Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan to hold talks in New York this week

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan will hold talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, an informed source said Tuesday, amid tensions over Tokyo's export curbs and wartime forced labor.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, will meet on Thursday afternoon (local time) for the first time since the latter was appointed in Tokyo's Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month.The two sides are expected to exchange their vie

Sept. 24, 2019

Korea, Denmark seek sustainability cooperation

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday pledged stronger bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including climate change.“It is clear that cooperation is needed in the area of climate change,” Frederiksen was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae.   “If the two countries cooperate closely, it will be a very good thing not only for the two countries but for the world.” Moon praised Denmark’s sus

Sept. 24, 2019

Trump hints at new trade issue with S. Korea, military equipment sale

NEW YORK -- US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that Washington is seeking further changes to trade-related issues with South Korea. Speaking at his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York, Trump said that that the two countries are working on “tremendous trade deals,” while touting revisions to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. “We are working on tremendous trade deals. We -- as you know, we‘ve completed a trade deal, and that’

Sept. 24, 2019

Moon highlights Korea’s environment actions, calls for cooperation on air pollution

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Monday announced Korea’s hosting of the P4G Summit next year, and the country’s plans to speed up efforts to fight climate change. Addressing the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, Moon put forward three related pledges, and proposed designation of “International Day for Blue Sky” calling for international cooperation to address air pollution.  “First, we will explore a variety of measures for transition to a sustainable,

Sept. 24, 2019

Moon urges UN’s support for peace process

President Moon Jae-in on Monday requested the UN to continue to play a role in the Korean Peninsula Peace Process in a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. Moon is visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly, on the sidelines of which he is holding a series of summit talks with world leaders including US President Donald Trump.  At the meeting with Guterres, Moon highlighted the role the UN has played in engaging North Korea, and requested his presence at

Sept. 24, 2019

Korea and Poland seek stronger cooperation

NEW YORK – President Moon Jae-in on Monday (US time) asked for increased economic cooperation with Poland in a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda. At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Moon also expressed hopes for expanding economic cooperation with Poland.  “Trade between the two countries has passed $5 billion setting a record, and bilateral relations are expanding beyond the manufacturing sector to cutting edge industries,&rdquo

Sept. 24, 2019

Moon in New York for summit with Trump, UN session

President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a summit with US President Donald Trump ahead of an expected resumption of nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.Moon plans to use the talks with Trump, set for Monday (local time), and his attendance at the UN session to help revitalize the peace and denuclearization process with North Korea and broaden international support for it, officials said. In his ninth summit with Trump, Moon will &q

Sept. 23, 2019

Korea to stress multilateralism, its role in international society at UN

South Korea will highlight the importance of multilateralism and Korea’s role in international issues such as climate change and poverty at the UN General Assembly, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said Sunday.  “Our government will clearly emphasize the country’s status as one that practices the values of UN – peace, human rights, development – in an exemplary manner,” Kang said. “Our contributions and resolve to expand our r

Sept. 23, 2019

Foreign Minister stresses South Korea-US alliance in meeting with USFK commander at Camp Humphreys

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Friday during her visit to Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.During the meeting with Abrams at Camp Humphreys, Kang acknowledged his efforts to provide military support for diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish lasting peace. According to the Foreign Ministry, the US commander said Kang’s visit was evidence of close cooperation betwe

Sept. 20, 2019

S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy calls for flexibility in upcoming US-NK negotiations

South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator on Thursday called on the US and North Korea to take a flexible approach to achieve substantial progress ahead of their upcoming denuclearization talks. “To keep the dialogue momentum (between the US and North Korea) alive and make substantial progress, they have to take a flexible approach,” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at Incheon Airpo

Sept. 19, 2019

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that an official handling Asia-Pacific affairs will visit Japan to meet his counterpart amid mounting tensions between the two countries. Kim Jung-han, director general for Asian and Pacific Affairs at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, will meet Shigeki Takizaki to discuss matters of mutual interest, the ministry said in a press release.  This is Kim’s first one-on-one meeting with Takizaki, who replaced Kenji Kanasugi as head of J

Sept. 19, 2019

SNU professor to head Korea Foundation

Lee Geun, a professor at Seoul National University, was named president of the Korea Foundation, a nonprofit public diplomacy organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. He replaces Lee Si-hyung, and his three-year term is renewable once. The new president served as a professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies. He was also vice president and dean of the SNU Office of International Affairs, in addition to being a policy adviser

Sept. 19, 2019

US is actively engaged to help resolve S. Korea-Japan row: official

The United States is actively engaged in efforts to resolve the current trade and historical row between South Korea and Japan, and will continue to encourage both sides to find "positive solutions," a top US official said Wednesday.David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, saying that he has spent a "considerable" amount of time on the issue in his two and a half months in

Sept. 19, 2019

Experts raise possibility of interim US-N. Korea denuke agreement

The United States and North Korea could take compromise approaches to get tangible results in the next round of denuclearization negotiations, experts said during an international conference hosted by Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank, Wednesday.Robert Einhorn, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, suggested a near-term arrangement between Washington and Pyongyang to move their stalled talks forward by addressing the North’s nuclear and missile capab

Sept. 18, 2019

FM to visit US military base this week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to visit a sprawling US military complex south of Seoul this week and hold talks with US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams, her ministry said Wednesday. Kang will visit the Osan air base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers away from the capital, on Friday, the ministry said in a release. US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris will accompany her on the visit. During the talks with Abrams, Kang is expected to reaffirm the importan

Sept. 18, 2019

S. Korea appoints ex-deputy NIS director as new ambassador to Israel

South Korea on Wednesday appointed a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service as its new ambassador to Israel, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Suh Dong-gu, who served as the first deputy NIS director from June 2017 to August this year, will succeed Choi Yong-hwan as Seoul's top envoy in Israel.Before his stint at the spy agency, Suh worked as a career diplomat for decades, serving in various overseas posts, including in the United States, the United Nations, Canada and Pakistan

Sept. 18, 2019

US ready to resume nuke talks with N. Korea: top official

The United States is ready to resume denuclearization talks with North Korea, but will maintain sanctions on the regime for now, a top US official said Tuesday.US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell made the remarks in a prepared statement for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia ahead of his scheduled testimony Wednesday. "We remain committed to the goals President Trump and Chairman Kim set in their summit in Singapore in June 2018 and

Sept. 18, 2019

S. Korea, Japan explore possibility of talks between their top diplomats: sources

South Korea and Japan are exploring the possibility of their top diplomats holding talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, though nothing has been decided yet, multiple sources here said Tuesday.Should they meet, it will mark the first face-to-face talks between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi since Tokyo's top diplomat was appointed in last week's Cabinet reshuffle. Their talks would come amid high tensions caus

Sept. 17, 2019

Seoul calls for action on Fukushima at IAEA

South Korea raised concerns at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday about Japan’s plans to dispose of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.Seoul’s First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Mun Mi-ock brought attention to Tokyo’s handling of radioactive water during her keynote speech at the IAEA’s 63rd General Conference.“Issues concerning the disposal of Fukushima contaminated water still remain unanswered

Sept. 17, 2019

S. Korea urges IAEA to play role in Japan's Fukushima water discharge plan

The International Atomic Energy Agency has to play an active role in the possible move by Japan to discharge contaminated water from its disabled Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean, a senior South Korean government official has said.Delivering a keynote speech at the General Conference of the international organization In Vienna on Monday, South Korean first vice science minister Mun Mi-ock stressed that Japan has not answered questions about its water discharge plan amid fear and anxi

Sept. 17, 2019