S. Korean leader heads to Brussels to attend Asia-EU summit

ROME -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to Brussels on Thursday, wrapping up his three-day official visit to Italy and the Vatican. Moon is scheduled to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting summit and hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Germany, Thailand and Britain on Friday.  (Yonhap)Earlier in the day, Moon met Pope Francis and delivered an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the pope to visit Pyongyang. It is widely viewed as an attempt by the North to win a papal bl

Oct. 19, 2018

Korean president set for meeting with Pope Francis

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to meet with Pope Francis on Thursday to ask the pope on behalf of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the communist state and help move its denuclearization process forward.The meeting will commence at noon, followed by Moon's talks with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who presided over a special Mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula at St. Peter's Basilica the day before. (Yonhap)Moon's meeting with the pope will be "exceptional," ac

Oct. 18, 2018

Vatican welcomes Moon with special mass for Korean peace

VATICAN -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a special mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula at the Vatican on Wednesday.The mass was presided over by its top diplomat, Pietro Parolin, in honor of Moon, a Catholic, whose peace drive has revived cooperation between the two Koreas and talks to denuclearize the North.The mass began with the Vatican's secretary of state welcoming Moon and his wife in Korean. (Yonhap)"I welcome President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook. I relay Po

Oct. 18, 2018

Leaders of Korea, Italy agree to upgrade ties

ROME -- The leaders of South Korea and Italy agreed Wednesday to upgrade the countries' relationship to a strategic partnership, setting a diplomatic framework to push for deeper political, security and economic cooperation. In a summit in Rome, President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte agreed that the two countries will establish vice ministerial-level diplomatic dialogue and a joint committee for industrial and energy cooperation, Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said."In

Oct. 18, 2018

Moon to seek support of Vatican, Italy for NK peace efforts

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Italian President Sergio Mattarella met in Rome on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and ways to expand cooperation on regional and global issues.The meeting took place a day after the Korean president arrived in the Italian capital for an official visit. Moon was set to hold a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later in the day. (Yonhap)“In the meeting with President Mattarella, the two presidents discussed a wide range of issues, includin

Oct. 17, 2018

S. Korean president, UNESCO chief vow efforts toward inter-Korean reconciliation

PARIS -- The leaders of South Korea and UNESCO agreed Tuesday to promote reconciliation between the divided Koreas partly through increased assistance for North Korea in education and other areas.In a meeting in Paris, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also agreed to joint efforts to designate the Demilitarized Zone as a biosphere reserve, a move that comes after Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to turn the DMZ into a peace zone in their

Oct. 17, 2018

Moon and Italian president hold talks on bilateral ties, cooperation

ROME -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Italian President Sergio Mattarella held a meeting Wednesday to discuss ways to further improve the countries' bilateral ties and expand their cooperation in dealing with various regional and global issues.The meeting came one day after the South Korean president arrived here for an official visit. Moon was set to hold a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later in the day. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-soo

Oct. 17, 2018

Moon, French premier agree to boost bilateral ties, exchange

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe agreed Tuesday to further expand their countries‘ bilateral ties, through a possible increase in the number of direct flights to and from the countries.Moon is on a four-day state visit that will end later in the day when he heads to Italy. He earlier held a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.“While noting that our country’s introduction of France‘s express train (TGV) in the 1990s and other joint e

Oct. 16, 2018

Moon vows efforts to increase trade, cooperation with France

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sought on Tuesday to assure French entrepreneurs that ongoing peace efforts with North Korea will create a greater opportunity for their investment and business on the Korean Peninsula.During his address to business leaders from the two countries in Paris, Moon also vowed efforts to boost bilateral economic cooperation especially in technology sectors and startup businesses.“For nearly 130 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countri

Oct. 16, 2018

Moon attends ceremonial French reception at Hotel de Ville

South Korean President Moon Jae-in received a warm welcome on Tuesday in a traditional ceremony afforded to foreign leaders making a state visit to Paris.The ceremonial event was held at the Hotel de Ville, the building housing the local administration of Paris.“The welcome reception at Paris city hall is part of a program for Moon‘s state visit that the French side prepared, and was held in the Salle des Fetes (Room of Celebration) at the city hall and attended by some 300 officials and residen

Oct. 16, 2018

Korean electoral branch's ODA projects linked to criminal activities: lawmaker

South Korea’s National Election Commission is deeply involved with a Korean nongovernmental organization’s alleged criminal activities linked to its past foreign aid projects of installing election automation equipment in developing democracies overseas, including Fiji and Ecuador, a lawmaker revealed during the parliamentary inspection of the electoral branch on Tuesday. 　The revelation comes just about three weeks after the NEC’s former secretary-general Kim Dai-nyeon abruptly resigned as the

Oct. 16, 2018

Moon says France, UN can speed up NK's denuclearization by easing sanctions

PARIS -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need to ease international sanctions against North Korea when and if the communist state takes practical steps to denuclearize.The call came in a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron where the South Korean leader asked France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to spearhead the move when conditions are met.In a joint press conference following their summit, Macron emphasized the need to maintain inte

Oct. 16, 2018

US official visits Seoul for consultations on N. Korea, alliance issues

A US State Department official met with South Korean foreign ministry officials in Seoul on Monday, apparently for discussions on North Korea and pending alliance issues, a government source said.Marc Knapper, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan affairs, was returning to South Korea several months after finishing a stint here. Marc Knapper (Yonhap)He is in charge of coordinating a strategy on North Korea and dealing with a broad range of alliance issues, such as splitt

Oct. 15, 2018

Moon to hold summit with Macron, seek concessions for N. Korea

PARIS -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday for talks that will likely focus on North Korea amid his efforts to peacefully denuclearize the communist state.Moon arrived in Paris on Saturday on a four-day state visit.The Moon-Macron summit will mark the second of its kind following their first meeting held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany last year.The leaders were widely expected to discuss ways to improve their

Oct. 15, 2018

Korean president and BTS bring rare cultural event to France

PARIS -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in received possibly the most enthusiastic welcome he has ever enjoyed from a foreign population Sunday when he hosted a cultural event to mark his trip to France that offered a rare performance by famous South Korean boy group BTS.Some 400 French officials and fans hailed both Moon and BTS in the event held in the heart of Paris to celebrate Moon's four-day state visit that began Saturday. (Yonhap)The special appearance of BTS came about a week before th

Oct. 15, 2018

Moon, Macron to hold talks on N. Korea, bilateral ties

PARIS -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold talks this week that will likely focus on North Korea amid Seoul's efforts to peacefully denuclearize the communist state, officials from Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.The two heads of state will hold a bilateral summit Monday, following a welcome ceremony for the South Korean chief executive who arrived in Paris on Saturday on a four-day state visit.The Moon-Macron summit will mark

Oct. 14, 2018

S. Korean president vows joint efforts with France to build peace

PARIS -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Saturday vowed increased cooperation with France to address major global issues, such as climate change, while also stressing the need for joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."Day after tomorrow, I will hold a summit meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. (We) will hold in-depth discussions on key issues facing the international community, such as climate change, environment, terrorism and h

Oct. 14, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Barriers to international adoption should be eliminated’

When thousands of children were orphaned by the Korean War in the early 1950s, Susan Soonkeum Cox was among the eight people who were placed for adoption outside South Korea, pioneering intercountry adoptions. Adopted in 1956 at the age of 4, by a couple from Oregon, Cox, the vice president of policy and external affairs at Holt International Children’s Services, said that her goal is not adoption in itself, but giving children a chance to have a family instead of ending up in orphanages. “I did

Oct. 11, 2018

Minister: S. Korea to keep mediating between N. Korea, US

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday that South Korea will continue aggressive efforts to help facilitate denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States.Speaking to lawmakers, the top diplomat stressed Seoul's commitment to partner closely with Washington throughout the process."On the basis of close cooperation with the US, (we) will play a bridging role actively for the creation of common ground between North Korea and the US," she said during an annual parliamentar

Oct. 10, 2018

President Moon receives six new ambassadors to Seoul

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday welcomed six new foreign ambassadors to his country, including Andrey Kulik of Russia.Moon received the credentials of the six new foreign ambassadors in six separate ceremonies held at his office Cheong Wa Dae. Sripriya Ranganathan, Indian ambassador to South Korea, shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)The new ambassadors included Bakyt Dyussenbayev of Kazakhstan, Sripriya Ranganathan of In

Oct. 8, 2018