Tillerson’s departure won’t affect US-NK dialogue: Cheong Wa Dae

The dismissal of Rex Tillerson as top U.S. diplomat will have no effect on the allies’ scheduled dialogue with North Korea, an official from Seoul‘s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he will soon appoint the current head of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, as the new secretary of state.“The North Korea-U.S. summit will be held as scheduled as President Trump has personally expressed his decision to do so,” the Ch

March 14, 2018

Kang to visit US as planned despite Tillerson's dismissal

South Korea's top diplomat will go ahead with a plan to visit the United States this week to discuss North Korea's nuclear issue despite the announcement of her counterpart's dismissal, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is to leave for the US on Thursday for a three-day stay during which she plans to meet with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, according to the official. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)The go-ahead decision came

March 14, 2018

Tillerson's departure won't affect coordination with S. Korea: top diplomat

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's departure comes as "a sudden change," but it won't affect South Korea and the United States' close coordination over North Korean nuclear issues, South Korea's top diplomat said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks to reporters on her way to work earlier this morning following the news that Tillerson will step down from his post.Asked whether it would cause problems for South Korea-US diplomatic coordination, Kang said, "That is unlikel

March 14, 2018

Korea, US to hold third round of FTA talks this week

Korea and the United States will hold the third round of talks on amending the free trade agreement between the two nations in Washington this week, Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday.Yoo Myung-hee, a deputy minister for FTA negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will lead the Korean side in the talks with her US counterpart, Assistant Trade Representative Michael Beeman, in Washington DC on Thursday (local time).The meeting comes while Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chon

March 14, 2018

Views on denuclearization hurdle for NK-US talks

US President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by May for talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, but their different understandings of “denuclearization” stand as a major stumbling block to the possibly history-making talks. Despite growing hopes that the breakthrough between North Korea and the US could tackle the nuclear standoff, skepticism also lingers over whether the summit between Trump and Kim can be held and if so whether it wo

March 13, 2018

Parliamentary leaders agree to boost Korea-Kazakhstan cooperation

The parliamentary leaders of South Korea and Kazakhstan on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, science, culture and other areas, Seoul officials said.The signing came during a meeting between South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun and his Kazakhstani counterpart Nurlan Zairullayevich Nigmatulin in the Central Asian country's capital of Astana. Chung arrived here earlier this week as part of a nine-day trip that al

March 13, 2018

Kang, Tillerson to discuss NK ahead of historic summits

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will meet later this week to discuss details on their planned summits with North Korea, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet with her US counterpart Rex Tillerson in Washington on Friday (local time), according to the ministry.The meeting comes after the North recently agreed to hold summits with South Korea and the US. The agreements came out of a recent trip by President Moon Jae-in's spe

March 13, 2018

Japan's FM: 'Right before miracle' on Korean Peninsula situation

TOKYO/SEOUL -- Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono hailed a recent diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula on Monday, describing the current situation as a "moment right before the miracle", South Korea's presidential office said. Kono made the remarks during a meeting with South Korea's chief of National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, who is in Tokyo to brief Japan's top officials on his visits to Pyongyang and Washington. In a dramatic turnaround on the Korean Peninsula, US President D

March 13, 2018

Xi: China, South Korea should bolster communication over NK developments

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping told a visiting South Korean delegation on Monday that the two nations should bolster their communication and properly resolve sensitive issues amid a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Xi made the comments during a meeting with South Korean National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, who was sent to share the outcome of his recent trips to North Korea and the United States. Chung Eui-yong (left) and Xi

March 12, 2018

Concerns rise over lack of US diplomats experienced with NK

The question of who in Washington will take the lead in preparing for proposed talks between North Korea and the US is gaining attention as concerns grow over a lack of seasoned diplomats in Washington familiar with North Korea.US President Donald Trump accepted an invitation on Friday to meet North Korean leader Kim Jung-un for talks on denuclearization by May in what appears to be a breakthrough after months of insults, threats and hostility between the leaders. With the Trump administration a

March 12, 2018

Korean FM Kang to meet Tillerson in Washington this week

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington this week to discuss their countries' planned dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry here said Monday.Kang will travel to the United States on Thursday for a three-day stay for the foreign ministerial talks.The two top diplomats "plan to share their assessment of the recent rapid progress on the Korean Peninsula and to have in-depth consultations on how to closely cooperat

March 12, 2018

Envoys of S. Korean leader head to Japan, China on outcome of N. Korea visit

Special envoys of South Korean President Moon Jae-in were set to leave for China and Japan on Monday to explain to their leaders the outcome of the special envoys' monumental trip to North Korea.Chung Eui-yong, Moon's top security advisor, was set to embark on a two-day trip to Beijing where he is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.Suh Hoon, chief of the state spy agency, was also set to visit Japan later in the day. He will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday. Top sec

March 12, 2018

S. Korea, U.S. wrap up 1st round of negotiations on military cost-sharing

South Korea and the United States have ended their first round of discussions in what will likely be monthslong negotiations on cost-sharing for the upkeep of the 28,500 American troops stationed here, officials said Sunday.The South Korean delegation, led by a career diplomat Chang Won-sam, returned home Sunday after the three-day meeting, which kicked off in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday (local time).Chang was appointed in mid-November to head the South Korean negotiation team for the talks w

March 11, 2018

Diplomacy begins in earnest to pave way for US-NK summit

With North Korea and the United States agreeing to hold a historic summit on North Korea‘s nuclear program, South Korea is campaigning to rally regional stakeholders’ support for what it sees as an ultimate opportunity to resolve the decadeslong security challenge. 　National Security advisor Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon returned home Sunday after wrapping up their two-day visit to Washington, DC, during which they relayed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s messa

March 11, 2018

What pushed NK to form conciliatory mood?

With US President Donald Trump appearing ready to engage with North Korea, questions are rising over what prompted the North Korean leader to offer conditions sufficient to warrant such a reaction from the US leader. 　On Friday, the White House confirmed that Trump will meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un by May to achieve denuclearization, suggesting that Seoul’s envoys conveyed conditions satisfactory to the US leader. 　Trump, who once called Kim a “little rocket man” and threatened to rain

March 9, 2018

FM to visit Washington next week to address US-NK dialogue: reports

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is expected to visit Washington next week to further discuss with US officials talks with North Korea on denuclearization, media reports said Thursday, citing diplomatic sources.  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)The news comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s trop security adviser Chung Eui-yong embarked on a trip to the United States to explain the outcome of his recent visit to North Korea, where he met the country’s lead

March 8, 2018

China, Japan, Russia show differing views on inter-Korean summit

China, Japan and Russia -- members of the six-party talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- are showing different views on the inter-Korean summit slated for April. While China and Russia welcome the development, Japan appeared to be perplexed, expressing cautious doubt toward the communist regime.(Yonhap)The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Tuesday showing support for the decision to hold the top-level meeting, which would be the third of its kind. The first inter-K

March 7, 2018

Are hurdles cleared for US-NK talks?

After North Korea said it was willing to discuss denuclearization with the US, both hope and skepticism are growing over a potential diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Pyongyang. 　US President Donald Trump hailed the North’s offer to denuclearize as “very positive” and “sincere.” He also said in the Oval Office it would be “a great thing” for the world, North Korea and the peninsula, adding he will “see what happens.”　In what many see as an unexpectedly bold move, North Korean leader

March 7, 2018

Why Panmunjeom, not in Pyongyang or Seoul?

The key achievement of President Moon Jae-in’s envoys to North Korea is that the two Koreas laid the groundwork for easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and opened a possibility for talks between the reclusive regime and the US to tackle the nuclear deadlock, experts said Tuesday. South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit at the Peace House in Panmunjeom at the end of April, Moon’s top security adviser said Tuesday, following a two-day trip to Pyongyang as Moon

March 6, 2018