Nuke envoys of Korea, US and Japan pushing to meet as early as mid-Feb.: source

Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will likely meet in Washington in the middle of this month at the earliest to discuss cooperation in dealing with North Korea's evolving nuke threats, a diplomatic source said Sunday.The gathering, if realized, would mark the first of its kind since the launch of the US administration led by President Donald Trump last month.The three nations would be represented by Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and

Feb. 6, 2017

Korean, US FMs to hold their first phone conversation

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and US State Secretary Rex Tillerson will hold their first telephone conversation this week, a South Korean foreign ministry official said Sunday."We're currently fine-tuning the timing for a phone conversation between South Korean and US foreign ministers on Tuesday (Korean time)," the official said, requesting not to be named. Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)The conversation, if made, would mark the first formal contact between foreig

Feb. 5, 2017

Russia warns of ‘action’ if THAAD is deployed

Moscow will take steps to protect its national security if US missile defense assets are deployed here as planned, the Russian ambassador to South Korea said Friday, warning it will bring a “dangerous impact” to the peninsula and the region. Alexander Timonin’s remarks came as the defense chiefs of South Korea and the US agreed during their talks in Seoul to complete the installment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system as scheduled for this year. They stressed the equipment was “onl

Feb. 3, 2017

[EYE] Service to society, service to Koreas

On Dec. 22, 2014, the representatives of 15 UN Security Council member states gathered at its chamber, sharing harrowing accounts of North Korea’s human rights violations and exploring ways to hold the Kim Jong-un regime to account. Oh Joon, then Seoul’s ambassador to the UN, took over the microphone as the session drew to an end. But instead of vilifying Kim and his executives, he spoke, in a solemn, placid manner, for millions of South Koreans whose left-behind loved ones are suffering across

Feb. 3, 2017

70 percent of Americans support long-term US military presence in S. Korea: survey

About 70 percent of Americans believe the US should have long-term military presence in South Korea, a survey showed Wednesday.The Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey, conducted jointly with research institutes in five other nations, also showed that 62 percent of South Koreans are supportive of long-term US military presence in their country."The South Korean public and the American public are closely aligned on their views of US bases in South Korea," the council said.The high American su

Feb. 2, 2017

Foreign minister, ex-US congressmen reaffirm active response to N. Korean threats

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and former US congressmen reaffirmed Wednesday that their countries need to react proactively in addressing North Korea's serious nuclear and missile threats, the foreign ministry here said.Yun held a meeting with an American delegation led by former US Representatives Dan Burton and Matt Salmon to discuss North Korean nuclear threats and alliance issues, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The delegation also included former US chief negotiato

Feb. 2, 2017

Korea stops issuing visas for Chinese instructors at local institute

South Korea has stopped issuing or extending visas for Chinese language instructors at the local branch of a Chinese non-governmental organization affiliated with its education ministry, sources said Wednesday.The Ministry of Justice has not issued or extended the one-year E-2 teaching visa for instructors at Confucius Institute in South Korea since late last year, according to local universities. Confucius Institute is a Chinese public institute that has some hundreds of branch offices worldwid

Feb. 1, 2017

Seoul will not tolerate Japan's claim over Dokdo in textbook guidelines

South Korea said Tuesday that it will not tolerate Japan's push to make clear its sovereignty over the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its textbook guidelines, saying that such an "unjust" territorial claim should be withdrawn immediately.In its Saturday edition, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that Japan's education ministry will specify that the islets are a "clear part of the territory of Japan" in its revised curriculum guidelines for textbooks to be used at elementary and mi

Jan. 31, 2017

THAAD tension spills over cruise trips bound for Korea: sources

An international cruise ship operator has cut the number of its services linking China directly with South Korea, a move deemed to be in line with Beijing's retaliatory steps against Seoul's planned installment of a US anti-missile defense system, industry sources said Tuesday.According to the sources, MSC, which operates cruise ships departing from the Northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin directly bound for South Korea, now offers three fewer trips than usual as of the start of this year. The c

Jan. 31, 2017

Korea's acting president to meet US defense chief

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will meet US Defense Secretary James Mattis this week to discuss joint efforts to counter North Korea's growing military threats and enhance the bilateral alliance, Hwang's office said Tuesday.The meeting will be held at Hwang's office in Seoul at 5 p.m. Thursday. Mattis will begin his two-day visit to South Korea that runs through Friday as part of his first overseas trip since taking office on Jan. 20.Acting president and prime mi

Jan. 31, 2017

Trump should never settle for freeze on NK nuclear program: US expert

US President Donald Trump should never settle for a freeze on North Korea's nuclear programs as it amounts to accepting the communist nation as a nuclear power, a senior American expert on Korea said.David Straub, a former State Department diplomat handling Korean Peninsula issues, also said in an op-ed piece carried by the newspaper The Hill that the Trump administration should ramp up pressure on Pyongyang to force it to genuine denuclearization talks.US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)A growin

Jan. 31, 2017

Elena Ferrante’s neorealist novels translated into Korean

The Italian Embassy in Seoul celebrated the publication of novels in Korean by renowned author Elena Ferrante at a book talk on Jan. 19. The event at the embassy marked last year’s translated release of the first two of “The Neapolitan Novels,” a four-part series comprised of “My Brilliant Friend” (2012), “The Story of a New Name” (2013), “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” (2014) and “The Story of the Lost Child” (2015). The books are published by Hangilsa Publishing Company Limited, which pri

Jan. 30, 2017

Young Diplomats Academy instills lofty goals in students

The Korea Herald Young Diplomats Academy and the Young Opinion Leaders’ Knowledge Forum -- youth camps providing interaction with foreign diplomats, business leaders, renowned scholars and legal experts -- inspired young generations last week. The event at Yonsei International Campus in Songdo, Incheon, from Jan. 20-22 attracted over 100 students from elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The forum is tailored to middle and high school students, while the academy is designed fo

Jan. 30, 2017

Indonesian envoy wraps up pragmatic tenure

Indonesian Ambassador John Aristianto Prasetio held his last meeting Thursday with Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, wrapping up 4 1/2 years in Korea that culminated in President Joko Widodo’s visit last year amid deepening bilateral ties. The event took place in a “warm environment” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, according to the Indonesian Embassy, with both diplomats taking stock of bilateral progress before and after Widodo’s state visit to Korea last May. 　“This great achi

Jan. 30, 2017

Musical couple rings unchained melodies from yesterday

Before the advent of K-pop, the Kim Sisters rocked America’s postwar music scene with their colorful tunes, zestful tones and exotic eyes. The trio starred on the Ed Sullivan Show more than 22 times with the likes of Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Poster children of Korea’s postwar pop, they were the first Asian girl group to debut in Las Vegas and introduce the unknown country’s charming voices to American audiences throughout the 1960s and ‘70s.The group comprised of Kim So

Jan. 30, 2017

Court makes ruling to settle local dispute on China's Korean performers ban

A Seoul court settled a local dispute between management agencies following apparent moves by China to ban South Korean performers from operating in the country, records showed Monday.The Seoul Central District Court ruled against a local KOSDAQ listed K-pop management agency that filed a suit demanding the return of 260 million won ($222,700) in payment made to another entertainment firm. The contract called for the plaintiff, identified only as "management agency A" to get exclusive control ov

Jan. 30, 2017

Trump reiterates 'ironclad commitment' to defend Korea

US President Donald Trump reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to South Korea's defense and agreed to take steps to bolster joint defense capabilities, the White House said Sunday.Trump made the remark when he spoke by phone with South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and discussed the importance of the alliance between the two countries, the White House said in a statement."President Trump reiterated our ironclad commitment to defend the (Republic of Korea), in

Jan. 30, 2017

KOICA chief calls for institutionalizing Korea’s ODA model

With Korea’s overseas aid having taken root, the next government should establish and institutionalize the model of the country’s official development assistance in its policy framework to shore up its role as an emerging donor, the chief of the Korea International Cooperation Agency said. In recent years, whether and how to define Korea’s ODA model has surfaced as one of the most hotly debated topics in the field. Some policymakers and scholars argue a model would help boost the country’s edge

Jan. 25, 2017

Athletes' hotel in Japan to remove history-denying books before competition

A Japanese hotel under fire for providing books denying the country's past wrongdoings offered on Wednesday to remove them before hosting South Korean athletes for an upcoming competition.The decision by APA Hotel and Resort in Sapporo, which will be used as athletes' quarters during the Feb. 19-26 Asian Winter Games, came hours after the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee demanded appropriate steps be taken.APA Hotel and Resort (Yonhap)The KSOC lodged a formal complaint with the Japanese Olympi

Jan. 25, 2017

Nuke envoys of Korea, US and Japan likely to meet next month: source

Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will likely meet in Washington next month to discuss cooperation in dealing with North Korea's evolving nuke threats, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the foreign ministry, is arranging a meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, according to the source. "The meeting is being arranged for the middle of Februa

Jan. 25, 2017