Kazakhstan urges world to desert nuclear arms

On Aug. 29 1991, Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced its military nuclear capacity by closing down the Semipalatinsk test site, a primary experiment ground for the Soviet Union’s atomic weapons.By terminating the world’s fourth-largest atomic arsenal of more than 1,400 nuclear warheads at the time, the Central Asian nation was embarking on a path of disarmament and peace as a responsible member of the international community. Marking the 25th anniversary of the event, Astana held a two-day forum ti

Sept. 5, 2016

Treasures from Afghanistan unveiled in Korea

Exhibition titled “Treasures from Afghanistan” at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul has introduced the country’s ancient relics in Korea for the first time. (National Museum of Korea in Seoul)Timeworn relics from Afghanistan have been unveiled in Korea for the first time, through joint collaboration between the two countries’ national museums. Displaying artefacts of ancient civilizations between the 20th century B.C. and the seventh century, the exhibition titled “Treasures from Afghanistan

Sept. 5, 2016

Hiroshima hopes for disarmament of nuclear-tipped world

A child and students look at the reenacted destruction of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. (Joel Lee / The Korea Herald)HIROSHIMA -- As visitors walk through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, they encounter destruction re-enacted from the doomed morning of Aug. 6, 1945, when an atomic bomb fell and exploded midair above Hiroshima’s epicenter. Relics from the apocalyptic event, including a scorched bicycle, shredded clothes, warped steel frames, and images of charred

Sept. 4, 2016

Park, Xi to hold summit Monday amid THAAD tensions

President Park Geun-hye will hold a summit with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, China, on Monday amid tensions over the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. antimissile system to South Korea.Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday said Park and Xi will hold the summit in the morning on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in China's eastern lakeside city.The two-way summit has been arranged as Beijing remains opposed to the pl

Sept. 4, 2016

Park to hold summit with Egyptian counterpart

President Park Geun-hye will hold a summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in business, security and other areas, her office Cheong Wa Dae said. President Park Geun-hye (right) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left) in Hangzhou, China, shake hands.(Yonhap)The summit has been arranged on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit of advanced and emerging economies in the eastern lakeside city.The s

Sept. 4, 2016

Park receives surprise gift from Putin

Photo taken on Sept. 3,and provided by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, shows President Park Geun-hye looking at the calligraphy of her late father and former President Park Chung-hee after a working luncheon at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Far East port city of Vladivostok. (Yonhap)President Park Geun-hye received a surprise gift from her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during her visit to Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok last week, her office Cheong Wa Dae said Sund

Sept. 4, 2016

Park arrives in China to attend G-20 summit

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Saturday to attend a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies, after a two-day visit to Russia's Far East port city of Vladivostok.The G-20 summit will begin its two-day run on Sunday under the main theme "Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."At the meeting, Park, along with world leaders, will discuss "inclusive and innovative" ways to stimulate economic growth, and joint e

Sept. 4, 2016

Park calls N. Korea 'disconnected node' in Eurasia, greatest threat

President Park Geun-hye called North Korea a "disconnected node in Eurasia and the greatest threat," on Saturday, saying the country is getting in the way of Russia's Far East realizing its full potential.During her keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok, the president urged continued global efforts to pressure Pyongyang into renouncing its nuclear ambitions and becoming a responsible member of the international community."Although the Far East

Sept. 3, 2016

Park to hold summits with China, Russia to ease THAAD tension

President Park Geun-hye will visit and hold summits with her Russian and Chinese counterparts starting Friday as Seoul seeks to defuse tension with the two countries over its plan to station advanced US missile defense assets here, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Park is scheduled to land in Vladivostok for a two-day stay during which she will deliver a keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum and hold a summit with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. From Sunday, she is expected to attend

Sept. 1, 2016

[HERALD INTERVIEW] US seeks greater aid partnerships with Korea

Driven by technological know-how and shared values, Washington is pushing to step up cooperation with Seoul to help combat poverty in underdeveloped countries in such fields as girls’ empowerment and science and technology, a senior US aid official said Wednesday. John Seong, who is in charge of policy coordination with Seoul and Tokyo for the US Agency for International Development as a counselor at the US Embassy in Japan, underscored the need to craft fresh ways to mobilize finances and build

Aug. 31, 2016

‘Tackling inequality, partnerships key to new development era’

The international community should continue to capitalize on political will and diversify funding sources through partnerships to achieve inclusive growth going forward, experts said Wednesday. Some 400 policymakers, academics and relief workers from around the world gathered for the Seoul ODA International Conference hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. Under the theme “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” the two-day event sought to explore better ways to

Aug. 31, 2016

France finishes celebrating 130th year of ties with Korea

The France-based leg of the yearlong South Korea-France cultural exchange project has drawn the curtains with a colorful flourish, celebratory of the 130th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.As of the end of August, the events of the "Years 2015-2016 of Korea-France Bilateral Exchanges" have hailed about 2.26 million visitors in France, which ran from September 2015, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Tuesday.Being the largest cultural project between the

Aug. 31, 2016

[Reporter’s Column] Seoul’s turn to console ‘comfort women’

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered at Namsan Park in central Seoul to mark the introduction of a memorial for the victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement during its 1910-45 colonial rule.  The establishment of the “Site of Memory” was funded by nearly 20,000 ordinary Koreans and steered by a civilian committee with the support of Seoul City. The 1,000-square-meter venue was once the home of the Japanese resident-general of Korea. It was exactly 106 years ago that day that Japan unila

Aug. 30, 2016