Russia's top envoy to N. Korea named as ambassador to Seoul: sources

Russia's ambassador to North Korea has been named as the country's top envoy to South Korea, diplomatic sources said Thursday, raising hopes that the move would help promote cooperative projects among the three nations.Alexander Timonin, Russia's top envoy to Pyongyang, is likely to replace the incumbent ambassador Konstantin Vnukov starting as early as March next year, according to the sources.Timonin has had experience in dealing with trilateral cooperation among the two Koreas and Russia befo

Nov. 20, 2014

Royce selected to continue to serve as chairman of House foreign affairs committee

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) was selected Wednesday to continue to serve as chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee in the new Congress, his office said.Royce has served on the committee since entering the House of Representatives in 1993, serving as chairman since 2013. The lawmaker has shown particular interest in Korean Peninsula issues, such as the human rights situation in North Korea."Over the last two years, our nation has faced continuous, serious threats from across the globe,

Nov. 20, 2014

Putin: Deeper ties between Russia, N. Korea conducive to regional

Deeper relations between Russia and North Korea are conducive to boosting regional security and stability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, a day after he met with a special envoy from North Korea."The further deepening of political ties and trade-economic co-operation undoubtedly serves the interests of the peoples in both countries and ensuring regional security and stability," Putin was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.Putin spoke after receiving credentials from

Nov. 20, 2014

S. Korea, Finland agree to boost marine cooperation

South Korea and Finland have agreed to boost their bilateral cooperation in maritime shipping that will also ensure the European country's support for South Korea's development and use of a new North Pole shipping route, the South Korean government said Wednesday.A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation will be signed Thursday in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."In the cooperation MOU, the countries will declare their agreement to build a partnership and share

Nov. 19, 2014

S. Korea's unification minister to visit U.S. in Dec.

The South Korean minister handling inter-Korean affairs will visit the United States early next month on a mission to publicize Seoul's preparations for the reunification of the two Koreas, an official in Seoul said Tuesday.Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae is scheduled to make a weeklong trip to Washington and New York starting Dec. 8, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity."He is pushing for meetings with officials at the White House, the State Department and Congre

Nov. 18, 2014

Park: uncertainties linger over potential summit with China

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has suggested there are uncertainties over a potential summit with Chinese and Japanese leaders.Park voiced hope for a meeting with Chinese and Japanese leaders during last week's summit between Southeast Asian countries and their three Northeast Asian dialogue partners -- South Korea, China and Japan -- in Myanmar."I made the offer because I thought that conditions had improved this year compared to last year. Still, there remains a foreign ministers' meetin

Nov. 17, 2014

S. Korea says NK sending envoy to Russia in aggressive diplomacy

South Korea said Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be sending a special envoy to Russia to counter international pressure over its nuclear program and human rights abuses."Our government views the dispatch of Choe Ryong-hae to Russia as in line with (Pyongyang's) attempt to diversify its external relations," unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.It looks like the North is pushing for aggressive diplomacy, as the international community's cooperati

Nov. 17, 2014

S. Korea, Norway seek to boost cooperation in building Arctic

South Korea and Norway will seek to boost their bilateral cooperation in the Arctic, plans that include the joint development of a new shipping route there, the South Korean government said Monday.The countries are set to hold talks to this end Tuesday in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."The ministry has been strengthening the country's cooperation with countries surrounding the Arctic, including Russia, as part of efforts to develop a new shippin

Nov. 17, 2014

Park returns home after multilateral talks on global economy, security

President Park Geun-hye returned home Monday after concluding a set of multilateral summits on global economy and security in a trip that took her to China, Myanmar and Australia.The trip raised the possibility of fence mending with Japan as she met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the first time in eight months in Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.Later, she also proposed resuming a stalled summit with Chinese and Japanese leaders during a separ

Nov. 17, 2014

Forum to invite expert on creative economy

The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its 18th CQ forum at 6:20 p.m., Nov. 18, at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Seoul. Rep. Jeon Ha-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party, who has a long career in the venture business, will speak about his experience and Korea’s roadmap for the “creative economy.” CICI is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and registered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Korea. It brings together opinion leaders from diverse sectors through seminars, forums

Nov. 16, 2014

Seoul to host meetings of middle powers next year

South Korea will host meetings of senior officials and foreign ministers from fellow middle powers in 2015, the country's foreign ministry said Sunday.Seoul will host the senior officials' meeting (SOM) of MIKTA in February next year, followed by a gathering of foreign ministers from MIKTA members in May, according to the ministry.MIKTA is the acronym of its member states: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia. It's an informal cooperative channel established in September last yea

Nov. 16, 2014

Park, world leaders hold talks on global economy at G-20 summit

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and other world leaders held talks on global economic resilience and energy in Australia on Sunday, the second and last day of their annual summit.The summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Brisbane came as world leaders renewed their commitment to lift growth by more than 2 percent by 2018.On Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the determination of the G-20 leadership to raise growth by more than 2 percent in the next

Nov. 16, 2014

S. Korea, New Zealand strike free trade deal

South Korea and New Zealand announced Saturday that they have struck a free trade agreement to boost trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.The announcement, made on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in this Australian city, wrapped up more than five years of tough negotiations between the two countries. South Korea is a G-20 member but New Zealand was invited to the Brisbane summit as a guest."The FTA will provide a basis to further e

Nov. 15, 2014