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

From intervention to pragmatism -- In era of Donald Trump

International relations are expected to undergo great changes under the Donald Trump administration. The new US leader’s pragmatist view of world affairs, highlighted in his presidential campaign process, will come to the fore, influencing American foreign policy. It is, in a sense, a more business-like approach than a political one. It instinctively aims to seek self-interest, or “America First.” In this vein, the Trump administration will likely design a foreign policy that would distance itse

Jan. 25, 2017

Philippines apologizes for its policemen's murdering of Korean man

The Filipino government on Tuesday officially apologized to its South Korean counterpart over a Korean businessman who was kidnapped and killed by local police officers last year.Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella conveyed condolences to the bereaved family of the man in his 50s, surnamed Ji, who was abducted and strangled to death by policemen for ransom in October. The apology came a few days after three Filipinos, including two police officers, were arrested over their involvement in the c

Jan. 25, 2017

Korean envoy to UN tapped to chair commission on peace building

South Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul has been elected to chair the international body's commission on peace building, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.Cho will officially take office as the chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission on Wednesday in New York for a one-year term, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Composed of 31 member states, the PBC was established in December 2005 as an intergovernmental advisory body under the UN with a mission to provide r

Jan. 24, 2017

Korea to set up contingency team to improve consular service

South Korea is seeking to set up a contingency team to improve its consular service for South Koreans traveling overseas, the ambassador for consular affairs said Tuesday."(We) plan to establish an emergency situation room at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to respond in a timely manner to overseas accidents, including terrorist attacks or earthquakes," Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Han Dong-man said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.The situation room can i

Jan. 24, 2017

Korea lodges protest against Taiwan over sexual assaults

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official has summoned a senior official from the Taipei Mission in Seoul to lodge a protest against the sexual assault of two South Korean tourists by a taxi driver in Taipei, the ministry said Monday.Chung Jin-kyu, an official at the ministry's Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau, met with the deputy head of the Taipei Mission and demanded that Taiwan punish the taxi driver and ensure that similar accidents do not recur. It was not immediately clear how

Jan. 23, 2017

Xi Jinping's popularity plunges in S. Korea amid THAAD rows

The popularity of Chinese President Xi Jinping plunged among South Koreans recently as Beijing has taken a series of retaliatory measures against Seoul over a plan to deploy an advanced US missile defense system here, a poll showed Monday.In January, Xi received 4.25 points on a scale of 1 to 10, designed to gauge the level of the Chinese president's likability among South Koreans, according to the poll by the private-run Asan Institute for Policy Studies. A month earlier, the number was 4.16.It

Jan. 23, 2017

Literature translation bridges ancient Georgia, modern Korea

The Georgian Embassy in Seoul honored a scholar last week for translating a literary masterpiece and smoothing cultural exchanges between Georgia and Korea. Georgian Ambassador to Korea Nikoloz Apkhazava bestowed Thursday the Presidential Order of Honor to Cho Ju-kwan, a professor of Russian language and literature at Yonsei University. Cho adapted into Korean “The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin,” a national treasure written in the 12th century by Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.Rustaveli was a pre-em

Jan. 23, 2017

‘Indonesia is transforming business climate with reforms’

One of the first things Indonesian Ambassador John Aristianto Prasetio did upon starting his post in Korea was streamlining the visa application process at the embassy. Prasetio also talked to his government to make it easy for Korean banks to open branches in Indonesia. “As a businessman, I like competition,” he told The Korea Herald. “These are some of the small steps I have taken as a new ambassador, but which would have big impacts down the road.” Indonesian Ambassador John Aristianto Praset

Jan. 23, 2017

ASEAN, Korea hash over tourism, smart city development

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, the ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul sent a mission to Singapore and Indonesia last week to strengthen cooperation in tourism and smart city development. Under the theme of “Shaping our tourism journey together,” the event in Singapore from Jan. 16 to Friday brought together tourism professionals, ministers and bureaucrats, as well as dialogue partners from Korea, Japan, China and Russia. Since it was launched in 20

Jan. 23, 2017

US, South Korea need to further strengthen alliance against many challenges: Mark Lippert

Time is of the essence in dealing with geopolitical and security challenges facing the Northeast Asian region, the outgoing top US envoy to South Korea said Friday, adding that the current situation warrants more efforts by Washington and Seoul to strengthen their alliance.Ambassador Mark Lippert noted that he remains optimistic about the future of the two allies, citing a strong foundation and mechanisms that will help them iron out any differences of opinions taking place under any administrat

Jan. 20, 2017

Japan raises issue with 'Dokdo' on S. Korean Olympic website: report

Tokyo has complained to Seoul about a reference to Dokdo as South Korean territory on the latter's Olympic website, a report said Friday.Citing multiple sources, Kyodo News said the Japanese foreign ministry has asked South Korea to stop referring to the islets as South Korean territory on the website of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a source of tension between the neighbors. This

Jan. 20, 2017

Korea seeks high-level talks with US in Feb.: source

South Korea's foreign ministry is pushing to hold high-level talks with the United States "as soon as possible" after Donald Trump takes office and the meetings could come as early as next month, a ministry official said Friday.Negotiations are underway to arrange meetings between Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and the secretaries of state and defense under the Trump administration, according to the official. Trump is to take office on Friday (local time)."(We) are having close communication with

Jan. 20, 2017

US reiterates readiness for N. Korean missile launch

The United States is prepared for any North Korean missile launch, including the possibility of shooting it down if it were coming toward the USor allies, the Pentagon said Thursday.Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook made the remark after the US and South Korea picked up signs that the North has readied two new ballistic missiles with an intercontinental range for possible test-firing from mobile launchers.The move suggests the North could carry out a threatened ICBM test earlier than expected.

Jan. 20, 2017

Korea to speed up high-level talks with Trump administration

South Korea will speed up high-level talks with the new US administration in a bid to keep the bilateral alliance strong, the foreign ministry said Thursday."Following the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump as US president, the South Korean government plans to seek consultations and coordination between Seoul and Washington in a speedy manner at the minister level as well as higher-ranking policymakers," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a briefing. "Through

Jan. 19, 2017