U.S. congressmen urge Abe to address historical issues

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 so as to bolster trilateral cooperation.The 25 lawmakers, including Reps. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Ed Royce (R-CA), 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

April 24, 2015

Japan has done enough to apologize for wartime sexual slavery: official

Japan has done enough to resolve grievances over the country's wartime sexual enslavement of women, a Japanese diplomat was quoted as saying Thursday, an indication Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unlikely to offer a new apology when he visits the United States next week.Masato Otaka, a spokesman for the Japanese Embassy, made the remark to the Washington Post, saying Tokyo has made statements of apology and remorse, paid "atonement money" to some victims through a civilian fund and sent letters of

April 24, 2015

S. Korea dismisses concerns over Xi-Abe meeting

South Korea dismissed concerns Thursday that this week's meeting between the Chinese and Japanese leaders could lead to South Korea's isolation in the region.On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit on the sidelines of an Asian-African conference under way in Jakarta, Indonesia.The meeting sparked concern in South Korea that the two neighbors could draw closer amid Seoul and Tokyo's chilled ties over historical and territorial issues."As the

April 23, 2015

S. Korea, Chile ink working holiday visa deal

South Korea has signed a deal with Chile on a work and travel program for young adults, Seoul's foreign ministry said.The signing of the Working Holiday visa agreement followed summit talks between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Chilean counterpart, Michelle Bachelet, in Santiago.It will allow South Koreans aged between 18-30 to work in Chile for up to one year while traveling there. There is no quota for South Korean applicants, while up to 100 Chilean people will be eligible for

April 23, 2015

U.S. welcomes revised nuclear cooperation pact with S. Korea as 'major milestone' for alliance

The United States on Wednesday welcomed the new civilian nuclear cooperation pact with South Korea as a "major milestone" for the alliance and a demonstration of the two countries' "shared commitment to nonproliferation."The two sides announced the revision to their 1974 nuclear energy cooperation pact in Seoul earlier Wednesday after more than four years of negotiations to reconcile Seoul's demand for the right to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and enrich uranium with Washington's concerns about

April 23, 2015

S. Korea, Chile agree to upgrade free trade deal

President Park Geun-hye and her Chilean counterpart, Michelle Bachelet, agreed Wednesday to improve their free trade deal as they are seeking to expand their cooperation in such areas as health care."Our two leaders share the need to upgrade the current free trade agreement by reflecting changes in the trade environment over the past decade," Park said in a joint news conference after a summit with Bachelet at the presidential palace.Park arrived in Chile, the third stop on her four-nation swing

April 23, 2015

S. Korea opens way for LEU, spent fuel 'recycling'

South Korea will begin full-fledged research into a new technology to reprocess spent nuclear fuel under a deal with the United States on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, officials here said Wednesday.Seoul also opened the way to produce low-enriched uranium, a boost to its pursuit of a stable supply of nuclear fuel.After nearly five years of negotiations, the two sides struck a 21-point deal that calls for bilateral cooperation based on the "principles of equality and reciprocity." according

April 22, 2015

S. Korea, U.S. reach deal on nuclear cooperation

South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement on their nuclear energy partnerships, wrapping up nearly five years of negotiations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. A signing ceremony will be held at the ministry at 4:15 p.m. between Park Ro-byug, South Korea's ambassador for nuclear energy cooperation, and Mark Lippert, U.S. ambassador to Seoul, it added.The ministry did not immediately reveal the detailed contents of the deal.Diplomatic sources said South Korea will be all

April 22, 2015

S. Korea slams Japanese politicians over war shrine visit

South Korea Wednesday criticized a group of Japanese lawmakers who paid tribute to a controversial shrine symbolizing Japan's militaristic past.A bipartisan group of Japanese politicians visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo earlier in the day on the occasion of an annual spring festival, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering there.The shrine honors 14 convicted war criminals among many other war veterans enshrined there."It is deeply disappointing and beyond deplorable," Seoul's

April 22, 2015

Abe to deal properly with history issues during U.S. visit: Japan amb.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deal properly with historical issues that have strained relations with South Korea when he visits the United States next week, Tokyo's top envoy to Washington said Tuesday.Abe is set to make a weeklong visit to the U.S. amid calls for him to use the trip, which includes an address at a joint meeting of Congress, to offer a sincere apology for Japan's wartime atrocities and mend fences with South Korea."I don't have any worry about it and I think the prime

April 22, 2015

Japan’s hard lobbying in U.S. worries neighbors

With Seoul unwavering in its calls for an apology for wartime atrocities, Tokyo appears to be seeking ways to sidestep rising criticism over its revisionist push, boosting lobbying in Washington and other trilateral partnerships to shore up the U.S. strategic refocus to Asia.As the historical and territorial tension drags out between South Korea and Japan, concerns have risen that their strain may derail hard-won trilateral security cooperation involving the U.S. The Stimson Center, a Washington

April 21, 2015

Paraguay designates day to honor Korean immigrants

Paraguay has designated April 22 as a national day to honor the country's Korean population who first settled in the country half a century ago, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.On April 22, 1965, 95 South Koreans arrived by boat in Paraguay's capital Asuncion after joining a government program that sent workers abroad amid extreme poverty at home.Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes issued a presidential decree designating the day as a national day and expressed special affection for the K

April 21, 2015

Lippert sympathetic to S. Korea's concerns over Abe

The top U.S. diplomat here Tuesday sympathized with South Korea's concerns over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's reluctance to repent on its past militarism.Mark Lippert, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was quoted as saying by informed sources that he agreed with Rep. Na Kyung-won on South Korea's concerns over the proposed speech by Abe at the U.S. Congress and that the United States fully understood those concerns.Abe is scheduled to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress next Wednes

April 21, 2015

British Korean War hero donates medals for young Koreans

A Korean War hero from Britain expressed hope on Tuesday that South Korea's younger generation will carry on the lofty spirit of those before them who spared no sacrifice to defend the country and rebuild their war-torn homeland.William Speakman, one of 51 veterans from the former British Commonwealth, arrived here Monday for a six-day trip. The former soldiers fought against the invading North Korea backed by China during the 1950-53 war.In a symbolic goodwill gesture, Speakman donated 10 medal

April 21, 2015

S. Korea, Japan at odds over wartime slave labor

South Korea fights another war of history with Japan as Tokyo tries to register wartime coal mines and shipyards served by Korean slave laborers as UNESCO heritage sites.The two Northeast Asian neighbors have already been in a dispute over Japan's refusal to properly apologize to the victims of Japan's sex slavery during World War II and compensate them.Historians say more than 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were forced to serve as sex slaves during the war, when the Korean Peninsula was under t

April 21, 2015

Success of Abe's visit to U.S. depends on how he honestly apologizes for wartime history: NYT

The success of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States depends on how honestly he faces up to the country's wartime past, the New York Times said, as Abe strongly indicated he won't issue a new apology.Abe is scheduled to make a weeklong visit to the U.S. next week amid calls for him to use the visit, which includes an address at a joint meeting of Congress, to offer a sincere apology for Japan's wartime atrocities and mend fences with neighboring nations."The success of

April 21, 2015