Japan mulls annotating Korean slave labor in UNESCO records: sources

Japan is considering attaching an annotation to UNESCO documents to acknowledge that Korean slave labor took place at some of its candidate sites for the World Heritage list, according to diplomatic sources Wednesday.South Korea has taken issue with Tokyo's bid to list a package of Meiji Era industrial facilities as UNESCO World Heritage sites as they include seven facilities where nearly 60,000 Koreans were forced to work during the 1940s when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule.Talks have b

June 24, 2015

Top U.N. official embraces 'comfort women'

A top United Nations official on human rights met Wednesday with three South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during World War II.U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein visited a shelter for the victims, euphemistically dubbed "comfort women," in western Seoul.He pledged unrelenting support for them."I will endeavor to continue to advocate on their behalf," he said.  "I will of course stay in touch with them and visit them again as often as I can.

June 24, 2015

U.S., China open annual strategic talks amid tensions over

The United States and China on Tuesday opened annual high-level talks that are expected to highlight differences between the two powers regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea and cyber-hacking.North Korea was also expected to be on the agenda for the seventh U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) set to run through Wednesday. The talks are the highest-level regular dialogue channel between the two countries.Representing the U.S. at the talks are Secretary of State John

June 24, 2015

Korea remains cautious over Japan summit

Cheong Wa Dae remained cautious over rising speculation that the leaders of South Korea and Japan would meet for a summit in the foreseeable future following their emphasis on cooperation a day earlier while marking the 50th anniversary of normalization of ties.“The relations between Korea and Japan have taken a step forward on the occasion of yesterday’s events … but this does not mean that the every pending issue is resolved. … Improving the relationship cannot happen overnight,” a Cheong Wa D

June 23, 2015

Korean wartime sex slaves to take Japan to U.S. court

A dozen Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery said Tuesday they will bring Japan to a U.S. court for financial compensation for the atrocities done to them. The 12, including Yoo Hee-nam and Kang Il-chul, will lodge a civil suit at a California district court on July 1, Ahn Shin-kwon, director of the House of Sharing, told reporters at a news conference, quoting the victims.They will seek $2 million each for the wartime atrocities committed by Japan and its companies "and their continued

June 23, 2015

Japanese experts see need for more efforts to solve sex slave issue

Japanese experts Tuesday hailed joint celebrations by leaders from South Korea and Japan for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties but stressed the need for further efforts to resolve the thorny issue of Tokyo's wartime sex slavery.President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday attended each other's embassy events in their capitals to celebrate half a century of relations, raising hopes that the long-strained relations between the two may improve in the landmark year.

June 23, 2015

Any solution to sex slave issue should satisfy victims: FM Yun

The dispute between South Korea and Japan over Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women for Japan's World War II soldiers should be resolved in a way that satisfies the victims, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said.Yun was in Tokyo for two days until Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. During the visit, he held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and attended an anniversary reception hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo.His visit was the f

June 23, 2015

U.S. veterans at Army retirement home express pride in serving in Korean War

Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Richard Robinson served two stints in South Korea, including one during the Korean War -- a career that has earned him a string of medals as well as a deep sense of pride."I was proud to be there and I did my duty," Robinson said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday, speaking of his service in 1952-1953 as a corporal delivering intelligence reports from the 8th Army headquarters in Seoul to the frontlines as the three-year conflict drew to its end.Rob

June 23, 2015

U.S. welcomes joint anniversary celebrations involving Park, Abe

The United States on Monday welcomed the rare celebrations that South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended to mark half a century of relations, saying it looks forward to the relations getting "broader and deeper."Earlier in the day, Park and Abe visited each other's embassy in Seoul and Tokyo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring nations.During the visits, the two leaders called for im

June 23, 2015

Park stresses future over history in ties with Japan

President Park Geun-hye said Monday that South Korea and Japan should unload their "heavy burden of history" toward a future-oriented partnership for reconciliation and co-prosperity.Seoul and Tokyo are in a stand-off over a divergent interpretation of their shared history, especially the so-called "comfort women" issue.South Korea has urged Japan to admit its legal responsibility for forcing Korean women into sexual servitude at Japanese military brothels during World War II.Japan has claimed t

June 23, 2015

Park eyes 'starting year' for new ties with Japan

President Park Geun-hye held out her "sincere expectations" Monday that South Korea and Japan will turn 2015 into the starting point for forward-looking bilateral ties.In her message to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe conveyed by visiting Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Park emphasized the need for the two sides to resolve pending issues in a smooth manner."Minister Yun Byung-se delivered President Park's verbal message that she sincerely hopes the two countries will resolve pending issues and

June 22, 2015

Abe vows effort for improved ties with S. Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he wants to make concerted efforts with President Park Geun-hye for improved relations between the two countries."I would like to improve and develop ties toward the next half-a-century, together with President Park, for the people of both nations and the next generation," he said in a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se at his official residence.Abe's remark came as the Northeast Asian neighbors marked the 50th anniversary of normal

June 22, 2015

U.S. reacts cautiously to signs of thaw in Korea-Japan ties

The United States reacted cautiously Sunday to signs of a thaw emerging in the long-chilled relations between South Korea and Japan as their leaders agreed to visit each other's embassy to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.South Korean President Park Geun-hye plans to attend an anniversary ceremony to be held at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Monday while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also plans to visit the Korean Embassy in Tokyo for a similar c

June 22, 2015

Park to join Japan's anniversary reception

President Park Geun-hye will attend the Japanese Embassy's reception this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties with Japan, Cheong Wa Dae announced Sunday."President Park plans to participate in the event to be held on Monday afternoon," at a Seoul hotel, the presidential office said.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also attend a similar ceremony to be hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Monday, added Cheong Wa Dae."We look forward to develop

June 21, 2015