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

Foreign ministry voices regret over Kono's remarks on President Moon

South Korea's foreign ministry expressed regret Friday over the top Japanese diplomat's remarks calling for President Moon Jae-in to "exert his leadership" to address a rancorous row over Tokyo's wartime forced labor.    In a meeting with reporters on Thursday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono renewed Tokyo's claim that South Korea breached international law by demanding compensation for the victims of forced labor and said that Moon should "rectify" the sit

Aug. 16, 2019

S. Korea, China, Japan to hold foreign ministers' meeting in Beijing next week

South Korea, China and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in Beijing next week to discuss three-way cooperation and regional and international situations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Taro Kono, plan to hold talks from Tuesday to Thursday, but they are still coordinating over whether they would meet bilaterally, the ministry said.The first such gathering since 2016 would c

Aug. 16, 2019

Seoul to toughen inspections of waste imports from Japan

South Korea will tighten its environmental and safety inspections for recycling waste imported from Japan, the government said Friday, in an apparent attempt to counter Japan’s recent trade restrictions on Korea.The Ministry of Environment said it would conduct radioactive and heavy metals tests on battery, tire and plastic waste imported from Japan into Korea once a month, instead of the current quarterly inspection.Announcing the decision, the ministry cited public concerns about radioac

Aug. 16, 2019

Ex-US Rep. Honda visits shelter for sexual slavery victims

Former US Rep. Mike Honda paid a visit to a shelter that houses South Korean women who were forced into sexual enslavement by Japan on Thursday.Honda met two victims at the shelter and expressed hope that they will be able to receive an apology from the Japanese government, according to an official from the shelter. The House of Sharing, just outside of Seoul, opened in 1992 for the victims who were forced into sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during Tokyo's 1910-45 brutal colonial ru

Aug. 15, 2019

Seoul, Tokyo cancel vice foreign ministers meeting

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied reports that the vice foreign ministers of Seoul and Tokyo would meet this week to discuss the trade row. Ministries from both sides appear to have canceled the plan after it was reported by the media. Citing diplomatic sources, news outlets in the two countries reported that South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Akiba, would meet Friday or Saturday to discuss ways to resolve the ongoing trade

Aug. 14, 2019

Japan names Koji Tomita new ambassador to S. Korea: sources

Japan has named Ambassador Koji Tomita with several years of diplomatic experience in South Korea as its new top envoy in Seoul, informed sources said Wednesday. Late last month, Tokyo made a request for Seoul's consent to the 62-year-old diplomat's nomination in an "agrement" -- a diplomatic procedure required before his official appointment, the sources said.If appointed, Tomita will replace Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, who is set to wrap up his three-year stint in South Korea next

Aug. 14, 2019

[Anniversay Special] ‘Human rights, free trade key to overcoming diplomatic row with Japan’

South Korea should target Japan’s “abandonment” of the universal values of human rights and free trade to resolve their escalating dispute, according to professor of Japanese studies Lee Won-deog. Meanwhile, he said, a tit-for-tat response to its retaliatory export restrictions is not a wise strategy.“Given the asymmetry of their economies, a more effective way of pressing Japan is to take actions that follow the universal values or norms,” Lee, a professor at Kookm

Aug. 14, 2019

Moon urges measures against Japan's Dokdo claim, handling of radioactive water: source

President Moon Jae-in has instructed South Korean government officials not to sit idle on Japan's territorial claims over Dokdo and potential release of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, an informed source said Tuesday.His call came amid unrelenting trade and diplomatic disputes between the neighboring countries. Tokyo started the fight with export restrictions, and Seoul hit back with similar retaliatory measures. Adding to the uproar among South Koreans over Japan's export curbs, appar

Aug. 14, 2019

S. Korea to actively deal with radioactive water discharge from Fukushima plant

South Korea will actively seek ways to deal with Japan's planned discharge of water contaminated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid concern storage space will soon run out.The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has drawn international concern in recent months following reports that the Japanese government is considering releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean, among other options. Tokyo Electric

Aug. 13, 2019

S. Korea, China, Japan likely to hold foreign ministers' meeting this month: Seoul official

South Korea, China and Japan are likely to hold a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers later this month, a Seoul official said Tuesday, despite high tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over a diplomatic and trade row.Should the meeting take place in China, the chances are high that South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono will have bilateral talks, the official said, though no final decision has been made yet over either trilateral or bilateral ta

Aug. 13, 2019

Japanese scholar says Tokyo is liable for compensation of colonial victims

Under international law, Japan is still liable for compensating Koreans forced to work for Japanese firms and in military brothels during World War II despite a 1965 bilateral treaty that Japan claims has settled such compensation claims, a Japanese scholar said Monday. Tetsuya Takahashi, a philosophy professor at the University of Tokyo, co-authored "On Responsibility," a 2018 Japanese book that traces Japan's stubborn evasion of its colonial-era liabilities to the country's feeble de

Aug. 13, 2019

US prods S. Korea, Japan to seek 'creative' solutions to trade row

The United States maintained Monday that South Korea and Japan need to seek "creative solutions" to their disagreements after Seoul took retaliatory steps for Tokyo's export control measures.Washington also continues to stand ready to facilitate dialogue between its two Asian allies, a US State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency. "As an ally and friend to both the Republic of Korea and Japan, the United States believes it is critical to ensure strong and close relatio

Aug. 13, 2019

Moon, Pentagon chief discuss trilateral security cooperation with Japan: official

President Moon Jae-in and the visiting US defense secretary talked about the significance of trilateral security cooperation involving Japan during their meeting here Friday, Moon's office said. Mark Esper was on his maiden visit to Seoul as the Pentagon chief. It came at a very sensitive time for three-way security partnerships among the regional powers.Locked in a trade fight with Japan, South Korea is reviewing whether it's worthwhile to keep a bilateral accord on sharing some military inform

Aug. 9, 2019

Bolton urges S. Korea to cough up $4.8b as cost-sharing for US troops: report

US National Security Advisor John Bolton urged South Korea to ramp up its share of costs for stationing American troops here during his visit to Seoul last month, revealing his country’s spending records, according to the Dong-a Ilbo on Friday.When Bolton met South Korean National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong on July 28, he showed a statement with details of the US spending for stationing 28,500 soldiers here, including training fees and wages for overseas dispatch of military f

Aug. 9, 2019

‘Soul-searching needed for Korea, Japan, over trade row’

A senior US official said Wednesday that South Korea and Japan should do some “soul-searching” about the political decisions that have damaged their ties, and called for calm words from its leaders.Marc Knapper, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, told a US think tank that it was critical to ensure “productive and constructive relationships” between the US allies in the face of “shared challenges posed by North Korea, Russia and China.” &ldqu

Aug. 8, 2019

Top diplomats from South Korea, China, Japan to gather in Beijing to discuss N. Korean missile tests

Discussions are underway for a foreign ministers’ meeting later this month in Beijing, where South Korea, China and Japan can discuss issues concerning Northeast Asia ahead of a trilateral summit expected to take place before the end of the year. “The three countries are in talks (for) a foreign ministers’ meeting,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, adding that details, including the date of the meeting, have not been confirmed. Earlier in the day, Japan

Aug. 7, 2019

S. Korea, China, Japan in talks over possible foreign ministers' meeting: official

South Korea, China and Japan are in talks about holding a meeting of their foreign ministers this month ahead of their possible trilateral summit in China later this year, a Seoul official said Wednesday.Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Taro Kono, are expected to meet in China on Aug. 21 to discuss joint efforts for North Korea's denuclearization.The broadcaster also said that talks have been under way t

Aug. 7, 2019

South Korea advises citizens to avoid sites of rightist rallies in Japan

South Korea is sending text message advisories to its nationals visiting Japan to avoid places where anti-South Korea protests may take place amid rising diplomatic tensions, the foreign ministry said Monday. “We have been keeping close tabs on any moves, given that there could be anti-Korea rallies by ultra-right groups in Japan,” a ministry official said. “We will consider taking follow-up measures, such as putting up a post on the ministry‘s consular website or sending

Aug. 5, 2019

S. Korea in consultation with Japan, China for annual summit, Cheong Wa Dae says

South Korea is trying to set a schedule for a yearly trilateral summit with Japan and China, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Monday amid a deepening confrontation between Seoul and Tokyo.The latest summit was held in Tokyo in May last year among President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.The 2019 summit has not been held yet, for which China is supposed to serve as the rotating chair. Arrangements are reportedly being made to open the summit in Beijing in De

Aug. 5, 2019