Sri Lankan film industry faces liberal winds of change

The film “Let Her Cry,” a tantalizing tale of an extramarital affair between an old professor and his seductive student, might not have been shown on screens in Sri Lanka a decade ago.Works that were hostile to the government or provocative in nature were banned by the previous administration, which ruled the country tightly nearing the end of a 30-year interethnic war. But since the new national unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed o

July 3, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Canada wholehearted on global leadership amid 150th anniversary’

With celebrations of Canada’s 150th Confederation anniversary scheduled throughout this year, there will be ampler space for Canada and Korea to cooperate within the international sphere, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh said, pointing to Ottawa’s intention to play a larger role in global affairs.During a parliamentary speech at the House of Commons in Ottawa on June 6, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada will “step up” to assume a greater share of international obliga

July 3, 2017

‘Pakistan, Korea longtime brethren of Eurasia’

In the eyes of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly, the exhibition “Alexander the Great meets Buddha” at Seoul Arts Center is demonstrable evidence of the enduring linkages between Pakistan and Korea that were spawned more than 16 centuries ago.A collaboration with the Peshawar Museum and Lahore Museum, the exhibit began Thursday and runs through Sept. 30, showcasing Buddhist sculptures of the Gandhara Civilization that thrived in territories of today’s northwestern Pak

July 3, 2017

Emboldened Moon to spur NK dialogue, but challenges remain

President Moon Jae-in appears to have won his US counterpart Donald Trump’s fundamental support for his approach toward North Korea and a US missile shield during their first summit, but challenges persist over future dealings with the nuclear issue and trade, analysts said Sunday. During Moon’s visit last week, the two leaders were seen building personal rapport and reaffirming their commitment to the 60-year alliance. Seoul managed to keep at bay the controversy over its decision to freeze the

July 2, 2017

PM voices hopes for deeper ties with Peru

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday voiced hopes for deeper ties between South Korea and Peru based on "multifaceted" bilateral cooperation triggered by their free trade agreement which took effect in 2011.Lee made the remarks during his meeting with Peruvian Second Vice President Mercedes Rosalba Araoz Fernandez. She was in Seoul to attend a forum on future cooperation between Korea and Central and South America. South Korea`s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (right) shakes hands with Peruvian Secon

June 30, 2017

Moon, Trump exhibit unlikely chemistry

As their maiden dinner meeting unfurled at the White House on Thursday, Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump were seen fostering a rapport, trading jokes and cheers about each other’s election victory.  In an apparent bid to break the ice, Moon said that he also suffers from “a bit of fake news” coverage, prompting laughs. Trump, who uses the term to describe unfavorable news reports, said he hoped the media heard that.  Trump congratulated Moon on his election win, saying it was a “great vic

June 30, 2017

Seoul voices concerns over false foreign reports' impact on inter-Korean ties

South Korea on Friday expressed concerns that some foreign media outlets' "groundless" reports could hamper inter-Korean relations, apparently pointing to a Japanese report on Seoul's alleged attempt to implement regime change in North Korea.Japan's Asahi Shimbun said Monday that the administration of former South Korean Park Geun-hye attempted to change the North Korean regime, including a possible plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)"There are concerns that some errone

June 30, 2017

Trump says discussions with Moon to include S. Korea buying more US energy

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday his upcoming discussions with President Moon Jae-in will include South Korea buying more energy from the United States.Trump made the remark during an "Unleashing American Energy" event at the Department of Energy, noting that the US firm Sempra Energy signed an agreement earlier in the day to sell natural gas to South Korea."As you know, the leaders of South Korea are coming to the White House today. And we've got a lot of discussion to do,

June 30, 2017

Moon made 'good strides' toward US away from N. Korea: Haley

WASHINGTON -- President Moon Jae-in has made "good strides" towards the United States and away from North Korea, and the communist nation is pushing the South Korean leader further away from it with a series of missile tests, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said.Haley made the remark during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing as she talked about the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, which Moon has suspended pending an environmental assessment. US Ambassa

June 30, 2017

Korea to demand Japan take steps over dark history of its heritage sites

South Korea on Thursday regretted Japan's foot-dragging on its promise to make public information about its past industrial facilities which were added to the UNESCO heritage list though some of them used forced labor during World War II. A foreign ministry official said South Korea will demand Japan implement its promised steps during a UNESCO meeting next month.Hashima undersea coal mine off Nagasaki, known as “Battleship Island,” one of the 23 properties of “Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolutio

June 29, 2017

Korea strongly protests Japan diplomat's comments on comfort women

South Korea on Thursday strongly protested a Japanese diplomat's disparaging comments on the victims of Tokyo's sexual slavery during World War II. In a recent media interview, Takashi Shinozuka, the consul general of Japan in Atlanta, called them paid prostitutes saying there is no evidence that the nation mobilized women as sex slaves. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck (Yonhap)"It was a very inappropriate remark inflicting a deep wound to the victims again who went through

June 29, 2017

Iranian speaker says Tehran willing to use Pyongyang ties to help inter-Korean reconciliation

Iran's parliamentary speaker said Thursday that Tehran will seek to use its ties with North Korea to help improve inter-Korean relations for a "peaceful and political" solution.During an interview with Seoul-based reporters, Ali Larijani also cautioned against the two Koreas taking actions to trigger any military rivalry and threw his support behind South Korea's Moon Jae-in government pursuing dialogue with its provocative neighbor. Iran`s parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani attends a press conf

June 29, 2017

White House: THAAD no major topic for Moon's summit with Trump

WASHINGTON -- The deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system won't be a major topic for this week's summit talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump, a senior White House official said Wednesday."President Moon has been very clear in recent days. His government and his new foreign minister have been clear in stating their view that there is a process involved in completing the deployment of that system. They've both said that they don't see that should not be equat

June 29, 2017

Top diplomats of Korea, US to hold talks ahead of summit

South Korea's top diplomat will meet her US counterpart to fine-tune details related to the upcoming summit between their leaders scheduled later this week, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson early Wednesday (local time) in Washington just ahead of the talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.  Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha delivers her inauguration speech in Seoul on June 19, 2017.

June 28, 2017

Moon-Trump meeting to focus on alliance, N. Korea

SEONGNAM AIRPORT -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump this week in a summit largely expected to focus on how to strengthen their countries' alliance and put their joint strength to use in ridding North Korea of its nuclear arms, Seoul officials said Wednesday.The two leaders will hold their first summit talks Friday (US time), following a dinner hosted by Trump and his wife, Melania, at the White House the day before.The most urgent issue for the meetin

June 28, 2017

US congressmen take to floor to welcome Moon

WASHINGTON -- A series of US congressmen have spoken on the floor to welcome South Korean President Moon Jae-in's first official trip to the United States and to call for further strengthening the alliance between the two countries.Moon is scheduled to visit Washington from Wednesday to Saturday for his first summit talks with US President Donald Trump as well as meetings with other top government officials and leaders of the House and the Senate."President Moon's trip comes at a critical time -

June 28, 2017

Korea denounces Japan diplomat's disparaging remarks on sex slavery victims

South Korea Tuesday denounced the Japanese consul general based in Atlanta, the United States, for his recent remarks disparaging Korean women who were forced into sexual service for front-line Japanese soldiers during World War II.In a recent media interview, Takashi Shinozuka, the consul general of Japan in Atlanta, urged the Brookhaven city council of Atlanta to cancel its decision to allow a memorial symbolizing the Korean victims, euphemistically called comfort women, to be built. South Kor

June 27, 2017

Korean president to attend G20 summit in Germany: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will head for Germany next week on an official visit that will also include his trip to the upcoming G20 summit in the European country, his office Cheong Wa Dae announced Tuesday.The new South Korean leader will depart for Germany next Wednesday, two days after his return from a trip to the United States where he is set to hold a bilateral summit with US President Donald Trump.Moon will first head to Berlin for an official two-day visit that will include bilat

June 27, 2017

Japan diplomat’s ‘paid prostitutes’ claim draws ire

A senior Japanese diplomat was found Tuesday to have portrayed the victims of wartime sexual slavery as “paid prostitutes,” drawing the ire of South Korea and adding to perennial historical tension between the countries. Takashi Shinozuka, the Japanese consul-general in Atlanta, made the comment during an interview with a local newspaper last week as he criticized the Brookhaven City Council’s plan to raise a statue in commemoration of the “comfort women.” The Atlanta Comfort Women Memorial Task

June 27, 2017