Govt. to strengthen radiation checks on Japanese food products

The South Korean government said Friday that it will strengthen safety checks on imported food from Japan for possible radiation.The scale of radiation contamination checks on foods will be doubled starting later in the day, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The products that will be subject to closer scrutiny by inspectors are those that have a record of being returned to sellers in the past five years after minute amounts of radiation were detected, the ministry said.Products

Aug. 23, 2019

US expresses 'strong concern,' 'disappointment' at termination of Seoul-Tokyo intel pact

The United States expressed "strong concern" and "disappointment" Thursday after South Korea withdrew from a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan.Earlier, Seoul announced its decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement amid a bilateral dispute over trade and history.In a rare public rebuke of its South Korean ally, the US State Department and the Pentagon expressed their displeasure with the move."We're disappointed to see the decision

Aug. 23, 2019

S. Korea vows staunch combined posture with US regardless of intel-sharing pact decision

South Korea will maintain a watertight combined readiness posture with the United States based on their strong alliance regardless of its decision to end the military information-sharing pact with Japan, the defense ministry said Thursday.Earlier in the day, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae announced its decision not to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) amid deteriorating bilateral ties following Japan's export restrictions on South Korea."The defens

Aug. 22, 2019

First military pact between S. Korea, Japan set to become history

The military information-sharing accord between South Korea and Japan, which Seoul decided Thursday to terminate, represented the first military agreement between the two sides since Korea was liberated from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.The pact, titled the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), was signed on November 23, 2016, between then-South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and then-Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine in Seoul, effective immediatel

Aug. 22, 2019

Kang says decision to end military pact with Japan separate from S. Korea-US alliance

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that South Korea's decision to terminate a military pact with Japan is separate from the Seoul-Washington alliance, amid concerns that it could erode cooperation among the three countries for regional security."(The decision) is a separate issue from the South Korea-US alliance, and the alliance will incessantly strengthen cooperation," Kang told reporters at Incheon International Airport upon arriving from Beijing.The minister added that t

Aug. 22, 2019

Key developments leading to S. Korea's decision to end information-sharing pact with Japan

The following is a chronology of major developments leading to South Korea's decision to end a military information-sharing pact with Japan amid a row over wartime history and trade.2018Oct. 30 -- South Korea's Supreme Court orders a Japanese company, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., to compensate South Korean victims for forced labor and unpaid work during World War II. Nov. 29 -- South Korea's top court orders a Japanese company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., to compensate South K

Aug. 22, 2019

South Korea pulls out of intel-sharing pact amid spat with Japan

South Korea decided to withdraw from the bilateral military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan on Thursday, amid escalating friction over trade and historical issues.In a televised announcement, Cheong Wa Dae said it has made the decision to abolish General Security of Military Information Agreement and will notify Japan via diplomatic channels by midnight on Saturday, the deadline for a decision on whether to renew the agreement.“The government deemed that Japan caused grave change

Aug. 22, 2019

S. Korea signs FTA with Britain, bracing for post-Brexit

South Korea signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with Britain on Thursday, a step to help maintain the continuity of their trade and economic ties even after London's departure from the European Union (EU).There have been concerns that South Korean exporters may no longer enjoy the benefits under the existing South Korea-EU FTA when Britain leaves the world's single largest economic bloc without agreeing on post-Brexit conditions.In London, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee and her Britis

Aug. 22, 2019

South Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal may begin mid-Sept.

South Korea and the US are expected to launch defense cost-sharing talks in mid-September, according to a Foreign Ministry official, amid a growing concern here over US President Donald Trump’s push for the Asian ally’s substantial hike in contribution. The negotiation for the Special Measures Agreement is for deciding South Korea’s share of the cost for the upkeep of the 28,500 US troops. “I predict that SMA talks could open in mid-September at the earliest, after t

Aug. 22, 2019

Vice foreign minister discusses Korea-Japan row with US officials

South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho met with US officials in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ongoing trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo, as well as other mutual interests.Lee met with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell and then with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Keith Krach. His visit came days ahead of a Group of 7 summit in France, where Japan is expected to rally support for its position in the row. South Korea

Aug. 22, 2019

President Moon receives six new ambassadors to Seoul

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday welcomed six new foreign ambassadors and asked for their support for his peace initiatives involving North Korea. Moon received the credentials of envoys from Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Colombia, Bulgaria and Nicaragua during ceremonies at Cheong Wa Dae, according to a press release. Expressing gratitude for the countries’ support for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the president asked for their continued backing for the successful implementa

Aug. 21, 2019

S. Korea, Britain adopt joint statement on post-Brexit cooperation

South Korea and Britain on Wednesday adopted a joint statement pledging continued close cooperation even after London's expected departure from the European Union (EU) in October, Seoul's foreign ministry said.In the statement, they committed to cooperation for the denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, democratic principles, human rights, promotion of trade liberalization and a fight against weapons of mass destruction. Seoul and London have been seeking

Aug. 21, 2019

Kang, Kono fail to mend fences

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan remained at odds in their bilateral meeting held in China on Wednesday, reiterating their respective stances on Tokyo’s wartime forced labor and trade curbs. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, met for 35 minutes on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Gubei Water Town near the Great Wall in northern Beijing. “Kang strongly urged Kono to retract the country

Aug. 21, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan to hold talks in Beijing

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for meetings with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts over three-way cooperation and a possible summit among their leaders.Her trip drew keen attention as she plans to meet bilaterally with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday afternoon amid heightened tensions between the two countries over trade and history.Their meeting comes at a delicate time when Seoul is mulling whether to renew a bilateral military i

Aug. 20, 2019

Kang and Kono to seek diplomatic breakthrough in Beijing

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet her Japanese counterpart in China in another attempt to ease tensions with Tokyo after a diplomatic feud developed into a trade row and now threatens to weaken security cooperation. Kang, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gathered in Beijing on Tuesday for the ninth in an ongoing series of trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings involving the top diplomatic officials of the three countries. Th

Aug. 20, 2019

S. Korean, US diplomats meet in Seoul ahead of negotiations on defense cost sharing

South Korean and US diplomats held talks in Seoul on Tuesday over the allies' envisioned negotiations on the sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here.Chang Won-sam from Seoul's foreign ministry and his US counterpart, Timothy Betts, had the closed-door meeting, as Seoul and Washington are bracing for a new round of talks on how much Seoul will pay for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK). Chang and Betts were the chief negotiators of the previous negotiati

Aug. 20, 2019

Seoul summons Japanese envoy over radioactive water disposal plan

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday sought a detailed explanation on Japan’s reported plan to release radioactive water from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, while expressing safety concerns. Climate, Environment, Science and Foreign Affairs Director Kwon Se-jung summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, economic counselor at the Japanese Embassy here, to convey the government’s concerns on the possible disposal of contaminated water. “Our government very gravely recogn

Aug. 19, 2019

KOICA holds events to mark World Humanitarian Day

The state-run Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has launched a series of events in Seoul to mark the United Nation’s World Humanitarian Day to honor the contribution of people working on the frontline of emergencies. Under the theme “Gather Together for Humanity,” the KOICA will hold a photo exhibition and talk concerts at Seoul Citizens Hall for eight days from Monday to Aug. 26, jointly with Korea NGO council for Overseas Development Cooperation, UN organizations

Aug. 19, 2019

S. Korea-ASEAN summit in Nov. to address free trade amid Japan's export curbs: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea plans to focus on seeking ways to bolster the free trade order during a November special group summit with Southeast Asian nations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday, as Tokyo maintains its retaliatory export restrictions against Seoul.The office of President Moon Jae-in revealed the scheme in a press briefing on its preparations for the summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 100 days ahead of its opening. The two-day session is to begin on Nov. 25 in the southern cit

Aug. 18, 2019

US cites close ties with S. Korea, Japan amid reports Pompeo sided with Tokyo

The United States is committed to maintaining close relationships with both South Korea and Japan, the State Department said Friday amid reports that Washington's top diplomat expressed his support for Tokyo's view on the issue of wartime forced labor.Japanese media have reported that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently agreed with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono's assertion that all matters of compensation related to Tokyo's past use of forced labor were settled under a 1965 deal nor

Aug. 17, 2019