The Korea Herald

'Xi has greater foreign policy clout than predecessors’

This is the first installment in a series of interviews with renowned scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power triggering shifts in the regional order. This installment analyzes the evolution of China’s foreign policy. -- Ed.　By Song Sang-ho　Chinese President Xi Jinping has forged a new institutional mechanism to enable him to ease the constraints of the country’s collective leadership structure and take control of foreign policy, a China expert said. Kim Heung-kyu, political sci

Oct. 13, 2015

'Xi has greater foreign policy clout than predecessors’

Korea, Germany to bolster ties to press NK

Leaders of South Korea and Germany on Monday agreed to bolster their bilateral alliance to curb North Korea‘s nuclear ambitions and improve human rights conditions in the reclusive regime."We have shared the urgency and the importance of denuclearizing North Korea and agreed to urge North Korea to abandon its (development) of nuclear (weapons) and to come forward as a responsible member of international society,” said President Park Geun-hye in a joint press conference after a summit with her Ge

Oct. 12, 2015

Korean encryption device missing in Russia

South Korea’s state-run arms development institute was found Monday to have lost a fax encryption system in Russia, stoking concerns over a potential compromise of sensitive information that may pose a threat to the country’s national security. The Agency for Defense Development acknowledged that the device disappeared from its office in Moscow last October. The equipment, last used in June 2014, is attached to a fax machine and designed to encode plain text and decipher encrypted messages. (Yo

Oct. 12, 2015

Korean encryption device missing in Russia

Kazakh students mark national day with bicycle journey

Kazakhstan celebrated 550 years of statehood this month in a series of pageantries across its vast territory covering Central Asia. People wearing traditional costumes, with pointed fur hats, hunting eagles and stringed instruments, evoked images of their nomadic ancestors, who descended from Genghis Khan. Starting from 1465, the migratory tribes were united by Sultans Kerey and Zhanibek and settled in the valleys of rivers Shu and Talas, forming the first “khanate,” according to historic record

Oct. 11, 2015

Kazakh students mark national day with bicycle journey

K-Water to build huge hydropower plant in Georgia

The largest hydropower plant in the history of independent Georgia will be constructed on Enguri River in the northwestern region of Svaneti, producing 1.2 billion kilowatts per hour from 2019. The Nenskra Hydro Power Plant is a $1 billion project that came out of years of negotiations involving Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water), Georgian government, Georgian State Electricity System and its commercial operator, which recently signed an implementation agreement. The package encompasses

Oct. 11, 2015

ASEAN, Korea connect through investment, education

The ASEAN-Korea Center and Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board jointly held an investment seminar on Tuesday to spread the knowledge of Indonesia’s food, beverage and agro industries, and open up the flow of Korean investment into the country.ASEAN-Korea Center secretary-general Kim Young-sun, Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio, and government officials from North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and East Java regions participated in the event at the Plaza Hotel. Following presenta

Oct. 11, 2015

ASEAN, Korea connect through investment, education

New Zealand, Korea celebrate growing commercial, cultural ties

The New Zealand Embassy kicked off a monthlong festival in October to celebrate growing commercial and cultural links with Korea, expected to expand further after the free trade agreement likely comes into force this year. The bilateral agreement was signed in March during the visit of New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, Trade Minister Tim Groser and delegation of 35 business representatives to Korea. New Zealand’s parliament has completed its ratification, while Korea’s National Assembly is

Oct. 11, 2015

New Zealand, Korea celebrate growing commercial, cultural ties

Park to visit Pentagon during U.S. trip

President Park Geun-hye will visit the United States this week for summit talks with her American counterpart, Barack Obama, a senior presidential official said Sunday.President Park Geun-hye is poised to offer letters of credence to newly appointed diplomats at Cheong Wa Dae last Thursday. (Yonhap)Park will depart for Washington on Tuesday for a four-day trip, which will include a summit with Obama on Friday, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs Ju Chul-ki said during a press brie

Oct. 11, 2015

Korea No. 1 candidate for new TPP membership: ex-White House official

South Korea will be considered a priority candidate when the existing members of the Trans PacificPartnership talk about accepting new members of the massive free trade agreement, a former White House official said Thursday.Matthew Goodman, who served as a former White House coordinator for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation until early 2012, also said in a phone interview that TPP will provide enormous opportunities for a struggling South Korean economy."I think Korea should be first in line whe

Oct. 9, 2015

Park, Obama to discuss more N.K. sanctions, but not THAAD: envoy

Amid North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, Seoul and Washington will explore the possibility of additional sanctions and other ways to deter another major provocation during their summit next week, the U.S. ambassador here said Thursday. Mark Lippert, however, ruled out a stationing of advanced U.S. missile defense assets on the peninsula as an item on the agenda for Presidents Park Geun-hye and Barack Obama, though she is scheduled to visit the Pentagon during her trip accompanied

Oct. 8, 2015

Park, Obama to discuss more N.K. sanctions, but not THAAD: envoy

Japanese party chief delivers Abe's message to Park

The leader of the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition said Thursday that he delivered to President Park Geun-hye a personal letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which includes his hopes for future-oriented bilateral relations.Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Komeito, made the remarks to reporters in Seoul after meeting with Park earlier in the day. He arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for a three-day stay."Since 1965, when South Korea and Japan normalized their diplomatic ties, the two

Oct. 8, 2015

FM calls for parliamentary support for U.N. development goals

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called on the National Assembly Thursday to help the government achieve the United Nations' new development goals, saying it is time South Korea expands its contributions to the international community.Last month, the U.N. adopted a set of sustainable development goals to end poverty and protect the planet over the next 15 years.South Korea vowed to donate $200 million in aid to help improve health and education for girls in developing countries."Our government will

Oct. 8, 2015

[Newsmaker]] Korean to lead U.N. climate change panel

A South Korean environment policy professor was elected to lead a U.N. panel on climate change, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, touting the election as an opportunity to enhance the nation's influence in the global efforts to tackle environmental challenges. Lee Hoe-sung, professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Energy and Environment Policy and Technology, will succeed Rajendra Pachauri from India as the sixth chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Lee Ho

Oct. 7, 2015

[Newsmaker]] Korean to lead U.N. climate change panel

President Park to meet Japanese party chief in Seoul

The leader of the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition will visit South Korea this week to meet with President Park Geun-hye as Japan seeks to arrange bilateral summit talks at an early date, a Japanese newspaper said Wednesday.Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Komeito, is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later in the day for a three-day visit. He plans to pay a courtesy call on Park on Thursday, according to the Nikkei.Yamaguchi announced his visit in a press conference last week, saying he hopes t

Oct. 7, 2015

THAAD is China's only concern about Park-Obama summit: Chinese professor

The only concern China has about the upcoming summit between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama is the possibility of the two leaders discussing the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to the South, a Chinese expert said Tuesday.Beijing has voiced vehement opposition to the U.S. desire to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to South Korea, claiming it could be used against the country, despite repeated assurances from Washington that

Oct. 7, 2015

Park, Obama to show unity over N. Korea in next week's summit: Blinken

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama will send both a strong warning message and overtures to North Korea when they hold summit talks next week, a top U.S. official said Tuesday.They are scheduled to meet each other in Washington on Friday amid Pyongyang's threats to launch a long-range rocket and conduct another nuclear test."We are absolutely united in solidarity with regard to the challenge posed by North Korea," Deputy Secretary of State Antony Bl

Oct. 6, 2015

[Herald Interview] Japan civil group vows to defend pacifist constitution

　Public outcry persists in Japan against Tokyo’s recent legislation that expands the role of its military, and among them is a civic group led by a mom-turned-activist pushing to get a Nobel Peace Prize for those attempting to uphold the Japanese pacifist Constitution.　Despite the latest setback, the campaign will remain undeterred in their promotion of peace as the single most important value of human kind, the 37-year-old activist said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Naomi Dakasu speaks

Oct. 6, 2015

[Herald Interview] Japan civil group vows to defend pacifist constitution

Korea to offer $12 million in global vaccine aid

South Korea Tuesday said it will provide a global vaccine aid group with $12 million over the next three years.The Foreign Ministry said it has signed a related memorandum of understanding with the Gavi Alliance, formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, at its headquarters in Geneva.It is an international organization with the goal of saving children's lives and protecting people by increasing access to immunization in poor countries. Since its inception in 2000, the

Oct. 6, 2015

Korea struggles to protect its nationals in Philippines

South Korea will hold a government-civilian meeting this week to craft protective measures for its nationals in the crime-prone Philippines, an official said Tuesday, adding that a fundamental solution remains elusive.The event is to be held in Seoul on Thursday, attended by representatives from South Korea's law-enforcement authorities and Filipino police officers handling crimes against Koreans. It will also involve heads of ethnic Korean groups there.It represents a sense of urgency among gov

Oct. 6, 2015

Korea wants more CCTV cameras in Philippines to protect Koreans

The South Korean government is pushing for comprehensive measures to help protect its nationals in the Philippines who are vulnerable to local crimes, an official here said Monday.This includes the installment of more CCTV cameras in areas with many ethnic Koreans."We are conducting a survey on demand for CCTVs and other necessary steps through the (South Korean) embassy there," the official said on the customary condition of anonymity.South Korea will use its own budget for the initiative to bo

Oct. 5, 2015