Russian envoy calls for restraint amid tensions on Korean Peninsula

The top Russian envoy in South Korea called on all relevant countries on Wednesday to exercise restraint from any action that could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid growing anxiety that North Korea's additional nuclear test is imminent.In a forum held in central Seoul, Russian Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Timonin also underlined the need for resumption of the long-suspended six-party negotiations aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear stalemate. Russian Ambassador to South

March 29, 2017

Alaska, Hawaii most sensitive to NK news among US states

Residents in Hawaii and Alaska, among US citizens, are the most sensitive to North Korean developments, with the number of searches with the keyword "North Korea" the highest among the states, a US broadcaster reported Wednesday. Hawaii and Alaska, among US states, are US territories located closest to North Korea, and thus their residents are the most responsive whenever North Korean issues hit newsstands, Voice of America said.  A defector activist holds up a placard denouncing Pyongyang for t

March 29, 2017

CTBTO keeps close eye on N. Korea's nuclear activity

A global agency fighting against nuclear tests said Wednesday it's keeping close tabs on North Korea's reported preparations for another nuclear test.The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization warned that the reclusive communist country won't be able to mask its nuclear activity. Satellite imagery of North Korea's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in this photo provided by DigitalGlobe and 38 North website. (Yonhap)"We have also seen the reports (of the N

March 29, 2017

Korea, India agree to hold meeting of vice defense, foreign ministers this year

South Korea and India agreed to hold a meeting of their vice defense and foreign ministers this year in a move to bolster their "strategic cooperation" on political and security areas, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)The agreement over the "two-plus-two meeting" was announced after Seoul's First Vice Foreign Ministry Lim Sung-nam held talks with his counterpart Preeti S

March 29, 2017

Korea seeks local halal certificates to be accepted in UAE, Indonesia

South Korea and Egypt have signed an agreement on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday, as Seoul is actively reaching out to African nations.South Korean Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo inked the memorandum of understanding with Egyptian Defense Minister Sedki Sobhy in Cairo on Tuesday (local time).A halal food restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul (Yonhap)The deal is expected to serve as a chance for promoting substantive military exchanges and

March 29, 2017

US House speaker picks N. Korea as one of four biggest threats facing US

US House Speaker Paul Ryan picked North Korea as one of the four biggest threats facing the United States, saying the communist nation is churning out anti-American invective while testing nuclear weapons and missiles. US House Speaker Paul Ryan (EPA-Yonhap)"We are living in very dangerous times. ISIS still threatens our troops abroad and inspired terrorism here at home. North Korea continues to spew belligerent, anti-American rhetoric while testing long range missiles and nuclear devices," Ryan

March 29, 2017

Korean foreign ministry gets several DDoS attacks from China

The website of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under several cyberattacks originating from China but little damage has been reported so far, the ministry said Tuesday."Several on-and-off DDoS attack attempts originating from China have taken place on websites including that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a press briefing.Defensive measures were immediately taken against the cyberattacks and no damage has been sustained, he said.S

March 28, 2017

US cites NK rights resolution as key outcome of recent UN session

The US Department of State has cited the adoption of the latest resolution on North Korean human rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council as one of the key outcomes for the United States."At the Council's 34th session in Geneva from Feb. 27-March 24, US leadership proved critical to shaping the international response to urgent human rights situations and issues," the department said in a fact sheet posted on its website Monday. (Yonhap)On the last day of the session, the council unanimo

March 28, 2017

US ready to fight off any kind of N. Korean attack: spokeswoman

The United States will repel any kind of North Korean attack, State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen told a US broadcaster Tuesday, in response to Pyongyang's latest threat of "preemptive attack" on South Korea and the USOn Sunday, the North Korean army warned that it will "mercilessly smash the enemy's (South Korea and the US) moves with its own style of special operation and preemptive attack" in defiance of joint drills by South Korea-US special operations teams in the South. A statem

March 28, 2017

Ex-envoy King: US should impose secondary sanctions on China

The United States should impose secondary sanctions on Chinese firms doing business with North Korea, former US human rights envoy Robert King said Monday, calling China a "problem" in dealing with Pyongyang."I think secondary sanctions which would particularly bite Chinese firms are something that we ought to be doing," King said during a discussion at the American Enterprise Institute think tank. When it comes to North Korea, King said China "really is the problem." Former US human rights envo

March 28, 2017

US should consider direct talks with N. Korea for nuclear freeze deal: CFR president

WASHINGTON -- The United States should consider opening direct talks with North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile development, with the initial goal of freezing the weapons programs in exchange for the relaxing of sanctions, a major US think tank chief said.Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, made the suggestion in an article in the Project Syndicate, saying that time is running out on the issue, and options other than diplomacy, including the use of military force,

March 28, 2017

‘Colombia brims with travel wonders’

Colombia is a world unto itself, says Ambassador Tito Saul Pinilla. From tropical rainforests to timeworn colonial buildings, the country boasts sundry treasures almost surreal to the senses, the top Colombian envoy to Korea extols in an interview. Pinilla first recommends capital Bogota, the political and economic center blending colonial and modern architectures. Next is Cartagena, a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the northern coast famous for its fortress, beaches and festivals. He al

March 27, 2017

Greece looks to bright future with Korea

Nearly 200 years after the 1821-32 Greek War of Independence, Greece has claimed its current territorial sovereignty, joined multilateral institutions and become a key player in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Following our economic crisis, Greece has come to stabilize its public finances and improve its competitiveness through drastic economic reforms, including the recapitalization of our banking system.Greece is currently negotiating with eurozone partners for an evaluation

March 27, 2017

Iranian Embassy fetes Nowruz, new investments

A table full of adornments -- including the Quran, lit candles, an oval mirror, green wheat sprouts and glittering coins -- brightened the ambiance at the Iranian Embassy last week. The ornaments were the centerpiece of the embassy’s Nowruz celebration, Iran’s primordial festival marking the onset of spring, which is observed annually on the first day of the Iranian calendar on March 21.For the diplomatic mission, the festivities were even more meaningful this year, as Iran cast off the yoke of

March 27, 2017

Pakistani envoy leaves Korea with optimism

When Pakistani Ambassador Zahid Nasrullah Khan came to Korea in November 2013, he had little idea about the country he would be operating in for the next 3 1/2 years. Now nearing the end of his tenure, the envoy says he has developed an “intimate feel” of the Korean people and culture, which helped achieve concrete results in diplomacy and business. “Korea was my first diplomatic post in Northeast Asia, and I quickly found out upon arriving that our relations were not moving with a strong moment

March 27, 2017

Senate resolution calls for investigation into NK's involvement in US citizen's 2004 disappearance

A US senator has introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into North Korea's possible involvement in the unexplained disappearance of an American citizen from China more than a decade ago.Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) proposed the bipartisan resolution last week renewing concerns about the 2004 disappearance of David Sneddon, noting that the communist North has a track record of kidnapping foreigners to train spies in languages and culture. (Yonhap)Seven senators co-sponsored the resolution,

March 27, 2017

Korea's deputy prime minister to visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan this week

A South Korean deputy prime minister will leave for Kazakhstan this week as part of his two-nation trip to Central Asia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and the region, and the 80th anniversary of ethnic Koreans' settlement there, the Education Ministry said Sunday.The four-day trip that begins Monday will also take Lee Joon-sik, who also serves as South Korea's education minister, to Uzbekistan.South Korean Deputy Prime Minister Lee Joon-sik (Yonhap)Durin

March 26, 2017

S. Korea hails US House bill on N. Korea sanctions

South Korea on Thursday hailed a US House bill on toughening sanctions against North Korea as an action that would effectively tighten the screws on the communist country and send a strong warning.On Tuesday, US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce introduced fresh legislation significantly tightening sanctions on North Korea, including authorizing sanctions on those providing the North with crude oil and other related products. (Yonhap)"The inclusion of very strong and effective el

March 23, 2017

UNHRC expected to adopt NK human rights resolution this week

A UN council is expected to adopt a resolution condemning the dismal human rights situation in North Korea this week, the foreign ministry here said Thursday.The UN Human Rights Council is to convene a meeting in Geneva to adopt the resolution either on Thursday or Friday (local time), according to foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck (Yonhap)Cho noted that the UNHRC has adopted a resolution on the North's human rights since 2003 and,

March 23, 2017

5 Koreans injured in London terror attack

Five South Koreans were injured in what UK authorities called a terrorist attack near the British Parliament in London on Wednesday, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The attack left five people dead, including a police officer and the attacker who drove a car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge, and another 40 wounded, according to London police.Armed police stand outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Thursday. (Yonhap)Three Korean women and a man, in their 50s and 60s, suf

March 23, 2017