S. Korea, China seek joint statement marking end of World War II

The parliaments of South Korea and China are pushing to issue a joint statement marking the end of World War II, a diplomatic source in Beijing said Friday.The move came as the two countries prepare to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.The consensus on a joint statement was reached in a meeting between South Korean parliamentary speaker Chung Eui-hwa and Zhang Dejiang,

May 29, 2015

S. Korea pledges $600 mln to support growth in Africa

South Korea has pledged $600 million to support growth among African countries, the government said Friday.A related memorandum of understanding, signed Tuesday with the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, calls for Seoul to provide soft loans to help various development projects.The loans from South Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) will be made available until 2018."There are a large number of projects waiting for funding in Afric

May 29, 2015

Another former sex slave dies

Another victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery died of old age on Wednesday, bringing down the number of total surviving victims to 52. Lee Hyo-sun, 91, died at a hospital in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. She was one of the 238 women who had registered with the government, claiming to have been forced by Japan to serve at frontline brothels during World War II. Her death underscores the urgency of the wartime human rights issue surrounding the victims, euphemistically called “comfort wo

May 28, 2015

Argentina, Korea mark 50 years of migration

The Embassy of Argentina celebrated the 205th anniversary of the May Revolution of 1810, which gave birth to the Argentine Republic after three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the first generation of Korean immigration to Argentina. With the support of the Korean government, the Korean community in Argentina will host a number of events to mark the historic milestone. Argentine Ambassador Jorge Roballo congratulated ethnic Koreans in Argentina for

May 25, 2015

Iran nuke deal to energize trade with Korea

Finalizing the recently agreed Iranian nuclear deal will pave the way for international cooperation, security and prosperity, Iran’s top envoy to Korea stressed last week. Iranian Ambassador Hassan Taherian underscored that the nuclear deal framework, which came out of negotiations between U.S., U.K., Russia, France, China, Germany, European Union and Iran from March 26 to April 2, was “definitely a successful achievement.” However, more political consensus is required to seal the final comprehe

May 25, 2015

S. Korea, Japan agree to strengthen economic, financial cooperation

South Korea and Japan have agreed to expand economic and financial cooperation at a finance ministers meeting in Tokyo, the government said Saturday.The talks between Choi Kyung-hwan and his Japanese counterpart, Taro Aso, mark the resumption of bilateral dialogue that had been suspended since November 2012 and allowed the two neighbors to exchange views on a host of outstanding issues, the finance ministry said.The trading partners had been holding annual meetings since 2006, but fraying relati

May 23, 2015

S. Korea urges Japan to address slave labor in UNESCO row

South Korea demanded Friday that Japan address Seoul‘s concerns over Tokyo’s attempt to win world heritage status for industrial facilities linked to wartime Korean slave labor.Choi Jong-moon, South Korean ambassador for cultural and UNESCO affairs, said he delivered the concerns during a meeting here with Jun Shimmi, the Japanese foreign ministry‘s director-general for cultural affairs, and other diplomatic and culture officials from both sides.Japan has applied to list a package of 23 coal min

May 22, 2015

Korea, U.S., Japan nuke envoys to meet

The chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan plan to gather next week in Seoul to discuss ways to jointly cope with the escalating tension amid North Korea’s growing military threats, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean peninsular peace and security affairs and chief delegate to the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the North, will host the meeting on May 26-27. It will be attended by Sung Kim, special representative

May 22, 2015

S. Korea, Japan hold talks over UNESCO row

South Korea and Japan began talks Friday to resolve a row over Tokyo's push to win world heritage status for industrial facilities linked to wartime Korean slave labor.Japan has applied to list a package of 23 coal mines, shipyards and other early industrial zones as UNESCO world heritage sites.South Korea is strongly against the bid as the facilities include seven sites where nearly 60,000 Koreans were forced to work during World War II. Japan colonized Korea from 1910-45.Choi Jong-moon, South

May 22, 2015

S. Korea, U.S., Japan to discuss N. Korea next week

South Korea will hold high-level trilateral talks next week with the United States and Japan on North Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.  In the two-day session starting Tuesday in Seoul, the regional powers will "share assessments of recent situations in North Korea and its threats," the ministry said.  "(The three nations) will also have in-depth consultations on various ways for substantive progress in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue in terms of deterrence, pressure and dial

May 22, 2015

Uzbekistan president to visit S. Korea next week

President Park Geun-hye will meet with Uzbek President Islam Karimov here next week to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in defense, infrastructure and other areas of mutual concern, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.   The two leaders are set to meet on Thursday, the first day of Karimov's three-day trip here, the presidential office said in a statement.  The planned visit is the first foreign trip after Karimov won reelection in March, a move Seoul says illustrates Uzbekistan's commitment to develop

May 22, 2015

Abe should face 'comfort women' issue: ex-envoy

A retired Japanese ambassador called on the Shinzo Abe administration to directly address the wartime sexual enslavement of Korean and other Asian women."If Japan tries to dwarf the 'comfort women' issue, it will rather draw criticism from the international community," Masatoshi Muto, once Tokyo's ambassador to Seoul, said in his new book. He returned to Japan in 2012 after serving three years in South Korea.He is known for his expertise in Seoul-Tokyo relations, having long worked in the field

May 21, 2015

Korea, Japan to hold top defense meeting after 4-year hiatus

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan plan to hold their first bilateral talks in more than four years next month as the countries seek to mend their relationship in the face of historical and territorial feuds, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. Defense Minister Han Min-koo will meet his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit in Singapore on May 29-31. They are expected to discuss ways to stave off North Korea’s growing threats in the wake of i

May 21, 2015

U.S. bill calls for more punishment of N. Korea

U.S. Congress saw a bill this week calling for relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and levying further sanctions as tension rises over its growing nuclear and missile threats and unabated human rights abuses. The resolution presented on Tuesday by Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, said Pyongyang poses a “serious threat” to the U.S. and its regional allies, citing the Kim Jong-un regime’s underwater

May 21, 2015

China urges restraint after N. Korea's miniature nuclear warheads claim

China Thursday called for restraint and efforts to ease tensions after North Korea claimed it has made nuclear warheads small enough to mount on missiles.   China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks a day after North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission made the claim, saying the country's "nuclear striking means have entered the stage of producing smaller nukes and diversifying them."   "We have taken note of such reports," Hong replied, when asked about the North's c

May 21, 2015

S. Korea voices woes over N. Korea's erratic behavior

South Korea voiced concerns Thursday over the instability of North Korea's decision-making process as Pyongyang has abruptly canceled an invitation for the U.N. chief to visit an inter-Korean industrial park in the North.  Without a reason being given, North Korea on Wednesday rescinded its permission for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's trip to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was originally supposed to be made on Thursday.  "South Korea has concerns about the North's unpredictability

May 21, 2015