[Herald Interview] Biden will be tough on China, but likely to rescind tariffs, experts say

US President-elect Joe Biden faces a number of crises at home, such as the coronavirus and its ensuing economic fallout, as well as a deep partisan divide and civil unrest. Such domestic imperatives cast doubts on how much Biden can do on the foreign policy front, especially in Asia. But he will no doubt be tough on China, a major threat to the US economy, experts told The Korea Herald, and he will likely do so by building a united front of allies and partners, rather than raging a trade war li

Nov. 12, 2020

Biden says he is looking forward to working with Moon on challenges, including N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden said Wednesday he looks forward to working closely with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on various challenges facing their countries, such as the North Korean nuclear issue and climate change. In his first phone call with Moon, Biden also expressed "his desire to strengthen the US-ROK alliance as the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," according to a statement from his transition team. ROK stands for South Kore

Nov. 12, 2020

Moon, Biden reaffirm commitment to alliance, cooperation on global issues

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday spoke with US President-elect Joe Biden via phone, reaffirming their commitment to the alliance and to cooperating on global issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change. “I think that the election result is a reflection of US citizens’ high expectations for President-elect Biden’s long experience in state affairs, outstanding leadership and clear vision,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Min-s

Nov. 12, 2020

FM Kang's late father-in-law to become state-honored independent fighter

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's late father-in-law will be posthumously recognized by the state as a patriot for his contribution to Korea's independence from the Japanese colonial rule, the veterans affairs ministry said Thursday. Lee Ki-eul, emeritus professor of Seoul's Yonsei University, applied for the recognition in April, which was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA). In 1940, when he was a high school

Nov. 12, 2020

Moon, Biden agree to cooperate closely on N. Korean nuke issue in phone call

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his incoming US counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed to work closely together to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, as they had a 14-minute phone conversation Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae said. Biden described South Korea as a "linchpin" of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Moon's spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon asked Biden to "communicate closely" for the forward-looking development of the Seoul-Washington allia

Nov. 12, 2020

Biden visits Korean War memorial in Philadelphia on US Veterans Day

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden made a brief trip to a Korean War veterans' memorial in his home state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday as the United States observed its national Veterans Day. "Biden, holding the hand of his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and accompanied by the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, arrived at the black marble memorial that stands in a square. US and Korean flags flew overhead," a pool report said. The visit lasted 15 minutes, during which the president-el

Nov. 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] 'Seoul needs to ask NK to refrain from provocations'

After four tumultuous years of the Donald Trump presidency, countries around the world are trying to figure out what President-elect Joe Biden’s America will mean for them. 　 With Biden’s win on pledges to take the nation on a very different path from Trump on every front -- from COVID-19 responses and the economy to foreign policy -- a lot is at stake for Seoul, Washington’s key ally on issues from security to trade and North Korea diplomacy. 　 The Blue House appears to be

Nov. 11, 2020

Spy chief’s Tokyo trip unlikely to spark dramatic changes in Korea-Tokyo relations

The South Korean National Intelligence Service chief’s series of meetings with Japanese leaders appear unlikely to spark sudden changes in bilateral relations, with his suggestions reportedly being met with little enthusiasm. On Wednesday, National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won returned to Seoul after having met with Japan’s political leaders including Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the previous day. At the meeting with Suga, Park suggested issuing a Korea-Ja

Nov. 11, 2020

FM meets with people close to Biden, stresses need for US to prioritize NK issue

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Tuesday she met with people considered close to US President-elect Joe Biden and stressed the need for the incoming administration to prioritize the North Korean nuclear issue. During the meetings, including one with John Allen, head of the Washington-based Brookings Institute, Kang said she stressed the nuclear standoff requires Biden's personal interest and called for an early resumption of the stalled nuclear negotiations with t

Nov. 11, 2020

Vice FM Lee reiterates S. Korea's commitment to strengthening multilateralism

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho has renewed South Korea's commitment to strengthening multilateralism to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and other global challenges, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Lee made the remarks in a video message sent to Tuesday's high-level forum that the Spanish government hosted in support of multilateralism on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. "The Republic of Korea is ready to cooperate with various

Nov. 11, 2020

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, Britain hold talks on post-Brexit economic cooperation

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Britain have held video talks to discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation after Britain's complete withdrawal from the European Union (EU), Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. During the talks held Tuesday with Nigel Adams, minister for Asia at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho stressed the need for continuity in bilateral trade relations between the two countries after Britain's transitio

Nov. 11, 2020

FM meets with US national security adviser

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien on Tuesday and discussed "many important national security issues facing the two countries," the US official said. "It was great to speak with my esteemed colleague Kang Kyung-wha, Foreign Minister of our ally, the republic of Korea," O'Brien tweeted. "We discussed many important national security issues facing both nations and the Indo-Pacific." Kang has b

Nov. 11, 2020

Moon, British PM hold phone talks over ties, climate change

President Moon Jae-in held phone talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday and discussed ways to promote bilateral ties and cooperate on climate change, his office said. Johnson invited Moon to the summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies to be held in Britain next year, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon expressed appreciation for the invitation and also invited Johnson to the upcoming P4G summit that South Korea plans to host in May next year. P4G, which stands for Par

Nov. 10, 2020

S. Korea's spy chief meets Suga amid protracted dispute over wartime forced labor

TOKYO/SEOUL -- South Korea's National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo on Tuesday, a senior Japanese official said, amid strained relations between the two countries over wartime history and trade. Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular press briefing that Park paid a courtesy call on Suga, in the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Suga took office in September after his predecessor,

Nov. 10, 2020

Court public notice takes effect for compensation of wartime forced laborers

A public notice by a court went into effect on Tuesday to proceed with a stalled legal process to liquidate the assets of a Japanese firm and compensate wartime forced laborers. The Daejeon District Court in central South Korea has served the notice to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) to institute the compensation process, as the Japanese company failed to respond to a ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court to compensate five forced laborers and their families who suffered during World War

Nov. 10, 2020

S. Korea considering arranging Moon-Biden phone talks at 'appropriate time': foreign ministry

South Korea is considering arranging phone talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President-elect Joe Biden at an "appropriate" time, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Lee Jae-woong, the ministry's deputy spokesman, made the remarks as speculation has grown over when Moon will hold his first phone conversation with Biden as President Donald Trump has refused to concede defeat in last week's election. "We are considering holding diplomatic events with the US president-elect,

Nov. 10, 2020

S. Korea to continue consultation with Japan on wartime forced labor amid legal compensation process: ministry

South Korea will continue close consultations with Japan over the long-simmering issue of Tokyo's wartime forced labor, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as a legal process to compensate victims took a step forward with no diplomatic solution in sight. A district court in the central city of Daejeon has served Mitsubishi Heavy Industries a public notice related to the victims' request to sell off local assets of the Japanese firm. The notice took effect at the start of Tuesday. The public not

Nov. 10, 2020

Kang, Pompeo reaffirm close cooperation on peninsular affairs

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed their commitment for their countries to closely cooperate on ensuring the stable management of the Korean Peninsula situation. 　 Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the top diplomats of the two countries held talks during a luncheon in Washington on Monday, discussing pending bilateral and regional issues. 　 Kang and Pompeo agreed on continuing efforts to develop South Korea-US relations a

Nov. 10, 2020

Kang, Pompeo reaffirm efforts to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula, both sides said, as they held talks two days after Joe Biden was elected the next US president. "During the meeting, Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Kang discussed bilateral and regional priorities, including coordination on ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and expanding cooperation through the US Indo-

Nov. 10, 2020

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, China hold virtual talks ahead of ASEAN summits

Senior diplomats of South Korea and China held video talks on Monday to discuss upcoming summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said. Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn met virtually with his Chinese counterpart, Luo Zhaohui, ahead of the ASEAN Plus Three summit involving their countries and Japan and the East Asia Summit to be joined by 18 countries including the United States, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Indi

Nov. 9, 2020