Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US meet amid NK tensions

WASHINGTON -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States met in Washington on Thursday, a diplomatic source said, after North Korea threatened to take military action against the South. Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, held talks at an undisclosed location earlier in the day, the source said on condition of anonymity. Their meeting came as tensions are running

June 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hidden truth behind Japan’s world heritage site -- Hashima Island

For Japanese, Hashima Island may be a site that evokes pride that propelled the country to the global stage as an economic powerhouse. However, Koreans consider the islet off the coast of Nagasaki, also called Battleship Island, as a tragic place where hundreds of victims of forced labor suffered wrenching hardships in the undersea coal mines. It was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015 along with other 22 sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. The problem for Korea

June 18, 2020

S. Korea's nuclear envoy arrives in US amid NK tensions

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy arrived in Washington on Wednesday for talks with US officials as North Korea has been ratcheting up tensions with a series of angry actions against Seoul, including the blowing up of an inter-Korean liaison office. Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, was seen arriving at Dulles International Airport in footage aired by Korean broadcaster KBS. His visit was unannounced, leading to speculation that h

June 18, 2020

Vice FM discusses worsening pandemic in Latin America with mission chiefs

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho held a videoconference with South Korean diplomatic mission chiefs in Latin America to discuss ways to ensure the health and safety of the country's citizens in the region facing a worsening of the coronavirus outbreak, the ministry said Wednesday. The videoconference, attended by ambassadors to Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile and Peru, came as the COVID-19 outbreaks in those countries are getting more serious. The World Health Orga

June 17, 2020

S. Korea in close communication with major countries over NK tensions: Foreign Ministry

South Korea is in close communication with the United States, China and other major countries over rising tensions caused by North Korea's demolition of a liaison office and tough rhetoric, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. On Tuesday, the North blew up the inter-Korean liaison office, a symbol of cross-border reconciliation, in its border city of Kaesong. It further raised tensions with a plan to redeploy troops to the now-suspended joint industrial complex in Kaesong and Mount Kumgang. &

June 17, 2020

S. Korea to request UNESCO make efforts for Japan to honor forced labor victims in info center

South Korea plans to call on the United Nations cultural agency to make "multilateral efforts" to ensure Japan keeps its promise to honor victims of wartime forced labor in a new information center on its industrial revolution sites, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday. The ministry will send a letter to the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to make the request, after Tokyo didn't keep its promise to ensure that a newly opened information center on Mei

June 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] Black Lives Matter banner removed from US Embassy building in Seoul

The US Embassy in Seoul said Tuesday that the Black Lives Matter banner draped on the facade of its building in Seoul had been removed to “avoid misperception” amid reports about President Donald Trump’s displeasure over the display. The embassy hung the banner on the front of its building Saturday in what was seen as a rare show of open support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with the US Embassy earlier tweeting a message in support of the anti-racism campaign across th

June 16, 2020

US Embassy says Black Lives Matter banner removed to avoid 'misperception'

The US Embassy in Seoul said Tuesday that the Black Lives Matter banner hung on the facade of its building earlier this week was removed to "avoid misperception," amid reports the removal came after President Donald Trump voiced displeasure. On Saturday, the embassy put up the banner, a symbol of an anti-racism movement in the United States and beyond sparked by the police killing last month of an unarmed African-American, George Floyd, but it disappeared Monday. "The ambassad

June 16, 2020

Esper lists S. Korea among partners standing up to China

WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to ensuring a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region amid challenges posed by China, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday, including South Korea among his country's partners. In an opinion piece for The Straits Times in Singapore, Esper summarized the progress his department has made in the year since releasing its Indo-Pacific Strategy Report. Across the three pillars of preparedness, strengthening partnerships, and promoting a more net

June 16, 2020

S. Korea, UAE agree to allow entry exceptions for biz people amid coronavirus pandemic

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to create a special entry system for businesspeople and other essential travelers as exemptions to entry curbs being imposed over coronavirus concerns, the foreign ministry said Monday. The two countries reached the agreement during the three-day visit by Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn to the Middle Eastern country over the weekend. Kim's visit was arranged to discuss ways to enhance cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The "fast-

June 15, 2020

FM discusses coronavirus cooperation with ASEAN chief

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with the chief of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday and discussed ways for greater cooperation amid the coronavirus pandemic, her office said. During the phone call with Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, Kang said South Korea is looking into measures that would allow special entry of businesspeople from ASEAN member states, as exemptions to current entry restrictions over the COVID-19 outbreak, to enable essenti

June 15, 2020

Seoul slams Tokyo over ‘distortion’ of forced labor history at exhibition

South Korea on Monday expressed deep regret over Tokyo’s neglect of its pledge to commemorate victims of wartime forced labor at a newly opened facility celebrating its industrial revolution, and condemned the exhibitions as “distortion of facts.” 　 On Monday, the Industrial Heritage Information Center was opened to the public in Tokyo, introducing 23 modern Japanese Meiji-era sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the notorious Hashima Island, also known as

June 15, 2020

S. Korea calls in Japanese ambassador, voices 'deep regrets' over Meiji site info center

South Korea called in Japan's top envoy in Seoul and voiced "deep regrets" Monday after Tokyo failed to honor wartime forced labor victims at an information center on industrial revolution sites registered on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho called in Japanese Ambassador Koji Tomita, hours after the Industrial Heritage Information Center in Tokyo opened to the public following a monthslong closure due to the new coronavirus. Upon the 2015 World H

June 15, 2020

Japan reneges on pledge to honor wartime labor victims in new Tokyo facility

TOKYO -- Japan has not fulfilled its pledge to commemorate Korean victims of wartime forced labor in a new facility celebrating its industrial revolution, threatening to further strain already-sour Seoul-Tokyo relations, a trip to the site revealed on Sunday, Japan is scheduled to open the Industrial Heritage Information Centre on Monday. On the eve of the opening, a pool of Tokyo-based correspondents paid a visit. Twenty-three sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution were designated as

June 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] US Embassy in Seoul shows support for Black Lives Matter movement

The US Embassy in Seoul hung a banner on its building Saturday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has spread across the US, the embassy said Sunday. “The US Embassy stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change,” the embassy said on social media Saturday. “Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive &

June 14, 2020

FM discusses coronavirus vaccine with IVI chief

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with the head of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) on Friday and discussed the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to develop a vaccine, her office said. In the meeting with Jerome Kim, she said that the role of the IVI has become more important as an international organization with expertise in development and distribution of vaccines, given the world is still facing the COVID-19 pandemic without a vaccine. In response, Kim explained that the IVI ha

June 12, 2020

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, China discuss possible trilateral summit with Japan

Senior diplomats of South Korea and China held a videoconference Thursday to discuss the possibility of their countries and Japan holding an annual trilateral summit this year and ways to handle the aftermath of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) between Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn and Vice Chinese Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui took place, as Seoul, this year's host of the three-way summit, moves to bolster diplomacy with Beijing and Tokyo.

June 11, 2020

UN official notes S. Korea's transparent public health surveillance for virus tracing

A United Nations official positively evaluated South Korea's transparent use of personal information for the purpose of tracing coronavirus infections as an exemplar in the global fight against the pandemic, a document showed Thursday. David Kaye, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, described the country's approach as balanced between demand for public health surveillance to trace infections and the need to reveal information of contact-tracking efforts in a report to be submit

June 11, 2020

Moon thanks Gabon, Nigeria, France for help in S. Korean hostage release

President Moon Jae-in expressed his gratitude Wednesday to the governments of Gabon, Nigeria and France for cooperation in successful efforts to secure the release of a South Korean man kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Gabon in early May. On his social media account, Moon also commended hard work by South Korean civil servants and authorities charged with handling the matter. The previous day, the foreign ministry announced that the man in his 50s had been set free in southern Nigeria. H

June 10, 2020

S. Korea holds regional meeting on UN peacebuilding with Asia-Pacific partners

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it hosted a videoconference with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss ways to increase contributions to the United Nations peacebuilding efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic. The session, headed by Chung Byung-ha, director general for international organizations at Seoul's foreign ministry, focused on how to better contribute as Asia-Pacific nations to promoting the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, a regime aimed at better responding to countries

June 10, 2020