Park calls for thorough preparations for Korea-ASEAN summit

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for thorough preparations for an upcoming summit with her counterparts of 10 Southeast Asian countries to further strengthen ties.Park described the multilateral summit as "an important conference" to lay out a blue print for cooperation among South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Park's comments at a Cabinet meeting came two days before she plans to host a special summit for the Asian leaders in South Kor

Dec. 9, 2014

China not invited to death anniversary of Kim Jong-il

BEIJING (Yonhap) ― China is unlikely to send a delegation to next week’s third death anniversary of North Korea’s former leader, Kim Jong-il, because it has yet to receive a formal invitation from Pyongyang, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the North Korea-China relations said Monday. Kim Jong-il, whose iron-fist rule and pursuit of nuclear weapons stoked regional tensions for more than a decade, died of heart failure on Dec. 17, 2011 at the age of 69, passing power onto his youngest son an

Dec. 8, 2014

Park vows efforts for summit with China and Japan

President Park Geun-hye said Monday that South Korea will make efforts to hold a summit with China and Japan, the latest move that underscores her commitment to advancing ties with the two Asian neighbors.The remarks came three weeks after she suggested there are uncertainties over a potential summit with Chinese and Japanese leaders. "The South Korean government will make efforts to ensure a trilateral summit can take place based on the meeting of their foreign ministers in the near future," Pa

Dec. 8, 2014

S. Korea, China to launch joint crackdown on illegal fishing

South Korea and China will launch this week their first joint crackdown on illegal fishing in their shared waters, the South Korean government said Monday.The week-long joint inspection will begin Tuesday in a joint fishing zone in the Yellow Sea, involving a patrol boat from each country, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."Penalties alone have limits in curbing illegal fishing by Chinese ships, which requires a greater awareness from the Chinese side, as well as joint efforts by

Dec. 8, 2014

Unification minister due in U.S. for talks on N. Korea

South Korea's point man on North Korea left Monday for the United States in his rare overseas trip, as the Park Geun-hye administration is stepping up efforts to draw international support for its preparations for reunification.Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae's weeklong visit is also intended to seek understanding on Seoul's approach towards Pyongyang amid drawn-out military tensions on the peninsula.He plans to stay in Washington D.C. from Tuesday through Thursday, where he will meet with Ac

Dec. 8, 2014

Top S. Korea, U.S. envoys discuss NK nuclear issue

The top U.S. nuclear envoy met with his South Korean counterpart Friday to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled negotiations aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program, officials said.The meeting between Sung Kim and Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul's special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean Peninsula, came as Choe Ryong-hae, a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, told Russian officials during his recent trip to Moscow that Pyongyang is willing to resume the t

Dec. 5, 2014

Cambodian PM to visit S. Korea next week

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to visit Seoul next week for talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on furthering their economic partnership, Park's office said Friday.The two leaders are set to hold talks on Saturday on how to boost bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade and investment.Trade volume between the two countries stood at US$750 million last year, according to South Korean data.Hun Sen also plans to attend a special summit to be hosted by Park for leaders of th

Dec. 5, 2014

Top U.S. envoy on N. Korea nuclear issue visits Seoul

The top U.S. nuclear envoy visited Seoul Thursday for talks with his South Korean counterpart to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled negotiations aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.Sung Kim, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, arrived in Seoul later in the day to meet with Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean Peninsula, a day later, the ministry added.It marks his first visit to Seoul with his curr

Dec. 4, 2014

FTAs with Australia and Canada to take effect soon

South Korea’s free trade deals with Australia and Canada will come into force in the coming weeks, a government official participating in the final negotiations with the two countries said Wednesday.Seoul’s deal with Canberra will take effect “within the next two weeks,” the official with South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, asking not to be named.“(South Korea’s) pact with Canada will take more time though, as Ottawa officials still need to complete their own legislative r

Dec. 3, 2014

Obama likely to name ex-deputy defense secretary Carter to succeed

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to nominate former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to be his next defense chief after Chuck Hagel offered to quit last week, CNN and other U.S. media outlets reported Tuesday.Carter has had three stints at the Pentagon, most recently as deputy secretary from 2011-2013. Though he has no military experience, Carter has a good reputation and his nomination is unlikely to face strong opposition from the Senate.His two other previous stints at the Pentag

Dec. 3, 2014

Korea, U.S. may miss nuke deal deadline

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― South Korea and the United States are in the final stage of negotiations on a civilian nuclear cooperation deal, but it is unclear whether the talks will be concluded before year’s end, a senior diplomatic source indicated Monday.After more than four years of negotiations, Seoul and Washington now appear close to an agreement on how to revise their 1974 nuclear energy cooperation pact, known as the “123 agreement,” which bans the South from enriching uranium or reprocessing

Dec. 2, 2014