The Korea Herald

Vice defense minister to visit Colombia, Peru

South Korea’s vice defense minister plans to visit Colombia and Peru this week to explore ways to boost bilateral exchange and cooperation in the defense field, the defense ministry said Thursday.During his three-day stay in Colombia starting Friday, Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo is scheduled to sit down for talks with key military officials, including his counterpart, Secretary General Luis Manuel Neira Nunez, to exchange opinions on a wide range of issues of mutual concern, according to

Jan. 29, 2015

U.S. undersecretary of state arrives for talks on N.K.

U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman arrived in South Korea for a two-day visit on Wednesday to discuss mutual security concerns including North Korea, officials in Seoul said.Her trip to Seoul is part of her three-nation tour. Before Seoul, Sherman visited Beijing for two days and plans to fly to Tokyo on Thursday afternoon. In Seoul, Sherman was expected to meet Seoul’s First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral coop

Jan. 28, 2015

Seoul to support N.K. doctors’ training in Germany

South Korea said Wednesday it will resume a program to support North Korean medical doctors’ training in Germany.The move, the first of its kind in seven years, is in line with the Park Geun-hye administration’s push for expanding humanitarian aid for the impoverished neighbor.The unification ministry plans to provide a North Korea-Germany group with 90 million won ($83,000) from the inter-Korean cooperation fund. It will be delivered through the (South) Korea Foundation for International Health

Jan. 28, 2015

Korea, China and Japan to engage more with ASEAN

The heads of ASEAN centers in Korea, China and Japan held a meeting in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on Sunday to increase cooperation across the agencies to better accommodate the Southeast Asian nations.The meeting was attended by Secretary-General of ASEAN-Korea Center Chung Hae-moon, Secretary-General of ASEAN-Japan Center Yoshikuni Ohnishi and ASEAN-China Center director of education, culture and tourism division Purnajaya Tri. They discussed ways to boost staff exchanges, information sharing and pub

Jan. 28, 2015

Korea, China and Japan to engage more with ASEAN

U.S. not worried about speed, scope of inter-Korean dialogue: envoy

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday that Washington is not concerned about the "speed or scope" of inter-Korean dialogue, signaling that its tough stance on North Korea doesn't conflict with Seoul's move to improve ties with Pyongyang.The remarks by Mark Lippert, Washington's ambassador to Seoul, came amid growing concerns here that Washington's recent sanctions on the North may hamper Seoul's initiative. Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea following t

Jan. 27, 2015

S. Korean envoy leaves for Tokyo for N.K. nuke talks

South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy left for Japan on Tuesday to hold talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on ways to resume the long-stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program, officials said.Hwang Joon-kook is scheduled to meet with Ambassador Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and Japanese chief envoy Junichi Ihara in Tokyo on Wednesday, according to the Foreign Ministry.Hwang will make a three-day visit to Tokyo that also in

Jan. 27, 2015

U.S. under secretary of state to visit Seoul

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman will visit South Korea next week for discussions on North Korea and the alliance between Seoul and Washington, the State Department announced Friday.Sherman will be in Seoul on Jan. 28-29 for meetings with senior officials and non-governmental experts to discuss the alliance and North Korea issues, as well as regional and global priorities, the department said in a statement.It did not provide further specifics. Seoul is the secon

Jan. 25, 2015

Xi vows to deepen tourism with S. Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more efforts to bolster tourism and cultural exchanges with South Korea, expressing his eagerness to further strengthen the already-robust economic ties between the two countries, an official Chinese government website said Saturday.Xi made the remarks in his congratulatory message marking the launch of the “Year of Visit to China” in South Korea on Friday, according to the message posted on the website of China’s foreign ministry on Saturday.During th

Jan. 25, 2015

Azerbaijan marks ‘Black January’

On Jan. 19, 1990, Ilham, an Azerbaijani newlywed, took to the streets of Baku to protest against the Soviet invasion. Unarmed, he yelled, “Stop firing at innocent civilians.” Soviet soldiers shot him dead.Upon hearing the news of his death, his wife Farida committed suicide later in the evening. Their bodies were cremated together the next day and buried at Martyrs’ Lane cemetery in Baku. 25 years since, their graves have been visited by throngs of lovers and couples.Ilham and Farida were among

Jan. 25, 2015

N.K., Japan to play cat-and-mouse on abductions

While South Korea is hopeful of an inter-Korean family reunion this year, Japan is jittery over the return of its citizens kidnapped by North Korea during the Cold War.For Japan, the abductions have been a more pressing issue than nuclear and missile threats. Japan’s continuing efforts to repatriate the abductees will deter North Korean military provocations this year, experts said in the seminar “Where do the North Korea-Japan relations stand today?” at the East Asia Foundation building in Seou

Jan. 25, 2015

N.K., Japan to play cat-and-mouse on abductions

Denmark and Korea sow seeds of future fashion

Towering models walked down the runway in Seoul on Tuesday wearing uniquely designed fur coats. The “Future Fur” fashion show at Seoul National University’s Museum of Art featured mink and fox coats designed by the university students in collaboration with the Kopenhagen Fur company and the Danish Embassy.Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science Sofie Carsten Nielsen, who visited Korea last week to invigorate educational cooperation, said the venue was an example of Korea’s push for a “c

Jan. 25, 2015

Denmark and Korea sow seeds of future fashion

Japan condemns 'outrageous' hostage murder

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe branded the murder of a Japanese hostage by Islamic State militants "outrageous and impermissible" on Sunday and demanded the release of a second hostage, amid a growing global chorus of revulsion.Abe spoke as the grieving father of self-employed security contractor Haruna Yukawa said he had gone "totally blank" since learning of his son's execution, announced in a video posted online by the militants late Saturday. Abe, speaking to public broadcaster NHK, said he was "

Jan. 25, 2015

China's Xi vows to deepen tourism, cultural exchanges with S. Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more efforts to bolster tourism and cultural exchanges with South Korea, expressing his eagerness to further strengthen the already-robust economic ties between the two countries, an official Chinese government website said Saturday.Xi made the remarks in his congratulatory message marking the launch of the "Year of Visit to China" in South Korea on Friday, according to the message posted on the website of China's foreign ministry on Saturday. During t

Jan. 25, 2015

Top economic policymakers call for concerted efforts to ratify S. Korea-China FTA

Top economic policymakers of South Korea and China agreed Friday to work closely together to quickly ratify the bilateral free trade pact reached last year.In a meeting held in downtown Seoul, South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said the free trade agreement is an important issue that directly impacts all sides, the finance ministry said.The FTA, effectively agreed upon in November, has yet to be formally signed and must be approved by lawmakers

Jan. 23, 2015

U.S. seeks to establish formula for implementing intelligence

The United States is seeking to establish a formula for implementing a three-way military intelligence sharing deal with South Korea and Japan aimed at better coping with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.The issue was a key topic when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo this week, the source said. Hagel is expected to talk about it again when he speaks with Japanese Defense Minister

Jan. 23, 2015

U.S. pointman on N. Korea to visit Tokyo, Beijing next week

The U.S. pointman on North Korea will visit Japan and China next week for discussions with his counterparts over how to deal with Pyongyang, the State Department announced Thursday.Amb. Sung Kim, special representative for North Korea policy, will be in Tokyo on Jan. 27-28 for a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, the department said in a release.Kim will be accompanied by Sydney Seiler, special envoy for the six-party talks on the North's nuclear program, as well

Jan. 23, 2015

Seoul, Washington, Tokyo to meet over N.K. nukes next week

The top nuclear negotiators from South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Tokyo next week to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea‘s denuclearization, officials said Thursday.Seoul’s top nuke envoy, Hwang Joon-kook, will meet with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Junichi Ihara, on Wednesday to discuss Pyongyang‘s nuclear weapons program and situations on the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.For the talks, Hwang

Jan. 22, 2015

2,091 more S. Koreans confirmed as victims of Japan's forced labor

An additional 2,091 South Koreans have been confirmed as victims of forced labor by imperial Japan who ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony during the first half of the 20th century, the Seoul government said Thursday.The new victims were discovered after new records were found kept at the South Korean Embassy in June, 2013. Out of the 5,157 names listed on the records, 2,091 were immediately confirmed as bona-fide victims of Japan's forced labor.The records were compiled in 1953 under the Rhe

Jan. 22, 2015

S. Korea inks financial cooperation MOUs with Costa Rica, Peru

South Korea has inked memorandums of understanding to promote financial cooperation with Costa Rica and Peru, the finance ministry said Thursday.The pacts, reached during Vice Finance Minister Bang Moon-kyu's visit to the Latin American countries, call for comprehensive cooperation aimed at sharing financial data and fiscal policy know-how. They also outline closer ties in policy implementation and management systems set up by the South Korean government.The finance ministry added that the lates

Jan. 22, 2015

S. Korea, U.S. vow close cooperation in cybersecurity

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to boost military cooperation to better deter security threats in cyberspace, Seoul's defense ministry said.During a 20-minute telephone conversation, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and the U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel "exchanged their opinions on pending security issues," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a press briefing."Han voiced support for the U.S. government's efforts with regards to the hackin

Jan. 22, 2015