Moon continues week of summit diplomacy

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday continued a long series of summit-level talks in the run-up to the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics on Friday.Moon kicked of the day on Wednesday with a meeting with Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, and later met with Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite. President Moon Jae-in and Governor General of Canada Julie Payette hold summit talks at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. YonhapIn the talks with Payette, Seoul-Ottawa relations were discussed, as well

Feb. 7, 2018

Pence leaves for Olympics, aimed at increasing pressure on NK

US Vice President Mike Pence is expected to focus on ramping up pressure on North Korea by countering its charm offensives and highlighting the brutality of the regime during his trip to South Korea and Japan, dampening hopes for possible US-North Korea talks. On Monday, Pence left the US on a six-day trip to South Korea and Japan. Pence is set to arrive in Seoul on Thursday, and meet with President Moon Jae-in, before attending the PeyongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. Ahead o

Feb. 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] US senators ask Trump to explain Cha's withdrawal

WASHINGTON -- A group of US senators asked President Donald Trump Monday to explain his withdrawal of Victor Cha from consideration for ambassador to South Korea, saying it is "shocking" that the post remains vacant.In a letter addressed to the president, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and 17 other Democrats and independents also voiced concern about the Trump administration's reported considerations of a limited military strike on North Korea."We write to express our serious concerns regarding the

Feb. 6, 2018

Prospects of NK-US talks appear grim: experts

Expectations for direct contact between North Korea and US during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics appear to be dim even as Pyongyang announced it is sending Kim Yong-nam, ceremonial head of the communist state, to South Korea during the international sporting event. Pyongyang informed Seoul on Sunday night that Kim, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, will head its high-level delegation to participate in the opening ceremony of the Feb. 9-25 Games. US Vice President Mike

Feb. 5, 2018

Japan protests unified Korea Olympic flag with disputed isles

Japan said Monday it had lodged a protest with South Korea over the "unacceptable" use of a unified Korean Olympic flag that features a set of disputed islands.The two Koreas have agreed to march together under the unification flag -- a pale blue silhouette of the peninsula -- at the Games' opening ceremony on February 9, and to form a combined women's ice hockey team.The flag shows a blue dot indicating the islands in the Sea of Japan controlled by South Korea but claimed by Tokyo. (yonhap)They

Feb. 5, 2018

Moon, Trump discuss North Korean human rights issue

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Yonhap) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone Friday and resolved to work together to address human rights abuses in North Korea, the White House said."The two leaders discussed the importance of improving the human rights situation in North Korea and underscored their commitment to work together on this issue," it said in a statement.A file photo shows President Moon Jae-in speaking with US President Donald Trump on Jan. 10. Cheong W

Feb. 3, 2018

'Victor Cha withdrawal not due to his objection to military options’

Washington’s decision to drop Victor Cha as its next US ambassador to South Korea was not due to his disagreement with the Trump administration’s consideration of a limited strike on North Korea, a diplomatic source said Friday. Washington abandoned its plan to nominate Cha, a former director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council under the Bush administration, reportedly due to his opposition to the Trump administration’s “bloody nose” strategy on North Korea and its threat to term

Feb. 2, 2018

Moon to hold summit with Abe in PyeongChang

President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit in PyeongChang, the alpine town that will host the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.Abe will fly to South Korea through Yangyang Airport near PyeongChang to celebrate the Olympics, a ministry official said in a background briefing. Moon will hold talks with 14 top state and government representatives before and during the Feb. 9-25 Winter Olympics and March 9-18 Paralympics, the ministry off

Feb. 2, 2018

Concerns grow over withdrawal of Victor Cha as US ambassador to S. Korea

Washington’s decision to drop Victor Cha as its next US ambassador to South Korea is fueling concerns that the Trump administration may be considering a figure with a tougher stance on North Korea and that there may be discord in the South Korea-US alliance. 　Washington withdrew the nomination of Cha, a former director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council under the Bush administration, reportedly due to his disagreement with the Trump administration’s “bloody nose” strategy agains

Feb. 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] US scraps Victor Cha as pick for ambassador to S. Korea

Washington has abandoned plans to nominate Victor Cha as the next US ambassador to South Korea, reportedly due to his disagreement with the Trump administration’s “bloody nose” strategy against Pyongyang. Cha, a former White House official during the Bush administration, is no longer being considered for the job after he raised concerns with National Security Council officials over the Trump administration’s consideration of a limited military strike against North Korea, as well as its threats t

Jan. 31, 2018

US drops Cha as pick for ambassador to Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States has withdrawn former White House official Victor Cha from consideration for ambassador to South Korea, a US official said Tuesday.The official on the White House National Security Council confirmed the decision, which raises new concerns about the Donald Trump administration's policy toward Seoul and Pyongyang.The Washington Post earlier reported Cha expressed disagreement with the Trump administration's considerations of a limited military strike on North Korea,

Jan. 31, 2018

26 foreign leaders to visit S. Korea during Olympics

A total of 26 heads of state or government from 21 countries, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will visit South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. Japanese Prime Minister Abe is the only leader from the four regional powers -- the US, China, Japan and Russia -- visiting South Korea during the Winter Games. President Moon Jae-in will host a reception for foreign dignitaries ahead of the opening ceremony o

Jan. 29, 2018

Top-level foreign guests from 21 countries to visit S. Korea during Olympics

A total of 26 heads of state or government from 21 countries, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will visit South Korea during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. Japanese Prime Minister Abe is the only leader from the four regional powers -- the US, China, Japan and Russia -- visiting South Korea during the Winter Games.  Nam Gwan-pyo, a deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, speaks during a p

Jan. 29, 2018

Japan foreign minister hopes for improved ties with China

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed hopes for improved relations with China during talks Sunday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Japan is making efforts to further a gradual thaw in relations dogged by history and a territorial dispute. Concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program also featured prominently in the discussions. Japan has pushed for stricter measures against the North, which fired a ballistic missile over the Japanese island of Hokkaido in August. 

Jan. 28, 2018

Schroeder voices support for inter-Korean talks

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has voiced strong support for the recently resumed inter-Korean dialogue, saying talks between the two Koreas should be pursued under any circumstances.In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, conducted after his trip Friday to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, which separates South and North Korea, Schroeder underlined the importance of patience in getting over differences caused by decadeslong

Jan. 28, 2018

Former German leader Schroeder visits inter-Korean border with Korean fiance

PAJU -- Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Friday expressed his support for fresh inter-Korean rapprochement during his first visit to the heavily-fortified border between the two Koreas. "National division is not something that can be overcome overnight, it needs a long time," he said during a visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the Demilitarized Zone, where armed troops from both sides stand face to face. "The South and the North should not stop the attempt to approach eac

Jan. 26, 2018

Kang in Davos, stresses Olympics’ role in easing NK tensions

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha promoted the PyeongChang Winter Olympics as a chance to defuse tensions with North Korea at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Her remarks came amid growing concerns that North Korea’s current peace overture is part of a propaganda effort, and that the reclusive regime might stage a provocation following the resumption of South Korea-US joint military drills after the Olympics. In her keynote speech a

Jan. 26, 2018

Ex-UN chief says conciliatory mood on Korean Peninsula unlikely to last

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that the conciliatory mood in inter-Korean relations created by North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics might not continue after the sporting event ends. 　“Given the circumstances, I don’t think that the conciliatory mood will continue after the PyeongChang Olympics ends,” Ban said during a seminar in Seoul on the PyeongChang Olympics and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. “Looking back at the past, the North ha

Jan. 25, 2018

Kang stresses private sector's role in raising funds for UN development goals

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stressed the need for the private sector's role in financing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, her ministry said Thursday.Kang attended a closed-door debate session on new approaches to achieving the UN's 2030 agenda for economic and social development, on Wednesday (local time).Kang called on government leaders to harness new technology and innovation as a way of expanding private financing f

Jan. 25, 2018

Seoul welcomes Abe's offer to visit during Winter Olympics

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's offer to visit South Korea, possibly to attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games."The government welcomes Japan's official notification of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to South Korea," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a press briefing.The remarks came hours after the Japanese Embassy here requested discussions with Seoul to arrange the Japanese leader's visit.

Jan. 24, 2018