Top S. Korean, German diplomats hold phone talks on bilateral ties, Korea peace efforts

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, held phone talks Friday to discuss bilateral ties and Seoul's efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. During the talks, Chung said that South Korea will contribute actively to international discussions on addressing climate change and public health issues when it attends the Group of Seven (G7) summit slated to take place in Britain in June. Chung also explained Seoul's conti

April 9, 2021

S. Korean PM to visit Iran next week amid lingering tension over frozen Tehran funds

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will visit Iran next week for talks on bilateral ties and other issues, his office said Friday, amid lingering tension over Tehran's call to unlock its funds frozen here under US sanctions. Chung's visit to Iran from Sunday to Tuesday -- the first such trip by a South Korean premier in 44 years -- follows Tehran's release this week of a Korean oil tanker and its captain about three months after its seizure over alleged oil pollution. "Through this visit, Prim

April 9, 2021

FM Chung, Indonesia defense chief agree to advance cooperation in joint fighter jet project

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on Friday and agreed to work together to move substantial cooperation between the two countries forward, including an ongoing joint fighter jet development project, the ministry said. The meeting took place as Prabowo was in South Korea to attend the rollout ceremony of a prototype of South Korea's first indigenous fighter jet, named the KF-X in the South and IF-X in Indonesia. "The ministers agreed to m

April 9, 2021

Iran releases seized S. Korean ship, captain

Iran released a South Korean oil tanker and its captain, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, about three months after they were seized over alleged oil pollution. The ship, with its captain and 12 other crew members aboard, left the port near Bandar Abbas on the southern coast, at around 6 a.m. (Iran time), the ministry said. The crew members had been released earlier but have remained on the ship for maintenance purposes. The ministry said the captain and the crew members remain safe and s

April 9, 2021

South Korea, US sign deal on shared defense costs

South Korea and the US on Thursday signed the recently concluded agreement on how to share the cost of the US military presence here, resolving an impasse in negotiations that lasted more than a year and put a strain on the decadeslong alliance. 　 Under the new deal that was reached last month, Seoul agreed to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.06 billion) this year for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. That is a 13.9 percent hike from the previous 2019 deal, the biggest annual rise for

April 8, 2021

White House denies ongoing discussions with allies to boycott Beijing Olympics

The White House on Wednesday denied any discussions with US allies to jointly boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Beijing as part of efforts to hold China accountable for its suppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States will work closely with allies for their shared interests but reiterated "no discussion" is under way. "Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. We have not discussed and are not discussing

April 8, 2021

Military training important to protecting US interest on Korean Peninsula: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- Defense readiness is especially crucial on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, highlighting the importance of military exercises there. John Kirby said the US goal remains the denuclearization of North Korea. "Training is important on the peninsula. We have to make sure that the alliance is sound and solid and ready to, obviously, defend our interests and the interests of our Korean allies on any given day," he said at a press briefing. South Kor

April 8, 2021

US prepared for diplomacy for denuclearization of N. Korea: White House spokeswoman

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to engage in some form of diplomacy with North Korea if it will lead to denuclearization on the peninsula, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday. She said the US remains committed to denuclearization of North Korea. "We have a clear objective as it relates to North Korea, which is denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," the spokeswoman said at a daily press briefing. "We are, of course, continuing to enforce sanctions. We are

April 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] US law students ask Biden to engage in ‘comfort women’ issue

Asian students in 15 US law schools including Harvard asked the White House to engage in the “comfort women” issue ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s US visit. The Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association said Tuesday that they sent a letter, co-signed by the Asian law student associations of 14 other universities such as Columbia, Stanford and Yale, requesting US President Joe Biden to raise the issue of Japan’s wartime sex slavery during h

April 7, 2021

US committed to improving S. Korea-Japan relations: Knapper

The US administration of President Joe Biden is very committed to improved relations between South Korea and Japan as cooperation between the allies is key to dealing with various regional issues, including a nuclear-armed North Korea, a US diplomat said Tuesday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, also said he feels very "optimistic" about Seoul-Tokyo relations. "I think we've seen very early on, I mean, absolute proof that this administration

April 7, 2021

N. Korea's decision to skip Olympics consistent with its COVID-19 response: Price

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's decision to skip the Summer Olympics appears to be in line with its strong measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesman for the US State Department said Tuesday. "We are aware of reports that North Korea has decided not to participate in the Summer Olympics, which would appear consistent, in fact, with the DPRK's stringent response to COVID-19," Ned Price said at a daily press briefing. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the

April 7, 2021

PM heading to Iran for talks on seized vessel

Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun is heading to Iran in the next few days for talks to release a seized South Korean oil tanker and its captain, according to his office and diplomatic sources Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the visit earlier in the day, but did not specify a date. With the two governments still consulting on the timing, the Prime Minister’s Office said it was seeking to arrange a meeting between Chung and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. In early January,

April 6, 2021

S. Korea willing to cooperate with Quad countries on issue-by-issue basis: official

South Korea is willing to cooperate with the member countries of the US-led Quad forum on an issue-by-issue basis, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday, amid speculation Washington wants Seoul to join the forum seen as a counterbalance to China's influence. Officials in Seoul have made it clear that there has been no formal request from the US to join the Quad, also involving Australia, India and Japan, stressing that the country would take part in an initiative of any form as long as it se

April 6, 2021

US takes alliance commitment with S. Korea very seriously: Pentagon spokesman

The United States takes its defense alliance with South Korea very seriously, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, highlighting US efforts to ensure the countries' joint defense readiness at all times. John Kirby also said the US always evaluates its military exercises in any given year to make sure that the military is ready. "Obviously, we're all committed to the denuclearization of North Korea, and to security and stability on the peninsula," he said when asked about the US' ongoing

April 6, 2021

S. Korea, Thailand agree to hold high-level talks on health security

The top diplomats of South Korea and Thailand agreed to launch a "two plus two" dialogue of foreign and health ministers to discuss cooperation in health and other related fields, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong agreed to hold such a meeting "at an appropriate time" when he spoke by phone with his Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwina, earlier in the day, the ministry said in a release. The ministers also agreed to work together to resume h

April 5, 2021

Violent crackdown triggers S. Korean exodus from Myanmar

A growing number of South Koreans living in Myanmar are being evacuated from the country amid a violent crackdown on anti-coup protests that has left hundreds dead. 　 According to the Korean Foreign Ministry on Monday, a total of 411 Korean nationals residing in the Southeast Asian country have returned home since the military seized control of the country Feb. 1. 　 Starting this month, the number of chartered flights between Yangon and Incheon has been increased to facilitate the swift retur

April 5, 2021

Seoul, Washington hope to schedule summit talks sooner

The first face-to-face meeting between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden may come sooner than expected, with the two governments seeking to advance the date as early as April, according to diplomatic sources Monday. Considering Biden’s packed diplomatic schedule this month, including a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on April 16 and the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate he will preside over on April 22-23, a summit with Moon could come later in the mont

April 5, 2021

NK’s denuclearization receives fresh attention at top security meetings

As high-level talks by top security officials in the US and China ended with putting North Korea’s denuclearization issue at the fore, all eyes are on what kind of changes it could bring on the Korean Peninsula under the Biden administration amid an intensifying US-China rivalry.  Experts say Seoul’s push for reviving the deadlocked nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang could gain momentum following the meetings, but as to whether the reclusive regime will respond and how South Kor

April 4, 2021

Wang says S. Korea, China will seek 'political' resolution process for Korean Peninsula issue

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday that China and South Korea will seek a process for a "political" resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue, raising prospects of joint efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea. Wang made the remarks during talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, as Seoul seeks to enlist cooperation from Beijing and other countries to move forward its stalled agenda for lasting peace on the peni

April 3, 2021

S. Korea, Japan, US agree on need to quickly resume dialogue with N. Korea

South Korea, Japan and the United States have agreed on the need to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue as they reaffirmed their joint efforts to quickly resume denuclearization talks with Pyongyang, South Korea's national security adviser Suh Hoon said Friday. "South Korea, the US and Japan agreed on the urgency of the North Korean nuclear issue and need for a diplomatic solution to the issue," Suh told reporters after a three-way meeting with his US and Japanese counte

April 3, 2021