Following a months-long tug of war, a public-private committee will be launched Tuesday in Seoul to lay the groundwork for a fund for the victims of Japan’s sex slavery during World War II, the Korean government said Monday. The preparation committee will consist of nine private sector experts and an official each from the foreign and gender equality ministries tasked with drafting articles of association, setting up a secretariat and other administrative affairs for the envisioned organization.

May 30, 2016

The Georgian Embassy on Friday commemorated its May 26 National Day, which marks the adoption of the Act of Independence in 1918. The sovereign law created a democratic republic and freed Georgia from imperial Russia. After being incorporated into the Soviet Union in the early 1920s, Georgia once again regained its freedom on April 9, 1991. This year marks the 25th anniversary of its restored independence. “Present-day Georgia is a dynamically developing democratic state, with continuous legisla

May 30, 2016

The Czech Republic is primarily known as a tourist destination here with more than 220,000 Koreans visiting each year. However, we are also an ideal investment destination for Korean companies. Most firms are not aware of our potential as an economy right next to powerhouse Germany. Today our economy is strongly intertwined with Germany, where we account for 4 percent of its total imports. The Czech Republic is one of Europe’s industrial powerhouses. Manufacturing comprises 38 percent of our gro

May 30, 2016

The Azeri Embassy marked its country’s 98th anniversary last week at a reception in Seoul. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was created on May 28, 1918 and this occasion is known as Republic Day. The independent new state gave people the freedom they had aspired for almost two centuries, according to Azeri Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov. It was previously ruled by Iranian and Russian empires. “The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gave impetus to the spread of secular and democratic governance in the

May 30, 2016

The British Embassy celebrated the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II at a reception last week that attracted some 800 influential guests. In a speech at the embassy in Seoul on Thursday, British Ambassador Charles Hay said he had met the Queen last autumn shortly before taking up his ambassadorship. “There is a strict protocol that these conversations are private,” he noted, “but I am sure she would not mind me revealing that she recalled with great pleasure the birthday she celebrated in Ando

May 30, 2016

While ramping up global pressure is key to hampering Pyongyang’s nuclear development, Seoul should chart a path to restart denuclearization talks to defuse tension and move toward an ultimate reunification, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger said Friday.　“The crucial question is, what are the circumstances of starting dialogue? My observation is that it’s always sooner rather than later,” he told the Korea Herald in an interview on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperi

May 29, 2016

Despite the recent passage of strengthened sanctions over North Korea’s latest nuclear and missile tests, the United Nations should further tighten its squeeze on Pyongyang’s trade and financial networks to thwart its military ambitions, a former top U.N. official said.Nobuyasu Abe, who served as under-secretary-general for disarmament affairs at the multinational body from 2003-2006, showed regret over past botched efforts to dissuade Pyongyang from building atomic bombs in return for economic

May 29, 2016

JEJUDO ISLAND -- Enterprises can play a pivotal role in the potential reunification of the two Koreas that would be costly but would have great consequences, Siemens AG president and CEO Joe Kaeser said Friday.“Large West German enterprises like Siemens did their part. By June 1991, Siemens employed 20,000 people in what was previously East Germany,” the head of the German engineering conglomerate said at a special session on the last day of the 11th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity in Jejudo

May 27, 2016

JEJUDO ISLAND -- Despite persistent territorial and historical tension, Korea, China and Japan are committed to deepening three-way cooperation and carrying on with their plans to hold regular summits, the chief of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat said. Shortly after taking office last August, Yang Houlan observed the three nations’ first tripartite summit about two months later, for which the agency played a key facilitating role.Yang Houlan, chief of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretaria

May 27, 2016

JEJUDO ISLAND -- With bilateral, territorial and historical tensions threatening to overshadow the broader and indispensable need for regional collaboration, world leaders Thursday at the Jeju Forum warned against brewing nationalism.While raising the need to concede to and apologize for past wrongdoings, they highlighted the significance of reconciliation efforts and a joint response to common challenges such as terrorism, climate change and refugee crises. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, S

May 26, 2016

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday gave a strong indication that he may decide to run for president of South Korea, saying he plans to contemplate his next step once his tenure ends.“I’m returning back as a Korean on Jan. 1 next year,” he said during a meeting with members of the Kwanhun Club, a Seoul-based association of senior journalists, on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum. “What I ought to do as a Korean citizen, I will think about that then (when I return) and make a decision a

May 25, 2016

Lee Joon-gyu, a former ambassador to India, has been tapped as the new South Korean envoy to Japan and tasked with untangling the unabated controversy over a recent settlement on the “comfort women” issue, sources said Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry is expected to request an agreement for the 62-year-old career diplomat, replacing Yoo Heung-soo who recently offered to step down. Lee Joon-gyu (Yonhap)Since he began his diplomatic service in 1978, Lee has taken up various posts, including chancello

May 24, 2016