Trump's Asia aides to visit Seoul for summit preparations

White House officials handling Korea affairs plan to visit Seoul this week, as South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking an early summit with his American counterpart Donald Trump, diplomatic sources said Sunday.The US delegation, led by Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council, is scheduled to arrive here Monday for a two-day stay. Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the NSC, is also included in the group, according to sources. Matt Pottinger, senior

May 14, 2017

Moon taps senior lawmaker as envoy for Beijing forum

President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as chief of his delegation to attend a forum in Beijing amid spats over a US missile shield, government and party officials said Friday. The five-term lawmaker will steer Seoul’s delegation for the Belt and Road Forum, slated to open in Beijing on May 14. The two-day event is designed to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping’s initiative to build a new Silk Road, dubbed “One Belt, One Road,” which

May 12, 2017

Trump calls FTA with Korea 'horrible deal,' up for renegotiation

US President Donald Trump has called the free trade agreement with South Korea a "horrible deal" in a recent interview, saying that Washington has already informed the Seoul government of its intention to renegotiate it.In the interview with the British weekly Economist published on Thursday (local time), he added that the FTA with South Korea is "up for renegotiation" and the United States wants a "fair" deal with its ally. (Yonhap)"Everything in NAFTA is bad. That's bad. Everything's bad. But

May 12, 2017

US putting together delegation to Korea

The United States is believed to have started putting together a delegation of officials to be dispatched to South Korea to lay the groundwork for the first summit between President Donald Trump and South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in, sources said Thursday.Trump said in his first phone call with Moon on Wednesday that he will send a high-level delegation to Seoul to discuss Moon's first visit to Washington as president. Moon also said he would send a special envoy to Washington to lay the g

May 12, 2017

[Breaking] Moon Jae-in talks with Abe over disputed ‘comfort women’ deal

　President Moon Jae-in and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday talked over the phone to discuss the future direction of the Korea-Japan bilateral ties, focusing on unsettled history disputes such as the wartime sex slavery issue.　“President Moon talked with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the phone for the first time since taking office,” Yoon Young-chan, the newly appointed senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a briefing. (Yonhap)　During the 25-minute conve

May 11, 2017

Moon Jae-in vows to mend ties with Xi, rejects sex slavery deal with Abe

President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday agreed to take steps to restore the two countries’ relations strained by a dispute over Seoul’s decision to house a US missile shield.　In their first, 40-minute phone call, Moon raised the issue of China’s economic retaliation over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here, offering to dispatch a delegation to solely discuss the matter. Xi, who requested the call in celebration of Moon’s inaugura

May 11, 2017

Reopening of Kaesong complex requires UN sanctions-related review: official

A resumption of the now-shuttered South Korean industrial park in North Korea should be closely reviewed due to its possible conflict with UN sanctions resolutions, a government official said Thursday.As liberal President Moon Jae-in took office Wednesday, attention is being drawn to whether Seoul could resume the operation of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was shut down last year following Pyongyang's nuclear and missile provocations. This photo taken on Feb. 6, 2017, shows the now-shutt

May 11, 2017

Moon and China's Xi agree to improve ties, denuclearize N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart agreed Thursday to further improve their countries' bilateral relations, while jointly calling for efforts by all concerned parties to help denuclearize North Korea, Seoul's presidential office said.China's Xi Jinping called the new South Korean leader to congratulate him on his election this week, Moon's press secretary Yoon Young-chan said at a press briefing."The two heads of state discussed ways to improve South Korea-China relat

May 11, 2017

Moon's N. Korea policy to be within US expectations: adviser

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's much-speculated engagement with North Korea will not go beyond the United States' comfort zone and consultation may precede key decisions toward Pyongyang under the new administration, a key policy adviser to Moon said Thursday."I will fly straight to Washington ... I will go to Beijing and Tokyo and under the right circumstances go to Pyongyang as well," Moon said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. During his campaign, the former leader of the liberal De

May 11, 2017

US Army commander tapped to be deputy national security adviser: report

WASHINGTON -- A US Army commander, who previously served in US Forces Korea, has been tapped to be a deputy national security adviser, a report said Wednesday.Maj. Gen. Ricky Waddell, commander of the 76th Operational Response Command, will replace K.T. McFarland, set to be nominated as ambassador to Singapore, Politico reported, citing unidentified NSC officials.(Yonhap)Waddell will be second in command to National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and run day-to-day operations and meetings while

May 11, 2017

Korea orders overseas missions to stand vigilant against security risks amid government change

South Korea on Wednesday ordered its overseas missions to stay vigilant against security conditions surrounding the nation amid a change of administration, the ministry said.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed its foreign missions of the start of President Moon Jae-in's term earlier in the day following Moon's victory in the presidential election on Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in takes the oath of office during an inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap

May 10, 2017

Moon Jae-in faces uphill battle on US ties, THAAD

President Moon Jae-in faces an uphill battle in navigating through a bleaker-than-ever diplomatic security landscape with diminishing strategic space in the face of North Korea’s rapidly evolving threats. Fresh off the grueling snap election, he now has to rapidly switch gears as the new commander in chief to manage the volatile situation on the peninsula while regrouping institutions that have been in tatters in the wake of his predecessor Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. President Moon Jae-in (Yon

May 10, 2017

Xi congratulates Moon Jae-in on election win, expresses hopes to resolve differences

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to new President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressing hopes to deepen ties and resolve differences amid diplomatic rifts over a US missile defense system deployed in South Korea. China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that he has always valued the relations between China and South Korea.(Yonhap)The two countries have deepened their ties since they established diplomatic ties 25 years ago and the strong relation

May 10, 2017

China extends assistance to Korea over bus accident killing 10 kids

The Chinese foreign ministry has offered to help South Korea deal with the aftermath of a deadly car accident in China which killed 10 Korean kindergarteners and two other Chinese people, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday.The school bus carrying 11 kindergarteners and a Chinese driver caught fire in a car accident inside the Taojiakuang Tunnel in Weihai, a city in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, at around 9 a.m. (local time) on Tuesday.The parents of the students are currently t

May 10, 2017

Pro-NK newspaper in Japan reports Moon Jae-in's election as president

A pro-North Korean newspaper based in Japan reported Wednesday that liberal politician Moon Jae-in was elected as South Korea's new president in the first coverage of the news by North Korea-related media.The Chosun Sinbo said that Moon's presidency ended the nine-year conservative rule by predecessors Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in March over corruption charges.Moon Jae-in, the newly-elected South Korean president (Yonhap)The Chosun Sinbo is not North Korea's state media, bu

May 10, 2017

White House: Trump looks forward to meeting with Moon

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump looks forward to meeting with South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in and discussing shared interests of the two countries, the White House said Tuesday."The president looks forward to meeting with him and talking about our shared interests. So I'll wait for that conversation and I'm sure we'll have a readout for you," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at a press briefing, hinting at the possibility of the two leaders speaking by phone soon. (Yo

May 10, 2017

Head of Israeli foundation to support disabled people says work enriches his own life

Israeli Ehud Ratzabi spent the last decade dedicating himself to making his country a better place for the disabled. But the volunteering helped him more than he helped the handicapped, and enriched his life like no other, the president of the Israel Foundation for Handicapped Children said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday.Visiting Korea for the first time to attend the opening of the art exhibition, "Honorary Ambassadors from Israel," organized by ILAN and the Embassy of Is

May 9, 2017

State Department: US looks forward to continuing close cooperation with Korea's next president

The United States looks forward to continuing "our close, constructive, deep cooperation" with South Korea's new president, the State Department said Monday.South Koreans are set to head to the polls Tuesday to elect the country's new president after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached and then ultimately removed from office over corruption charges before her five-year term expires next year.(Yonhap)"Throughout this process, the people of the Republic of Korea have demonstrated their ab

May 9, 2017

‘Russian ex-envoy calls for pragmatic diplomacy on N. Korea’

With North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities growing rapidly, the next South Korean administration would be wise to pursue a “pragmatic” policy of multilateral dialogue and negotiation to put the brakes on Pyongyang, according to a former Russian diplomat. Georgy Toloraya, chair of regional programs at the Russian World Presidential Foundation in Moscow, said the current sanctions regime should not be an end in itself, adding that the international community could achieve more by seeking

May 8, 2017