Most Popular
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NewJeans to terminate contract with Ador
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Korean Air gets European nod to become Northeast Asia’s largest airline
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NewJeans terminates contract with Ador, embarks on new journey
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Seoul snowfall now third heaviest on record
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Chaos unfolds as rare November snowstorm grips Korea for 2nd day
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‘VCHA, Katseye and Dear Alice are not K-pop groups,’ industry experts say
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BOK makes surprise 2nd rate cut to boost growth
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Ador claims exclusive contracts with NewJeans still valid
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Japan will pay for failing to honor promises, minister says
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‘Green aurora’ is Seoul's color of 2025
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‘TPP would open doors for SMEs’
Korea’s anticipated membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership will help the country’s small and medium-sized firms capitalize on overseas markets and will exert pressure on North Korea to open its doors, a respected economist highlighted. Despite Seoul’s belated decision to join the multinational free trade scheme, announced in mid-October, the mega-sized agreement presents myriad opportunities, encompassing goods and services, rules of origin, trade remedies, government procurement, the envir
Jan. 3, 2016
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Poland shares reconciliation, democratization lessons
A true reconciliation with neighboring nations takes forgiveness and remembrance from the whole of society, Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Ignacy Majka said in an interview last week. Referring to Poland’s postwar rapprochement with Germany, Majka stressed that the majority of a national community, from top to bottom and across the political spectrum, must be involved to keep the conciliatory momentum alive. “Real reconciliation does not have to take place at the high political level. It can come f
Jan. 3, 2016
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Seoul, Tokyo to hold high-level economic talks this month
South Korea and Japan are seeking to hold high-level economic talks later this month in Tokyo as the two sides hope to enhance bilateral ties following last month’s breakthrough deal over Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.The 14th Korea-Japan high-level economic consultations are reportedly expected to be held in the middle of this month. The consultations, which have been held since 1999, have been a key venue for the two sides to discuss bilateral trade, investment and other e
Jan. 3, 2016
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Ban blasted for sex slavery deal support
Amid the mushrooming public uproar over the compromise with Japan on the “comfort women,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has added fuel to the fire by expressing his support during a phone call with President Park Geun-hye on New Years’ Day. The two leaders spoke Friday to swap greetings for the New Year and discuss ways to deepen cooperation on development, climate change, human rights and other common challenges. Ban, for his part, commended last week’s agreement, saying that history would
Jan. 3, 2016
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FM Yun defends 'comfort women' deal
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se stepped up efforts Thursday to appease critics of a recent deal between South Korea and Japan on wartime sex slaves.The government has come under fire since it reached a breakthrough agreement with Japan Monday aimed at ending a decades-long dispute over the so-called comfort women.Under the deal, Japan admitted responsibility for the wartime brutality and offered reparations of 1 billion yen to the 46 surviving South Korean victims.However, some of the victims and
Dec. 31, 2015
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Korea’s diplomatic presence rises in 2016
In 2016, South Korea will take the helm of nine international organizations including the U.N. Human Rights Council, underscoring the country’s enhanced diplomatic stature on the world stage.In particular, Korea will take some leading U.N. posts in the areas of peace and security, development and human rights ― the three principal areas that the international organization has been focusing on, Seoul officials said. U.N. Economic and Social Council President Oh JoonSince July 2015, Oh Joon, Seoul
Dec. 31, 2015
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Opposition steps up against sex slave deal
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea on Thursday declared the results of South Korea and Japan‘s agreement on wartime sex slavery issue “invalid,” urging renegotiation and the dismissal of Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.The epochal agreement Monday, in which Japan apologized for victims of sexual slavery during World War II, in addition to funding a 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) project to support the surviving “comfort women.” But the surviving victims, along with the nongovernmental organiz
Dec. 31, 2015
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‘Hot peace’ to take hold in East Asia
The security and diplomatic landscape in East Asia is expected to be relatively stable in 2016, as major powers seek cooperation in fighting terrorism and focus on domestic issues such as elections and economic revitalization, analysts forecast.Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China are set to persist as the latter strives to expand its sphere of influence in the region and beyond. But they may seek to deescalate tensions and avoid military clashes to fostermutual cooperation, analysts
Dec. 31, 2015
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Korea faces sex slave backlash
Two days after the breakthrough on the sex slavery issue, Korea faces a double whammy of mounting Japanese efforts to dilute the agreement and eroding public and political support at home. Participants hold up pictures of victims of Japan`s WWII sexual slavery during a weekly rally held near the statue of a girl representing comfort women adjacent to a construction site of the Japanese Embassy building in central Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)Seoul’s ongoing effort to appease the victims is being b
Dec. 30, 2015
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'Comfort women' deal did not include statue's removal: official
A South Korean official on Wednesday denied Japanese news reports that Seoul agreed to relocate a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery in exchange for compensation for the women.The statue of a girl, which sits across from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, has been a source of friction between the two countries as they have sought to resolve issues related to the wartime atrocity.Historians estimate that more than 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in fron
Dec. 30, 2015
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China warns Korean journalists over reporting along North Korean
Chinese authorities have warned that South Korean journalists could face an unspecified "stern measure" if they report along the sensitive border between North Korea and China without prior permission, an official at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing said Wednesday. The warning came less than a week after South Korean journalists reported about activities of trade between North Korea and China in the Chinese border city of Dandong, following a sudden cancellation of a concert in Beijing by a N
Dec. 30, 2015
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Korea to hike security budget for diplomatic missions in 2016
South Korea will sharply increase the budget allocated to beefing up security at its diplomatic missions in 2016, in the face of mounting threats to its diplomats and facilities, the government said Wednesday.According to the finance ministry, 26.5 billion won ($22.6 million) will be set aside in the new year, up more than 50 percent from 17.6 billion won earmarked for 2015.The move follows a terrorist attack against its embassy in Libya in April that left two local security personnel dead. Its
Dec. 30, 2015
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N. Korea sends letter to U.N. to call for peace treaty with U.S.
North Korea has sent a letter to the United Nations, renewing its call for a peace treaty with the United States, U.N. records showed Tuesday.Amb. Ja Song-nam, chief of the North's mission to the U.N., sent the letter to the U.N. secretary-general last week, along with a statement from Pyongyang's foreign ministry calling for a peace treaty with the U.S., according to a copy of the letter released by the U.N.Ja asked that the letter and the statement be circulated as a Security Council document.
Dec. 30, 2015
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U.S. Congressman Honda says Korea-Japan deal on comfort women
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, who has been at the forefront of efforts to help victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, said this week's breakthrough deal on the issue between Seoul and Tokyo is far from perfect, but is still a "historic milestone."Honda, however, expressed disappointment that the agreement lacks a commitment by Japan to "ensure they will no longer whitewash history and educate future generations" and that Tokyo's apology as part of the deal is "not a formal, and official apolo
Dec. 30, 2015
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U.S. calls for civil society support for Korea-Japan deal
Civil society support for the Korea-Japan agreement on resolving the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery will be crucial to the deal's success, the State Department said Tuesday."Everyone will make their own judgments about this agreement. But I do hope, we do hope, as the United States, that others, including here in the U.S., will support this agreement and its full implementation as we do," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said at a regular briefing."We believe it's an importa
Dec. 30, 2015
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After accord, Seoul begins work on fund for former sex slaves
Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam meets victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery in Seoul on Tuesday. YonhapThe Seoul government on Tuesday set the ball rolling to execute Monday’s bilateral agreement with Tokyo to settle the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, despite escalating controversy over the ambiguity of the clauses and objections from the victims and civic groups.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry began its internal preparatory work for the establishment of a fund to support the Korean victi
Dec. 29, 2015
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U.S., U.N. commend sex slavery settlement
A day after Seoul and Tokyo pulled off a compromise in their sex slavery row, the U.S., the U.N. and other actors in the international community churned out praise and support, displaying hopes for an end to the decades-old historical animosity. While acknowledging the need for Japan to follow through on its promises, they stressed the significance of what is supposed to be a “final and irreversible” closure of the dispute that has long plagued relations between the two neighbors and staunch U.S
Dec. 29, 2015
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Rushed sex slavery deal blasted
Despite a much-touted breakthrough with Japan on sex slavery, criticism is simmering over Seoul’s apparently rushed negotiations that led to its failure to consult beforehand with the victims, leaving room for potential diplomatic blunders and political backlash at home. Monday’s announcement came as a surprise to many because the bilateral director-general-level talks had made little headway during the 11 rounds since April 2014. Even early this month, diplomatic sources remained skeptical of t
Dec. 29, 2015
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After accord, Seoul begins work on fund for former sex slaves
The Seoul government on Tuesday set the ball rolling to execute Monday’s bilateral agreement with Tokyo to settle the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, despite escalating controversy over the ambiguity of the clauses and objections from the victims and civic groups.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry began its internal preparatory work for the establishment of a fund to support the Korean victims. Under the agreement, the two countries are to form a fund with Tokyo providing 1 billion yen ($8.3 mill
Dec. 29, 2015
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Japanese NGOs express disappointment over Seoul-Tokyo deal on sex slavery
Japanese civic groups said Tuesday that a South Korea-Japan deal on Tokyo's wartime sex slavery is insufficient to heal the pains of Korean victims, raising doubts about whether Japan has sincerely apologized for its atrocity.South Korea and Japan reached a rare deal Monday to resolve the issue of South Korean women coerced into sex slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II.The deal included Japan's apology for Korean victims and a 1 billion yen ($8.29 million) fund to be created with Ja
Dec. 29, 2015
