China speaks of possible three-way FM talks with S. Korea, Japan

China said Friday it has discussed the possibility of resuming a long-stalled three-way meeting of top diplomats from South Korea and Japan, as the three nations move to seek ways to mend ties worsened by territorial disputes and history-related issues. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, however, gave a cautious response to the likelihood of resuming a trilateral summit among leaders of the three nations, urging Japan to make "positive efforts" before any such three-way summit ca

Sept. 12, 2014

S. Korea, Germany to hold annual meeting on reunification

South Korea and Germany will hold a vice ministerial meeting next week intended to share the European nation's experience on reunification, an official said Friday.The annual session, the fourth of its kind, will take place in Berlin from Wednesday through Friday, according to Lim Byeong-cheol, spokesman for Seoul's unification ministry.The two countries launched a joint government-civilian consultative committee in 2010 with the aim of sharing Germany's experience and knowledge acquired in the

Sept. 12, 2014

Park to debut on U.N. with call for peace

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will debut on the United Nations later this month with a call for peace and eventual unification on the divided Korean peninsula, her office said Thursday.She also plans to seek international support for her initiative calling for peace in Northeast Asia by building trust among countries in her keynote speech in the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24, it said.Park also plans to attend the climate summit at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 23, her off

Sept. 11, 2014

Seoul backs U.S. plan to defeat Islamic State extremists

South Korea expressed support Thursday for U.S. President Barack Obama's plan for airstrikes in Syria and expanded strikes in Iraq to defeat the Islamic State militant group.Obama said Wednesday he won't hesitate to take action against the Islamic State in Syria, as he pledged to "degrade, and ultimately destroy" the extremists responsible for beheading two American journalists."South Korea voices its support to the efforts by the international community to defeat the Islamic State militant grou

Sept. 11, 2014

S. Korean Cabinet approves Canada FTA bill

South Korea's Cabinet on Thursday approved a bill on a free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada ahead of ratification by the parliament, the prime minister's office said. After nearly nine years of talks, including a five-year hiatus, Seoul and Ottawa concluded the FTA in March this year. The two sides expect the deal to help significantly boost bilateral trade by cutting tariffs on a wide range of products including automobiles and meat.During a weekly meeting held in Seoul earlier in the day, th

Sept. 11, 2014

Seoul, U.S. want N. Korea steps for denuclearization

South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday that North Korea won’t be able to pull itself out of diplomatic isolation as long as it holds onto its nuclear program, Seoul’s chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark to reporters after talks with his U.S. counterpart, Glyn Davies, referring to a recent series of diplomatic efforts by the North to engage with the outside world. “With regard to the No

Sept. 10, 2014

Unification committee hopes to invite Kissinger

South Korea’s new committee on national unification is hoping to recruit Henry Kissinger, former U.S. secretary of state, as its special international adviser, a government official said Tuesday.“The international advisory group under the unification committee is trying to recruit a high-profile figure who has interest in Korean affairs and has influence,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Former Secretary Kissinger is under consideration.”It wasn’t certain whether Kissinge

Sept. 10, 2014

Korea to help Myanmar establish state think-tank

Korea and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a state-run think tank in the Southeast Asian country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry plans to send a delegation to Myanmar in order to begin the project within the year. The think-tank, named Myanmar Development Institute, will be modelled after the Korea Development Institute and will research economic and social issues, the Foreign Ministry said. Under the plans agreed upon by the t

Sept. 10, 2014

National security chief to visit U.S. next week

North Korea will be high on the agenda when South Korea's national security adviser meets with U.S. officials in Washington next week, a government source said Wednesday.Kim Kwan-jin will head for Washington D.C. on Sunday and hold talks with his U.S. counterpart, Susan Rice, and other high-ranking officials and experts, the source said. He will return to South Korea on Sept. 17.It will be Kim's first overseas trip since he was appointed as the chief national security adviser in June.Earlier, th

Sept. 10, 2014

China, U.S. should avoid military incidents: Rice

BEIJING (AP) -- China and the U.S. need to avoid incidents that complicate relations between their militaries, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Tuesday following a recent close call between air force planes from the two sides.Rice made the comments on the second day of a two-day visit to pave the way for a trip to Beijing in November by President Barack Obama, which will include a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rice was to meet with Xi later Tuesday. "Military-to-milita

Sept. 9, 2014

Korea pushes to resume stalled security consultations with Japan

South Korea is pushing to resume long-suspended security consultations with Japan later this year to discuss North Korea and regional security issues, a government source said Tuesday. The security consultations, involving senior foreign affairs and defense officials, were held regularly under an agreement signed between the two countries in 1997, but have been suspended since 2009 due to tensions over historical and territorial issues. The Asian neighbors had sought the security meeting last ye

Sept. 9, 2014

U.S. official in Beijing ahead of Obama's visit to China

BEIJING (Yonhap) – The top national security adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama held talks with her Chinese counterparts on Monday, during which they discussed a range of bilateral and international issues, including North Korea. The visit by U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice to Beijing comes about two months before Obama is to hold a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' summit. At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beij

Sept. 8, 2014

In paper to U.N., China renews call for restart of N. Korea nuclear talks

BEIJING (Yonhap) – China has renewed its commitment to an early resumption of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program ahead of the United Nations General Assembly later this month.North Korea withdrew from the six-party talks with South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia in 2009 and conducted its third nuclear test in 2013. Mindful of Pyongyang's track record of saber-rattling before returning to negotiations for economic concessions, Seoul and Washington insist

Sept. 8, 2014

U.S. rules out meeting with top N.K. diplomat

The U.S. has ruled out the possibility of a meeting with a top North Korean diplomat scheduled to make a rare visit to Europe later this week, downplaying the communist country’s intensifying peace offensive, a news report said. Kang Sok-ju, secretary of the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, is expected to embark on a 10-day trip on Saturday that includes stops in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. Given his high profile and history as a negotiator on top issues, his

Sept. 4, 2014

‘U.S. unlikely to engage with N.K.’

Despite Pyongyang’s hopes for dialogue with Washington, the U.S. is unlikely to change its policy course and engage with North Korea as it confronts a host of foreign policy challenges elsewhere, notably in the Middle East, experts said Wednesday.The U.S. might need to rein in North Korean provocations and bring three jailed Americans back home ahead of its crucial midterm elections in November. But Washington is unlikely to budge unless Pyongyang takes any meaningful denuclearization steps, the

Sept. 3, 2014