Park urges Abe to apologize as reports vary on speech

President Park Geun-hye on Monday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to reaffirm previous Japanese administrations’ recognition of history in his upcoming speech to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry also raised pressure on Abe to unequivocally uphold former Tokyo governments’ apologies for Japan’s wartime wrongdoings including the 1993 Kono Statement and 1995 Murayama Statement, to help address history issues with Korea and other neighboring stat

Aug. 10, 2015

Parties critical of Abe's reported refusal to apologize

South Korea's major political parties criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Sunday for reportedly not planning to apologize for his country's wartime atrocities in an upcoming statement.The Asahi Shimbun reported that Abe, who is scheduled to release a statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Friday, didn't use the word "apology" in his draft and also didn't make any mention of Japan's colonization of Korea.In response, the ruling Saenuri Party said Abe will "betra

Aug. 9, 2015

S. Korea denies Japanese report on Park's trip to China

South Korea denied Sunday a Japanese media report that the United States has asked President Park Geun-hye not to attend China's celebration next month of its victory over Japan in World War II."The report is not true," a Foreign Ministry official said. "A situation like that would never happen."Citing anonymous U.S. government and diplomatic sources, Kyodo News reported that the U.S. government "has urged" Park not to attend the Sept. 3 ceremony in Beijing.In its English-language report, Kyodo

Aug. 9, 2015

S. Korea voices regret over upcoming Japanese PM's statement

South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday voiced regret over a report on the Japanese prime minister's upcoming statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying that the contents are "not at all" helpful for improving Seoul-Tokyo relations. Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was delivered a report by a group of experts from Japan on their opinion on what should be included in the premier's statement to be released next week. The report cited acknowl

Aug. 6, 2015

Japan reaffirms 'no troop dispatch' to Korean Peninsula without consent

Japan reaffirmed Wednesday it would not send its troops to the Korean Peninsula without a request or prior consent from South Korea even though the country is expanding the role of its self-defense forces, the Defense Ministry in Seoul said.   Earlier, Japan stressed that Tokyo would never send troops to the Peninsula even for a contingency without permission from the Seoul government.   "Japan's defense minister is explaining to its assembly on its position that (Japanese self-defense forces) w

Aug. 5, 2015

World Vision to support India and Myanmar for flood relief

An international humanitarian organization said Wednesday it would provide US$10 million to support India and Myanmar where recent flooding has left extensive damages.   U.S.-based World Vision said a cyclone during the current monsoon season killed 160 people in northeast India, with millions of flood victims affected from over 10,000 villages in the region.    In Myanmar, 36 were killed with 215,000 refugees left displaced.   The organization distributed supplies including waterproof clothing,

Aug. 5, 2015

S. Korea urges ASEAN nations to take firm stance against N.Korea's nuke program

South Korea urged Southeast Asian nations Wednesday to take a firm stance against North Korea's nuclear weapons program, citing the communist nation's violation of international agreements.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made the appeal during a meeting with his counterparts from the 10 countries making up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as they met on the sidelines of ASEAN-led conferences under way here this week.   "North Korea is violating U.N. Security Council resolutions throug

Aug. 5, 2015

S. Korea seeks Russia's role in ending N. Korea's nuclear program

South Korea asked Russia on Wednesday to step up efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program, citing Moscow's "constructive" role in a recent nuclear deal with Iran, according to a South Korean Foreign Ministry official.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made the request to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during bilateral talks on the sidelines of a series of conferences led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations under way in the Malaysian capitol this week.   "Our minister

Aug. 5, 2015

Seoul historians urge quick resolution of 'comfort women' issue

South Korean historians Wednesday called on Japan to swiftly resolve the issue of its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, as South Korea prepares to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its independence from Japanese colonial rule.More than 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were sexually enslaved by Japanese soldiers during World War II, according to historians.Several Japanese politicians, most notably former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono and former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in

Aug. 5, 2015

Seoul, Tokyo set for 1st working-level defense talks in over 2 yrs

South Korea and Japan were to hold a working-level defense policy meeting Wednesday to discuss regional security and cooperation on the defense segment. The 21st round of the working-level defense policy conference will be held at the Defense Ministry in Seoul later in the day, with the South Korean side headed by Yoon Soon-ku, the ministry's director general on international policy, and the Japanese side headed by his counterpart, Atsuo Suzuki, according to the ministry. The meeting marks the r

Aug. 5, 2015

FM Yun arrives in Malaysia for security talks

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrived in Malaysia Tuesday for a series of regional talks where the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear weapons program are expected to be high on the agenda.Yun will join the ASEAN-led meetings for two days starting Wednesday while also holding bilateral talks with his counterparts from major participating nations on the sidelines.For South Korea, the ASEAN Regional Forum on Thursday will be a key platform on which it can drum up i

Aug. 5, 2015

U.S. says intelligence activities are for national security needs amid spying allegations against Japan

The United States said Monday its intelligence activities are aimed at meeting its national security needs as well as those of its allies and partners after allegations surfaced that it spied on Japanese officials and firms.The whistleblower Wikileaks on Friday disclosed what it claimed was a National Security Agency list of 35 Japanese targets of wiretapping, including the Japanese Cabinet office, Bank of Japan officials, the Finance and Trade Ministry as well as such companies as Mitsubishi an

Aug. 4, 2015

Japanese opposition leader vows efforts for better Seoul-Tokyo ties

A Japanese opposition leader vowed Monday to make efforts to develop the Seoul-Tokyo relationship into a future-oriented one in a landmark year, despite many challenges such as tension over their shared history.Katsuya Okada, leader of Japan's opposition Democratic Party, made the remarks in his meeting in Seoul with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Okada arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day trip, his first visit to Seoul in this capacity.Seoul and Tokyo are preparing to celebrate Aug. 15, w

Aug. 3, 2015

U.S. House introduces resolution endorsing civil nuclear deal with S. Korea

The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has introduced a resolution calling for approval of the civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement with South Korea in a move seen as assuring its passage through Congress.Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) initiated the joint resolution (H. J. RES. 63) together with Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) on Friday, three days after Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) introduced a similar resolution in the Senate backing the civil nuclear cooperation deal with Seoul."Resolved

Aug. 3, 2015

House resolution commemorates 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation

A U.S. lawmaker has proposed a House of Representatives resolution commemorating the upcoming 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's colonial rule and hoping for the strong alliance between the two countries to continue.Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) put forth the resolution (H. RES. 407) on Friday, saying the U.S. and South Korea are "historic allies." "The thousands of patriots, including innocent civilians, who died, were imprisoned or otherwise dedicated their lives to achieving liber

Aug. 3, 2015