FM sees 'problem' with ambassador's remarks about alliance with US

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday she sees a "problem" with recent remarks by the country's ambassador to the United States that sparked criticism for belittling South Korea's alliance with Washington. Kang also told a parliamentary audit session that she is considering taking unspecified "necessary action" over Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck's remarks that just because South Korea chose the US as its ally 70 years ago does not mean that it has to choose the US for the n

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea appears to be only country opposing Japan’s wastewater disposal: lawmaker

South Korea appears to be the only country openly opposing Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, a lawmaker said Monday. 　 According to information obtained by Rep. Lee Tae-kyu from the Foreign Ministry, no other country in the world has publicly protested Tokyo’s impending decision to dispose of contaminated water. 　 Countries in the EU and Pacific island nations, as well as the US, have responded to the issue as a m

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea, US, Japan hold 2nd trilateral talks on women's empowerment

South Korea, the United States and Japan held their second trilateral conference on women's empowerment via video links last week, the foreign ministry said Monday, as they seek to deepen their cooperation on regional and global issues. The Women's Empowerment Trilateral Conference, the second of its kind following the first one in 2016, took place from Tuesday through Friday, with a focus on collaboration in removing barriers to women's participation in science, technology, engineering and mat

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea welcomes Sudan-Israel agreement normalizing diplomatic ties

South Korea welcomes an agreement between Sudan and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations and a subsequent US decision to remove the African country from its list of terrorism-sponsoring countries, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government welcomes the agreement to normalize relations between Sudan and Israel and end hostilities, and expects the agreement to contribute to regional stability and a peace settlement," ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said in a commenta

Oct. 26, 2020

Japan's latest claims to Dokdo 'baseless': foreign ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday refuted Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo and warned of stern a response to the unsubstantiated claims. "Dokdo is our inherent territory, historically, geographically and by international law," the ministry said in a statement. "We want to make it clear that whatever attempt Japan makes cannot have an influence over our firm territorial sovereignty." Earlier in the day, the Japan Institute of Inter

Oct. 23, 2020

S. Korea to provide $10m in aid for Rohingya refugees

South Korea plans to provide $10 million in humanitarian assistance to support Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar and hosting countries in the region, the foreign ministry said Friday. Seoul made the pledge on Thursday during the virtual session of the Conference on Sustaining Support for the Rohingya Refugee Response, a multilateral channel set up to discuss humanitarian aid and other support measures for the ethnic minority. In the session, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho calle

Oct. 23, 2020

Vice FM calls for expansion of S. Korea-Canada cooperation in post-COVID-19 era

Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called Friday for joint efforts with Canada to firm up bilateral cooperation in strengthening multilateralism, developing new technologies and promoting lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Choi laid out a vision to expand cooperation with Canada in the post-COVID 19 era, during his congratulatory speech at the 17th Korea-Canada Forum, an annual forum aimed at advancing policy dialogue for closer engagement between the two countries. "Vice Foreign Mi

Oct. 23, 2020

S. Korean, Laotian leaders celebrate anniversary of diplomatic ties in letters

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has exchanged congratulatory letters with his Laotian counterpart on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of reestablishing bilateral diplomatic ties, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. In his letter to Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith, Moon noted that the two sides have developed friendly cooperation in various fields since 1995. They forged formal diplomatic relations in 1974. South Korea severed diplomatic ties with Laos, which adopted communism, the followin

Oct. 23, 2020

FM Kang asks Maldives to support S. Korean minister's bid for top WTO post

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha asked the Maldives on Thursday to support a South Korean minister's bid for the top post at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Kang's office said. She made the appeal during phone talks with her Maldivian counterpart, Abdulla Shahid, as Seoul's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee is running for the WTO director generalship in the final round of the selection process, with the result expected to be announced early next month. In Thursday's talks, they also discussed co

Oct. 22, 2020

Kang, Pompeo hold consecutive phone talks

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo twice this week for talks that included discussions on bilateral issues and Seoul's bid for the top post at the World Trade Organization (WTO), her office said Thursday. The phone talks, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, came after Pompeo called off his visit to Seoul and cut short his East Asia trip earlier this month following US President Donald Trump's COVID-19 contraction. In this week's talks, t

Oct. 22, 2020

Moon talks with Indian, Danish leaders over race for top WTO post

President Moon Jae-in continued his phone diplomacy Wednesday to help South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee win the ongoing competition to become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Moon had back-to-back phone talks with the prime ministers of Denmark and India -- Mette Frederiksen and Narendra Modi -- and requested support for Yoo's bid, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon said that Yoo is a candidate with expertise on trade affairs and political leadershi

Oct. 21, 2020

Seoul considers fining S. Korean sailors operating in West Africa

The South Korean government is considering whether to impose fines on its citizens if they fish in the waters off West Africa, in response to repeated maritime abductions in the region, local reports said Wednesday. 　 The ministries of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries have been discussing the matter with other concerned agencies, seeking a way to dissuade Korean sailors from fishing in the perilous waters, primarily in the Gulf of Guinea, the report said, citing unnamed sources. The fines could a

Oct. 21, 2020

S. Korea takes issue with Chinese official over suspension of BTS goods delivery

BEIJING -- South Korean Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung said Wednesday that he has taken issue with a senior Beijing official over the reported suspension of the delivery of some merchandise featuring K-pop superband BTS. Jang made the remarks during a video-linked parliamentary audit session following reports that the Chinese logistics firm, Yunda Express, and other firms have boycotted the shipments of goods related to BTS. The boycott came after BTS faced online rebukes in China earlier th

Oct. 21, 2020

Korea-Iran Association to kick off this week

The Korea-Iran Association, a private organization established to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, will officially kick off this week. 　 The inaugural meeting will be held at the Iranian Embassy in Seoul at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Chun Jung-bae, a former justice minister and lawmaker, will serve as its inaugural chairman.  　 Joining the group are Song Woong-yeob, former South Korean ambassador to Iran, as well as officials from major companies and sports, culture and media figur

Oct. 21, 2020

S. Korean amb. to China apologizes over alleged credit card misuse while in academia

BEIJING -- South Korea's Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung apologized Wednesday over allegations that he inappropriately used a university credit card while in academia. Jang made the apology during a video-linked parliamentary audit session, following revelations that 13 Korea University professors, including Jang, misused the credit card to pay a total of 66.93 million won ($59,031) at an entertainment establishment from 2016-2019. "That was what happened when I was a research center chi

Oct. 21, 2020

FM meets brother of S. Korean official killed by N. Korea

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday met with the elder brother of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea near the western sea border last month. Kang's meeting with Lee Rae-jin, the brother of the deceased official, came amid criticism that her ministry has been lukewarm about the family's calls for a UN probe into the incident and for the ministry to bring international attention to the case. The 47-year-old official was fatally shot by the North Korean military on S

Oct. 21, 2020

Biegun reiterates need to regularize, formalize Quad for joint security

WASHINGTON -- The United States sees a need to formalize a NATO-like joint structure for security in the Indo-Pacific region, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Tuesday. The No. 2 US diplomat dismissed views that the country may be seeking to expand the so-called Quad grouping, but said it would welcome any country committed to defending a free and open Indo-Pacific. "I will say that it is our view that in the passage of time, the Quad should become more regularized and at s

Oct. 21, 2020

Seoul in last spurt to rally support for trade minister’s bid for WTO leadership

The South Korean government is making last-minute efforts to rally support for Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee’s run for director general of the World Trade Organization, with top officials asking for support from foreign governments. Yoo, a career bureaucrat who has spent most of her 29-year career on trade issues, is running against Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance minister. President Moon Jae-in, who began requesting support for Yoo’s bid from foreign leaders ear

Oct. 20, 2020

S. Korean defense chief, US commander vow strong cooperation for NK denuclearization

Defense Minister Suh Wook and Adm. Phil Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula Tuesday and vowed a stronger combined readiness posture to support diplomacy to denuclearize North Korea, Seoul's defense ministry said. The US commander arrived here Monday for a two-day visit as part of his trip to Asia. During the meeting in Seoul, Suh and Davidson "shared the importance of the command's role for the complete denuclearizat

Oct. 20, 2020

S. Korea vows contributions to Afghan support fund until 2024

South Korea has pledged to continue its contributions over the next four years to a multilateral fund designed to help war-torn Afghanistan rebuild security forces, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.   Kim Young-chae, Seoul's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, made the pledge in the plenary board meeting of the Afghan National Army Trust Fund (ANATF) run by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and held in Brussels on Monday (local time), the ministry said in

Oct. 20, 2020