Govt. calls for fair probe into death of S. Korean businessman in Iraq

South Korea has called on Iraqi authorities to carry out a fair investigation into the death of a South Korean businessman involved in a large port construction project in the Middle Eastern country, the foreign ministry said Monday. The senior director at Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. was found dead Friday in the company compound located in the southern province of Basra, and Iraqi police initially concluded that he committed suicide. But Iraq's interior ministry formed a commi

Oct. 12, 2020

Biden's election to mean stronger alliance with S. Korea: experts

WASHINGTON -- The election of US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would mean a stronger alliance with South Korea and other allies, but tensions with North Korea could escalate because Pyongyang could try to test his administration, experts said Saturday. "I think if Biden is elected, most American allies, including South Korea, will breathe a sigh of relief. He is likely to work much harder to strengthen our alliances," said Gregg Brazinsky, professor of history and inter

Oct. 11, 2020

US 'disappointed' to see N. Korea prioritize weapons: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States government finds it "disappointing" that North Korea continues to prioritize its weapons development, a senior US official said Saturday, calling on the communist state to return to denuclearization negotiations. The official, while speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US remains committed to the countries' denuclearization agreement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in their first bilateral summit held in

Oct. 11, 2020

S. Korea voices criticism over Japan's call for removal of comfort woman statue in Berlin

South Korea voiced criticism Thursday over Japan's call for the removal of a statue erected in Germany of a girl symbolizing Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery, calling it an act that goes against the spirit of its own apology. Last week, Tokyo expressed regret over the recent installation of the statue on a public site near the Japanese Embassy in Berlin. The statue was erected by Korea Verband, a Berlin-based civic group with South Korean ties. The issue drew attention as Japanese

Oct. 8, 2020

Moon calls for US support in ending Korean War

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday again called for the formal declaration of the end of the Korean War, urging the US to support the move. In a prerecorded speech to the Annual Gala Dinner of the Korea Society – a New York-based nonprofit organization that promotes Korea-US ties – Moon said that declaring the end of the war will be the first step in establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. “The end-of-war declaration will indeed pave the way for peace on the Ko

Oct. 8, 2020

S. Korea’s Yoo advances to final round in WTO leadership race

South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee has advanced to the final round of two candidates in the race to become the next director general of the World Trade Organization. 　 Yoo and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were shortlisted as finalists in the second round of voting held from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, the WTO and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. 　 The two women will now go head-to-head in the third and final round of consultations, scheduled to run from later this month unt

Oct. 8, 2020

Red Cross to produce mini documentary on Korean War

South Korea's Red Cross said Thursday that it will produce a mini documentary film featuring its humanitarian activities during the 1950-53 Korean War as part of efforts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. The documentary will be aired in December in four installments through Yonhap News TV, an all-news channel associated with Yonhap News Agency, with each installment running for about four minutes, according to the Red Cross. The film will be focused mostly on

Oct. 8, 2020

Seoul rallies support for trade minister’s bid for WTO leadership

South Korean trade chief Yoo Myung-hee’s run for the World Trade Organization director general post will face its next decision Tuesday in Switzerland, with the second round of the selection process coming to a close. The second round will see two candidates selected for the final round, the timeline for which has not yet been decided. As the race heads to a close, Yoo appeared to be in with a good chance, with the European Union choosing to back Yoo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria&ls

Oct. 7, 2020

S. Korea denies report on Seoul's efforts to arrange US visit by NK leader's sister

The foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed as "untrue" a Japanese news report that South Korea sought to arrange a visit to the United States by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister before the US presidential election in November. Citing sources from South Korea, the US and Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that Seoul had planned to arrange high-level talks between Kim Yo-jong and senior Washington officials before the Nov. 3 vote. Seoul had initially hoped for anot

Oct. 7, 2020

US missed 'golden opportunity' by walking out of Hanoi summit with N. Korea: Hecker

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump missed a "golden" chance to end North Korea's nuclear program by walking out of his Hanoi summit with Kim Jong-un empty-handed when the North Korean leader had, in effect, offered to give up a key nuclear facility, a US nuclear scientist claimed. Siegfried Hecker noted the North Korean leader had offered to shut down his country's "Nuclear Weapons Institute" prior to his second summit with Trump in Hanoi in February 2019, which he said

Oct. 7, 2020

Ministry reaffirms its push for end-of-war declaration despite killing of fisheries official

South Korea remains committed to its push for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War and cross-border cooperation with North Korea despite last month's killing of a South Korean fisheries official, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. In a policy report for the parliamentary audit, the ministry stressed its steadfast focus on resuming dialogue with the North and laying the groundwork for lasting peace on the peninsula, while noting it had "sternly" dealt with the Se

Oct. 7, 2020

Japan to allow entry of S. Korean businesspeople from Thursday

South Korea and Japan have agreed to exempt South Korean business travelers from a two-week quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.  Taking effect Thursday, the eased entry barriers arrive about seven months after Tokyo slapped strict travel restrictions on Seoul, practically banning entry to people traveling from South Korea, in early March amid the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions dealt a further blow to bilateral ties that were already fra

Oct. 6, 2020

Foreign Ministry targeted by nearly 3,400 hacking attempts this year

Nearly 3,400 hacking attempts were made targeting the Foreign Ministry and its affiliate organs to steal confidential diplomatic information this year, government data showed Tuesday.  According to data submitted by the ministry to Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the minor opposition People’s Party for a parliamentary audit, 3,399 hacking attempts against the ministry and its overseas missions had been detected as of Aug. 31.  The largest portion of the IP addresses used for the attacks c

Oct. 6, 2020

Japan agrees to allow fast-track entry of businesspeople from S. Korea

Japan has agreed to allow businesspeople from South Korea to enter the country without a 14-day coronavirus quarantine starting later this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The special entry procedure, set to take effect Oct. 8, comes about seven months after Tokyo slapped entry restrictions on Seoul in early March to stem the spread of the COVID-19, further straining the bilateral relations already frayed over wartime history and trade. Fresh talks began in late July between the two

Oct. 6, 2020

Chinese foreign minister's visit to S. Korea on hold: source

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will not visit South Korea this month due to conflicting schedules, a diplomatic source said Monday. According to the source, Seoul and Beijing have been in talks to have Wang travel to Seoul sometime next week, but the potential trip has been pushed back indefinitely. There was speculation that US State Secretary Mike Pompeo's cancellation of his visit to Seoul could have affected Wang's decision to put the Seoul trip on hold.    But the sourc

Oct. 6, 2020

Moon seeks Brazil's support for S. Korean trade minister's WTO chief bid

President Moon Jae-in requested Monday that Brazil throw its weight behind South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid to become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Cheong Wa Dae said, in the latest diplomatic push in pursuit of the top post. Moon delivered the message during his 20-minute phone conversation with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon took note of Brazil's contributions to the development of the WTO, as Robe

Oct. 6, 2020

Defense minister, US ambassador vow to strengthen alliance

Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Ambassador Harry Harris agreed Monday to work together to strengthen the alliance between the two countries, calling it a "linchpin" of regional security, the defense ministry said. Their meeting marked the first time since Suh took office as defense minister about two weeks ago. "Minister Suh and Ambassador Harris agreed that the ironclad South Korea-US alliance is the linchpin of Northeast Asia's security, peace and prosperity and vowed to clo

Oct. 5, 2020

Illegal Chinese fishing in S. Korea grows increasingly unrestrained: lawmaker

HONGSEONG -- Illegal fishing by Chinese boats in South Korean waters has grown increasingly rampant, with reported cases more than doubling from 2017 to 2019, according to a lawmaker Monday. The number of cases of either arrest or expelling of Chinese fishing boats operating in South Korea's western waters reached 6,543 in 2019, according to Rep. Hong Moon-pyo of the main opposition People Power Party. The tally represents a 113 percent hike from the 3,074 in 2017. The lawmaker cited data sub

Oct. 5, 2020

[News Focus] Foreign minister in hot water over husband's US trip to purchase yacht

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has been hit by controversy over her husband’s recent trip to the US presumably to purchase a yacht, with political parties lambasting the excursion as “inappropriate,” saying it went against her own recommendation that people refrain from overseas travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   　 Local broadcaster KBS on Saturday reported that Lee Yill-byung, a professor emeritus of computer science at Yonsei University, was spotted at Incheon Airpo

Oct. 5, 2020

Pompeo asks for S. Korea's understanding over postponed trip to Seoul

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and asked for understanding of the postponement of his planned trip to Seoul originally set for this week, the foreign ministry said. Pompeo called off his visit to Seoul as he cut short his East Asia trip after US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 last week. "Secretary Pompeo explained that his visit to South Korea, planned for this week, has been delayed for the US si

Oct. 5, 2020