The Korea Herald

Park arrives in Malaysia for regional summits

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Malaysia on Friday for a string of high-profile summits this weekend with regional leaders to discuss a wide-range of issues, including the economy and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Kuala Lumpur is the third and last stop on her 10-day tour, which already took her to Turkey for the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies.In Manila, Park and other leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum strongly condemned terror

Nov. 20, 2015

Park leaves for Malaysia for regional summits

President Park Geun-hye left for Malaysia on Friday for a string of high-profile summits with regional leaders to discuss a wide-range of issues, including the economy and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Kuala Lumpur is the third and last stop on her 10-day tour, which already took her to Turkey for the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies.In Manila, Park and other leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum strongly condemned terrorism and support

Nov. 20, 2015

East Asian nations vow joint effort for sustainable sea development

Coastal countries in East Asia have agreed to join hands to explore ways for sustainable maritime development, the South Korean government said Friday.The commitment was stated in the Danang Declaration adopted by 11 countries in the region, including the two Koreas, China, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines, at the 5th Ministerial Forum of the East Asian Seas Congress under way in the Vietnamese city of Danang for a six-day run that started Monday, according to the Ministry of Maritime Affair

Nov. 20, 2015

Park calls for inclusive development at APEC

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday urged leaders participating in a regional summit to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to become more vibrant players in the global market as part of efforts to promote inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific region.On the second day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Manila, Park also suggested SMEs join global value chains where the different stages of production are located across numerous countries. She proposed revitalizing the

Nov. 19, 2015

Abe demanded Seoul remove comfort woman statue: report

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has demanded the removal of a statue of a teenage Korean girl, a symbol of Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, as a condition for settling the issue involving the victims, according to a news report Thursday. President Park Geun-hye (right, back row) talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left, back row) as they stand for a photo session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, the Philippines, Thursday. (Yonhap)Citing a

Nov. 19, 2015

Abe demanded Seoul remove comfort woman statue: report

'China, U.S. holding back to conserve strength'

This is the sixth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into the intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry and China’s revisionism. -- Ed.China and the U.S. have been restraining themselves to conserve their strength, as they are caught in a long-term geopolitical rivalry, French China expert Francois Godement said, noting the limitation of conflict is the “main zone of bilateral cooper

Nov. 19, 2015

'China, U.S. holding back to conserve strength'

Seoul would have to take U.S. side in event of collision in South China Sea: expert

South Korea would have to side with the United States if the ally collides with China over the disputed South China Sea, an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs said Thursday."In case of an emergency in the South China Sea, South Korea would have no choice but to move in accordance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Shin Gi-wook, a professor at Stanford University in California, said in a lecture hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.South Korea appears to be under growing dilemma as the

Nov. 19, 2015

Korea, China seek closer people-to-people ties

South Korea and China sought to expand their people-to-people ties Thursday as they held their third conference on public diplomacy.The forum, established in 2013 under a summit agreement between Presidents Park Geun-hye and Xi Jinping, brought together some 200 people from both countries, representing the government, academia, civil society and the media.The forum's three sessions are expected to focus on ways to strengthen bilateral ties through public policy sharing, increased cultural exchan

Nov. 19, 2015

Vice FM due in D.C. for talks on economy, nuclear cooperation

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul left for the United States on Wednesday to hold a series of high-profile talks on economic and nuclear energy cooperation.His four-day trip to Washington is to follow up on a pair of agreements between the two sides to launch a high-level economic council meeting and a separate commission on nuclear energy cooperation.On Friday, Cho is scheduled to hold the inaugural economic council session with Catherine Novelli, under secretary of state for economic growth, e

Nov. 18, 2015

Park calls for strengthening ties with Canada

President Park Geun-hye called Wednesday for strengthening cooperation with Ottawa as she met Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of an annual summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in the Philippines.Park also said she hopes that Trudeau will successfully "make a real change."Trudeau said in a victory speech last month that it's time for "a real change" in Canada.It marks the first time that Park has met with Trudeau, who was elected last month. Last year, Park held a summit wit

Nov. 18, 2015

Park calls for lifting of trade barriers

President Park Geun-hye urged the leaders of advanced nations to lift protective measures and expand free trade to fight the prolonged economic and trade slowdown worldwide.Citing South Korea as an example of global trade serving as a vehicle for rapid economic growth, Park said she was proposing to strengthen efforts to reduce trade barriers first to revitalize the sluggish economy.“I recommend the G20 countries to make efforts to liberalize multilateral trade through bilateral or regional free

Nov. 17, 2015

Park calls for lifting of trade barriers

Park vows to join global terror fight

President Park Geun-hye on Sunday pledged to join a global campaign against terrorism as world leaders renewed efforts at a meeting in Turkey to thwart the Islamic State and foreign jihadist fighters in the wake of the Paris attacks claimed by the extremist group. At the Group of 20 summit in Antalya, she also displayed her resolve to ramp up humanitarian assistance to Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and countries that provide shelter to those who have fled their conflict-stricken homes, calling terror

Nov. 16, 2015

Pakistan’s Gandhara ruins to receive Korea’s Buddhists

According to some historians, Korea’s Buddhism traces its roots to the Gandharan Civilization that thrived 2,000 years ago in the territories of today’s northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Mahayana school of Korea’s Buddhism ― one of two main branches alongside the Hinayana school ― was introduced to the ancient Kingdom of Baekje (B.C. 18-A.D. 660) in 384 by monk Maranatha, native of Gandhara, the historical records say. The triangular tract largely to the west of the Indus River and bounded

Nov. 16, 2015

Pakistan’s Gandhara ruins to receive Korea’s Buddhists

Argentine wine rouses taste buds in Seoul

The Argentine Embassy, in collaboration with the Wines of Argentina, held a wine tasting event on Nov. 9 at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, introducing 28 wineries. The event, in its fifth run, is a government-sponsored scheme to promote national wines around the world, whose popularity has risen sharply in Korea. Since 2011, the export of Argentine wines to Korea has increased by 64 percent in volume and 90 percent in value. Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest wine producer and the largest in S

Nov. 16, 2015

Argentine wine rouses taste buds in Seoul

Festival of India enchants culture lovers

The Festival of India in Korea was held last week across the country, celebrating India’s dance, music, food, film and yoga, and weaving Indians and Koreans in a tapestry of friendship. Under the catchphrase “Sarang,” the venue also showcased traditional percussion, puppetry and lectures in Seoul, Busan and Namiseom Island from Nov. 9-15.The weeklong event started this year, organized by the Indian embassy, Teamwork Arts and Indian Culture Centers in Seoul and Busan. It aims to be an annual fest

Nov. 16, 2015

Festival of India enchants culture lovers

Danish biotech firm to launch in Korea

Danish probiotics company Biocare Copenhagen will enter the Korean market by partnering Korean health food manufacturer and distributor Health Balance. Biocare is Denmark’s leading biotech firm specializing in microbial compounds: probiotics, dietary fibers, microbial lysates and medical devices. Based in Copenhagen, the joint-venture enterprise collaborates with Copenhagen University Hospital’s research and development centers and clinical facilities. For the last 20 years, the company has deve

Nov. 16, 2015

Park joins condemnation of Paris terror attacks

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday joined global condemnation against the Paris terrorist attacks with leaders participating in the annual summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Turkey, vowing to take countermeasures against terrorism. President Park Geun-hye is greeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as she arrived at the venue for the Group of 20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday. (Yonhap)On the first day of the two-day summit, Park discussed ways

Nov. 15, 2015

Park joins condemnation of Paris terror attacks

Korea issues travel alert for France

South Korea issued a travel alert for France on Saturday as part of efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens residing or traveling in the European country, in reaction to a series of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul presides over a meeting with government officials to discuss protection measures for citizens in France on Saturday. (Yonhap)No South Korean victims had been reported as of Sunday, said Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, which h

Nov. 15, 2015

Park to embark on trip for G20, APEC, ASEAN

President Park Geun-hye will leave for Turkey on Saturday, the first stop of her trip that will also include the Philippines and Malaysia to participate in multinational summits including the G20 and other regional dialogues.Park’s first stop will be Antalya, Turkey on Nov. 15-16 to attend the G20 summit aimed at promoting inclusive growth that will also bring together U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Markel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Nov. 13, 2015

2 Koreas, Russia to carry out third run for pilot logistics project

Three South Korean firms plan to hold another test run of a trilateral project to ship Russian coal through a North Korean port into South Korea later this month, the Unification Ministry said Friday.Some 120,000 tons of Russian coal will be delivered to South Korea on a ship from the North Korean port city of Rajin after being transported from Russia's border city of Khasan from Nov. 17 to 30 on a re-connected railway in the third run for the so-called Rajin-Khasan logistics project.The project

Nov. 13, 2015