Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Sunday that South Korea and Japan should ramp up efforts to make this year a new era for their ties based on a correct understanding of their shared history.Yun made the remarks at an annual joint culture event with Japan in Seoul to mark the 50th anniversary of normalization of Seoul-Tokyo relations. Korea was under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule."The relations between South Korea and Japan are still being affected by a bitter legacy stemming from modern histor

Sept. 20, 2015

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn left for Paris on Wednesday to mark the 130th anniversary of the country's diplomatic ties with France, which falls next year.The five-day trip is Hwang's first official overseas trip since taking office in June.Hwang will meet with his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, and attend the opening ceremony of the Museum of Decorative Arts upon arrival, according to the Prime Minister's Office.Hwang's itinerary also includes a meeting with French President Fra

Sept. 16, 2015

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan has announced it will give Vietnam used boats and other equipment worth 200 million yen ($1.7 million) to improve its maritime security capabilities as China asserts its territorial claims in regional seas.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the grant Tuesday after holding talks with Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong in Tokyo. The two leaders said they share serious concerns over attempts by China to change the status quo in the South China Sea by ass

Sept. 15, 2015

South Korea, China and Japan are expected to open their first group summit talks in three years at the end of next month, a diplomatic source said Tuesday."Given a possible timeframe for now, the trilateral summit will likely be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1," the source said, asking not to be named.The three countries are in the final stage of their consultations on the schedule, agenda items and other relevant issues, added the source.They plan to hold a meeting of deputy director general-level

Sept. 15, 2015

South Korea's alliance with the United States is the basis for the country's relations with China, Seoul's top diplomat in Washington said Monday.Amb. Ahn Ho-young made the remark during a parliamentary audit of his embassy as lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties voiced concern that Seoul's strengthening ties with Beijing may have negative effects on the alliance with Washington."Amid changes in international situations, the Korea-U.S. relations have steadily strengthened, and are in

Sept. 15, 2015

Senior officials from South Korea, Japan and China will meet this week to discuss ways to promote trilateral cooperation in Africa affairs, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Monday.The Trilateral Policy Dialogue on African Affairs will be held in Beijing on Tuesday, nearly four years after the last session was held in December 2011, the ministry said in a press release.The three countries' foreign ministers agreed during a trilateral meeting in March to revive the forum that was launched under an ag

Sept. 14, 2015

South Korea will showcase various aspects of traditional and contemporary Korean culture in France for a year starting this week, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports said that South Korea will begin events to mark the 130th anniversary of the country's diplomatic ties with France, which falls next year, in Paris on Friday.In 2010, the two countries agreed to designate the period from the latter part of 2015 to the end of 2016 as "Years 2015-2016 of Korea-France

Sept. 14, 2015

South Korea will send an interagency delegation to an annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency this week, the Foreign Ministry announced Sunday.The 59th General Conference of the 164-nation organization will be held in Vienna from Sept. 14-18.Led by Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, the South Korean team will also include officials from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and several other related agencies.On Tuesday, Cho

Sept. 13, 2015

South Korea's top diplomat has requested that New Zealand assist in its efforts to prevent North Korea from taking additional provocative acts, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Sunday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, in talks with counterpart Murray McCully, emphasized the importance of the international community sending a unified message to the North.Yun was on a visit to Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand following a trip to Australia, where he had 2+2 high-level security talks."Minister

Sept. 13, 2015

South Korea is pushing for the UNESCO listing of documentary heritage related to Japan's wartime forced labor of Koreans, diplomatic sources said Sunday.The move is apparently intended to counter the July listing of 23 Japanese industrial facilities, where many Koreans were forced to work under harsh conditions during World War II, as world heritage sites.The collection of 336,797 documents, photos and other materials on Japan's forced labor is one of a dozen items being submitted to South Korea

Sept. 13, 2015

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Thursday that Seoul has capitalized on its public diplomacy to respond to the rightward political shift and revisionist views of history in Japan that have worsened anti-Japanese sentiment here.“Whenever we meet Japanese opposition politicians and opinion leaders who visited Korea, we have delivered our position. Diplomatic missions in Japan have also carried out a variety of public diplomacy efforts,” he said during a parliamentary audit.“Along w

Sept. 10, 2015

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will embark on a six-day trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji on Thursday, aiming to strengthen strategic diplomatic relations with the Pacific nations, the ministry said Wednesday.On Friday in Sydney, Yun and Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo will attend the “two-plus-two” meeting with their Australian counterparts -- Julie Bishop and Kevin Andrews, respectively -- to discuss a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including North Kore

Sept. 9, 2015

South Korean and Chinese nuclear envoys held talks here Monday on ways to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table, capitalizing on the mood of closer security ties between the two nations following President Park Geun-hye's visit to Beijing last week.Park and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed in a summit to push for the resumption of "meaningful" six-party talks on denuclearizing the North. They also warned Pyongyang against further provocations to raise military tensions on the p

Sept. 7, 2015