Park calls for liberalization of FTA with ASEAN

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Thursday for further liberalization of a free trade agreement with Southeast Asian countries to boost business opportunities in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.A free trade agreement between South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on merchandise took effect in 2007. Similar deals on services and investments also came into effect in 2009.ASEAN has emerged as one of the key trade partners of South Korea in

Dec. 11, 2014

Singapore PM receives honorary Seoul citizenship

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded honorary Seoul citizenship on Thursday, becoming the 13th foreign head of state to receive the honor, the municipal government said Thursday.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon awarded Lee with a certificate of honorary citizenship in a ceremony at his office and exchanged views on experiences in economic development and urban management, Seoul officials said."Lee's visit to Seoul will not only strengthen ties between South Korea and Singapore but als

Dec. 11, 2014

S. Korea to hold talks on public governance with ASEAN

South Korea's administration minister plans to hold discussions with his counterparts from Southeast Asian countries later this week on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Korea commemorative summit, officials said Thursday.Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs Chong Jong-sup will host roundtable talks to discuss issues such as innovation in public governance with public administration ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday in the country's southeaste

Dec. 11, 2014

S. Korea eying infrastructure projects in Malaysia

South Korea is pushing to participate in infrastructure projects in Malaysia, South Korea's presidential office said Wednesday.South Korea expressed its wish to secure projects during a summit between President Park Geun-hye and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, according to Park's office.Malaysia plans to select a successful bidder in the coming years for a US$13 billion project to build a high-speed railway that stretches some 400 kilometers between Malaysia and Singapore.South Korean comp

Dec. 10, 2014

S. Korea, U.S. may fail to reach nuke accord this year: official

South Korea and the United States may miss the year-end target of renewing their nuclear accord as both sides remain divided over several issues, a ranking Seoul official said Wednesday.Seoul and Washington are in the final stage of revising the 1974 accord over Seoul's civilian nuclear energy use, also known as the "123 agreement."South Korea is hoping to win the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel to address the headache of growing nuclear waste. But the U.S. has been relu

Dec. 10, 2014

Park calls for thorough preparations for Korea-ASEAN summit

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for thorough preparations for an upcoming summit with her counterparts of 10 Southeast Asian countries to further strengthen ties.Park described the multilateral summit as "an important conference" to lay out a blue print for cooperation among South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Park's comments at a Cabinet meeting came two days before she plans to host a special summit for the Asian leaders in South Kor

Dec. 9, 2014

China not invited to death anniversary of Kim Jong-il

BEIJING (Yonhap) ― China is unlikely to send a delegation to next week’s third death anniversary of North Korea’s former leader, Kim Jong-il, because it has yet to receive a formal invitation from Pyongyang, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the North Korea-China relations said Monday. Kim Jong-il, whose iron-fist rule and pursuit of nuclear weapons stoked regional tensions for more than a decade, died of heart failure on Dec. 17, 2011 at the age of 69, passing power onto his youngest son an

Dec. 8, 2014

Park vows efforts for summit with China and Japan

President Park Geun-hye said Monday that South Korea will make efforts to hold a summit with China and Japan, the latest move that underscores her commitment to advancing ties with the two Asian neighbors.The remarks came three weeks after she suggested there are uncertainties over a potential summit with Chinese and Japanese leaders. "The South Korean government will make efforts to ensure a trilateral summit can take place based on the meeting of their foreign ministers in the near future," Pa

Dec. 8, 2014

S. Korea, China to launch joint crackdown on illegal fishing

South Korea and China will launch this week their first joint crackdown on illegal fishing in their shared waters, the South Korean government said Monday.The week-long joint inspection will begin Tuesday in a joint fishing zone in the Yellow Sea, involving a patrol boat from each country, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."Penalties alone have limits in curbing illegal fishing by Chinese ships, which requires a greater awareness from the Chinese side, as well as joint efforts by

Dec. 8, 2014

Unification minister due in U.S. for talks on N. Korea

South Korea's point man on North Korea left Monday for the United States in his rare overseas trip, as the Park Geun-hye administration is stepping up efforts to draw international support for its preparations for reunification.Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae's weeklong visit is also intended to seek understanding on Seoul's approach towards Pyongyang amid drawn-out military tensions on the peninsula.He plans to stay in Washington D.C. from Tuesday through Thursday, where he will meet with Ac

Dec. 8, 2014