th anniversary

South Korea's top diplomat has visited the Holy See for talks on bilateral relations as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Park Jin paid a courtesy call on Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and met with Archbishop Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, on Tuesday to discuss ways to boost bilateral ties, according to the ministry. Park extended Seou

Aug. 2, 2023