Jeju peace forum opens to discuss climate change, pandemic, sustainable peace

JEJU/SEOUL -- An annual international peace forum kicked off on the southernmost island of Jeju on Thursday to discuss climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and paths to sustainable peace. The three-day Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity brings together more than 2,000 participants from about 50 organizations and institutions in 30 countries in an online-offline hybrid format due to the pandemic situation, the Jeju Peace Institute think tank hosting the forum said. Most of the key sessions wil

June 24, 2021

US nuke envoy wraps up Seoul trip marked by renewed appeal for NK dialogue

The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, wrapped up his five-day trip to Seoul on Wednesday after redoubling Washington's calls for dialogue with a recalcitrant Pyongyang. Before departing for Jakarta, Kim said that he had "terrific" discussions with top Seoul officials, including President Moon Jae-in. Kim concurrently serves as ambassador to Indonesia. His first trip here since his appointment last month centered on reiterating the US' offer to meet with the Nor

June 23, 2021

Chinese diplomat caught drunk driving in Gwangju

GWANGJU -- A Chinese diplomat stationed in Gwangju, southwestern South Korea, was caught driving under the influence of alcohol this week but has claimed diplomatic immunity, police said Wednesday. The diplomat, known as a consul at the Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, was caught operating his car while drunk in an underground parking lot of an apartment in the city's western district of Poongam-dong on Sunday night. According to the Gwangju Seobu Police Stati

June 23, 2021

Seoul nuke envoy stresses need to resolve N.K. issue through dialogue

South Korea's top nuclear negotiator stressed Tuesday the importance of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy, casting it a great challenge to international security beyond the Korean Peninsula. Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark in a videoconference co-hosted by the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs and the South Korean Embassy in France, as he explained Seoul's efforts to

June 22, 2021

Education New Zealand holds international education workshop

 Education New Zealand, the lead government agency promoting New Zealand education internationally, organized a five-day virtual workshop held from June 14 to 18 to maintain the country’s engagement with key in-market stakeholders. The event showcased the qualities of a New Zealand education, highlighting ENZ’s initiatives and brought together industry stakeholders and partners from 10 countries in Asia, including South Korea. Last July, the government said it would spend 51.

June 22, 2021

Foreign ministry to work for stable management of relations with China after G-7 summit

South Korea will continue efforts to "stably manage" relations with China while taking into account the outcome of a Group of Seven (G-7) summit earlier this month, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry made the statement in a report submitted to the National Assembly amid speculation that South Korea's participation in the G-7 summit as a guest makes the country look like it has chimed in with the G-7 countries on their unified front against an assertive China. Seoul offic

June 22, 2021

Biden extends sanctions on N. Korea amid US outreach

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said Monday he decided to extend US sanctions on North Korea for another year, a move that follows the latest US outreach to the reclusive nation for dialogue at any time and place. In a letter to the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Biden said the North's fissile material as well as its pursuit of nuclear and missile programs "continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of

June 22, 2021

S. Korea, US agree to consider ending 'working group' forum on N. Korea policy

South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider terminating their "working group" forum on North Korea policy, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to Pyongyang that has decried the forum as a hurdle to inter-Korean ties. Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his US counterpart, Sung Kim, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul on Monday, as they sought a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyan

June 22, 2021

Joint military exercise must be properly scaled to meet threats: Pentagon spokesman

WASHINGTON -- The United States constantly reviews its joint military exercises with South Korea to make sure their forces are properly trained and prepared to meet threats, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. "We always say that we know we have to, our forces have got to be ready to fight tonight and we are constantly looking at the training events to make sure that they are appropriate and they are properly scaled to the threats and the challenges," the spokesman, John Kirby, said at

June 22, 2021

US hopes N. Korea will respond to US outreach for dialogue: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is willing to hold dialogue with North Korea at any time and any place, a State Department spokesman said Monday, also reiterating the latest US overture to meet without any preconditions, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. The remarks from the department spokesman come after the special US envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, expressed hope that the North will respond positively to US outreach. "We certainly hope the DPRK will respond positively

June 22, 2021

14 embassies in S. Korea co-host KF’s 30th anniversary, hold World Cinema Week together

World Cinema Week is being held in Seoul through July 1, hosted by the Korea Foundation and the embassies of Bulgaria, Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden,Thailand and Turkey . World Cinema Week is held annually in cooperation with the Korea Foundation and diplomatic missions in South Korea to introduce films from countries not easily accessible to Koreans. This year’s World Cinema Week presents recent films f

June 21, 2021

S. Korea and Israel launch logo design contest to mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

The Embassy of Israel in Korea and the Embassy of Korea in Israel have launched a joint logo design contest to create a graphic emblem capturing the dynamic spirit of the deepening engagement between the two countries and peoples.  The year 2021 is significant because Israel and South Korea signed a free trade agreement -- Israel’s first with an Asian country and South Korea’s first in the Middle East -- showing the two countries‘ deepening ties.  The contest was l

June 21, 2021

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks on wartime history, other issues

South Korea and Japan will hold working-level talks in Seoul later Monday to discuss a prolonged row over wartime sexual slavery, forced labor and other pending issues, the foreign ministry said. The planned meeting between Lee Sang-ryeol, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, comes amid little headway in Seoul's efforts to mend strained ties with Tokyo. Funakoshi, who doubles as Japan's top nuclear envoy, w

June 21, 2021

US envoy hopes N.Korea will accept offer to meet 'anytime, anywhere without preconditions'

The United States has offered to meet with North Korea "anywhere, anytime without preconditions" and looks forward to a positive response from Pyongyang, the new US special envoy for the North said Monday. Ambassador Sung Kim made the remarks during trilateral talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, in Seoul, where they discussed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent remarks that his country should be ready for both dialogue and co

June 21, 2021

New US nuke envoy arrives in Seoul

The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, arrived in Seoul on Saturday for talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, as they seek a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. Kim's five-day trip came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country should be ready for dialogue and more importantly, confrontation with the United States, and stressed the "stable control" of the Korean Peninsula situation in his first messa

June 19, 2021

Foreign Ministry considers requesting probe into Pyongyang map mishap at P4G

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry is considering requesting an investigation by state auditors or police to find out why a controversial video screened at the P4G summit showed Pyongyang instead of Seoul, and whether it was an intentional act or purely accidental.  The ministry also said it will reprimand officials that were part of the P4G preparatory committee for not thoroughly checking the video content before it was released.  The decision came after the ministry opened an i

June 18, 2021

16 ambassadors in Seoul join hands to fight climate change

    Sixteen ambassadors to South Korea have established the Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund, with the aim of sharing ideas and experiences on scaling up climate action in global and regional contexts. The members comprise the ambassadors of Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, France, Gabon, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Mongolia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden. The informal group is co-chaired by the ambassadors of France, Gabon an

June 18, 2021

Moon returns to face-to-face diplomacy

President Moon Jae-in returned home Friday morning after completing a weeklong trip to Europe, where he chatted and bumped elbows with other heads of state in a host of multilateral and bilateral meetings. “We are getting back to in-person diplomacy,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. “Even though the size of the delegation may remain reduced for some time, we will continue to seek more opportunities for multilateral or bilateral meetings.” Follo

June 18, 2021

New US special representative for N. Korea to visit Seoul this week: State Department

WASHINGTON -- The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, will travel to Seoul later this week for trilateral talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, the State Department said Thursday. During his trip from Saturday through Wednesday, Kim will join the three-way session with Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Takehiro Funakoshi, Tokyo's director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs, it said. "S

June 18, 2021

Moon expresses hope for closer S. Korea-Spain exchange at bilateral tourism biz roundtable

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday expressed hope for South Korean and Spain to form closer and more active ties in the tourism sector going forward, with the countries having decided to extend a bilateral travel exchange campaign that was canceled due to the pandemic. Moon, travelled to Spain for a three-day state visit, attended a South Korea-Spain tourism industry roundtable event held at the mountain-side monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia, north of Barcelona. At the event, the two govern

June 17, 2021