[News Focus] No sign of a break in the impasse between Seoul, Tokyo over forced labor

Relations between South Korea and Japan have deteriorated to what is arguably their worst point to date as they dispute every inch of ground over Tokyo’s responsibility to compensate the Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s meeting with her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, in Paris on Friday thwarted hopes that those strained ties would mend anytime soon. The two top envoys wrapped up their meeting having only escalated the tensio

May 29, 2019

Japan asks for S. Korea's cooperation for G-20 summit

The top Japanese envoy in Seoul asked for South Korea's cooperation for a successful Group of 20 summit in Japan, South Korea's finance ministry said Monday.Japan's Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nakamine made the request in a meeting with Hong Nam-ki, minister of economy and finance, at a government building in Seoul, according to the ministry.The summit, set for June 28-29 in Osaka, Japan, will bring together leaders of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies, including South Korea

May 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Diplomat accused of leaking phone conversation between Moon, Trump

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has found the diplomat suspected of leaking the phone talks between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump to a lawmaker earlier this month, an official said Wednesday. Earlier this month, Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said Moon asked Trump during the phone conversation to visit South Korea immediately after his May 25-28 trip to Japan, citing an unnamed diplomatic source in the US."We have conf

May 23, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan to hold talks in Paris amid tensions over forced labor

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan were set to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of an international meeting in Paris on Thursday amid rising tensions over Tokyo's wartime forced labor, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, on the margins of the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in the French capital. Bilateral ties have chilled in recent months as Japan has c

May 23, 2019

Moon appreciates UAE's help in getting S. Korean hostage freed

President Moon Jae-in had phone talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, days after a South Korean hostage in Libya was released with the help of the UAE authorities.Moon expressed his gratitude to the UAE government and the crown prince, who doubles as deputy supreme commander of the country's armed forces, for efforts to get the man freed, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Ko Min-jung. President Moon Jae-in holds phone talks with Crown

May 21, 2019

S. Korea says will prudently consider Japan's call for arbitration panel over forced labor

South Korea will look prudently into Japan's request for the formation of an arbitration panel involving a third-country member to address the long-simmering issue of Tokyo's wartime forced labor, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. Earlier in the day, the ministry received a formal request for the panel's establishment. Tokyo bases it on dispute settlement procedures laid out in a 1965 state-to-state accord that normalized bilateral ties after Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the peninsula."Th

May 20, 2019

UAE plays decisive role in freeing Korean from Libya

Rescue efforts by the United Arab Emirates and the Eastern-Libya army played a crucial role in freeing a Korean national held captive for 315 days in western Libya, an official at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. The 62-year-old Korean hostage, surnamed Joo, and three Filipinos were taken hostage by militants last year while working as civil engineers at a desalination plant in western Libya. The ministry official cited a statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International

May 17, 2019

Track 1.5 dialogue crucial for Korea-China relations

Expanding communication channels through nongovernment-oriented activities is crucial for strengthening relations between South Korea and China, said Kwon Ki-sik, chairman of Korea-China City Friendship Association.The organization, under Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held its first civilian forum dealing with South Korea-China cooperation for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula in Beijing on May 7. Since the two countries formally established diplomatic relations in 1992, they hav

May 17, 2019

Trump to visit S. Korea for talks on N. Korea, alliance

US President Donald Trump will visit South Korea next month for talks with President Moon Jae-in on the denuclearization of North Korea and alliance issues, Moon's office announced Thursday amid growing concerns about the overall peace process.Trump plans to visit South Korea in late June as part of his regional trip. He will travel to Osaka, Japan, for the two-day G-20 summit to open on June 28. The exact schedule for Trump's second trip to South Korea as US president remains unannounced. He ma

May 16, 2019

Vice FM stresses 'inclusive' interpretation strategies for world heritage

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho called Tuesday for "inclusive" interpretation strategies for world heritage, noting their role in establishing peace in the global community.Lee made the remarks during the International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation that Seoul's foreign ministry and Cultural Heritage Administration hosted jointly with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. Lee Tae-ho (Yonhap)"The development of inclusive interpretation strategies that focus

May 14, 2019

[News Briefs] Ministry to revise travel alert system for Africa, Middle East

South Korea will revise the travel warning system for conflict-prone regions in Africa and the Middle East, in a move to prevent recurrence of the recent case of a citizen who was rescued after being held captive by militants in the region for a month, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The alert level for the eastern part of Burkina Faso in West Africa will be raised to level three, or red, warning people not to travel there or to leave the country.  Unnamed freed South Korean hostage, le

May 13, 2019

[Feature] Recalibrating diplomatic portfolio with New Southern Policy

The escalating tensions between the US and China highlight the pressing need for broadening South Korea’s diplomatic horizon further with President Moon Jae-in’s initiative that aims at deepening ties with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. However, the policy should address more regional issues rather than just expanding Seoul’s economic presence in the ASEAN block, experts said.  President Moon Jae-in (second from left) at 31st ASEAN Summits in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 13,

May 12, 2019

S. Korean woman freed after kidnapping in Africa remains in good health: Seoul

A South Korean woman, who was rescued by the French military after nearly a month of captivity in the western African country of Burkina Faso, remains in good health, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.The Korean woman in her 40s was one of the four hostages freed from a militant group in the African nation after being held hostage for 28 days. Two French tourists and the Korean national were airlifted on a special plane and arrived in Paris on Saturday.Two French soldiers died in the rescue o

May 12, 2019

Foreign Ministry confirms S. Korean woman freed after kidnapping in Burkina Faso

The Seoul government confirmed Saturday that a South Korean woman was freed by an overnight French military rescue operation in Burkina Faso.    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the South Korean national, who is in her 40s, was one of the four hostages who were kidnapped in the Sahel region of the African country. The Foreign Ministry office in Seoul (Yonhap)    "We've made contact with her family here and notified them of her health conditions," the ministry said.    They were rescued in th

May 11, 2019

S. Korean tourist freed after kidnapping in Burkina Faso

A South Korean tourist being held captive by an unidentified armed gang in Burkina Faso has been released following a rescue operation by France's special forces, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Friday.An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a South Korean citizen is under the protection of the French military following the rescue operation. "We were notified this afternoon by the French government that a South Korean hostage was rescued," the official said. "There was no missing

May 10, 2019

Food aid to Pyongyang unlikely to fuel Seoul’s nuclear diplomacy

The South Korean government is ramping up efforts to send food aid to North Korea in an attempt to thaw relations and revive stalled denuclearization negotiations between the US and the North, but it remains unclear how Pyongyang will respond. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry are moving swiftly to clear obstacles in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, after a call between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on Tues

May 9, 2019

US nuclear envoy to visit Seoul for talks about NK projectiles, food aid

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on Pyongyang's recent firing of short-range projectiles and possible food aid to the impoverished communist nation.During a four-day visit, Biegun will meet with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the foreign ministry, and attend a session of the joint "working group" established to coordinate po

May 8, 2019

S. Korea's amb. to Malaysia faces possible punishment for power abuse against staff

South Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Toh Kyung-hwan, could face disciplinary action for alleged abuse of power against his staff, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.The foreign ministry conducted an internal audit of the Malaysia embassy in January and found Amb. Toh had engaged in inappropriate behavior, including verbal harassment, toward his staff, according to the official. Amb. Toh Kyung-hwan (Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia)Toh has been referred to the disciplinary comm

May 7, 2019

New envoy vows to work closely with Russia to rope in N. Korea

South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia Lee Suk-bae has pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation with Moscow, a country that he believes will contribute to building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. “This is a very important moment for strategic communication between South Korea and Russia for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of a peace regime,” Lee, who was appointed as a new ambassador to Russia on May 3, told reporters on Tuesday. South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia L

May 7, 2019

Speaker Moon meets with top Chinese party official over N. Korea

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has met with a senior Chinese party official to discuss ways to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, his office said Tuesday.Moon held talks with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Beijing on Monday.Leading a parliamentary delegation, Moon embarked on a three-day trip Monday amid a stalemate in nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea. (Yonhap)In a closed-door meeting, the tw

May 7, 2019