Historical documents show Japan's role in sex slaves: Kyodo

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's army during World War II asked the government to provide one sex slave for every 70 soldiers, according to historical documents reviewed by Kyodo News service that highlight the state role in the so-called "comfort women" system. The 23 documents were gathered by Japan's Cabinet Secretariat between April 2017 and March 2019, including 13 classified dispatches from the Japanese consulates in China to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo dating back to 1938, according to K

Dec. 8, 2019

Wartime documents show Japan‘s role in recruiting comfort women: Kyodo

Wartime documents showed the Japanese government was involved in forcing Korean women to serve as “comfort women” at Japan’s military brothels during World War II, Kyodo News reported Friday. The Japanese army asked that there be one comfort woman for every 70 soldiers, Kyodo reported, citing the documents collected by the Cabinet Secretariat between April 2017 and March 2019.The documents indicate that the Japanese military played an active role in recuiting women, Kanto Gakui

Dec. 7, 2019

Moon stresses China's role in Korea peace process during talks with its foreign minister

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the Korea peace process has reached a very important stage and asked China to continue its support for progress in efforts for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula.In a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with China's State Councilor Wang Yi, Moon stressed the importance of Seoul-Beijing partnerships in response to security and other challenges."Close dialogue and cooperation between the two countries will serve as power to stabilize security in

Dec. 5, 2019

Chinese FM Wang Yi hurls thinly veiled criticism at US, defends China's rise

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday made a thinly veiled criticism of the United States over its "Cold War mindset" and "hegemonic acts" while defending China's rise as a "historical inevitability."Wang made the remarks during the second and last day of his trip to Seoul, amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry over trade, technology and maritime security that has put South Korea in an increasingly difficult diplomatic position."The Cold War mindset is al

Dec. 5, 2019

S. Korea, US end 4th round of talks on defense cost-sharing

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States ended another round of talks Wednesday (US time) on sharing the costs for the upkeep of American troops in the South, with the two sides apart on how much of the burden Seoul should shoulder.Wrapping up the two-day negotiations in Washington, Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator, and his US counterpart, James DeHart, agreed to meet again in Seoul before the end of this month to continue the talks, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a release.

Dec. 5, 2019

S. Korea, Japan to hold talks over monthslong trade row

South Korea said Thursday it will hold talks with Japan in Tokyo later this month in the latest attempt to settle their monthslong trade row stemming from shared history.The two countries will hold the director-general level talks in Tokyo on Dec. 16, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The announcement came after Seoul and Tokyo held a preparation gathering in Vienna on Wednesday.The upcoming meeting will mark the first official gathering of trade officials between the two

Dec. 5, 2019

Moon to meet China's top diplomat at Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to meet with China's State Councilor Wang Yi on Thursday afternoon for discussions on such pending issues as ways to improve Seoul-Beijing ties and resume talks on North Korea's nuclear program.Wang, who doubles as foreign minister, on Wednesday began his first visit to South Korea in over four years, with relations between the neighboring countries strained over the deployment of the advanced US missile defense system, THAAD, in South Korea. During their

Dec. 5, 2019

Chinese FM Wang Yi calls for joint efforts for regional peace, stability

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Wednesday for South Korea to make joint efforts to play a "constructive" role for regional peace and stability, casting the two countries as "close neighbors, friends and partners."  Wang made the remarks at a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his first trip to Seoul since bilateral ties soured in 2016 over the installation of the US missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on the pe

Dec. 4, 2019

China seeks Seoul’s cooperation to counter ‘US unilateralism’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that Seoul and Beijing should strengthen their cooperation to protect the international order that he said had been threatened by unilateralism, amid the neighbor’s ongoing trade war with the United States.During a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Wang apparently asked Seoul to join Beijing in the fight against unilateralism and protectionism, a reference to US President Donald Trump’s economic policy, and crit

Dec. 4, 2019

S. Korea, US seek Biegun's visit to Seoul ahead of NK's year-end deadline

South Korea and the United States are working to set up a visit to Seoul by US Special Representative Stephen Biegun later this month ahead of an end-of-year deadline that North Korea set for Washington to show flexibility in their deadlocked nuclear talks, a source said Wednesday.Should the trip take place, Biegun, now the nominee for deputy secretary of state, would hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon to discuss joint efforts toward progress in the negotiations before the

Dec. 4, 2019

S. Korea to support Uzbekistan's bid to join WTO

South Korea said Wednesday it plans to support Uzbekistan's bid to join the World Trade Organization in line with its efforts to broaden ties with Central Asia.Trade officials from the two sides are set to begin a two-day seminar in Tashkent on Thursday to discuss how Asia's No. 4 economy can support Uzbekistan's efforts to join the global trade body.The two countries vowed to make a joint effort for Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO after holding a summit in November 2017."South Korea will

Dec. 4, 2019

S. Korea, US begin 4th round of defense cost-sharing talks

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States on Tuesday began their fourth round of negotiations on sharing the costs for the upkeep of US troops in the South, with the two sides apart on how much of the burden Seoul will shoulder.Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator, arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with his American counterpart, James DeHart.The negotiations are slated to run for two days through Wednesday.The US has reportedly demanded that South Korea increase its contribution

Dec. 4, 2019

Trump weighs need for US troop presence in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it is up for debate whether keeping American forces stationed in South Korea is in the US national security interest.Trump made the remark to reporters in London, where he is attending a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders, according to Reuters. The comment comes as the US has demanded South Korea contribute more to the upkeep of 28,500 American troops in the country, with negotiations over a new cost-sharing deal curren

Dec. 4, 2019

New Japanese ambassador pledges to play 'bridge-building' role in addressing Seoul-Tokyo row

Japan's new ambassador to South Korea, Koji Tomita, pledged Tuesday to play a “bridge-building” role to help address a row between Seoul and Tokyo over trade and wartime history. Tomita made the remarks upon arriving here and noted that he is aware of the “very difficult situation” between the two countries, which have long been plagued by historical and territorial feuds. The veteran diplomat, noted for his expertise in diplomacy with the United States, replace

Dec. 3, 2019

Ministry urges dialogue as Japan reneges on pledge to honor forced labor victims

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry called for dialogue with Japan on Tuesday after the latter reneged on its pledge to acknowledge Korean victims of forced labor at its UNESCO World Heritage sites. On Monday, the UN cultural agency’s World Heritage Center posted on its website Japan’s second report on the implementation of follow-up measures regarding the inscription of the sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. In the report, Japan failed to state progress on the acti

Dec. 3, 2019

S. Korean negotiator stresses reason, fairness in defense cost-sharing talks

South Korea’s chief negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States said Monday that the two sides should share the burdens in a fair and reasonable manner within the current framework.“Ultimately, the most important principle is that the negotiations must contribute towards the Korea-US alliance and joint defense posture,” Jeong Eun-bo, the top envoy to the Special Measures Agreement negotiations, told reporters as he arrived at Washington’s Dulles Intern

Dec. 3, 2019

Top US diplomat cites allies' growing capabilities amid defense cost-sharing talks with S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The top US diplomat for East Asia said Monday that he sees opportunities for further cooperation with South Korea and Japan as the two countries' capabilities have grown "exponentially" in recent decades.The comment by David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, comes as Seoul and Washington have been negotiating the terms of a new deal on sharing the costs for the stationing of 28,500 American troops in South Korea.The fourth round

Dec. 3, 2019

S. Korean negotiator hopes for 'win-win' burden-sharing deal with US

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's top negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States said Monday that he believes the two sides will be able to strike a "win-win" deal based on their common understanding of the bilateral alliance.Jeong Eun-bo, the top envoy to the Special Measures Agreement negotiations, made the comment upon arriving at Washington's Dulles International Airport ahead of the fourth round of talks slated for Tuesday and Wednesday.The previous round of talks i

Dec. 3, 2019

Chief negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with US departs for Washington

South Korea will strive to strike a "mutually acceptable" defense cost-sharing deal with the United States, though the allies might miss the end-of-year deadline, the top South Korean negotiator said Monday.Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator for the Special Measures Agreement, made the remarks as he left for Washington to meet with his US counterpart, James DeHart of the State Department, for a fourth round of the negotiations slated for Tuesday through Wednesday (US time).The late

Dec. 2, 2019

Moon, new EU chief affirm joint efforts for Korea peace

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed in phone talks Sunday to work together to further develop ties between Seoul and the European Union and bring lasting peace to Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said.They "discussed the development of South Korea-EU relations and regional security conditions" during the phone session arranged at the request of "the European Union side," it said.The conversation came shortly after she was sworn

Dec. 1, 2019