Japanese company appeals S. Korean court's decision on asset seizure

DAEGU -- A Japanese company has appealed a South Korean court's ruling to seize its assets in the country to compensate victims of wartime forced labor in a move expected to worsen tensions between the two countries. Nippon Steel Corp. has submitted an immediate complaint against the court's decision to seize some of its stake in PNR, a joint venture established with Korea's top steelmaker, POSCO, the Daegu District Court in the southeastern city of Daegu said Friday. The move, which came day

Aug. 7, 2020

Two S. Koreans suffer minor property damage in Lebanon explosion: Seoul ministry

The homes of two South Koreans in Beirut were damaged in the massive deadly blast in the Lebanese city that killed at least 135 people and injured over 5,000, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. "We have found that two of our nationals suffered partial damage to their houses," the ministry said, adding that no South Korean casualties have been reported so far.  The South Korean Embassy in Lebanon is mobilizing all available resources to find out if any other Koreans have

Aug. 6, 2020

No South Korean casualties reported in Beirut explosion

The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that there were no reports so far of South Korean casualties in a huge explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut that left more than 100 people dead and more than 4,000 injured. 　 On Tuesday, two massive explosions at port warehouses storing highly explosive materials rocked the Port of Beirut, shaking buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. It is still unclear what exactly caused the blast, according to t

Aug. 5, 2020

No reports of S. Korean casualties in Lebanon explosion: foreign ministry

The foreign ministry said Wednesday that there have been no reports of South Korean casualties yet in this week's massive explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that left more than 70 people dead and thousands injured. Tuesday's blast at Beirut's port occurred after a warehouse that had unsafely stored large amounts of confiscated ammonium nitrate, an explosive compound, for six years caught fire, reports said. About 140 South Korean citizens are currently in the country. There are also

Aug. 5, 2020

Japanese company to appeal S. Korean court decision on asset seizure: reports

SEOUL/TOKYO -- A Japanese company plans to appeal a South Korean court decision on the seizure of its assets here to compensate victims of wartime forced labor, reports said Tuesday, a move that would defer the judicial process feared to worsen tensions between the two countries. Nippon Steel Corp. will file an appeal immediately, as a branch of the Daegu District Court has become able to kick off the procedure to liquidate some of its stake in PNR, a joint venture established with Korea's top

Aug. 4, 2020

Korean diplomat accused of sexual assault in New Zealand ordered to return home

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday ordered a senior diplomat who has been accused of sexual assault when he was stationed in New Zealand to return home immediately.  A senior ministry official said the order is part of disciplinary action taken for the diplomat causing a lot of trouble. He also said the government is willing to cooperate if New Zealand requests extradition of the diplomat.  “We can cooperate in accordance with the procedure for mutual assistance on

Aug. 3, 2020

With sale of Japanese firm’s assets looming, Tokyo may retaliate further

A Korean court’s action to liquidate seized assets of a Japanese firm involved in wartime forced labor is set to kick off Tuesday, which could aggravate already fragile bilateral relations and prompt Tokyo to retaliate further. 　 　 Japan has warned of strong retaliation if Seoul goes ahead with the sales of assets to compensate victims, with its Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that Tokyo is looking at “all available measures” and has a “clear direction abou

Aug. 3, 2020

Senior diplomat ordered to return home immediately over sexual assault allegations in New Zealand

The foreign ministry has ordered a senior diplomat to return home immediately over allegations that he sexually assaulted a local embassy employee when he was stationed in New Zealand, an official said Monday. The New Zealander has accused the diplomat of groping parts of his body on three different occasions in 2017. The case has drawn fresh attention after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in a phone call with President Moon Jae-in last week. "We issued an or

Aug. 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] New Zealand ups pressure on Korea to cooperate in diplomat sexual assault case

New Zealand authorities have heightened pressure on South Korea to cooperate in its probe of a Korean diplomat who has been accused of sexual assault. 　 Winston Peters, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, urged the Korean government to cooperate by waiving the accused man’s diplomatic immunity and sending him to New Zealand to defend himself. 　 “It’s over to the Korean government, and for them to allow him to waive the diplomatic immunity

Aug. 2, 2020

New Zealand disappointed with S. Korea not cooperating with sexual assault probe involving diplomat

New Zealand said Thursday it has expressed disappointment that South Korea's government did not cooperate with a police investigation into allegations that one of its diplomats sexually assaulted a local embassy employee when he was stationed in Wellington. The male employee has accused the Korean diplomat of groping parts of his body over three different occasions in 2017. The case has drawn fresh attention after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in a phone call with

July 30, 2020

S. Korea plans to handle diplomat's sexual harassment in New Zealand

President Moon Jae-in told the leader of New Zealand that his government will handle a sexual harassment allegation involving a senior South Korean diplomat, once based in Wellington, after finding relevant facts, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Moon had phone talks with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern the previous day. She raised the issue at the end of the 30-minute conversation, the official told reporters. The 2017 case has drawn public attention again since a recent news report i

July 29, 2020

Korean drug suspect arrested in Cambodia

A South Korean national has been arrested in Cambodia on charges of attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into South Korea and Japan, prosecutors here said Wednesday. The drug suspect was apprehended in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, after having allegedly been involved in drug trafficking in five Asian countries, according to the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) and the Incheon District Prosecutors Office. An accomplice was also taken into custody on drug charges, they said. The suspe

July 29, 2020

Pompeo cites S. Korea as 'democratic friend' that shares American values

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has mentioned South Korea as one of America's "democratic friends" that value freedom and economic prosperity under the rule of law, as he criticized China for undermining such values. Pompeo made the remark Tuesday after he and Defense Secretary Mark Esper held annual "two plus two" ministerial consultations in Washington with their Australian counterparts. China was a key topic in this year's meeting. "I'm confident t

July 29, 2020

Kneeling man’s statue stirs controversy in Seoul, Tokyo

A statue installed in a private garden in South Korea showing a man bowing to a sitting girl is stirring controversy both in Seoul and Tokyo, for its potential to further aggravate already fragile bilateral relations. The installation work, entitled “Eternal Atonement,” has been erected on the grounds of the privately run Korea Botanic Garden in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.  The two-piece bronze sculpture features a man in a formal suit bowing on his knees in front of a sea

July 28, 2020

China to resume visa services for S. Korean students, employees

BEIJING/SEOUL -- China has agreed to resume visa issuance for South Korean students, employees hired to work in the country and those with residence permits, Seoul's top envoy in Beijing said Monday. Ambassador Jang Ha-sung told reporters that the two countries have recently agreed on visa issuance for the three groups: students who were studying or plan to study in China, employees holding Z work visas and those who have valid residence permits. Sources said that visa issuance is expected t

July 27, 2020

US ambassador shaves off mustache to stay masked in summer amid pandemic

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has figured out a way to stay cooler in a hot and humid Seoul while keeping his mask on amid the coronavirus pandemic -- go clean-shaven. Harris is now a mustache-free man after removing his signature facial hair at an old barbershop in central Seoul, a video posted on his Twitter page showed. In the video clip, the ambassador says he thought he had to do something to "get cooler" during the muggy and hot summer in the host country while a

July 27, 2020

United Nations Command launches official website

The United Nations Command (UNC) launched an official website as it marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment, officials said, in a move seen as part of the US-led entity's push to strengthen its presence and roles on the Korean Peninsula. The website, www.unc.mil, introduces its mission, multilateral contributors, history and roles "in preserving security, stability and enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula," UNC said on its Facebook page on Friday. The UNC had previously s

July 27, 2020

Bill Gates sends letter to Moon expressing hope to strengthen cooperation over virus response

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in to express hope to beef up joint work between South Korea and his foundation in responding to the new coronavirus, the presidential office said Sunday. The chief of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said in the letter sent on Monday that he was impressed by South Korea's coronavirus response, citing its quarantine measures and the private sector's vaccine development efforts, according to Cheong Wa Dae. If South

July 26, 2020

5 S. Koreans kidnapped in waters off Benin released

Five South Korean nationals who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin have been released, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The South Koreans were released from southern Nigeria on Friday (local time), around a month after being abducted in waters about 111 kilometers south from Cotonou Port of Benin, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On June 24, the armed group attacked a 994-ton fishing vessel. A total of 30 crewmen we

July 25, 2020

Seoul evacuates 293 nationals from Iraq

Two South Korean military planes carrying 293 Korean nationals from Iraq arrived back home Friday morning, amid the severe novel coronavirus outbreak in the Middle Eastern country. 　 Departing from Baghdad, two KC-330s planes arrived at Incheon Airport at around 10:20 a.m., two hours later than the scheduled arrival time due to quarantine procedures and fueling, according to a Defense Ministry official. Of the passengers, 86 said they had COVID-19 symptoms. 　 Health authorities said those con

July 24, 2020