S. Korea to hold ceremony to mark Philippines' participation in Korean War

South Korea will hold a ceremony this week to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Philippines' participation in the Korean War, the veterans affairs ministry said Thursday. The Southeast Asian country sent around 7,420 ground troops to help defend South Korea during the 1950-53 conflict, with the first batch arriving at a port in the southern city of Busan on Sept. 19, 1950, according to government data. It was the third country in the world to send troops after the United States and Brit

Sept. 17, 2020

Moon sends letter to Suga, is ready to talk with Japan anytime

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a letter congratulating new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday, in which he made clear that Seoul is ready to hold dialogue with Tokyo anytime.  Moon is looking forward to a positive response from Suga, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.   In the letter, Moon suggested that they make joint efforts for the development of relations between the neighboring countries, Kang added.  The president is &q

Sept. 16, 2020

Moon meets ex-British prime minister, voices hope for closer Seoul-London ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had a meeting with former British Prime Minister Theresa May at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday and expressed hope for the two nations to continue forward-looking bilateral cooperation. He noted that Britain is a "core partner" that shares basic and universal values with South Korea, having dispatched many troops to help it fight against North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. This year, in particular, marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of th

Sept. 16, 2020

FM Kang asks Colombia to support S. Korean minister's bid for top WTO post

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha asked Colombia to support South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid for the top job at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Kang's office said Wednesday. Kang made the appeal during phone talks with her Colombian counterpart, Claudia Blum Capurro de Barberi, earlier in the day, saying that Yoo is the right person to take on the role of restoring multilateralism and to act as a bridge between developed and developing countries, the foreign ministry said in

Sept. 16, 2020

17% of S. Koreans have confidence in Trump: poll

Only 17 percent of South Koreans said they have confidence in US President Donald Trump, down from 46 percent last year in what was the sharpest on-year decline, among 13 countries surveyed, US think tank Pew Research Center said Tuesday. The 13 countries include Japan, Canada and 10 European countries. 　 The prolonged defense cost-sharing talks, in which South Korea is under pressure to accept a dramatic hike in its contribution toward the upkeep of the 28,500 American soldiers stationed her

Sept. 16, 2020

[News Analysis] No drastic change in Seoul-Tokyo ties expected under new PM Suga

Japan will see Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga sworn in as the country’s new leader Wednesday, but no major changes are expected in its soured relations with South Korea in the near future as Suga is expected to mostly carry forward the foreign policy of outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, analysts said Tuesday. 　 Suga, Abe’s longtime right-hand man, was chosen as head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party Monday, making it all but certain that he will become Japa

Sept. 15, 2020

FM to visit Vietnam later this week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will visit Vietnam later this week for talks with her counterpart about cooperation in coronavirus responses and other bilateral issues, her office said Tuesday. Kang will leave for Hanoi on Thursday and plans to hold talks with Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh the following day, the ministry said. "The ministers will discuss cooperation in coronavirus responses, ways to promote the two countries' strategic cooperation partnerships and regional

Sept. 15, 2020

US to 'positively consider' new dialogue channel with Seoul

The US will “positively consider” a new director-level dialogue with South Korea, a local news agency reported Tuesday, citing a US Department of State official. “VFM Choi and Deputy Secretary Biegun agreed that both governments should continue to take steps to strengthen the alliance,” a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying by a local news agency. The news agency also quoted the spokesperson as saying that US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun agre

Sept. 15, 2020

S. Korea welcomes opening of Afghan-Taliban peace talks

South Korea on Monday welcomed the launch of negotiations between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban aimed at ending decades of war.  On Saturday, the two sides met in Qatar's capital of Doha for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire.  "Our government expects tangible results to be achieved at this negotiations to pave the way for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region," foreign ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said. Seoul will continue to take part in i

Sept. 14, 2020

S. Korea hails agreement normalizing Bahrain-Israel ties

South Korea welcomes an agreement reached between Bahrain and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations, the foreign ministry said Monday. "The government welcomes the agreement between Bahrain and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations, and we expect the agreement will contribute to stability and peace settlement in the region," ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said. On Friday, Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by announcing that it will sign a normaliza

Sept. 14, 2020

Seoul reaffirms launching new working-level talk with Washington in Oct.

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun on Saturday reaffirmed that Seoul and Washington are working to launch new working-level talks in October, ruling out speculation the two sides are in dissent over the matter.   　 Choi returned home Saturday from Washington, where he met US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and other US officials for talks on enhancing the alliance and other bilateral issues.   　 After the meeting, the Foreign Ministry here said the two sides agreed t

Sept. 13, 2020

Foreign ministry to set up own videoconferencing system for better security

The foreign ministry is pushing to build its own videoconference platform to improve security as virtual meetings continue across the world due to the new coronavirus pandemic, officials said Sunday. The ministry currently uses its intranet for talks with overseas missions but relies on private platforms for discussions with foreign governments or international organizations. "Before COVID-19, we talked in person, so there were no concerns over leakage through the internet, but now as ove

Sept. 13, 2020

Foreign ministry calls for continued presence of S. Korean peacekeeping unit in Lebanon, South Sudan

South Korea's foreign ministry on Friday called for its peacekeeping troops to continue their presence in Lebanon and South Sudan for its contribution to the global peace and other factors. Whether to extend the mandate of Dongmyung Unit in Lebanon and Hanbit Unit in South Sudan was discussed during a meeting of related government agencies, including the defense and the public administration ministries. "(The government) confirmed the need to extend their missions in consideration of rela

Sept. 11, 2020

S. Korea, Britain agree on closer cooperation to tackle climate change

South Korea and Britain agreed to forge closer cooperation to tackle climate change, Seoul's finance ministry said Friday. The agreement was reached during a telephone discussion between Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and British business minister Alok Sharma earlier in the day, the ministry said in a statement. Next year, Britain will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference and Sharma asked Hong to step up cooperation for a successful hosting of the conference, the ministry said.

Sept. 11, 2020

FM Kang to visit Vietnam next week for bilateral talks: sources

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha plans to travel to Vietnam next week for talks with her counterpart on various bilateral issues, including joint efforts for cooperation amid the coronavirus pandemic, diplomatic sources said Friday. Kang will depart for the Southeast Asian country on Thursday for talks with her Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Binh Minh, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two-day visit to Hanoi will be Kang's second trip abroad since the global spread of COVID-19

Sept. 11, 2020

Rights panel finds ministry lacked fairness in handling New Zealand sexual abuse case

The foreign ministry failed to fairly handle allegations that a senior diplomat sexually abused a local embassy employee in New Zealand, and even included officials directly under him in an internal probe team, the state human rights watchdog said Friday. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) released a 25-page report outlining its findings into the allegations that the senior Korean diplomat groped a New Zealand employee at the embassy in Wellington multiple times when he was stationed

Sept. 11, 2020

Trump wanted troop reduction in S. Korea from beginning: book

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump wanted to reduce the number of US troops stationed in South Korea from the early stage of his administration, a news report showed Thursday. Quoting excerpts from an upcoming book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward, USA Today reported that Trump had actually called for a withdrawal of troops from South Korea. "The president, in the book, complains about military obligations around the world, saying the United States has become 'sucker

Sept. 11, 2020

S. Korea, US to launch working-level 'alliance' dialogue: vice FM

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to set up a new working-level dialogue channel to allow quick and constant consultation on various issues between the two countries, Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said. Choi reached the agreement during talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun in Washington. The two sides also agreed to commit themselves to moving forward the countries' long-stalled discussions on defense cost-sharing, Choi said.

Sept. 11, 2020

FM Kang calls for early resumption of talks with NK

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for an early resumption of denuclearization talks between the two Koreas and the US, while asking for international support for the peace process to take root on the Korean Peninsula at a regional forum, her office said Thursday. 　 Kang made the call Wednesday during the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three meeting, which involves the 10-nation bloc along with South Korea, China and Japan, held virtually due to the COVID-1

Sept. 10, 2020

FM calls for international support for S. Korea's peace efforts at regional forum

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has called for international support for an early resumption of dialogue with North Korea and renewed South Korea's "firm" will to push for inter-Korean cooperation at a regional forum, her office said Thursday. On Wednesday, Kang made the call during a video-linked foreign ministerial session of the East Asia Summit (EAS) that involves the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea, China, Japan, the United States, Russia, Australia,

Sept. 10, 2020