Visit to Fukushima plant agreed as concerns over water release persist

South Korea and Japan agreed on a visit by Korean experts to the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant ahead of releasing the plant’s treated but still radioactive water, amid lingering health concerns over the diluted water. The delegation, decided on at a nearly 12-hour meeting in Seoul that ran past midnight Saturday, has yet to finalize details like the facilities it will review, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said following the meeting. Korea has said the tour is meant to “revi

May 14, 2023

G7 finance chiefs move to diversify supply chains

The G7 plans to launch a partnership scheme to diversify supply chains this year, ministers from the group said Saturday following finance talks in Japan ahead of a major summit next week. The ministers did not directly mention efforts to reduce reliance on trade with China or Russia as motivation for the new framework, which focuses on clean energy technology. But after meeting her Japanese counterpart, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pointed to recent shocks to the global economy. "S

May 13, 2023

Blinken says retiring deputy secretary Sherman helped deepen US relations with key allies, including Korea

The top US diplomat expressed his gratitude to outgoing Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday, also praising the first female deputy secretary of state for having deepened US relations with key allies including South Korea and Japan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted Sherman had broken barriers at the department as the first female deputy secretary. "Wendy has helped lead our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the region where the history of the 21st century will be wr

May 13, 2023

S. Korea, Japan agree on Seoul team's four-day visit to assess nuclear water release plan

Korea and Japan have agreed that a delegation from Seoul will visit Japan for four days to assess Tokyo's plan to discharge radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday. Working-level officials from the two countries held a meeting in Seoul on Friday to discuss details of South Korean experts' planned visit to the nuclear plant. The meeting lasted for 12 hours until around 2 a.m. Saturday. The two sides agreed on the tea

May 13, 2023

Wastewater inspection team unlikely to enforce Japan's corrective action

South Korea's inspection team may ask for corrective actions in case of any safety concerns over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's wastewater, which Japan aims to release later this year after treatment, though it does not have the power to enforce them, a government official said Friday. Disagreements between Seoul and Tokyo over the facilities and raw data regarding Japan's multi-nuclide removal system during South Korea's examination later in May will be solved throu

May 12, 2023

Swiss-Korean innovation week showcases emerging technologies

The annual Swiss-Korean Innovation Week kicked off Thursday to showcase emerging technologies and topics such as quantum technology, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, ESG and advanced manufacturing. On the sidelines of the 60th anniversary of South Korea-Switzerland diplomatic relations, the event aims to create an innovative environment through exhibitions, seminars, and workshops to discuss the age of quantum technology. Starting with the exhibition "Travel Across Boundaries,"

May 12, 2023

S. Korean FM proposes joint maritime research with Caribbean nations at ACS council meeting

Foreign Minister Park Jin has proposed launching joint maritime research projects between South Korea and Caribbean nations at a regional ministerial gathering held in Guatemala, his office said Friday. The minister made the proposal to establish a joint South Korea-Caribbean maritime research center as part of efforts to strengthen ties between Seoul and the region at the 28th ministerial council meeting of the Association of Caribbean States held in Antigua on Thursday, according to the foreig

May 12, 2023

US will continue working with S. Korea, Japan to maintain rule of order: State Dept.

WASHINGTON-- The United States will continue to work closely with its key allies, namely South Korea and Japan, to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, a state department spokesperson said Thursday. Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson for the state department, made the remark when asked about possible Chinese retaliation against US allies amid heightening competition between Washington and Beijing. "We certainly are not going to preview or get ahead of any

May 12, 2023

German Chancellor Scholz to visit Seoul on May 21 for summit with Yoon

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit South Korea on May 21 for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials of the two countries said Thursday. Scholz will make the trip after attending a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on the same day. He will first visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two Koreas, a senior German official said during a press briefing in Berlin. He will then hold a bilateral meeting with President Yoon and attend a dinner hosted by Yoon befo

May 11, 2023

UK minister for Indo-Pacific to discuss S. Korean ties

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, British minister of state for the Indo-Pacific region, will discuss security and business ties with her South Korean counterpart during a two-day trip starting Thursday, the UK Embassy in Seoul said. The two countries, marking 140 years of diplomatic relations this year, are expected to focus on boosting “economic security,” the embassy highlighted, describing the UK’s commitment to “partner with dynamic and fast-growing economies in the region&rdquo

May 11, 2023

Yoon, Trudeau to meet in Seoul ahead of G-7

President Yoon Suk Yeol will discuss expanding ties with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at talks Wednesday next week, ahead of their plans to take part in the Group of Seven meeting in Japan from May 19-21. Yoon’s office said the three-day visit by Trudeau that starts Tuesday offers an “opportunity for the two friendly countries sharing such universal values as freedom, democracy and the rule of law to discuss a plan for future cooperation.” Last year, Seoul and Ottawa

May 11, 2023

3-way summit likely on May 21 in Hiroshima: reports

President Yoon Suk Yeol may hold a bilateral talk with Japan as well as a trilateral summit with the US and Japan on May 21, the final day of a G-7 summit in Hiroshima, according to Japanese media outlets on Thursday. According to the news report, the Japanese government plans to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the security sector and speed up the normalization of Korea-Japan relations through the summits. If a Korea-Japan summit takes place on the last day of the G-7 summit, the leaders

May 11, 2023

Chilean, Czech envoys laud Korean weapons

POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- The weapons systems developed by South Korea not only are efficient, but also offer opportunities to enhance defense ties, according to the top Chilean and Czech envoys in South Korea. The two ambassadors were speaking to reporters following live-fire drills conducted by the Korean Army during a May 2 demonstration. The event, held for the first time for foreign diplomats in Seoul, was the latest highlight of the push by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to secure po

May 10, 2023

PM urges IAEA chief to ensure Korea's participation in wastewater safety review

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to ensure the country's continued engagement in the safety review of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s wastewater before its release, Han's office said in a statement Wednesday. Han stressed that South Korea's experts and research institutions must be included in IAEA's safety assessment of some 1.3 million metric tons of treated wastewater

May 10, 2023

US welcomes S. Korea-Japan summit, will work with both allies to promote rule-of-law: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States welcomes the summit held over the weekend between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and will continue to work with both allies to promote peace and prosperity in the region, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Yoon and Kishida met in Seoul on Sunday, the first day of the Japanese leader's two-day trip to South Korea. Kishida is the first Japanese prime minister to visit Seoul solely for a bilateral summit

May 9, 2023

[Photo News] First ladies of S. Korea, Japan visit porcelain exhibition

Kim Keon Hee (right), wife of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Yuko Kishida, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, view a white porcelain jar from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in the "Joseon White Porcelain, Paragon of Virtue" exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul on Monday, in this photo released by the presidential office. (Yonhap)

May 8, 2023

Kishida’s ‘heartache’ draws mixed reactions

The latest remarks by the Japanese prime minister over Korean victims of forced labor during Japan’s 1910-45 rule of the peninsula have raised more questions than answers as the two countries seek closer ties by ending the dispute, experts said Monday. “I personally feel my heart ache at the thought of countless people having gone through very challenging and sad times under extreme conditions,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a press conference Sunday, following talks wit

May 8, 2023

Incheon wins bid to host new agency for overseas Koreans

The port city of Incheon will house the headquarters for a new state-run agency to provide consolidated administrative support to some 7.5 million people of the South Korean diaspora across the globe. Another office for handling citizen complaints will be set up in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. Incheon, which has been vying for the host title since last year, in its bid, touted its convenient and easy access to Incheon Airport, the main point of entry or departure

May 8, 2023

Kishida expresses hope for biz communities to lead efforts for closer bilateral cooperation

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed hope Monday that businesses will take the initiative in bolstering bilateral cooperation between South Korea and Japan during a meeting with Korean business leaders, according to industry sources. Kishida apparently made the remarks during a closed-door roundtable meeting with chiefs of six major South Korean business associations earlier in the day, a session that took place on the last day of his two-day working visit to Seoul. Kishida arrived in

May 8, 2023

S. Korea to attend new round of negotiations for IPEF this week

South Korea will participate in the third round of official negotiations for the United States-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to be held in Singapore this week, the industry ministry said Monday. During the upcoming session, set to take place from Monday through May 15, the member nations will work to make progress in setting details of its four key pillars -- trade, supply chain resilience, clean economy and fair economy, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. South Korea

May 8, 2023