U.S. envoy highlights S. Korean role in TPP

South Korea's global economic network of free trade deals with many other countries will be a strong selling point for participation in a U.S.-led regional trade pact, known as the Trans Pacific Partnership, the top U.S. envoy to Seoul said Tuesday.  "We realize (South) Korea plays a role in the regional economy and has free trade agreements with many countries in the Pacific," Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, said in a Seoul forum.  "Korea is already a high standard, high perfo

April 28, 2015

Abe offers no apology for wartime sexual slavery

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered no clear apology Monday for Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean and other Asian women, sticking to a previous vague statement on the issue that has stymied Tokyo's relations with Seoul.  "When it comes to the comfort women issue, my heart aches when I think about those people who were victimized by human trafficking and who were subject to immeasurable pain and suffering beyond description," Abe said during a visit to Harvard University in Bost

April 28, 2015

Korea sends rescue team, aid to Nepal

South Korea said Monday it would dispatch search and rescue staff and medical personnel to Nepal as relief assistance pours into the country, following a massive earthquake that has left thousands dead and others injured. An advance team of 10 members from the 119 rescue squad and four government officials were scheduled to fly to the South Asian nation late Monday evening to inspect the situation and help the ongoing rescue efforts for 10 days, alongside a Foreign Ministry official who departed

April 27, 2015

Upgraded U.S.-Japan ties pose dilemma for Seoul

The strengthening U.S.-Japan alliance is posing a strategic dilemma for South Korea as its relations with Tokyo show no signs of improving, while the need for security cooperation over North Korea’s military threats rises.Capitalizing on the U.S. backing, Tokyo has been striving to carve out an advantageous position in the changing contours of regional security, raising calls for Seoul to move beyond the historical animosities and pursue what better serves its practical interests.Seoul has remai

April 27, 2015

Korea to offer $1m in relief aid to Nepal

South Korea said Sunday it will provide $1 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Nepal, which was hit Saturday by a 7.8-magnitude quake that left more than 1,800 people dead and others injured, including at least three South Koreans.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said that it is also considering offering other assistance, such as sending an emergency relief team. “Our government would like to extend our deep condolences and solace to the Nepali government and the people regarding the loss of many p

April 26, 2015

Park wraps up four-nation S. America tour

SAO PAULO ― President Park Geun-hye wrapped up her four-nation tour of South America over the weekend with a handful of deals aimed to boost trade and economic cooperation.Park’s trip to Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil came as South Korea is pushing to expand economic cooperation with the region hailed by Seoul officials as a continent of opportunities.South Korea has signed a set of memorandums of understanding with the four countries that, among other things, call for closer cooperation in th

April 26, 2015

New evidence of imperial Japan’s atrocities emerges

Fresh evidence of Japan’s colonial-era atrocities was revealed by Korean media outlets on Sunday, escalating growing pressure on Tokyo to confront history and sincerely apologize for its past wrongdoing. A document, which was recently found in a Korean-American church in Manhattan, New York, revealed that Japanese police sexually tortured young Korean women after the March 1 independence movement in 1919.“Among the tortures and brutalities dwelt on by writers and especially emphasized by the Ame

April 26, 2015

Canadian embassy hosts Toronto grads

Korean graduates of the University of Toronto gathered recently at an alumni reception at the Canadian embassy in Seoul to meet fellow alumni and remember their time at the various campuses in Toronto. The University of Toronto has over 540,000 alumni ― one of the largest and most active in the world. Their academic and professional excellence has contributed to the university’s recognition as Canada’s top higher educational institution. Over 1,000 ethnic Korean students and researchers study at

April 26, 2015

Korean culture program launched for foreigners

The Korea Foundation has launched a program that connects foreigners and Koreans through language and culture. Foreigners can take part in activities to experience Korean culture, while Koreans can participate in programs to deepen their global knowledge. Foreigners and Koreans have an opportunity to interact through field trips and language studies, as well as at film, art and music venues offered year-round across Korea. The Koreans and Foreigners Together Program was launched at the Korea Fou

April 26, 2015

‘Ethiopia’s renaissance follows Korean development’

Korea has been a paragon of progress for Ethiopia, which has developed rapidly since 2000.The Ethiopian economy grew by over 10 percent annually between 2004 and 2009, slowing to nearly 7 percent since 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund.Some political commentators have called Ethiopia the “African Lion,” a term similar to the “Asian Tiger,” which described Korea during its period of speedy development.Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome visited Korea in mid-April to benchmark Kore

April 26, 2015

S. Korea, Brazil agree to bolster ties

President Park Geun-hye and her Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, agreed Friday to strengthen their countries' partnership by diversifying cooperation."(South Korea and Brazil) can become ideal partners in expanding cooperation in such high value-added areas as infrastructure, smart grids, renewable energy and health care," Park said in a news conference with Rousseff following their summit in Brasilia. Smart grid technology is designed to increase power system efficiency. President Park Ge

April 25, 2015

White House calls for 'final resolution' of Korea-Japan history issues

 History tensions between South Korea and Japan should be addressed in a way that is not only "honest, constructive and forthright" but also reaches a "final resolution," a senior White House official said Friday.The remark from Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the White House's National Security Council, was seen as pressure on Japan to resolve historical tensions with Seoul ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States. President Barack Obama shake

April 25, 2015

U.S. lawmakers urge Abe to stick to past apologies

WASHINGTON ― A bipartisan group of U.S. congressmen, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, called on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to address historical tensions with South Korea to help bolster trilateral cooperation.The 25 lawmakers, including Reps. Mike Honda and Ed Royce, issued the appeal in a joint letter to Japanese Ambassador to Washington Kenichiro Sasae, just days before Abe begins a visit to the U.S. that includes an address at a joint session of Congress.“We ar

April 24, 2015