S. Korea to seek to mend inter-Korean ties with US cooperation: official

South Korea's vice unification minister said Thursday that the government will seek to improve strained inter-Korean ties in close cooperation with the United States.Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung made the remark in his meeting with Thomas Shannon, undersecretary of state for political affairs, in Seoul to exchange views about North Korea, according to the Ministry of Unification. Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung (right) and Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for politica

June 15, 2017

S. Korea calls for peace, reconciliation on inter-Korean summit anniversary

South Korea on Thursday urged North Korea to seek reconciliation and peace as the two rivals marked the 17th anniversary of their first summit.On June 15, 2000, leaders of South and North Korea held a historic summit in Pyongyang, which produced a landmark joint declaration on reconciliation. This file photo taken by the Joint Press Corp. on June 13, 2000, shows former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung (right) and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il shaking hands at an airport in Pyongyan

June 15, 2017

Korea hopes to win US backing for broader peace role: adviser

South Korea hopes to use the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump to win US backing for Seoul playing a leading role in efforts to bring permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, a special presidential adviser said Wednesday.Moon Chung-in, an honorary Yonsei University professor who serves as special presidential adviser for unification, foreign and security affairs, made the remark upon arrival in Washington on a mission to improve understanding among Ameri

June 15, 2017

China welcomes Rodman's visit to N. Korea

BEIJING -- China welcomed former basketball star Dennis Rodman's visit to North Korea Wednesday, saying it supports efforts to build ties between Washington and Pyongyang.Lu Kang, spokesman of China's foreign ministry, made the remark in response to a question about whether Beijing views this week's trip by Rodman and the release of an American student detained in the North as being in line with its call for a peaceful solution to North Korea's nuclear problem. Lu Kang (right), spokesman of Chin

June 14, 2017

Moon to send special envoy to India, Australia

President Moon Jae-in will send a special envoy to India and Australia this week to deliver his wish for enhanced economic and diplomatic cooperation, his office said Wednesday.Park Soo-hyun, presidential spokesman, said that former Culture Minister Chung Dong-chea will embark on the trip on Thursday to explain Seoul's diplomatic policy vision and deliver Moon's handwritten letters to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Former Culture Minister Chun

June 14, 2017

THAAD work will continue, US says

Despite controversy over Seoul’s halt of the deployment of missile defense launchers, the US remains committed to the program and further discussions to iron out any differences, a top Washington official said Wednesday. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon is visiting Seoul and held talks with Seoul’s Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, chiefly to discuss a summit between presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump on June 29-30 in Washington. The meeting came amid growi

June 14, 2017

S. Korea welcomes N. Korea's release of US detainee

South Korea on Wednesday welcomed the release of an American college student long detained in North Korea and vowed efforts to free its own citizens held in the communist country.The US Department of State announced that Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, was released after 17 months of detention.He was arrested in January last year for allegedly stealing a political propaganda sign from a hotel in North Korea and was later sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. Lee Duk-h

June 14, 2017

Korea emphasizes relations with Vietnam following Moon's remarks on war

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it cherishes its relations with Vietnam and wants to advance the ties further in its response to an outcry from the country following President Moon Jae-in's recent remarks on the Vietnam War.In his speech on June 6 marking Memorial Day, Moon said that the contributions made by South Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War helped bolster the economy here. South Korean President Moon Jae-in`s special envoy, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (left), meets wi

June 13, 2017

Korea concludes sex slavery victims still have individual rights to sue Japan despite gov't deal

Despite a 2015 deal between South Korea and Japan to end a bilateral feud over colonial-era sexual enslavement, its South Korean victims still have individual rights to sue the Japanese government for compensation, Seoul has recently concluded.The government submitted the position to the Seoul Central District Court in late April upon the court's order to define the legal effectiveness of the agreement signed in December 2015. A weekly rally is under way in front of the Japanese Embassy, which i

June 13, 2017

Korea, US hold preparatory meeting on deterrence strategy talks

South Korea and the United States held a meeting on Tuesday to make preparations for their next round of high-level talks on defense and security issues, the foreign ministry said.The meeting took place in Seoul between Acting Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Anita Friedt and her South Korean counterparts, according to the ministry.  (Yonhap)The closed-door meeting was aimed at making preparations for the next Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group t

June 13, 2017

Korean actress donates to Sri Lanka flood relief

Korean actress Lee Young-ae donated roughly $50,000 to Sri Lanka to help support flood relief in the country. Flooding was caused by a heavy monsoon in the latter half of May. The money was handed over to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul on June 5 through the Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, where Lee is an advisory chairperson.Lee Young-ae (Sri Lankan Embassy)The actress said she was “deeply saddened by the lost lives and homes from the severe flooding” and that she wanted to help

June 12, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Swiss direct democracy enfranchises citizens’

Every so often, Swiss citizens go to the polling stations to vote on issues relevant to their lives, ranging from national energy to local roads and everything in between. They often cast votes more conservatively than their elected officials would, believing firmly that nothing is free and pork barrel politics ultimately comes out of their pockets.In a prudent and wise decision on the country’s national energy, Swiss citizens voted to phase out nuclear power and switch to renewable sources in M

June 12, 2017

[Herald Interview] Baltic States adorn tourism jewels

Ahead of their centenary of proclaiming statehood next year, the three Baltic countries have unveiled a myriad of tourism offers for international travelers, introducing the northern European nations as an integrated destination. As only Latvia among the Baltic States -- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- has an embassy in Korea, the diplomatic mission organized a tourism promotion seminar in Seoul on May 15, where some 20 public tourism officials and numerous other travel company representatives

June 12, 2017

Korea calls for Japan to be careful in making comments on comfort women issue

South Korea's foreign ministry said Monday that it has called for Japan to be more careful in making any comments on such thorny bilateral issues as how to resolve the long-running dispute over Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women. This was in response to controversial remarks by Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In his meeting with South Korean lawmakers on Saturday, he called for efforts to "eradicate" those seeking any tricks. Toshihiro N

June 12, 2017

Belgian princess gets honorary citizenship from Seoul

Princess Astrid of Belgium has been granted honorary citizenship by the city of Seoul, the city government said Monday. Princess Astrid arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a weeklong visit as a special envoy of the current monarch and her brother, King Philippe, with a group of 258 delegates to foster economic ties with South Korea. This file photo shows Princess Astrid of Belgium at Ewha Womans University on June 9, 2017. (Yonhap)She was presented with the certificate of honorary citizenship from

June 12, 2017

Trump summit first test of Moon's diplomatic mettle

One month into his presidency, President Moon Jae-in faces a critical early test as the diplomat in chief with his upcoming first summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump which would set the tone for the alliance over the next few years.Amid concerns over a drawn-out vacuum, Moon set out to kick-start summit diplomacy immediately after taking office, speaking with Trump and other world leaders on the phone, dispatching special envoys to key partner states and arranging early summits. (Yonhap)

June 9, 2017

Korean, Japanese parliamentarians call for future-oriented ties

South Korean and Japanese parliamentary leaders met Friday and agreed on the need to develop bilateral ties in a future-oriented manner.Chung Sye-kyun, speaker of South Korea's National Assembly, held talks with leaders of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union on the last day of his three-day trip to Japan. South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a lunch meeting with Fukushiro Nukaga, chief of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, in Tokyo on June 9, 2017, in th

June 9, 2017

Senior US official to visit S. Korea for summit preparations

A senior US official is to visit South Korea next week to discuss a summit likely to be held later this month between the two allies, the foreign ministry said Friday.Thomas Shannon, under secretary of state for political affairs, will land in South Korea on Tuesday for a three-day run, according to the ministry.  (Yonhap)He is expected to discuss with high-ranking government officials here, including Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, a summit being arranged between US President Donald Trump a

June 9, 2017

Pentagon: US believes Korea won't reverse THAAD deployment

WASHINGTON -- The United States believes South Korean won't reverse the decision to host the THAAD missile defense system, the Pentagon said Wednesday after Seoul suspended the deployment pending an environmental assessment.Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said earlier in the day that deployment of four launchers for the THAAD battery should wait until the environmental study is over, though two, already-deployed launchers won't be withdrawn.The US could see the suspension as a setbac

June 8, 2017