N. Korea-China ties changing 'in quality': S. Korean envoy

Relations between North Korea and China have changed markedly due to Pyongyang's refusal to denuclearize and repeated provocations, South Korea's top nuclear envoy said Friday.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, cited China's attitude on the North in its recent military stand-off with the South."China won't side with North Korea over its provocative act," he said at a forum in Seoul to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 19 Joint Statement.

Aug. 28, 2015

Mark Lambert takes office as new Korea director at State Department

Mark Lambert, a career U.S. diplomat with expertise in Asian affairs, has taken office as new director for Korea at the State Department, diplomatic sources said Thursday.Lambert, who was the political counselor in Hanoi before taking the new job, succeeded Robert Rapson. Lambert joined the Foreign Service in 1990 and is considered one of leading China experts at the department. Previous assignments included China and Japan. (Yonhap)

Aug. 28, 2015

Hill: Park, Xi should discuss inter-Korean unification at next week's summit

President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping should talk about the aftermath of South Korea's potential absorption of the North at next week's summit, a former senior U.S. negotiator said Thursday, claiming Pyongyang is heading toward collapse."At some point, and in some as-yet-undefined way, North Korea will be unable to function, and South Korea will become the successor state," said Christopher Hill, former assistant secretary of state, in a Project Syndicate article."There will b

Aug. 28, 2015

Park's attendance at China parade conducive to regional peace vision: official

South Korean President Park Geun-hye's attendance at China's military parade set for next week could be helpful in advancing her regional peace and cooperation vision, a senior official said Thursday.Park's decision to be at the Sept. 3 parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II came as the U.S. and other Western leaders are expected to shun the event, seen as a show of force amid Beijing's increasingly assertive actions in territorial disputes with its neighbors.The U.

Aug. 28, 2015

Park’s decision highlights ties with China

Cheong Wa Dae announced on Wednesday evening that President Park Geun-hye would attend a military parade during her China visit, a decision that came after weeks of contemplation and reflecting on Seoul’s emphasis on bettering ties with Beijing.Ahead of China’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Park will hold summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday upon her arrival in China for a three-day visit next week, the presidential office said.On Thursday,

Aug. 27, 2015

S. Korea, China, Japan working to hold summit as soon as possible: official

South Korea, China and Japan aim to hold a summit as soon as possible amid signs of gradually improving ties, a Chinese official said Thursday.Yang Houlan, the incoming chief of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat involving all three sides, made the remark during a reception marking the start of his two-year term, saying he is "keenly aware of the great responsibility" on his shoulders."Despite the twists and turns in the past three years, trilateral cooperation is gradually returning to its

Aug. 27, 2015

S. Korea dismisses criticism over Park's plan to join China's military parade

President Park Geun-hye took into account the characteristics of China's upcoming World War II anniversary event in deciding to join it, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.Park plans to attend a massive military parade in Beijing next week as the neighboring country commemorates the "Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War."Her decision was apparently based on her resolve to maintain good ties between South Korea and China amid regional secur

Aug. 27, 2015

Park to meet with Xi, attend military parade in Beijing

President Park Geun-hye will hold summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, ahead of China’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.The summit is set to take place next Wednesday upon her arrival in China for a three-day visit, the presidential office said.On Thursday, Park plans to watch the huge military parade to be staged in Tiananmen Square before attending a luncheon reception to be hosted by Xi at the Great Hall of the

Aug. 26, 2015

S. Korea to send high-level military delegation to Sept. 3 military parade: China

South Korea will send a high-level military delegation to China's upcoming military parade marking the end of World War II, a Chinese organizer of the parade said Tuesday.Qu Rui, deputy director of the Office of the Parade Leading Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said 11 countries, including Russia, Pakistan and Mexico, will send their troops to march together with Chinese troops during the parade. South Korea is among 31 nations that will send "high-level military delegations to Ch

Aug. 25, 2015

Park, China's Xi to hold meeting in Beijing next month

President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping plan to hold a meeting in Beijing next month and are expected to discuss "important pending issues," the South Korean Ambassador to China, Kim Jang-soo, said Monday. Park will visit China on Sept. 2-4 to attend events marking China's victory over Japan in World War II, although it remains undecided whether she will attend a huge military parade on Sept. 3. Kim said the decision by Park to visit Beijing next month was based on a "rela

Aug. 24, 2015

Vice FM postpones Pakistan visit amid inter-Korean tensions

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong has postponed his visit to Pakistan this week due to the ongoing political crisis with North Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.Cho, who was scheduled to leave for Islamabad Monday, called his Pakistani counterpart, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, to explain why he has postponed the trip, saying he will reschedule it for a mutually convenient time within the year, the ministry said in a text message to reporters.The officials had been scheduled to meet Tuesday for t

Aug. 24, 2015

Regional powers vie over influence in Eurasia

Major regional powers are vying to strengthen their geopolitical foothold on the strategically vital Eurasian continent with their distinctive policy initiatives striving to court Asian nations including South Korea.For them, Eurasia, accounting for 71 percent of the world’s population and 60 percent of the global gross domestic product, is critical as their influence over it would, after all, determine their global status, analysts say.Among other policy initiatives, China’s “One Belt One Road”

Aug. 21, 2015

S. Korea employs brisk diplomacy over N. Korea attack

South Korea revved up its diplomacy Friday to secure international cooperation in deterring North Korean provocations, as tensions flared anew due to Pyongyang’s rocket attack and warning of “military action.”  　Seoul explained the facts of the North’s rocket provocation to major countries and the United Nations, and discussed with them ways to fend off additional provocations that could include a rocket launch disguised as a satellite launch.Earlier in the day, South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy

Aug. 21, 2015