The Korea Herald

German Unity Day celebrates ‘Peaceful Revolution’

German Ambassador Rolf Mafael (right) and his wife pose for a photo during a reception celebrating the Day of German Unity at a hotel in Seoul on Thursday. (Philip Iglauer/The Korea Herald)The German Embassy celebrated the country’s Day of German Unity this year by underscoring close commercial ties and cooperation on science and technology with South Korea during a reception in Seoul on Thursday.The theme this year was “25 years of Peaceful Revolution in the GDR,” referencing the official name

Oct. 5, 2014

German Unity Day celebrates ‘Peaceful Revolution’

(Photo News) Diplomatic happy hour

Ernesto Torres Pereyra (second from left), counselor-minister at the Dominican Embassy here, poses with colleagues before the start of a social gathering of the diplomatic community that saw government officials and foreign envoys of some 30 countries mingle in an unofficial event in Seoul on Wednesday. From left: Leah Rutz of the Angolan Embassy; Francesco Cannito of the Italian Embassy; Elena Suh of the Argentine Embassy; Pereyra; and Anthony Gallichio of the Australian Embassy. (Philip Iglaue

Oct. 5, 2014

Ivory Coast president to meet Park

Although Ivory Coast was the first African nation to open diplomatic ties with South Korea ― formally on July 23, 1961 ― the presidents of the two nations will meet face-to-face for the first time ever at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday.Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara will meet President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation on trade and investment, building infrastructure and development assistance, the country’s top diplomat in residence said in an interview wit

Oct. 5, 2014

Korea, Japan resume strategic talks

South Korea and Japan held a strategic dialogue in Tokyo on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two years to discuss an array of bilateral issues and North Korea's nuclear program, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong met with his Japanese counterpart, Akitaka Saiki, for talks on pending bilateral, regional and global issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, officials said. The meeting comes as bilateral relations have been at their lo

Oct. 1, 2014

[Herald Interview] WWF calls for ‘greener’ Korean economy

With its persistent overconsumption and energy-intensive industry, Korea should step up efforts to curb its ecological footprint by “greening” its economy and adopting environmentally sustainable practices, the head of the Korean chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature said. The Gland, Switzerland-based nonprofit organization launched the Korean edition of its flagship Living Planet Index on Wednesday. In the biennial report, it said the populations of more than 10,000 species of mammals, bird

Oct. 1, 2014

[Herald Interview] WWF calls for ‘greener’ Korean economy

U.S. says cannot confirm rumors of N.K. coup

The United States said Monday it cannot confirm rumors of a military coup in North Korea that have spread widely amid growing questions about leader Kim Jong-un’s prolonged absence from public view.Kim has not been seen in public for nearly a month, leading to rumors that a military coup has broken out in North Korea and Kim has been arrested. Other rumors have it that Kim suffered a sort of stroke just as his late father, Kim Jong-il, did in 2008.“I can just say that I have no confirmation of t

Sept. 30, 2014

Risk of conflict growing in East Asia

Despite more than 30 years of peace in East Asia, it would be a grave mistake for political leaders and policymakers to assume that conflict, or even war, could not break out again in the region, according to the latest issue of Global Asia, a Seoul-based quarterly. The journal, published by the East Asia Foundation, argues in a series of articles that the rise of geopolitics in East Asia, fueled in part by U.S.-China rivalry, could trigger miscalculations that could inadvertently escalate into

Sept. 30, 2014

S. Korea notifies WTO of plan to liberalize rice market via tarrification

South Korea on Tuesday formally notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday it will open its rice market starting next year with a 513 percent tariff rate."The government has submitted to the WTO secretariat its plan to revise the country's tariff rate on rice imports ahead of market opening through tarrification that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a press release.The move comes as a special agreement with the WTO that allowed the

Sept. 30, 2014

N. Korea, Japan set for fresh talks on abductions

Senior diplomats from North Korea and Japan were set to resume a fresh round of talks on Monday as Pyongyang snubs Tokyo's demand to quickly produce a preliminary report on the North's probe into the fate of more than a dozen Japanese nationals it has admitted to kidnapping decades ago. North Korea agreed in May to re-investigate the issue of Japanese nationals kidnapped by the North's agents in the 1970s and 1980s. In return, Japan lifted some of its unilateral sanctions imposed on the North ov

Sept. 29, 2014

Sights, sounds of Arctic Circle brought to Korean Art Fair

This year’s Korean International Art Fair at Coex saw a one of a kind artistic partnership between Ireland and South Korea promoted by the Irish Embassy.Sound and video recordings produced by artists Han Sung-pil of South Korea and Karen Power of Ireland, who participated in a unique artist residency last year in the Arctic Circle, make art fair goers feel as though they are being followed as they move about the gallery hall, enveloping them in the sights and sounds of ice.The “Beyond Reality” e

Sept. 28, 2014

Sights, sounds of Arctic Circle brought to Korean Art Fair

Kenyan envoy bids farewell

The Korea Internet-Media Journalist Association presented the Kenyan ambassador with the International Exchange & Cooperation Award on Thursday in Seoul to recognize his unique efforts in speaking out against racial bias here and, improve relations between Kenyan journalists and their counterparts in South Korea.KIJA’s recognition of Kenyan Ambassador Ngovi Kitau was the latest of many accolades the envoy has received during a five-year posting as his country’s first ambassador-ranked head of mi

Sept. 28, 2014

U.K. Embassy attracts local foodies with ‘This Tastes Great’

The British Embassy here is introducing the South Korean public to some of the best food and drink the United Kingdom has to offer in a special promotional drive.Over the course of the next three weeks, four restaurants in Seoul ― My Ssong in Apgujeong, The Bulldog in Itaewon and Gangnam, and Behind the Yellow in Nonhyeon-dong ― will be treating foodies here to modern twists on signature British pies, curries and cocktails.Dubbed the “This Tastes Great,” the U.K. Embassy’s promotional campaign s

Sept. 28, 2014

Germany’s unification experience plumbed in search of lessons for Korea

South Korean and German officials and academics convened in Seoul on Thursday to discuss what lessons might be gleaned from the unification of East and West Germany on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.German Ambassador Rolf Mafael, professor Ra Jong-yil, a former South Korean ambassador and vice minister at the National Intelligence Service, and other senior officials discussed the significance of German unification and the many differences between the German case a

Sept. 28, 2014

Germany’s unification experience plumbed in search of lessons for Korea

Uruguayan food, Tango spotlighted at fete

Uruguayan Ambassador Alba Rosa Florio Legnani showcased her country’s passion for music and food in Seoul on Tuesday as a way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uruguay and South Korea this year.The South American country’s love of grilled steaks was evident Tuesday as Uruguayan ambassador, 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and a broad swath of the diplomatic community here celebrated a half century of ties between the two coun

Sept. 28, 2014

Uruguayan food, Tango spotlighted at fete

Illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territory is unacceptable

This article was provided by Mr. Farrukh Jumayev, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan ― Ed.Armenian media outlets have reported that an Azerbaijani “saboteur” was captured by its armed forces in the occupied Kelbajar district of Azerbaijan in July 2014.What actually happened was that three Azerbaijani civilians ― Dilgam Askerov, Shahbaz Guliyev and Hasan Hasanov, all of whom are originally from districts occupied by Armenia ― were stopped by Armenian soldiers while visit

Sept. 28, 2014

Korea-Japan summit seen distant

Few signs of progress were detected on a possible summit between South Korea and Japan during their foreign ministers’ talks in New York on Thursday though they pledged to continue working together for a recovery of bilateral relations. The 35-minute meeting between Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida came on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, following their consultations last month at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Myanmar.With the bilateral ties and the peninsula situation topping the agenda

Sept. 26, 2014

Korea boosts cooperation with Nordic countries

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se held talks with top diplomats of five Nordic countries on Thursday, as Korea is seeking to deepen cooperation on Arctic research, climate change and scientific development. The unprecedented meeting with Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland took place in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The five are members of the 87-nation Nordic Council, an official inter-parliamentary forum launched in 1952 to discuss globalization, climate and free

Sept. 26, 2014

U.S. envoy on N.K. policy to travel to S. Korea, China, Japan

The U.S. special representative for North Korea policy will visit China, South Korea and Japan next week for talks on how to deal with the communist regime in Pyongyang, the State Department announced Thursday.Amb. Glyn Davies will be accompanied by Sydney Seiler, the new special envoy for the six-party nuclear talks, and Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the National Security Council, on the trip that will take them to Beijing on Sunday, Seoul on Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday, it said.In a

Sept. 26, 2014

China, Japan hold ‘informal’ FM talks in New York

The foreign ministers of China and Japan held talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York as the two Asian rivals seek to ease diplomatic tensions over a bitter territorial dispute and history-related issues. The bilateral meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida took place on Thursday.They “exchanged views on the current Sino-Japan relations,” China‘s foreign ministry said in a one-sentence statement, describing the meeting

Sept. 26, 2014

Smaller group needed to deal with N. Korean nuke: Campbell

A group smaller than the long dormant six-party talks is needed to secure a clear dialogue with North Korea in denuclearizing the country, a former Obama administration official said Friday.The six-way forum involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia has not held any talks since its last meeting in late 2008 on persuading the North to give up its nuclear weapons. With the talks being stalled, the North has conducted two more nuclear tests in 2009 and 2013, allegedly upgrading it

Sept. 26, 2014