Abe reiterates hope for summit with NK leader

VLADIVOSTOK -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he wants to improve and normalize Japan's relations with North Korea through direct talks with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.The remark, made during a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok, is the latest in a series of comments Abe has made expressing hope for a summit with the North. (Yonhap)"I have a will to improve or normalize

Sept. 11, 2018

Top S. Korean, US officials discuss N. Korea

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met Tuesday with the new US special envoy on North Korea amid signs of Pyongyang and Washington moving to resume dialogue.Stephen Biegun, the State Department's special representative for North Korea, arrived in Seoul on Monday as part of his Northeast Asia tour.He paid a courtesy call on Kang just before talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon. (Yonhap)Biegun said his visit here is meant for consultations on ways to "make progress in denu

Sept. 11, 2018

PM arrives in Russia's Vladivostok for economic forum

VLADIVOSTOK -- Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon arrived in Vladivostok on Monday to attend an annual international economic forum and hold meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.About 6,000 people are expected to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, which Putin has hosted in Vladivostok every year since 2015, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Abe and Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon arrives in Vladivostok on Monday. (Y

Sept. 10, 2018

US envoy for N. Korea visits S. Korea

The US special envoy on North Korea began his three-day trip to Seoul on Monday to meet his counterparts here amid growing momentum for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks. 　In his first visit to Seoul since his appointment last month, Stephen Biegun, special representative for North Korea, met with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon to be briefed on South Korean special envoys’ recent trip to Pyongyang and to discuss ways to achieve denuclearization.  Stephen Biegun (Yonhap)　　After arrivi

Sept. 10, 2018

Korea, Indonesia to hold summit on regional, economic cooperation

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo were set to hold a summit Monday to discuss ways to increase their countries' bilateral and regional cooperation.Widodo arrived in Seoul on Sunday on a three-day state visit that reciprocated Moon's state visit to his country last year. The two leaders last met in Jakarta in November, in which they agreed to upgrade their countries' bilateral relationship to a "special strategic partnership." In a file photo taken on Nov. 9,

Sept. 10, 2018

Moon's envoy visits China to brief on NK visit outcome

The top security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in China on Saturday to explain the outcome of his recent visit to North Korea, officials said.    Chung Eui-yong flew to Beijing earlier in the day accompanied by Qiu Guohong, the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, to meet with Yang Jiechi, a ranking member of China's Communist Party who is in charge of foreign affairs. Chung Eui-yong arrives at Beijing, China (Yonhap)    During the planned talks, Chung will share some detai

Sept. 8, 2018

Trump denies aide removed Korea trade deal letter

US President Donald Trump denied Friday that a former aide removed a letter from his desk to stop him from terminating a US trade deal with South Korea.    The Washington Post, citing a forthcoming book by one of its journalists, Bob Woodward, reported earlier this week that a former top economic adviser to Trump "stole a letter" off the president's desk.    The letter was intended to withdraw the US from its free trade agreement with South Korea, the book was quoted as saying.    Trump has vehe

Sept. 8, 2018

Peninsula faces 'historic' moment for lasting peace: foreign minister

WANJU -- South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday that the peninsula faces a "historic moment for a lasting peace" ahead of another inter-Korean summit later this month aimed at catalyzing North Korea's denuclearization process.Kang made the remarks at a lecture two days after Seoul presidential envoys' one-day trip to the North, where they nailed down the date of the Pyongyang summit -- Sept. 18-20 -- and reconfirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's commitment to denuclearizat

Sept. 7, 2018

Aide stole letter from Trump to stop withdrawal from Korea trade deal: report

WASHINGTON -- A former senior adviser to US President Donald Trump removed a document from the president's desk to stop him from signing off on withdrawing the United States from a trade deal with South Korea, a news report citing an unpublished book said Tuesday.Bob Woodward, a Washington Post journalist known for his investigative reporting on the Watergate scandal, wrote up the anecdote in his new book, "Fear," set for release next week, the paper said.Woodward also wrote, based on in-depth i

Sept. 5, 2018

Moon, Trump to meet at UN this month: White House

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreed Tuesday to meet during the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, the White House said.The leaders spoke by phone ahead of Wednesday's planned trip to Pyongyang by a South Korean government delegation headed by Moon's chief national security aide, Chung Eui-yong.(AP)The trip is aimed at setting the date for Moon's third meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which the two sides agreed ea

Sept. 5, 2018

Ranking Chinese official to visit N. Korea for foundation anniversary

    A Chinese delegation headed by a senior communist party official will visit North Korea this week for the anniversary of the foundation of the communist state, the North's state media reported Tuesday.   Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, will head the delegation for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency said.Li Zhanshu(right), a member of the Standing Committee of the Politic

Sept. 4, 2018

Korean Red Cross delivers 2,144 hygiene kits for victims of Laos dam collapse

Korean Red Cross said Tuesday it sent an additional 2,144 hygiene kits for those affected by a dam collapse that occurred in late July in Laos.The relief goods are to be delivered by Korean Air to Danang, Vietnam. From there, they will be transported on land to the site of the incident by the Lao Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross in Laos, the Korean organization said. Hygiene kits prepared by the Korean Red Cross (Korean Red Cross)The kits include detergents for washing and

Sept. 4, 2018

N. Korea denounces US for hampering progress in inter-Korean relations

North Korea on Tuesday lashed out at the US for standing in the way of the two Koreas’ efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, a day before South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy is set to travel to Pyongyang. 　The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, carried a commentary titled “Blocking North Korea-South Korea relations is blocking the US’ own road ahead.” It called upon South Korea to pursue inter-Korean projects without being i

Sept. 4, 2018

Mission for envoy to Pyongyang: NK’s list of nuclear weapons

A key mission for South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy to Pyongyang is to salvage stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US by persuading North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to take bolder steps to denuclearize, experts say. Headed by Moon’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, the five-member delegation will travel to Pyongyang on Wednesday for a one-day trip to set the date and agenda for the inter-Korean summit planned for this month, according to the presid

Sept. 3, 2018

Elderly wartime sex slavery victim calls for removal of Japan-funded foundation

Heavy rain could not stop Kim Bok-dong, 92, from staging a solo protest in a wheelchair in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the thick of Monday's rush hour. The victim of Japan's forced sexual slavery is the first in a line of others to follow to protest against the establishment of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, a controversial state-run body for Korean sexual slavery victims built with a 1 billion-yen ($9.2 million) Japanese contribution. "It's only been five days since

Sept. 3, 2018

Top security adviser to head Moon’s delegation to Pyongyang

South Korean President Moon Jae-in named his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong as a special envoy to lead a delegation on a one-day trip to North Korea on Wednesday, the presidential office said Sunday. 　The delegation’s visit to Pyongyang comes as Moon is set to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this month amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US.  Led by Chung, the five-member delegation includes Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligen

Sept. 2, 2018

[Newsmaker] Tokyo protests UN committee’s advice on ‘comfort women’: local report

After a UN anti-discrimination body on Thursday advised Tokyo to adopt a victim-centered approach to achieve a lasting solution on the issue of Japan’s wartime military sexual slavery, which largely involved Korean women, Tokyo’s UN mission has expressed its regret and lodged a protest with the UN committee, according to local media.　　The 18-member UN body stated that Tokyo’s efforts did not “take a fully victim-centered approach (and) that the surviving (victims) were not adequately consulted.”

Aug. 31, 2018

Libyan head of state due in Seoul for talks with Korean leader

The head of state of Libya will visit South Korea next week for a bilateral summit with President Moon Jae-in, Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj will arrive in Seoul on Sunday on a three-day visit, becoming the first Libyan leader in history to visit South Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae. (AFP)The presidential office said the Moon-Sarraj meeting will also mark the first bilateral summit between the two countries without specifying the exact date for t

Aug. 31, 2018

US extends travel ban on N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The US government said Thursday it has decided to keep a ban on its nationals traveling to North Korea amid what officials in Washington describe as a "slow and tough" denuclearization process."The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities," the Department of State said in a statement. "The travel warning for North Korea remains in place."It "strongly" warned US citizens not to travel to North Korea," citing "continued concerns about the threat of

Aug. 31, 2018

Trump sends mixed signals on military drills, blames China

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reaffirmed his decision to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea, but also warned he could “instantly” resume the drills, and they could be “far bigger than ever before,” both appeasing and pressuring North Korea amid the stalled denuclearization talks. (Yonhap)Without directly taking aim at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump blamed China -- North Korea’s biggest ally, currently engaged in an intensifying trade dispute with the US -- for a l

Aug. 30, 2018