S. Korean candidate behind Nigerian rival in global trade-chief race

GENEVA -- South Korea's trade minister has failed to drum up landslide support from member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival standing ahead in a two-way race, the outcome of a WTO General Council meeting showed Wednesday. The WTO said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has garnered more support from the WTO's 164 member states than South Korea's Yoo Myung-hee. As the process to pick the new director-general of the WTO is based on

Oct. 29, 2020

Peace on Korean Peninsula ultimate goal of US regardless of election outcome: Ambassador Lee

WASHINGTON -- Establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula will remain the ultimate goal of the US-South Korea alliance regardless of who wins the upcoming US presidential election, South Korea's top diplomat in the United States said Wednesday. Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck said that both the Republican and Democratic parties agree on the need to denuclearize North Korea and establish lasting peace on the peninsula. "Regardless of which government comes next, making the establishment of a peace

Oct. 29, 2020

S. Korea urges Japan to show more sincerity to resolve forced labor row

South Korea urged Japan on Thursday to show more sincerity to resolve a prolonged row over wartime forced labor and swiftly remove its export curbs on Seoul, the foreign ministry said. Kim Jung-han, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at the foreign ministry, delivered the position during a meeting in Seoul with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, in their first talks since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office last month. "Director General Kim again explai

Oct. 29, 2020

Japanese diplomat arrives in Seoul for talks on wartime history, trade

A Japanese diplomat arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for talks with his South Korean counterparts amid a prolonged row between the two countries over Tokyo's wartime forced labor and export curbs. Shigeki Takizaki, director general at the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau, began his three-day visit on his first trip to South Korea since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office last month. On Thursday, Takizaki is set to hold separate talks with Kim Jung-han,

Oct. 28, 2020

S. Korea to donate $10m to support coronavirus vaccine supplies to developing countries

South Korea decided to donate $10 million to a multilateral platform designed to fund coronavirus vaccine distributions to developing countries, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The money will be provided to the COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to procure vaccines through pre-purchase contracts with manufacturers and distribute them to the relatively more vulnerable regions, the ministry said in a release. The COVAX AMC is run by the Gavi vaccine alliance, an inter

Oct. 28, 2020

Front-runner in WTO chief race to emerge after last round of selection process

A front-runner in the race for the helm of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is set to be revealed Wednesday, as South Koreans are holding their breath to watch the fate of their country's finalist candidate, Yoo Myung-hee, in the hard-fought contest. Wrapping up the monthslong selection process marked by intense power politics and behind-the-scenes diplomacy, the WTO is set to notify its member states of the outcome of the third and last round of consultations during which they indicated thei

Oct. 28, 2020

[US elections and Korea] What would 2nd Trump term mean for Korea?

In September during the first televised presidential debate of the election season, US President Donald Trump said “elections have consequences.” 　 His remark holds true not only to Americans, but to countries around the world closely watching the US election and trying to determine what the outcome will mean for them. 　 South Korea is no exception. As a key Washington ally from security to trade and North Korea diplomacy, Seoul has a lot at stake depending on who controls the Whi

Oct. 28, 2020

Absence of US commitment to troop levels not aimed at 'twisting Korea's arm': Knapper

The absence of a phrase committing the United States to maintaining troop levels in South Korea in a recent joint statement should not be taken as a threat or negotiating leverage aimed at pressuring Seoul with a possible troop cut, a US diplomat said Wednesday. Marc Knapper, US deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark during a virtual seminar, referring to the joint communique issued after annual talks between Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Defense Secretary

Oct. 28, 2020

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, US hold phone talks on WTO chief selection

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday held phone talks to discuss the ongoing race for the top post of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other bilateral and regional issues, the foreign ministry said. The call between Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his US.counterpart, Stephen Biegun, came as Seoul's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid for the WTO helm faced a setback with the European Union and Japan reportedly backing her Nigerian competitor, Ngozi Oko

Oct. 28, 2020

Seoul's participation in 'Quad' may jeopardize regional security: S. Korean adviser

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's participation in a NATO-like multilateral military alliance in the Indo-Pacific may destabilize, rather than promote security, in the region as China will treat Seoul as an enemy, a special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday. The adviser, Moon Chung-in, also insisted the US' drive to form a regional coalition against China may prompt a counter-reaction from Beijing to form an alliance with Russia and North Korea. "The United States is ou

Oct. 28, 2020

Obama says dictators want Trump's victory because he gave them everything

WASHINGTON -- Former US President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump Tuesday for coddling dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and giving them everything they want. "You think he is going to stand up to dictators?" the former president asked while speaking in support of his former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden. Obama's remarks came one day after Trump said Kim, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President

Oct. 28, 2020

Blow for Yoo in WTO race, as EU, Japan back rival

With the EU and Japan reportedly backing Nigeria’s World Trade Organization candidate, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee faces an uphill battle in the race to claim the top job of the international trade body. 　 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, formerly Nigeria’s finance minister and foreign minister, and Yoo are facing off to become the first female chief in the WTO’s 25-year history, replacing Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year early in August after seven years

Oct. 27, 2020

[Contribution] Sustaining New Southern Policy amid COVID-19: An ASEAN perspective

President Moon Jae-in initiated the New Southern Policy (NSP) in order to upgrade relations between the Republic of Korea (Korea) and ASEAN. Since the NSP has come about primarily due to President Moon’s personal interest in and commitment to engaging ASEAN, it is therefore unclear if the NSP will continue beyond his single term in office which will end in May 2022. The plans to accelerate ASEAN-Korea cooperation this year have been largely put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even

Oct. 27, 2020

US panel postpones decision on LG Chem-SK Innovation EV battery case

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- A US trade panel on Monday postponed its final decision on a high-stakes trade secret case involving two South Korean electric vehicle battery markers -- LG Chem Ltd. and SK Innovation Co. -- to early December. The delay marks the second of its kind after the US International Trade Commission (ICT) pushed back its final ruling from Oct. 5. The decision has now been set for Dec. 10, the US panel said, without providing specific reasons for the further delay. "The Commi

Oct. 27, 2020

FM sees 'problem' with ambassador's remarks about alliance with US

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday she sees a "problem" with recent remarks by the country's ambassador to the United States that sparked criticism for belittling South Korea's alliance with Washington. Kang also told a parliamentary audit session that she is considering taking unspecified "necessary action" over Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck's remarks that just because South Korea chose the US as its ally 70 years ago does not mean that it has to choose the US for the n

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea appears to be only country opposing Japan’s wastewater disposal: lawmaker

South Korea appears to be the only country openly opposing Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, a lawmaker said Monday. 　 According to information obtained by Rep. Lee Tae-kyu from the Foreign Ministry, no other country in the world has publicly protested Tokyo’s impending decision to dispose of contaminated water. 　 Countries in the EU and Pacific island nations, as well as the US, have responded to the issue as a m

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea, US, Japan hold 2nd trilateral talks on women's empowerment

South Korea, the United States and Japan held their second trilateral conference on women's empowerment via video links last week, the foreign ministry said Monday, as they seek to deepen their cooperation on regional and global issues. The Women's Empowerment Trilateral Conference, the second of its kind following the first one in 2016, took place from Tuesday through Friday, with a focus on collaboration in removing barriers to women's participation in science, technology, engineering and mat

Oct. 26, 2020

S. Korea welcomes Sudan-Israel agreement normalizing diplomatic ties

South Korea welcomes an agreement between Sudan and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations and a subsequent US decision to remove the African country from its list of terrorism-sponsoring countries, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government welcomes the agreement to normalize relations between Sudan and Israel and end hostilities, and expects the agreement to contribute to regional stability and a peace settlement," ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said in a commenta

Oct. 26, 2020

Japan's latest claims to Dokdo 'baseless': foreign ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday refuted Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo and warned of stern a response to the unsubstantiated claims. "Dokdo is our inherent territory, historically, geographically and by international law," the ministry said in a statement. "We want to make it clear that whatever attempt Japan makes cannot have an influence over our firm territorial sovereignty." Earlier in the day, the Japan Institute of Inter

Oct. 23, 2020

S. Korea to provide $10m in aid for Rohingya refugees

South Korea plans to provide $10 million in humanitarian assistance to support Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar and hosting countries in the region, the foreign ministry said Friday. Seoul made the pledge on Thursday during the virtual session of the Conference on Sustaining Support for the Rohingya Refugee Response, a multilateral channel set up to discuss humanitarian aid and other support measures for the ethnic minority. In the session, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho calle

Oct. 23, 2020