Seoul, Hanoi agree on more trade, cooperation

South Korea and Vietnam on Friday agreed to raise bilateral relations to that of strategic partners, and to increase trade to $100 billion by 2020. The agreement was included in the Korea-Vietnam joint declaration announced following President Moon Jae-in’s summit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi. President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang pose for a photograph before their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday. YonhapIn a joint declaration released shortly after t

March 23, 2018

Trump’s pick of Bolton sparks concerns in S. Korea

US President Donald Trump’s pick of defense hawk John Bolton as his new security adviser is fueling concerns in South Korea that Washington is shifting to a tougher stance on North Korea ahead of its planned summit with Pyongyang.　Trump announced in a tweet he had tapped as his new national security adviser Bolton, a Fox News analyst and former US ambassador to the United Nations known for his hard-line stance advocating the use of military force against North Korea and Iran. 　The decision to re

March 23, 2018

Leaders of Korea, Vietnam agree to boost trade, bilateral cooperation

HANOI -- The leaders of South Korea and Vietnam agreed Friday to work together to increase bilateral trade to more than $100 billion by 2020.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang also agreed to deepen diplomatic ties and enhance development cooperation during their summit in Hanoi. Moon arrived in the Vietnamese capital Thursday.  "I am very glad to have visited Vietnam again as the destination of my first overseas trip this year. Vietnam is a very special co

March 23, 2018

Korea to work closely with new US national security advisor Bolton: official

South Korea will work closely together with incoming US National Security Advisor John Bolton, a senior presidential official said Friday, amid questions about what changes the hawkish official will bring to US policy on Pyongyang.US President Donald Trump announced earlier that Bolton will be replacing H.R. McMaster as his national security advisor next month. Bolton, who served as undersecretary of state and US ambassador to the United Nations, has long been considered one of the most hawkish

March 23, 2018

Trump replaces top nat'l security aide with ex-ambassador to UN

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will be replacing his chief national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, with former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton."I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor," Trump wrote on Twitter. "I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9."McMas

March 23, 2018

Korean president set for talks with Vietnamese leaders

HANOI -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a bilateral summit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi on Friday, followed by talks with other top leaders that will likely focus on ways to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.The Moon-Quang summit will be the second of its kind since Moon took office in May 2017. They first met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam in November."My thoughts about Vietnam are

March 23, 2018

What Moon’s offer of three-way summit means

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s raising of the possibility of three-way talks among Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington shows his willingness to use the upcoming summits to push for the end of the Korean War, signing of the peace treaty and denuclearization all together, experts say.Moon said the upcoming North Korea-US summit, expected to happen in May, could lead to a trilateral summit of the South, North and the US during a meeting of Seoul’s inter-Korean summit preparation committee Wednesd

March 22, 2018

Moon seeks stronger ties with Vietnam, UAE on trip

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday began his state visit to Vietnam, seeking to strengthen bilateral ties and economic cooperation. As his first stop in Vietnam, Moon was to meet with Park Hang-seo, the head coach of Vietnam’s national under-23 soccer team. Moon’s second stop was to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology. The institute is modeled after the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and the $70 million cost will be divided equa

March 22, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea should apologize, launch probe into Vietnam War massacres’

In South Korea, soldiers who fought alongside the US against communist forces during the 1960-1975 Vietnam War are widely hailed as patriots whose dedication and sacrifice contributed to the nation’s rapid economic rise. Some Vietnamese, however, testify that they still have vivid memories of Korean troops killing their families, friends and neighbors and burning their homes in the US-led conflict five decades ago. “Beyond admitting that South Korea has a debt of heart to Vietnam, the country sh

March 21, 2018

Moon hints at trilateral summit with US, NK

Stressing the need to resolve North Korea’s nuclear issues, President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of a trilateral summit involving the divided Koreas and the United States. “Holding a North Korea-US summit after an inter-Korean summit itself is a historical event. And depending on their outcomes, they may lead to a trilateral summit of the South, North and US,” Moon said at a meeting of Seoul‘s inter-Korean summit preparation committee, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool repo

March 21, 2018

[Breaking] Moon hints at possible three-way summit with US, N. Korean leaders

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday floated the possibility of a three-way summit among the two Koreas and the United States."Holding a North Korea-US summit following a South-North Korea summit itself is a historical event. And depending on their outcomes, they may lead to a three-way summit of South, North and US," Moon said while attending a meeting of Seoul's preparation committee for the upcoming inter-Korean dialogue, held at his office Cheong Wa Dae."We must completely resolve the issues o

March 21, 2018

South Korea, China, Japan to hold summit in May: report

South Korea has agreed with China and Japan to hold a three-way summit in May to discuss ways to boost economic, environmental and cultural cooperation, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported Tuesday.The summit is to be chaired by Japan and attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, possibly on May 8-9, the report said.The last such trilateral summit was held about two years ago in November 2015 in Seoul.  From left: South Korea

March 20, 2018

Korean PM has brief encounter with Japan's crown prince

BRASILIA -- South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon had a brief encounter with Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito on the sidelines of an international conference in Brazil on Monday and talked about relations between the two countries and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, officials said.The three-minute meeting happened as Lee approached Naruhito and offered his greetings ahead of the opening of the 8th World Water Forum at Brazil's foreign ministry in Brasilia. Both Lee and Naruhito delivered k

March 20, 2018

N. Korea diplomat to attend meeting in Finland ahead of US talks

A meeting attended by a senior North Korea diplomat, former US officials and academics from South Korea and the US is set to kick off Tuesday in Finland, which could mark a chance to explore the North’s sincerity about its denuclearization pledges and talks with the US. 　Choe Kang-il, deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, arrived in Helsinki, Finland, to attend a dinner with the Finnish government on Monday and a two-day meeting with former US offi

March 19, 2018

S. Korea, US, Japan discuss ways to strategize ahead of historic summits with NK

　With South Korea and the US scrambling to present a united front ahead of historic summits with North Korea, the allies’ top security advisers held a trilateral meeting with their Japanese counterpart to avoid “past mistakes” in dealing with the decadeslong standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. 　According to Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met with his US counterpart H.R. McMaster and Japan’s Shotaro Yachi in San Francisco for a trilateral meeting ove

March 19, 2018

Seoul, Beijing agree to establish 'fine dust hotline'

The city governments of Seoul and Beijing agreed Monday to designate liaison officers tasked with exchanging information on fine dust gripping the two capital cities in what officials dubbed a "fine dust hotline."Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Beijing Mayor Chen Jining also agreed to form a joint air quality research team to study ways to reduce fine dust as they held a biennial meeting of the cooperation committee between the two cities.The two sides agreed to hold an air quality forum on a regu

March 19, 2018

Five middle-power countries welcome Olympics-driven peace efforts

South Korea and its four middle-power partners issued a statement Sunday welcoming the revived peace efforts driven by the PyeongChang Winter Games.(Yonhap)The foreign ministers of MIKTA, a cross-regional cooperative forum of South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Australia, also celebrated the success of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games."The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games brought together the global community comprising a record number of 92 countries, including the Democratic People'

March 18, 2018

Kang confident of US troop presence in S. Korea

South Korea’s top diplomat said that she is confident of Washington’s commitment to the alliance and the troop presence in the country during an interview with a US media outlet aired Sunday, as the allies seek to boost coordination amid a diplomatic opening with North Korea. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that US President Donald Trump’s apparent threat to remove US troops from South Korea over a trade dispute “raises eyebrows,” but the country remains “abso

March 18, 2018

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan vow close coordination on N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed Saturday to strengthen coordination amid a flurry of diplomacy with North Korea and pending bilateral issues, the South's foreign ministry said.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, in Washington on the margins of a three-day official visit here.They exchanged views mainly on North Korea and Seoul-Tokyo ties, with both sides agreeing the planned summits between Seoul and Pyongyang

March 18, 2018

Korea vows commitment to tackle climate change

Korea will continue its efforts to tackle climate change utilizing cutting-edge technologies and is willing to fund climate change-battling projects for developing countries, a senior government official said Friday.In a meeting with Frank Rijsberman, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute, Deputy Finance Minister Ko Hyung-kwon lauded the Seoul-based organization for playing a key role in raising global awareness of climate change.Ko said Korea is dedicated to actively participati

March 16, 2018