Korean defense minister in Singapore for security forum

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo arrived in Singapore on Friday to attend a regional forum on North Korea's threats and other security challenges.The 16th Asia Security Summit also involves US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and two dozen other ministerial-level officials from around the world.The three-day forum, better known as the Shanggri-La Dialogue, will open Friday night, coming on the heels of a series of North Korea's ballistic missile launches. South Korean Defense Minister Ha

June 2, 2017

US imposes sanctions on NK's top office State Affairs Commission

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The United States imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea on Thursday, blacklisting the regime's highest office, the State Affairs Commission, money-making firms and other entities and individuals as it further tightens the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.The sanctions came after a series of successful missile tests by North Korea in recent months that demonstrated steady progress in its pursuit of various types of missiles, including a nuclear-tipped

June 2, 2017

S. Korea not to rush inter-Korean dialogue: vice unification minister

South Korea's new vice unification minister on Thursday raised the need to push for inter-Korean dialogue in a prudent manner by taking into account North Korea's changes in its attitude.Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung said that any rush for inter-Korean talks can give the wrong message to the North at a time when Pyongyang is not giving up its nuclear and missile development programs. This photo taken on June 1, 2017, shows new vice unification minister Chun Hae-sung. (Yonhap)"The direc

June 1, 2017

Korea's Ulju, Portugal's Sintra to ink pact on friendship, cooperation

ULSAN -- The municipality of Ulju, southeastern South Korea, is set to form a pact with the Portuguese city of Sintra next week to seek friendship and cooperation in tourism, local officials said Thursday.Ulju chief Shin Jang-yeol and Sintra Mayor Bas?lio Horta will represent each side when the two towns sign the pact on Monday in the Portuguese city, southwest of Lisbon. This undated file photo shows Cape Ganjeol in Ulju on South Korea`s southeast coast, where sunrise can be viewed earliest on

June 1, 2017

Climate crisis behind political riots and refugees: Al Gore

JEJU ISLAND -- Climate crisis-induced food shortages were behind the Arab revolutions in 2010 known as the Arab Spring, former United States Vice President Al Gore said Thursday, making the case for action to counter climate change as a growing cause of social instability.Gore, vice president from 1993-2001 under former President Bill Clinton, was giving a speech on "Challenges and Opportunities of Climate Change" at the on-going Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity on this resort island.Recallin

June 1, 2017

Korea condemns truck bomb in Afghanistan

South Korea strongly condemned the latest deadly bombing in Kabul on Thursday, vowing to work with the international community to rebuild Afghanistan and root out terrorism in the region. On Wednesday morning (local time), a truck bomb went off during rush hour in central Kabul, killing at least 90 people and injuring some 400 others. The blast occurred in front of the German Embassy building located inside a diplomatic complex, local media reported.  (AP-Yonhap)"Under any circumstances, it cann

June 1, 2017

Korea needs to persuade China over THAAD row: expert

South Korea should convince China to accept the ongoing deployment of an advanced US missile defense shield on its soil instead of trying to reverse the move, which could send the wrong signals to both Washington and Beijing, a scholar has said.The installation of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery has been under way at a former golf course in southeastern South Korea since early March. Seoul and Washington say the move is aimed at better countering missile threats from North Korea, w

May 31, 2017

Escaped Korean murder suspect in Philippines recaptured

HANOI -- Philippines authorities said Wednesday they have recaptured a South Korean murder suspect who escaped from a detention center three months ago.The fugitive, surnamed Park, was arrested in a surprise raid of an apartment in the northern city of Tarlac on Saturday, the Philippines' Bureau of Immigration said in a press release. This file photo provided by the National Police Agency on Nov. 18, 2016, shows a sugar cane field in Bacolor, the Philippines, where three South Koreans were found

May 31, 2017

Jeju Forum kicks off three-day run with theme 'sharing vision for Asia's future'

JEJU ISLAND -- Jeju Forum, an annual regional dialogue for promoting peace and prosperity in Asia, kicked off its three-day run on the South Korean resort island of Jeju on Wednesday, bringing together some 5,000 government officials and experts from around the world to discuss future visions on security, economy, environment and other major fronts.This year's forum, the 12th since its launch in 2001, opened at the Jeju Convention Center with the theme "Sharing a Common Vision for Asia's Future.

May 31, 2017

Moon to add dialogue to sanctions in dealing with N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that his new government will use all available means to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, noting the objective of ongoing international sanctions, too, is to bring the communist state back to negotiations."North Korea continues to stage nuclear and missile provocations despite the wishes of the international community, and because such North Korean provocations are threats to peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the entire worl

May 30, 2017

S. Korea, Canada agree to work together to denuclearize N. Korea

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Canada agreed Tuesday to work together to denuclearize North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.North Korea's nuclear development, inter-Korean affairs and bilateral collaboration on economic cooperation were also discussed in the talks between Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Shugart held earlier in the day, according to the ministry.   Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam (Yonhap)Lim called fo

May 30, 2017

‘Argentina brims with investment opportunities’

Argentina has undertaken a string of economic reforms aimed at sustainable development and new vigor and dynamism await investors, according to the country’s top envoy to Korea. Speaking at the National Day reception last week, Argentine Ambassador to Korea Jorge Roballo said the administration of President Mauricio Macri, who was sworn in in December 2015, is wholly committed to reducing poverty and raising living standards. Argentina’s economy emerged from recession in last year’s third quarte

May 29, 2017

Azerbaijan, Korea mark thriving ties at silver jubilee

The Azerbaijani Embassy marked the silver jubilee of relations with Korea last week that have expanded comprehensively over the last 25 years, with strides made in infrastructure, energy, construction, transport and telecommunications. Korea’s former acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn wrote a congratulatory letter to his Azeri counterpart on the occasion, conveying Seoul’s desire to deepen cooperation in energy infrastructure, transportation and telecommunications, including the construction of petr

May 29, 2017

Forum explores sustainable innovations for cities

The World Green Economy Organization launched the Smart and Sustainable City Platform last week, a forum aimed at devising and spreading knowledge about solutions promoting environment-friendly urban development. The launch event brought together members from the organization, Global Green Growth Institute and Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, among others. The WGEO was launched in October last year by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister

May 29, 2017

‘Canada, Korea are partners in cutting-edge innovation’

As some nations race to the bottom of protectionism, Canada is rising to the top of economic integration and technological innovation by harnessing strategic partnerships worldwide, including the one with Korea, according to the country’s international trade minister. Francois-Philippe Champagne, who has helmed the ministry of international trade since January, stressed that fostering comprehensive partnerships between Canada and Korea was essential to ensuring the sustainability of businesses a

May 29, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Colombian economy ripe for investment after peace deal’

Following the peace agreement with armed guerilla group FARC, Colombia has entered an environment of security and stability ideal for investors, according to the country’s trade minister. In an interview with The Korea Herald last week, Colombian minister of trade, industry and tourism, Maria Claudia Lacouture, highlighted the freshly available opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, housing, education and tourism in Colombia.As the Latin American country is briskly moving ahead to secure

May 29, 2017

Korean female traveler missing in Laos

A South Korean woman in her 30s has gone missing in Laos while traveling alone in the country's popular waterfall area, the foreign ministry here said Monday. The woman, whose name was not given by the ministry, went to see the Kuang Si Waterfalls in Laos' Luang Prabang region on May 22 before going missing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The hotel she was staying at reported her disappearance to the police after she did not show up.In collaboration with the Laos police, the South Korean

May 29, 2017

Seoul says deal on Japan's wartime sexual slavery not acceptable to Koreans

The South Korean government on Monday acknowledged the widespread public disapproval of the controversial deal to end bilateral feuds over Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women and expressed hopes to resolve the issue through joint efforts."The government wishes to overcome the problem wisely through joint efforts between South Korea and Japan while accepting the reality that the majority of our public do not approve of the comfort women agreement sentimentally," the Ministry of For

May 29, 2017