New Korean ambassador to US calls for strategic diplomacy

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's new ambassador to the United States took office Tuesday, calling for "strategic, creative and bold" diplomacy at a critical juncture in Korean and global affairs.Speaking at his inauguration ceremony at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, Amb. Cho Yoon-je also underscored the importance of maintaining a firm South Korea-US alliance, the embassy said in a statement.Cho "stressed the need to conduct strategic, creative and at times bold diplomacy" in order to advanc

Nov. 15, 2017

Moon calls for regional community with ASEAN

President Moon Jae-in called for stepped-up efforts Tuesday to form a regional community among Southeast Asian countries and three Northeast Asian nations including China and Japan. Moon’s suggestion of forming a regional community came at an annual summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as the ASEAN Plus Three. The regional forum involves the leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries, plus the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China. (Yonhap)On the sidelines of the event in Manil

Nov. 14, 2017

Moon, Russian PM agree to strengthen cooperation on N. Korea, economy

MANILA -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in held talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday and agreed to further develop their countries' economic cooperation and step up efforts to peacefully denuclearize North Korea.They met on the sidelines of a regional forum hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila."I believe our countries holding such close consultations between their highest officials clearly shows that cooperation between the two countries is develo

Nov. 14, 2017

Korea launches forum to build platform for Northeast Asian security cooperation

South Korea will host a multilateral forum to promote security cooperation in Northeast Asia this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.The forum to be held from Thursday to Friday in Seoul will bring together about 200 government officials and private experts. Regional players like the United States, China, Japan, Russia and Mongolia will participate in the forum along with other interested partners like Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, the United Nations, the Association of Southe

Nov. 14, 2017

Korean president to meet Russian prime minister over bilateral ties, NK

MANILA -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to meet Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev later Tuesday, the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, for talks that will likely focus on ways to improve the countries' bilateral relationship and end North Korea's nuclear ambition.The discussion will be held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Manila. The South Korean president arrived here Sunday following his trips to Indonesia and Vietnam.

Nov. 14, 2017

Korean, Philippine leaders agree to improve ties, better protect nationals

MANILA -- The leaders of South Korea and the Philippines agreed Monday to further strengthen the countries' longstanding friendship and discussed measures to better protect their people in the other's country, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.During their summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte also agreed to work together in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully.The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Association of So

Nov. 14, 2017

Leaders of Korea, China note 'bright' future for Seoul-Beijing ties

MANILA -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang reaffirmed their efforts Monday to quickly normalize the countries' ties soured by the deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea, while the Chinese premier noted a "bright" future for their bilateral relations."As they say one must sometimes take a step back to take nine steps forward, I believe we will be able to quickly develop the countries' strategic cooperative partnership in the very near futu

Nov. 14, 2017

US envoy on NK to visit S. Korea, may discuss dialogue with Pyongyang

The top US envoy on North Korea will visit South Korea this week to hold a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, a diplomatic source here said Monday.  US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun (Yonhap)Joseph Yun will meet with Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean Peninsula, to discuss the security situation here, including North Korean nuclear issues, while attending events hosted by the US Embassy in Seoul. Coupled with sec

Nov. 13, 2017

Korean FM to visit China to discuss preparations for summit

South Korea's foreign minister is expected to visit China soon to fine-tune preparations for the upcoming summit between their leaders, a government source said Monday.Kang Kyung-wha is to visit Beijing "as early as next week" to discuss detailed preparations for the third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping scheduled for next month, according to the source. (Yonhap)It would mark Kang's first trip to China since taking office in June.After tal

Nov. 13, 2017

Trade ministers agree Asia-Pacific trade pact without US

Trade ministers from 11 Asia-Pacific countries agreed Saturday to press ahead with a major trade deal without the United States, as the world's largest economy seeks to go it alone under President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy.Trump pulled his country from the Trans Pacific Partnership at the start of the year, dismaying allies and casting into doubt an agreement heralded for tying lower tariffs to strong environmental and labour protections.In a joint statement Saturday morning, the rem

Nov. 11, 2017

Trump pushes 'America first' during tough trade talk in Asia

President Donald Trump stood before a summit of Asian leaders keen on regional trade pacts and delivered a roaring "America first" message Friday, denouncing China for unfair trade practices just a day after he had heaped praise on President Xi Jinping in Beijing."We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore," Trump told CEOs on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. "I am always going to put America first, the same way that I expect all of

Nov. 11, 2017

Leaders of S. Korea, Vietnam agree to boost bilateral trade, exchange

The leaders of South Korea and Vietnam agreed Saturday to work to further enhance their bilateral ties partly by increasing exchanges between their government officials and people.In a bilateral summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang also vowed efforts to boost the countries' bilateral trade to over $100 billion in 2020, according to South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.The Moon-Tran meeting, the first of its kind, was held on the sidelines

Nov. 11, 2017

S. Korean president to attend APEC summit, meet Chinese, Vietnamese leaders

DANANG, Vietnam -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and hold bilateral talks with the leaders of China and Vietnam on Saturday. After a visit to Indonesia, Moon arrived here on Friday, the second stop in his three-nation Southeast Asia trip, which will take him to Manila, the Philippines, on Sunday.Moon will hold his first summit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in the morning, to discuss ways to boost trade a

Nov. 11, 2017

Flip-flops over Seoul’s stance on Indo-Pacific initiative stir controversy

South Korea has been roiled by a controversy over whether it should join a new foreign policy initiative of the US, apparently aimed at reining in the influence of China, as it seeks to strike a diplomatic balance between the two superpowers. The “Indo-Pacific” initiative, which originated with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, envisions the US working with Japan and other maritime democracies -- Australia and India -- to contain a rising China. South Korea was dragged into the matter when US

Nov. 10, 2017

Korea denounces missile attack on Saudi Arabia

South Korea on Friday denounced a recent ballistic missile attack by Yemen's rebels on Saudi Arabia's capital and called for efforts to help build peace in the Middle East region.Saudi Arabia said its air force intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels toward King Khalid International Airport, near the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, on Nov. 4. Houthi rebels in Yemen (AP)"The South Korean government is paying attention to the Saudi Arabian government's announcement of the inte

Nov. 10, 2017

Full text of a joint statement of leaders of S. Korea, Indonesia

The following is the full text of a joint statement issued by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the end of their bilateral summit in Jakarta on Thursday.　South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in (left) and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo partake in a summit in Jakarta (Yonhap)　Republic of Korea-Republic of Indonesia Joint Vision Statement for Co-Prosperity and Peace　At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia His Excellency Joko W

Nov. 9, 2017

Leaders of S. Korea, Indonesia agree to upgrade ties, urge N. Korea to give up nukes

JAKARTA, Nov. 9  -- The presidents of South Korea and Indonesia agreed Thursday to upgrade their relations to "special strategic partnership" to push forward all-compassing cooperation in economy, culture, politics and security issues. During their summit, Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joko Widodo also pledged efforts to sharply increase bilateral trade and diversify business cooperation between the two countries.Moon arrived in Jakarta Wednesday for a three-day state visit to further enhance diplo

Nov. 9, 2017

Former sex slave, ‘Dokdo Shrimp’ at Trump dinner spark new Korea-Japan row

A fresh diplomatic spat is brewing between South Korea and Japan over the presence of a victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at the recent state dinner in Seoul for the visiting U.S. President Donald Trump. Japanese officials reacted angrily, saying the invitation of the "comfort woman" breaches the spirit of a 2015 agreement to settle the longstanding dispute between the two neighbors.  They have also fumed at the decision to serve "Dokdo Shrimp" from waters off South Korea's easternmost is

Nov. 9, 2017

Trump’s hug with comfort woman draws ire from Japan

US President Donald Trump’s first state visit to South Korea has drawn an unexpected level of attention from Japan, with the country accusing Seoul of inviting a “comfort woman” to its dinner banquet with Trump and serving shrimp caught near a disputed island.Lee Yong-soo, the 88-year-old woman who was coerced into working as a sex slave for the Japan military during World War II, was invited to the state banquet attended by Trump and South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday.Trump was even

Nov. 8, 2017

S. Korean, US first ladies seek rapport with tea time, confab, stroll

As Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump met for a summit on North Korea, alliance and trade on Tuesday, their wives got chummy with confabs, tea time and a brief stroll around the presidential compound.South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook and her counterpart Melania Trump met for the third time when Trump visited the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul for talks with Moon in the afternoon.They previously met when Moon visited Washington DC in June for the first summit with Tru

Nov. 7, 2017