‘Excessive courtesy’ for North delegation creates stir

The South Korean government was embroiled in controversy for treating the North Korean delegation “excessively” well here during its two-day visit to the South aimed at inspecting venues and facilities where the two Koreas plan to hold joint cultural events. Hyon Song-wol (Yonhap)　Led by Hyon Song-wol, the head of the Samjiyon Orchestra, the advance team from Pyongyang inspected possible venues in Gangneung and Seoul on Sunday and Monday, respectively, where the North Korean art troupe is set to

Jan. 23, 2018

Long-term approach needed to handle sexual slavery issue with Japan: envoy

TOKYO -- South Korea needs to take a "long-term" approach in dealing with the decadeslong feud with Japan over its wartime sexual slavery of Korean women, South Korea's top envoy in Japan has said.Amb. Lee Su-hoon made the remark early last week during a meeting with a group of reporters who visited Tokyo as part of an exchange program for journalists between the two countries."Let's take a long-term approach with a deep breath," he said. "If you rush to resolve it and put (a patch) to it again

Jan. 23, 2018

Korea voices strong protest over Japan's renewed territorial claims to Dokdo

South Korea on Monday voiced a strong protest over Japan's renewed territorial claims to its easternmost islets of Dokdo and demanded their immediate withdrawal."We express our deep regrets over Japan's unjustifiable claims to Dokdo again," the foreign ministry said in a spokesman's commentary."The Japanese government should stop its wrong claims with regard to our inherent territory, which it undoubtedly is from a historic and geographical perspective, as well as in the eyes of international la

Jan. 22, 2018

Foreign Minister Kang to attend Davos forum

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa will attend the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, next week, the foreign ministry said Sunday.The prestigious conference will be held from Jan. 23-26 with some 3,000 participants, including 70 heads of state and government, on the theme of "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World." (Yonhap)Kang will participate in sessions on North Korea's nuclear crisis, sustainable development goals and a shared future for the world.

Jan. 21, 2018

S. Korea, US agree to stay unified against NK nukes

South Korea and the United States agreed Friday to stay unified and work together to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons program.The two sides affirmed the position during a meeting between South Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan, according to a Pentagon statement."The leaders reaffirmed the ironclad nature of the alliance, and the importance of maintaining vigilance and unity in the face of North Korean aggression," it said.Their meet

Jan. 20, 2018

South Korea seeks to lead NK, US into ‘dialogue process’

South Korea will try to use the momentum generated by inter-Korean talks on Pyongyang’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics to bring together the reclusive regime and the US for dialogue on denuclearization, according to a 2018 policy briefing. 　The foreign, defense, unification, culture and veterans ministries jointly briefed Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on policies they will pursue this year during an annual briefing Friday. Their shared theme was “peace on the Korean Peninsula, which begi

Jan. 19, 2018

‘Peace beyond PyeongChang’ keyword for Seoul’s 2018 NK policy

South Korea is expected to try to use the momentum generated by North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics this year to encourage the reclusive regime to the denuclearization talks. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (second from left) meets with top policymakers  to be briefed on this year's major policies on foreign affairs and national security in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)The foreign, defense, unification, culture and veterans ministries jointly briefed Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on poli

Jan. 19, 2018

Moon, Macron discuss NK, PyeongChang games

President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation Thursday and discussed ways to work together on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and for a successful PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron (Yonhap)According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders spoke for about 30 minutes from 7:20 p.m. during which Moon gave a detailed account of inter-Korean talks. Seoul’s presidential office added that Moon expr

Jan. 18, 2018

NK sanctions a big hurdle in Pyongyang‘s participation at Olympics

South and North Korea have agreed to plans to collaborate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next month, but challenges lie ahead in making the plans materialize. South Korea is now tasked with finding ways to host the North Korean delegation -- which could comprise at least 400 athletes, officials, musicians, cheerleaders and journalists -- without violating United Nations Security Council sanctions against the North.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects Masikryong Ski Resort, North Korea,

Jan. 18, 2018

20 countries vow tougher sanctions on North Korea

Despite ongoing inter-Korean talks, 20 nations including South Korea and the US agreed Wednesday to beef up sanctions on North Korea to pressure the country to give up its nuclear and missile programs during a meeting in Vancouver. 　Foreign ministers from the 20 countries also vowed to support ongoing dialogue between the two Koreas “in hopes that it leads to sustained easing of tensions” and “diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea” during the meeting co-hosted by the US and Canada. 　But

Jan. 17, 2018

S. Korea, Mongolia seek cooperation against air pollution

South Korea's Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday his administration is willing to support Mongolia's efforts to reduce air pollution in its capital city.In meeting with Lee here, Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh said his government's most urgent task is to resolve the air pollution issue in Ulaanbaatar and requested South Korea's support, according to Lee's office. Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh (left) and Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon clink glasses in Seoul on Tue

Jan. 16, 2018

Tensions resurface in Korea-Japan relations over sex slavery deal

South Korea-Japan relations may be facing yet another downturn, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejecting the South Korean government’s calls for extra measures to resolve the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women. Abe reportedly said during a meeting with reporters that Japan could not accept South Korea’s unilateral demands for extra measures, and reiterated his call for Seoul to faithfully carry out the agreement reached in 2015. His remarks came after President

Jan. 12, 2018

S. Korea, US, Japan considering trilateral foreign ministers meeting next week

　South Korea, the United States and Japan are considering holding a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in Vancouver, Canada, next week on the sidelines of an international gathering aimed at discussing more effective sanctions on North Korea, a diplomatic source here said Friday. 　“There is a possibility of a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting during the meeting of the Vancouver Group, as all foreign ministers from South Korea, the US and Japan are scheduled to attend it,” the sou

Jan. 12, 2018

Abe rejects S. Korea's latest stance on sex slavery deal

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that he cannot accept South Korean government's announcement that the issue of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women has not been resolved through a controversial deal reached in 2015, a local news report said.Kyodo News quoted Abe as saying during a meeting with reporters that the deal is a government-to-government agreement and that Seoul's latest stance on the accord can never be accepted.Abe also reiterated his call for Sou

Jan. 12, 2018

Sex slavery not subject to political negotiations: ex-TF head

The South Korea-Japan feud over the wartime sexual mobilization of Korean women is a humanitarian issue that shouldn't have been put to political negotiations, the former head of a South Korean task force in charge of reviewing a 2015 bilateral deal on the matter said Thursday. The remarks by Oh Tai-kyu came two weeks after the foreign ministry task force announced in its conclusion of the review that the 2015 deal was reached in a secretive manner under the previous Park Geun-hye government, wi

Jan. 11, 2018

Who will be coming to PyeongChang Olympics?

With less than a month to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, attention is being drawn on who will attend the games as Seoul seeks to use the sporting event as an opportunity to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 　The Moon Jae-in administration has been trying to invite as many foreign leaders as possible, particularly those from regional powers, in the hope that they will show their support for what Moon described as the “Peace Olympics.” 　But the likelihood of their attendance -- Donald

Jan. 11, 2018

Moon calls for Japan's apology over 2015 deal, amid controversy

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday said that the government will consult with Japan, victims of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement and civic organizations on what to do with Tokyo‘s funds earmarked for victims.In a nationally televised press conference, Moon reaffirmed the Foreign Ministry’s announcement a day earlier that the government would not to seek a renegotiation of the deal, but would replace Japan’s funds with a governmental fund.“It means that we will heal the wounds of the victims wi

Jan. 10, 2018

Korean defense chief reaffirms robust alliance with US

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo reassured the United States on Wednesday that their strong alliance will remain rock solid despite renewed inter-Korean dialogue.He delivered the message to US Army Secretary Mark T. Esper in their Seoul meeting.It was their first meeting since the secretary took office last November.They discussed the issue of successfully hosting the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, cooperating on North Korea and reforming the armies of the two countries, the Ministry o

Jan. 10, 2018

Moon calls for Japan's sincere apology to resolve sex slavery issue

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday urged Japan to accept historical truth and make a heartfelt apology to the victims of its wartime sexual slavery as part of efforts to resolve the longstanding feud over the issue between the two countries.In a nationally televised press conference, Moon reaffirmed that a controversial 2015 deal with Japan aimed at resolving the issue once and for all was reached "in the wrong way," which excluded the opinions of the victims. "Basically, the comfort women issue

Jan. 10, 2018

[Breaking] Korea, UAE agree to strengthen ties

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed Tuesday to further enhance their bilateral relationship to upgrade their diplomatic ties into a comprehensive strategic relationship, a Seoul official said.The agreement came in a meeting between Im Jong-seok, Seoul's presidential chief of staff, and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi."The United Arab Emirates is the only country in the Middle East with which we have a strategic partnership, and we have ag

Jan. 9, 2018