Korea, Sweden seek closer cooperation in economic, social issues

President Moon Jae-in and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Thursday held a summit meeting in Seoul, discussing ways to improve ties as well as economic and political cooperation. According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon and Lofven agreed to strengthen Korea-Sweden cooperation in trade, investment, defense, science and technology, and to expand cooperation in responding to the “fourth industrial revolution.”　 “(I) hope the bilateral cooperation to go beyond st

Dec. 18, 2019

Moon to hold bilateral summit with Abe in China next week

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold his first one-one-one summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 15 months next week, when they visit China for an annual group meeting involving a Chinese leader, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday.The summit plan raises expectations for a possible breakthrough in efforts to end a monthslong trade fight between the two sides.The trade spat is attributable to deepened disputes over a historical issue.Abe earlier broke the news, sayin

Dec. 18, 2019

S. Korea, US to hold last day of defense cost talks

South Korea and the United States began the last day of defense cost-sharing talks on Wednesday, but chances of a deal appear to be low as the two sides remain far apart over how much more Seoul should pay.Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator, and his US counterpart, James DeHart, met in Seoul to continue the two-day talks on renewing the Special Measures Agreement, the cost-sharing deal.This week's negotiations will likely be the last round of talks before the current SMA expires on Dec

Dec. 18, 2019

US Senate passes defense bill with provision against troop drawdown in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States Senate on Tuesday passed a defense bill containing a provision restricting the drawdown of American troops in South Korea.The Senate voted 86-8 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which authorizes $738 billion in funding for the Department of Defense.The bill will be sent to US President Donald Trump to be signed into law, which Trump said last week he will do "immediately." The new legislation prohibits the use of fu

Dec. 18, 2019

Biegun wraps up trip to S. Korea with his call for NK dialogue unanswered

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun on Tuesday wrapped up his three-day visit to Seoul and departed for Japan, with his emphatic call for dialogue with North Korea unanswered. His high-profile trip focused on efforts to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table, as it has been pressuring Washington to make concessions by the end of the year, with hints that it could engage in provocative acts such as a long-range rocket launch.Appearing at Gimpo International Airport in

Dec. 17, 2019

[Feature] ‘Donated funds won’t resolve forced labor dispute’

South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang is planning to introduce bills he contends will work to restore strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo over local court rulings that ordered Japanese companies to compensate Koreans forced to work for them during World War II Korea’s two Supreme Court rulings a year ago plunged Seoul-Tokyo ties to a fresh low as Japan responded with outrage, saying the 1965 agreement -- which normalized bilateral relations following

Dec. 17, 2019

S. Korea, US open new round of defense cost talks

South Korea and the United States opened another round of talks Tuesday on the sharing of the cost of stationing American troops here, with the current deal due to expire in two weeks amid few signs of progress. This week's negotiations, set to run until Wednesday, will likely be the last round of talks before the current cost-sharing deal, known as the Special Measures Agreement, expires on Dec. 31. The two sides are led by Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator, and his US counterpart, J

Dec. 17, 2019

S. Korea, UAE agree to boost cooperation for regional peace

The defense ministers of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, the defense ministry here said.South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his UAE counterpart, Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, made the pledge during their meeting in Seoul earlier in the day. "Minister Jeong explained the government's efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace re

Dec. 16, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan hold talks in Spain

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan held one-on-one talks on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting in Spain on Sunday (Spain time) and discussed key bilateral issues related to the ongoing row over trade and wartime history, Seoul's foreign ministry said. During the 10-minute talks, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, that South Korea welcomes the meeting that trade officials of the two countries plan to hold in Tokyo on Monday (Seoul time)

Dec. 16, 2019

Senior diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan met ahead of trilateral summit

BEIJING -- Senior diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan met in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu last week to prepare for the countries' trilateral summit later this month, China's foreign ministry said Sunday.During the talks Friday among Seoul's Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn, Beijing's Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui and Tokyo's Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, the officials exchanged opinions regarding the preparations for the upcoming summit, according to the mini

Dec. 15, 2019

One-on-one talks between S. Korean, Japanese FMs in Spain seem unlikely: officials

One-on-one talks between S. Korean, Japanese FMs in Spain seem unlikely: officialsA bilateral meeting between the top diplomats of South Korea and Japan is unlikely to take place on the sidelines of the multilateral gathering in Spain this week as they have yet to arrange their schedule, officials said Sunday. The two countries have been working to set up a one-on-one meeting between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, on the margins of the foreign mi

Dec. 15, 2019

N. Korea conducts 'another crucial test' at satellite launch site

North Korea said Saturday that it will use the new technologies it recently tested to develop a strategic weapon to counter the US nuclear threat, escalating tensions with the US ahead of its year-end deadline.Pak Jong-chon, chief of the North Korean military's General Staff, also said North Korea has "stored up a tremendous power" and the military is fully ready to put into action any decision of leader Kim Jong-un."The priceless data, experience and new technologies gained in th

Dec. 14, 2019

Russia provides 1,355 tons of refined oil to N. Korea in Oct.

Russia provided 1,355 tons of refined oil to North Korea in October, the Voice of America (VOA) reported Saturday.The figure is far much less than the 2,136 tons Moscow reported it shipped to the communist state the previous month. According to the U.N. Security Council website, Russia has provided a cumulative 25,057 tons of refined oil in the January-October period. The U.N. began asking member countries to report the supply, sale and transfer of all refined petroleum products to North Korea i

Dec. 14, 2019

S. Korea, US to hold defense cost-sharing talks in Seoul next week

South Korea and the United States will hold a new round of negotiations in Seoul next week on the sharing of the cost for stationing American troops here, the foreign ministry said Friday, amid few signs of either side giving ground.Seoul's chief negotiator Jeong Eun-bo and his US counterpart James DeHart are set to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday over how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. They last met in Washington early this month.The allies have been st

Dec. 13, 2019

S. Korea mulls over its military role in Strait of Hormuz

South Korea seems to have begun exploring concrete ways in earnest to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid apparent pressure from the United States.Briefing media on the results of a weekly session of the National Security Council's standing committee Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae said its members reviewed how to contribute to the international community's efforts to protect South Korean people and ships "in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz" and secure maritime

Dec. 13, 2019

Korea, Japan foreign ministers may meet

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is seeking to meet with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha to discuss the issue of wartime forced labor, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.Arrangements are being made for talks between the two on the sidelines of the Asia and Europe (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Sunday and Monday in Madrid, NHK said.At the possible meeting, Motegi plans to call on Seoul to “rectify its violation of the international law in r

Dec. 12, 2019

Trump urges passage of defense bill with provision against troop drawdown in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Congress to pass a defense bill containing a provision restricting the drawdown of American troops in South Korea.On Monday, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees agreed on the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense.According to the accompanying conference report, the new bill restricts the use of funds for removing troops from South Ko

Dec. 12, 2019

Moon to hold trilateral meeting with Chinese, Japanese leaders

President Moon Jae-in will make a two-day trip to China later this month for a Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. According to the presidential office, Seoul is also in talks with Beijing and Tokyo to arrange bilateral summits during the visit.  The trip is scheduled for Dec. 23 and 24, with the trilateral summit to be held on the second day in Chengdu, Sichuan province. “President Moon will discuss practical cooperation among the three countries, and pol

Dec. 10, 2019

Moon to attend annual summit with Chinese, Japanese leaders

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit China later this month for annual summit talks with Chinese and Japanese leaders, Cheong Wa Dae announced Tuesday.Moon is scheduled to make a two-day trip to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu starting Dec. 23.The summit will be joined by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. They plan to "focus consultations on ways to have substantive cooperation among the three countries and have in-depth discussions on regi

Dec. 10, 2019

S. Korea to join this week's UNSC session on possible NK provocation

A South Korean representative will attend a UN Security Council session set to convene this week following a US request to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and a possible escalatory provocation, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.The meeting will be held on Wednesday, according to Reuters, just days after the North said it conducted a "very important test" at its Dongchang-ri satellite launch site. The test is presumed to have been a rocket engine experim

Dec. 10, 2019