Four Koreans still missing after Annapurna avalanche

Six people, including four South Koreans, remain missing in Nepal’s northwestern Himalayan region after an avalanche hit the area on Friday, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday. The Nepali authorities said they have mobilized an additional six to 10 specialized police officers for a search mission that is underway. But heavy snowfall and rough weather conditions are making the search difficult. 　Three search teams consisting of 13 locals who are familiar with the terrain and se

Jan. 19, 2020

Heavy snowfall hinders search efforts for 4 missing S. Korean trekkers in Himalayas

SEOUL/KATHMANDU -- Heavy snowfall is delaying Nepalese rescue workers' efforts to save four South Korean school teachers who went missing while trekking a circuit route of Annapurna in the Himalayas, officials here said Sunday.The four South Koreans who went missing in an avalanche during a Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning remained unaccounted for as of Sunday even as South Korean and Nepalese authorities try to expand their search efforts.  Nepalese rescue workers have rampped up th

Jan. 19, 2020

US reaffirms support for improved inter-Korean relations: Seoul official

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States has reaffirmed its support for improved inter-Korean relations, a Seoul official said Friday, amid bilateral consultations on how to pursue South-North cooperation projects. Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, arrived in Washington earlier this week to coordinate the allies' approach to North Korea with his American counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun.At the Thursday meeting, Lee said the two sides discussed ways to bring North Kor

Jan. 18, 2020

S. Korea's options on Hormuz strait appear shortlisted

The South Korean government has yet to complete a review of options on how to contribute to security in the Strait of Hormuz, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Saturday amid reports that a final decision on whether to send troops there may be imminent. "As you know, we will have to make a decision in consideration of the people's life and security as well as oil supply," the official said, adding relevant options are "still being reviewed."Consultations with Iran are under way as

Jan. 18, 2020

Indonesia releases ship with S. Korean crew members after 100 days of detention

Indonesia released a ship carrying South Korean crew members Friday after about 100 days of detention for violating territorial waters, diplomatic sources said.The Panama-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, named DL Lily, was seized by Indonesia's Navy on Oct. 9. Aboard were a South Korean captain and eight South Korean and eight Indonesian sailors.The captain got back related documents, including passports, and was granted approval for departure by Indonesian authorities, according t

Jan. 17, 2020

S. Korea lowers travel alert level for Hong Kong

South Korea on Friday lowered its travel alert level for Hong Kong, the foreign ministry said, amid signs of stability in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory plagued by clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police.The ministry downgraded the alert level to "caution," the lowest of the four-tier warning system. In November last year, it raised the level by one notch to "restraint" due to increasingly violent confrontation between the two sides."In line with this

Jan. 17, 2020

Pompeo, Esper issue joint appeal to South Korea to pay more for US troop presence

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper have made an emphatic call for South Korea to pay more for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops stationed in the country.They made the appeal in a rare joint commentary in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday (US time), after the two sides ended their sixth round of talks in Washington to negotiate the Special Measures Agreement, the cost-sharing deal for the stationing of the US Forces Korea.t the SMA talks on Tuesday and Wednes

Jan. 17, 2020

S. Korea, US agree to closely coordinate on inter-Korean projects: nuclear envoy

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to coordinate closely on possible inter-Korean projects amid stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, Seoul's chief nuclear envoy said Thursday.Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark to reporters after holding talks with his US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, in Washington.The pair met after President Moon Jae-in expressed a desire ea

Jan. 17, 2020

Pentagon claims shared defense costs benefit S. Korean economy

The Pentagon claimed Thursday that much of the costs shared between South Korea and the United States to station American troops on the peninsula directly benefits the South Korean economy.The comment by Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman comes a day after the allies concluded their sixth round of defense cost-sharing negotiations without an agreement due to wide differences over how much of the burden Seoul should carry.Washington has demanded a significant increase in Seoul's financial contri

Jan. 17, 2020

US envoy surprised that N. Korea didn't give 'Christmas gift'

SEOUL (AP) -- The US ambassador to South Korea said Thursday he was surprised and pleased that North Korea did not give the US an unwelcome "Christmas gift" because of stalled nuclear disarmament talks, and that President Donald Trump is still confident it will denuclearize.North Korea had warned that its "Christmas gift" to the US would depend on what action Washington took in the talks, leading to concerns that it might conduct a major weapons test. It has not conducted any

Jan. 16, 2020

S. Korea, US end 2nd day of defense cost-sharing talks

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States ended their second day of talks Wednesday on sharing the cost of the upkeep of some 28,500 American troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula.Details of the outcome were not immediately available as both sides kept the negotiations tightly under wraps, but no additional meetings were scheduled for the current round.The two teams, led by Jeong Eun-bo on the South Korean side and James DeHart on the US side, held their sixth round of negotiations in W

Jan. 16, 2020

2 ships with S. Korean crew members held in Indonesia for violating territorial waters

SEOUL/JAKARTA -- Two ships with South Korean crew members have been held in Indonesia, one for more than three months, for violating territorial waters, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. On Oct. 9, Indonesia‘s Navy seized a Panama-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, which was en route to Singapore.Aboard were a South Korean captain and eight South Korean and eight Indonesian sailors.  Last Thursday, Indonesian authorities also impounded a South Korean cargo ship at the s

Jan. 15, 2020

Seoul considering Strait of Hormuz assistance from ‘multiple angles’

South Korea is looking at ways to contribute to the security of the Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast from “multiple angles,” according to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue during his talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in the US.In their meeting in Palo Alto, California, Tuesday (US time), which covered outstanding issues between the allies including North Korea, Pompeo urged Seoul to bear responsibility to safegu

Jan. 15, 2020

US sanctions 2 N. Korean entities over labor exports

The United States on Tuesday sanctioned two North Korean entities, including one based in China, for involvement in North Korean labor exports in violation of international sanctions.The US Treasury Department said it is targeting a North Korean trading corporation, Namgang Trading Corp., and a China-based North Korean lodging facility, Beijing Sukbakso, for facilitating North Korea's practice of sending laborers abroad."The exportation of North Korean workers raises illicit revenue for the

Jan. 15, 2020

Pompeo calls for collective efforts to safeguard Strait of Hormuz: Seoul official

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for collective efforts to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, a South Korean official said, suggesting that Washington seeks increased commitments from Seoul.Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held talks in Palo Alto, California, to discuss the situation in the Middle East and North Korea.The meeting came as Seoul has been looking at options to support U.S.-led security operations in the Middle East amid heightened tensions bet

Jan. 15, 2020

Trump sends congratulatory message for Korean American Day

LOS ANGELES -- US President Donald Trump on Monday sent a congratulatory message for Korean American Day, noting the contributions Korean Americans have made to the country, the South Korean consulate in Los Angeles said.In 2005, the US Congress passed a resolution to commemorate Jan. 13 as the day the first wave of Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1903 to work on sugarcane plantations. "Our country is continuously enriched by the contributions of Korean Americans," Trump wrote i

Jan. 14, 2020

US keeps S. Korea on list of countries to monitor for currency practices

WASHINGTON -- The United States said Monday it is keeping South Korea on a list of countries to monitor for currency practices.The US Treasury Department published the decision in a semiannual report to Congress, which also included nine other countries, including China, Japan and Germany, in the monitoring list. China had previously been listed as a currency manipulator. South Korea had hoped to be exempted after the Treasury indicated in its previous report in May that the fourth-largest Asian

Jan. 14, 2020

Kang to discuss troop dispatch, N. Korea with Pompeo in US

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha left for the US on Monday to discuss outstanding issues between the two allies, including the possibility of dispatching troops to the Middle East and stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea. Kang is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in San Francisco on Tuesday (US time), nine months after their last talks in Washington in March. She is also expected to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is visiting S

Jan. 13, 2020

S. Korea, US make some progress in defense cost talks: Seoul's negotiator

South Korea and the United States have made progress "to some extent" in their negotiations for determining Seoul's share of the costs for stationing American troops here, Seoul's chief negotiator said Monday. Jeong Eun-bo made the remark as he was leaving for Washington to hold another round of talks with his US counterpart, James DeHart, set to run through Wednesday."We assess that progress has been made to some extent and that we have broadened our understanding through the ser

Jan. 13, 2020

Seoul to launch electronic travel authorization for foreign visitors

South Korea plans to launch an electronic travel authorization (ETA) system for foreign visitors next year, following the parliament's approval of a relevant law early this week, the Ministry of Justice said Saturday.The National Assembly's plenary session on Thursday passed a revision of the Immigration Law on the introduction of the ETA system to help facilitate the entry of foreign tourists and prevent illegal stays by foreigners, the ministry said. Under the legal revision, citizens from vis

Jan. 11, 2020