Seoul holds off on ending GSOMIA

Seoul and Tokyo have agreed to hold talks on thorny issues, staving off the end of the General Security of Military Information Agreement. “Our government, under the condition that the effect of GSOMIA can be ended at any time, decided to halt the effect of the announcement of the end of its validity on Aug. 23, and the Japanese government expressed its understanding,” said Kim You-geun, deputy director of the National Security Office. He said the two governments have agreed to

Nov. 22, 2019

National Security Council convened as GSOMIA nears end

Top South Korean officials on Thursday continued reviewing Korea-Japan issues, with the looming expiration of the military intelligence sharing agreement with Japan. On Thursday, the National Security Council was convened, raising speculations that Seoul’s decision on the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan was likely to have topped the agenda.  GSOMIA is set to expire at midnight Friday following Seoul’s decision to forego the annual renewal in respons

Nov. 21, 2019

Biegun says no country gets 'free ride' on shared defense burdens

WASHINGTON -- US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said Wednesday that South Korea is an important US ally but no country gets a "free ride" on shared defense burdens.Biegun, who has been nominated as deputy secretary of state, appeared to underscore Washington's position in ongoing negotiations with Seoul over sharing the costs for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea. The latest round of talks was cut short this week after Seoul apparently

Nov. 21, 2019

Security cooperation still possible even after GSOMIA ends, says Moon

As an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan is set to expire at midnight Friday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in underscored that Tokyo has given Seoul just cause to terminate the agreement. Speaking at a televised question-and-answer session Tuesday, Moon also said he would work until the last minute with Japan to avoid the termination of the 2016 General Security of Military Information Agreement -- but that Tokyo still has to act first to normalize trade.In August, Korea announced its decis

Nov. 20, 2019

Lawmakers criticize US negotiation tactic, calling it diplomatic discourtesy

US Ambassador Harry Harris and his negotiation team for a defense cost-sharing deal have come under fire for what lawmakers here called “diplomatic discourtesy” as they continue to demand that South Korea pay more for the upkeep of US troops stationed here. The US team, led by James DeHart of the State Department, left the negotiation table earlier than planned Tuesday, the second day of talks in Seoul with the South Korean delegation for the 11th Special Measures Agreement, the two

Nov. 20, 2019

Moon vows to maintain security cooperation with Japan despite looming GSOMIA expiry

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his government will try "till the last moment" to avoid the termination of an accord with Japan on exchanging military information but he made clear that depends on Tokyo's stance on its export restriction against Seoul. Although the agreement, known as GSOMIA, is schedule to come to an end this weekend, South Korea will maintain partnerships with Japan on regional security, he added.US officials have voiced worries about potential negative impact on

Nov. 20, 2019

2 S. Koreans seized by Houthi rebels released

Two South Koreans who were seized by Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this week have been released, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The two, whose identities were withheld, were among 16 people on three boats seized by the rebels Monday for allegedly violating their territorial waters.All of them were released, along with their vessels, early Wednesday morning (Korea time) and are safe and well, the ministry said, adding the families of the two Koreans were informed of the release. The two Ko

Nov. 20, 2019

Houthi rebels seize two Korean vessels in Yemen

Three ships carrying 16 crew members, including two South Koreans, were seized by Houthi rebels off the southern coast of Yemen, according to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Houthi rebels told the government that they will release the boats if they are found to be Korean ships after legal procedures are carried out, a ministry official said. A tugboat and a drilling rig that belong to the Korean firm Woongjin Development Co. as well as a Saudi Arabian-flagged tugboat were seized by the rebels M

Nov. 19, 2019

2 S. Koreans seized by Houthi rebels in Red Sea: Seoul officials

Houthi rebels in Yemen seized three boats carrying two South Koreans and 14 others in the Red Sea this week, and all of them have been confirmed to be safe, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.The Iran-linked militia captured them and the three vessels -- two tugboats and a drilling rig -- at 3:50 a.m. (Korea time) on Monday in waters about 15 miles west of Yemen's Kamaran Island.They were on the way to the Berbera port in Somalia after departing from Jizan, Saudi Arabia.  They have been

Nov. 19, 2019

Pentagon chief welcomes Japan's efforts for trilateral cooperation with S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday welcomed Japan's efforts to strengthen trilateral cooperation with the US and South Korea, the Pentagon said, as relations between the two US allies remain tense ahead of the expiry of a bilateral military pact this weekend.Esper's comments came during a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of a defense ministers' gathering in Bangkok, Thailand."Secretary Esper welcomed Japan's efforts to strengthen coopera

Nov. 19, 2019

S. Korea, US hold new round of defense cost-sharing negotiations

South Korea and the United States held a new round of negotiations in Seoul on Monday over the sharing of the cost for stationing American troops here amid increasingly strident protests against Washington's call for a hefty rise in Seoul's payments.South Korea's chief negotiator, Jeong Eun-bo, and his US counterpart, James DeHart, led the two-day negotiations, with the allies still far apart on key issues, such as Seoul's total share and what should be included in the cost-sharing deal, called

Nov. 18, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] Coming challenges call for stronger Korea-ASEAN ties

President Moon Jae-in contributed this article to The Korea Herald and Asia News Network member newspapers on the occasion of the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit slated for Nov. 25-27 in Busan. – Ed.Next week, November 25-27, the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit and the 1st Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit will be held in Korea. In particular, since my hometown Busan will play host to the events, I am very much looking forward to them – as if I have

Nov. 18, 2019

Top US negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks arrives in S. Korea

The top US negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a new round of negotiations this week over the sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here.Speaking to reporters, James DeHart of the US State Department voiced confidence that with “some hard work,” the allies will reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable and will ultimately strengthen the long-standing alliance.Earlier this month, DeHart made an unannounced visit

Nov. 17, 2019

Moon to seek 'clearer blueprint' for partnerships with ASEAN members in Seoul, Busan talks

President Moon Jae-in will hold a series of one-on-one summits with the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian countries gathering in South Korea later this month for a special summit Seoul is hosting for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.Moon has invited them to the two-day ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to open Nov. 25 in the southern port city of Busan. It will be the biggest diplomatic event to take place in South Korea under the Moon administration.&

Nov. 17, 2019

Seoul and Tokyo dig in over trade, GSOMIA

The diplomatic spat between South Korea and Japan appears likely to continue, with the two sides reiterating their positions six days before their military information-sharing pact expires.  On Sunday, Japanese media reported that Tokyo has decided it will not retract trade measures applied to South Korea. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, the Japanese government has arrived at the decision and has informed the US. The paper said the decision was based on the results of talks between foreign af

Nov. 17, 2019

Japan, S. Korean business groups discuss ways to cool tensions

TOKYO (AP) -- Officials and business leaders from Japan and South Korea have met in Tokyo seeking to cool a flare up in tensions between the two US allies.The head of Japan's powerful Keidanren business group, Hiroaki Nakanishi, said Friday that the two sides have a track record of handling problems by "sharing wisdom." He said that it was important to have "mutual trust and understanding" and to keep exchanging views.His South Korean counterpart said he was hoping for a brea

Nov. 15, 2019

Moon meets Pentagon chief at Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, as the Pentagon chief has openly pressed Seoul to renew a military information-sharing agreement with Tokyo and increase its financial contribution to American troops on its soil.Esper visited the presidential compound soon after having bilateral talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul. A Cheong Wa Dae official earlier informed reporter

Nov. 15, 2019

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks ahead of GSOMIA expiry

South Korea and Japan were set to hold working-level diplomatic talks on Friday ahead of the planned expiration of a military intelligence-sharing pact between the two neighbors. Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs at the foreign ministry, will meet his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, in Tokyo, Seoul's foreign ministry said. They last held talks in Seoul on Oct. 16.  His trip comes as the General Security of Military Information Agreement is set to expire on

Nov. 15, 2019

S. Korea calls for peaceful solution to Hong Kong protests

South Korea's foreign ministry expressed concern Thursday over the intensifying anti-government protests in Hong Kong, calling for a peaceful resolution of the situation. "South Korea and Hong Kong have a close relationship in terms of economic and people-to-people exchanges. We are paying attention to the recent situation in Hong Kong with concern," ministry spokesman Kim In-chul told a regular briefing.  "We hope that Hong Kong's situation will be resolved peacefully at an

Nov. 14, 2019

Moon not meeting Warmbier's parents due to busy schedule, Cheong Wa Dae says

President Moon Jae-in has turned down a request to meet with the parents of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died soon after being released by North Korea, due to an especially busy schedule ahead of a Busan summit with Southeast Asian nations late this month, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Thursday.Fred and Cindy Warmbier plan to attend an event hosted by Korean War Abductees' Family Union next Friday at a Seoul hotel to drum up international support for legal responses by victims of

Nov. 14, 2019