Foreign ministers of S. Korea, China to hold talks in Seoul next week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Seoul next week, her ministry announced Friday, amid expectations the two sides will likely focus on bilateral relations and cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. The talks will take place on Thursday, a day after Wang arrives in Seoul for a three-day visit, according to the ministry. Wang will fly in from Japan after a two-day trip there. He last visited Seoul in December last yea

Nov. 20, 2020

Japan willing to work with S. Korea on monitoring of Fukushima water treatment: embassy official

Japan is willing to work with South Korea on the monitoring of the envisioned treatment and release into the ocean of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, a senior embassy official said Friday. The official's remark comes as Tokyo is expected to soon announce its plan to gradually discharge into the sea more than 1.2 million tons of radioactive water stored in tanks since the 2011 meltdowns following an earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo has pushed for the disposal int

Nov. 20, 2020

Reinforcing US alliance will be on Biden's everyday agenda through cabinet: McDonough

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden will work every day to strengthen his country's relationship with its key allies, such as South Korea, as he promised, former US National Security Adviser Dennis McDonough said Thursday. McDonough noted Biden may not be able to personally take charge of the issue on a daily basis, but that his cabinet members will. "When you think about the fact, 'Well, is this gonna be on the president's to-do list every day?' Not necessarily," said McDonough in

Nov. 20, 2020

Suhyup chief demands Japan cancel plan to release radioactive water

The head of South Korea's National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives on Thursday demanded that Tokyo withdraw its plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Im Joon-taek, chairman of the federation, also known as Suhyup, met with Masato Nagai, a councilor from the Japanese embassy, at the organization's headquarters in eastern Seoul and expressed his opposition to Tokyo's plan to release the contaminated water, according to Suhyup. According to Suhy

Nov. 19, 2020

Chinese FM likely to visit Seoul next week

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to visit Seoul next week for talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, diplomatic sources said Thursday, a trip likely to stress bilateral cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. Seoul and Beijing have been fine-tuning details on Wang's visit that could begin on Wednesday after his two-day visit to Japan, the sources said. Wang and Kang are likely to meet on Thursday. Wang's visit would come after Democrat Joe Biden was decla

Nov. 19, 2020

China will work together with S. Korea to pursue multilateralism: Chinese ambassador

China will work together with South Korea to pursue multilateralism, Beijing's top envoy here said Thursday, cautioning against a "zero-sum game" and "unilateralism" amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. Ambassador Xing Haiming made the remarks, as worries persist that multilateralism has been eroded by the great-power rivalry heightened amid US President Donald Trump's tough stance on China and Beijing's growing assertiveness. "History has proven and will continue to

Nov. 19, 2020

Suh, Miller reaffirm efforts to strengthen Korea-US alliance

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller spoke by phone and reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance between the two countries, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Miller also reaffirmed the US commitment to South Korea's defense in his first phone call with Suh since taking office earlier this month after President Donald Trump fired Miller's predecessor, Mark Esper, just a few months before leaving office. "On November 17, Acting

Nov. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] US successfully destroys ICBM with sea-launched interceptor in test: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States has successfully intercepted and destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its latest test of a sea-based missile defense system, the Defense Department said Tuesday. The field test involved a threat-representative ICBM, launched from a US missile test site in the Marshall Islands early Tuesday morning (Washington time). A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile launched from a US destroyer out in the sea intercepted and destroyed the tar

Nov. 18, 2020

Moon congratulates 4 Korean-Americans on recent House election victories

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday congratulated four Korean-Americans on their recent election to the US House of Representatives. "Delighted and thrilled! Together with the Korean people, I extend my congratulations to newly elected Congresswomen Young Kim, Michelle Park Steel, and Marilyn Strickland, and Congressman Andy Kim who won a second term," Moon tweeted. "They have friendly Korean names – Young-oak, Eunjoo, and Sun-ja," Moon said, adding "Today, your f

Nov. 17, 2020

Moon to stress cooperation at APEC, G-20 summits

President Moon Jae-in will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits on Saturday and Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Both multilateral summits will be held via video link. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will take place Saturday, when the members will discuss issues concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a 20-year vision for the group. “At the summit, President Moon will share Korea’s experience in containing COVID-19, and

Nov. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] IHO to identify seas with numerical codes amid East Sea naming dispute

The International Hydrographic Organization has reached a consensus to adopt a new way of identifying seas by number, rather than by name, a move that could put an end to the long-standing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over what the body of water between two countries should be called, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. 　 During a virtual General Assembly of the international organization on maritime data on Monday, the 65 member states agreed to revise the existing standard for a world map

Nov. 17, 2020

S. Korea calls for information sharing on essential traveler policies in APEC ministers' meeting

South Korea has called for countries to actively share information about policies on allowing the entry of essential travelers from overseas as part of efforts to facilitate trade and investment amid the pandemic, officials said Tuesday. Seoul made the proposal during a ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held virtually on Monday (Seoul time) and attended by senior government officials of 21 member countries, the foreign ministry said. The meeting came ahead o

Nov. 17, 2020

No. of S. Korean students in US shrinks amid COVID-19 pandemic

WASHINGTON -- The number of South Korean students in the United States dropped from a year earlier this year, a US report showed Monday, amid the coronavirus pandemic that has led to a plunge in number of travelers between the two countries. However, the number of US students in South Korea has jumped sharply over the same period, according to the report from the US State Department. In the 2019-2020 school year, the number of South Korean students enrolled in US schools came to 40,809, down 4

Nov. 17, 2020

S. Korean candidate hints at continuing bid for WTO top job

South Korea's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee on Tuesday hinted that she may not shelve her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Yoo has failed to drum up landslide support from the WTO's member countries to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, standing ahead in a two-way race. Asked by a radio host about the possibility of her resignation as a candidate, Yoo did not give a direct answer. Instead, Yoo told a KBS ra

Nov. 17, 2020

S. Korea extends advisory against overseas travel amid continued spread of pandemic

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it extended the special advisory recommending against traveling overseas, as the coronavirus pandemic is continuing. The advisory, now effective until Dec. 17, also calls for South Koreans to cancel their trips and for those staying outside of the country to take extra precautions. The measure was first imposed in March. The ministry said the extension was made as a substantial number of countries maintain their entry restrictions and flight suspensions amid

Nov. 17, 2020

Biden hints at pushing for regional FTA to bring order, counter China

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday underlined the need for his country to push for a multilateral free trade agreement (FTA), partly to keep China and others from having their way when it comes to global trade. His remarks came as South Korea and 14 other countries in the Asia-Pacific signed a new FTA, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), that, if enacted, would become the world's single-largest free trade pact. The deal was signed by Australia, Ch

Nov. 17, 2020

Former presidential security adviser named chief of state-run think tank

Kim Ki-jung, a former senior aide to President Moon Jae-in for national security affairs, has been tapped as the new head of a think tank operating under the state spy agency, officials said Monday. The Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), affiliated with the National Intelligence Service, held a board meeting on the day and picked Kim as its head, according to INSS officials. He plans to assume the post later this week, they added. In 2017, Kim was appointed as the deputy direct

Nov. 16, 2020

Seoul, Tokyo agree on compensating forced labor victims: report

Seoul and Tokyo have agreed in principle to compensate victims of forced labor, a local news network reported Monday. Citing an unnamed high-level official within the ruling bloc, Yonhap News Television reported that President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga agreed that the victims should be compensated. “The two leaders have agreed on compensating the forced labor victims. The plan is for Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with their Japan

Nov. 16, 2020

Chinese FM Wang Yi may visit South Korea this month: report

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may visit South Korea later this month for talks on bilateral cooperation and to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Seoul, according to media reports Monday. 　 Citing diplomatic sources, the report said Seoul and Beijing officials have been in talks to arrange Wang’s visit to happen within this month, around his reported trip to Japan. 　 South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, however, declined to confirm the report, adding the t

Nov. 16, 2020

Foreign ministry denies reports it being 'bypassed' in Japan diplomacy

The foreign ministry dismissed as "groundless" a media report Monday that it has been "bypassed" in the country's recent diplomatic efforts to improve ties with Japan strained over wartime history and trade. The local newspaper report came after National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo last week, raising speculation that the spy chief had started to undertake a key role to restore relations between the

Nov. 16, 2020