Korean PM asks Libya to help win release of abducted workers

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has asked the Libyan government to help win the safe release of a South Korean and three Filipino workers abducted in the African country, the prime minister's office said Thursday.The request came in a telephone conversation with Fayez al-Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, according to the office. (Yonhap)The call was made Wednesday from Tunisia, where the South Korean prime minister is making a visit.The four workers were taken from t

Dec. 20, 2018

Top diplomats of S. Korea, India agree on arms industry cooperation, people-to-people exchanges

The top diplomats of South Korea and India agreed Wednesday to enhance cooperation in the arms industry and expand people-to-people exchanges, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj held their joint committee meeting in New Delhi to evaluate bilateral ties and cooperation in various areas, including the economy, science and technology, the ministry said in a press release. (Yonhap)The two sides agreed to continuously consult over ho

Dec. 19, 2018

Defense officials of S. Korea, China hold working-level talks over bilateral cooperation

Defense officials of South Korea and China held working-level talks over ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and exchanges in Beijing on Wednesday, Seoul's defense ministry said.During the 17th round of bilateral policy consultations, Lee Won-ik, director general of international policy at the Ministry of National Defense, and his Chinese counterpart Song Yan Chao discussed exchanges of high-level officials to strengthen "strategic communication" and other issues, the ministry said. (Ministry

Dec. 19, 2018

US to review travel ban, sanctions to enable aid for N. Korea: US nuclear envoy

The US plans to review sanctions slapped on North Korea and a travel ban preventing American citizens from traveling to the communist state to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to North Koreans, a US special envoy said Wednesday.(Yonhap)Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, made the announcement to reporters as he arrived in Seoul for a four-day trip to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, and other officials. “I’ll be sitting down with American aid

Dec. 19, 2018

NK-US military tensions could resurface in 2019: report

Military tensions between North Korea and the US could temporarily rise if the deadlock in denuclearization talks continues until August next year, according to a report from a think tank released Wednesday.　US President Donald Trump could resume South Korea-US joint military exercises if denuclearization talks continue to stall in the first half of next year, which could lead Pyongyang to conduct a long-range missile test, according to the Asan Institute for Policy Studies research titled “Kore

Dec. 19, 2018

Korean PM vows to speed up cooperation with Tunisia

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday that his government will do its utmost to make up for the slow progress in its relations with Tunisia.Lee made the remarks in a meeting with Korean nationals here after becoming the first South Korean prime minister to visit Tunisia.He arrived in Tunis, the capital of the northern African nation, earlier in the day from Algeria, as part of his three-nation African trip that will also take him to Morocco. (Yonhap)Lee was greeted by Tunisian Pri

Dec. 19, 2018

‘Less for less’ approach could advance NK-US denuclearization talks: expert

The US could accept a limited version of North Korea’s denuclearization and offer a reward short of sanctions relief to move forward stalled denuclearization talks, experts said Tuesday. (Yonhap)Although the extent of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities is uncertain, there is strategic value for South Korea and the US to contain the risks with measures that are short of full denuclearization, said James Acton, a research fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “There would be some s

Dec. 18, 2018

Top S. Korean, US nuclear envoys to discuss N. Korea

A second South Korea-US working-group meeting on North Korea issues will be held Friday in Seoul, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, amid stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US.  (Yonhap)Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart Stephen Biegun are scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting Thursday and to host a working-group meeting Friday. Biegun is set to be in South Korea from Wednesday thr

Dec. 18, 2018

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Russia discuss N. Korea

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Russia discussed ways to enhance cooperation on denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, in Seoul on Tuesday.  (Yonhap)“I am pleased about close communication between South Korea and Russia at a very critical moment for complete denuclearization and permanent establishment of peace,” Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said ahead of the meeting.Lee added that momentum for dialogue

Dec. 18, 2018

Korea becomes 'member state' of UN panel on international trade law

South Korea has been elected a "member state" of a major United Nations panel on international trade, the nation's foreign ministry said Tuesday.South Korea received 155 votes out of 193 up for grabs in the election held in New York on Monday (local time) to win member status of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Yonhap)It will serve as a member state of the body from 2019-2025.In the Asia-Pacific region, nine natio

Dec. 18, 2018

New Southern Policy at heart of Moon’s diplomatic diversification

When South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for “independent” and “balanced” diplomacy, it was an acknowledgement that the country has been swayed by major powers pursuing their own strategic interests on the divided peninsula. Since Moon took office in May 2017, he has sought to expand Seoul’s diplomacy beyond the four regional powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula -- the US, China, Japan and Russia -- while maintaining close ties with them. At the center of his vision is the New Southern

Dec. 17, 2018

‘US wants working-level talks with N. Korea without conditions’

The US wants to hold working-level talks with North Korea without set preconditions, a senior Korean government official said Thursday, amid Pyongyang’s continued silence in its denuclearization talks with Washington.  (Yonhap)“I heard that Washington’s position is ... that it wants to meet North Korea at working-level negotiations without any conditions and listen to what the North wants first,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea ap

Dec. 13, 2018

Prime minister to visit Northwest Africa next week

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon will visit three northwestern African countries next week in a bid to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation, his office said Thursday.Lee will leave for a seven-day trip on Sunday that will take him to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in the Maghreb region. (Yonhap)It will be the first time for a South Korean prime minister to make an official trip to Algeria and Tunisia, countries that lie at a strategic point linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I

Dec. 13, 2018

Kim Jong-un unlikely to visit Russia this year: ambassador

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to visit Russia this year, Seoul’s top envoy in Moscow said Thursday, amid speculations about his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ambassador Woo Yoon-keun said it is difficult to predict when the North Korea-Russia summit will happen, given that a second summit between North Korea and the US and Kim’s visit to Seoul have yet to be confirmed. (Yonhap)“The mood for Chairman Kim’s trip to Russia took form after September,” Woo told reporters

Dec. 13, 2018

Govt. asked to allow foreigners to pay immigration fees by credit card

A government civil rights watchdog said Thursday it has asked the Ministry of Justice to allow foreigners staying in South Korea to use their credit cards to pay immigration fees.According to the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, foreigners are currently required to pay fees related to immigration and nationality in cash only, causing them inconvenience. (Yonhap)The fees include 50,000 won ($44) to 100,000 won for an application for a reentry permit, 120,000 won for an application for a

Dec. 13, 2018

FM Kang calls for Japan's prudence on wartime labor rulings

South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday urged Japan to make a “prudent” response to rulings on Japan’s wartime use of South Korean forced labor, in a phone conversation with her Japanese counterpart amid an intensifying diplomatic row. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono exchanged views on the South Korean top court’s recent rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate South Korean victims forced into lab

Dec. 12, 2018

S. Korea joins nonbinding migration pact

South Korea joined 163 UN member states in signing a nonbinding migration pact aimed at better handling the rising flow of migrants worldwide, despite growing anti-immigrant sentiment at home.The Global Compact for Migration was formally approved by 164 countries at a two-day conference in Marrakesh, Morocco. It is the first international accord on managing migration.(Yonhap)The pact is not legally binding, and signing it would not immediately result in changes in South Korea’s immigration and r

Dec. 12, 2018

US sanctions N. Korea over human rights

The US on Monday imposed sanctions on three senior North Korean officials for human rights abuses, amid Pyongyang’s continued silence in its denuclearization talks with Washington. 　The US Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party; Jong Kyong-thaek, minister of state security; and Pak Kwang-ho, director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department.　The Treasury Department cited “brutal” human rights abuses and censorship as well as th

Dec. 11, 2018

S. Korea calls for diplomatic efforts for denuclearization, peace

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called on South Korean ambassadors and consuls general Monday to increase their diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of North Korea and establish peace. “Now, we are facing an important opportunity for a resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue,” Kang said at the opening of the annual meeting of some 181 ambassadors and general consuls abroad.  “The journey, going forward, will not be smooth, but I believe in the power of our di

Dec. 10, 2018

Trump wants South Korea to double funding for US troops: report

US President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding South Korea pay as much as double its current funding for American troops stationed in South Korea, as Seoul and Washington negotiate how to shoulder defense costs in the coming years. (Joint Press Corps)The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump wants South Korea to pay roughly double the current amount, equivalent to $1.6 billion per year for the next five years, citing people familiar with the talks. Other sources cited in the report say the

Dec. 9, 2018