S. Korea to acquire data analyzing system for Global Hawk next month: procurement agency

South Korea plans to bring in the intelligence analysis system for the advanced unmanned aircraft Global Hawk from the United States next month in a move expected to enhance the country's capabilities to monitor threats from North Korea, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. Under a 2011 deal worth 965.9 billion won ($847.2 million), South Korea bought four RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). The first unit arrived here in December last year, and the last unit in Sep

Oct. 20, 2020

Russia found behind cyber attacks on PyeongChang Olympics

WASHINGTON -- Russia's military intelligence unit was found to have been behind cyber attacks against the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea's alpine town of PyeongChang, the US Department of Justice said Monday. The Justice Department, together with the FBI, charged six officers of the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate's (GRU) Military Unit for "disruptive, destructive and destabilizing activities in cyberspace. They included cyber attacks on the opening day of th

Oct. 20, 2020

Moon requests Malaysia's support for S. Korea's WTO chief bid

President Moon Jae-in had a phone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday and asked the Southeast Asian country to back South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid to become the director general of the World Trade Organization, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon pointed out that Yoo is a leading figure in the trade field with vision and capability to protect the free trade system and restore trust in it through the reform of the WTO, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min

Oct. 19, 2020

S. Korea voices 'deep regrets' over Suga's offering to Yasukuni war shrine

South Korea voiced "deep regrets" on Saturday over Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's sending of a ritual offering to a war shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Earlier in the day, Suga sent a "masakaki" tree to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in line with an annual autumn festival. It marked the first time that Suga sent such an offering to the war shrine since he took office in September. He succeeded his predecessor Shinzo Abe, who resigne

Oct. 17, 2020

Two S. Koreans kidnapped in Ghana released

Two South Korean fishermen kidnapped in waters off Ghana in August have been released, their company said Saturday. The two were abducted on Aug. 28 when their Ghanaian-flagged fishing vessel was attacked by a group of armed militants in waters 200 kilometers southeast of Ghana. The boat had a total of 50 crew members, but the militants had only taken the two South Koreans hostage, Seoul officials said earlier.  "The crew members were released just now," an official from their

Oct. 17, 2020

French Embassy's request for tax exemption part of 'administrative inquiry': top envoy

The French Embassy asked for an exemption from property taxes from the South Korean government, but it was part of an "administrative inquiry," its top envoy said Friday. Ambassador Philippe Lefort to Seoul made the remark in response to a question about recent local media reports that the embassy had been refusing to pay the property taxes levied on about a dozen residences it owns for its staff in southern Seoul, saying there is no such tax system in its home country. "This i

Oct. 16, 2020

S. Korea reiterates priority on citizens' health in handling Fukushima water issue

South Korea's foreign ministry reiterated its "foremost priority" to protect its citizens' health and safety Friday in dealing with Japan's potential discharge of contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. The ministry also said the government has been handling the issue under a vice-ministerial inter-agency dialogue platform, amid public safety concerns over Japanese media reports that Tokyo has decided to release it into the sea with an official announcement likel

Oct. 16, 2020

Biden criticizes Trump for making US less secure, more isolated

WASHINGTON -- US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden lashed out at President Donald Trump on Thursday, arguing that he has made the United States less secure and more isolated in the world. The former vice president also claimed the US president has made the United States a laughing stock on the global stage. "We find ourselves in a position where we're more isolated in the world than we have ever been," Biden said, adding Trump's America First policy has left "America a

Oct. 16, 2020

Asian American communities hold key in US presidential election: Biden supporters

WASHINGTON -- Asian American voters, including Pacific Islanders, will play a major role in determining who will win in many of the most closely contested states of the upcoming US presidential election, a group of supporters for Democratic candidate Joe Biden said Thursday. They said the number of registered Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters more than doubled over the last decade, making them the fastest growing block of voters in the US. "There are over 11 million eligib

Oct. 16, 2020

US, S. Korea hold same views on declaration of war's end: S. Korean adviser

WASHINGTON -- There exists no difference of opinion between South Korea and the United States on the need to formally end the Korean War as part of the process to denuclearize North Korea, South Korea's national security adviser said, adding it is "common sense" that the two issues go together. Suh Hoon, director of South Korea's National Security Office, said the only issue was when a declaration of the war's end could or should be made. "The issue of declaring the war's end is

Oct. 16, 2020

Vice FM meets with new EU ambassador

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with the new European Union (EU) ambassador to South Korea on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties and other issues of mutual concern, the foreign ministry said. During the meeting with Maria Castillo Fernandez, Choi expressed hope that the strategic partnership between Seoul and the 27-member economic bloc will develop further by expanding high-level exchanges in various fields, such as transportation, trade and climate change. Castillo Fernande

Oct. 15, 2020

Top S. Korean, US security officials discuss alliance, N. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

Top national security officials of South Korea and the United States held talks in Washington, DC this week and reaffirmed that their alliance remains robust, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, arrived in the US on Tuesday (local time) for his first trip to the US since assuming the post in July. He met with his White House counterpart Robert O'Brien the following day for discussions on issues of mutual concern, including recent Kor

Oct. 15, 2020

Deputy FM Kim to visit Mexico next week for talks on resumption of FTA talks, economic cooperation

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit Mexico next week for talks with his counterpart and other officials over economic cooperation, including the resumption of bilateral free trade talks, the foreign ministry said Thursday. During his visit from Monday to Wednesday, Kim plans to separately meet his counterpart, Julian Ventura, as well as officials from the South Korea-Mexico parliamentarian friendship group and chiefs of South Korean businesses operating in the country. At the talks wit

Oct. 15, 2020

S. Korea's national security adviser in US on unannounced visit

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's national security advisor Suh Hoon has been in Washington on a previously unannounced trip and has already met with his US counterpart Robert O'Brien, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday. Suh arrived in Washington on Tuesday, an informed source said on condition of anonymity without providing further details, including what the purpose of his trip was. O'Brien later confirmed Suh's visit, saying in a tweet that they met earlier in the day. "Great to see my fr

Oct. 15, 2020

Esper says equitable burden-sharing necessary for 'stable stationing' of US troops

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday highlighted the importance of what he called a more "equitable" sharing of costs to maintain US troops in South Korea, saying it would ensure the "stable stationing" of US troops in the Asian ally. His remarks came in an annual meeting of defense ministers of the two countries, known as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). "We must find a more equitable means of sharing the costs of our common defense, so i

Oct. 15, 2020

Esper says OPCON transfer will take time

WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to the envisioned transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces back to Seoul, but it will take time to meet the required conditions, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday. Esper made the remark at the start of annual defense talks with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Wook, amid growing speculation that the OPCON transfer is unlikely to be completed before the term of President Moon Jae-in ends in May 2022.

Oct. 15, 2020

Vice FM holds talks with ambassadors of UAE, Saudi Arabia

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met separately Wednesday with the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for talks on bilateral ties and other issues, the foreign ministry said. In the talks with Ambassadors Abdullah Saif Nuaimi of the UAE and Riyad Ahmed Al Mubaraky of Saudi Arabia, Choi asked for the two countries' keen attention to enhancing bilateral cooperation in coronavirus responses so as to expand the scope of such cooperation to a wider range of hea

Oct. 14, 2020

Berlin’s district office defers order to remove Statue of Peace

A Berlin district office on Tuesday deferred its order to remove the statue symbolizing the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, in the face of strong resistance from activists and citizens. Reversing its earlier order to remove the Statue of Peace by Wednesday, the Mitte district’s office said the statue will remain for the time being until a court makes a ruling on a South Korean civic group’s request to invalidate the removal order. Stephan von Dassel, district mayor

Oct. 14, 2020

Ambassador admits handling of sexual harassment case in New Zealand was insufficient

South Korean Ambassador to New Zealand Lee Sang-jin admitted Wednesday that his embassy's handling of a sexual harassment case involving a senior diplomat was insufficient. Lee made the remarks during a video-linked parliamentary audit session in response to a lawmaker's question about the 2017 case, although the ambassador was not serving at the embassy at the time. A local employee at the embassy has accused the diplomat of groping him multiple times. The case resurfaced in July when New Zea

Oct. 14, 2020

Navy kicks off scaled-down monthlong cruise training over pandemic

The Navy launched annual cruise training on a smaller scale Wednesday amid the virus pandemic, which includes visits to Guam and Malaysia for the delivery of medical items to Korean War veterans and overseas Koreans, officials said. The Navy Cruise Training Task Group, consisting of the 4,400-ton destroyer Kang Gam-chan and the 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang, set sail from the southern resort island of Jeju with 540 sailors aboard, including 147 naval cadets, on the day. During the 7

Oct. 14, 2020