Seoul slams Japan for seeking to put wartime facilities on UNESCO heritage list

South Korea on Tuesday expressed its strong opposition against Japan's move to put its wartime facilities on the UNESCO world heritage list, saying that the move runs counter to the spirit of the list.Since 2012, Japan has been seeking to put more than 20 industrial facilities such as coal mines, a legacy of Tokyo's forced labor during World War II, on the UNESCO world heritage list. Japan claims that those facilities are a symbol of industrialization in an apparent bid to conceal its wartime ag

March 31, 2015

New S. Korean ambassador vows closer cooperation with China

The new South Korean ambassador to China, Kim Jang-soo, said Tuesday he will spare no efforts to forge close cooperation with China. Kim takes up the post at a time when tension between Seoul and Beijing is brewing over a possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.Kim, a 67-year-old former defense minister who headed the National Security Council at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae until May last year, made the comments upon his arrival at the Beijing a

March 31, 2015

[Reporter's Column] Korea-Japan relations hang by a hair

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is walking a tightrope as he continues to play down the country’s historical abuses ahead of his address at U.S. Congress and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, stymying Seoul’s efforts to defrost bilateral ties. He has been under growing international pressure to tone down his revisionist views and present a more repentant attitude to Japan’s wartime history. But skepticism persists over any sweeping turnaround in his approach in light of his elu

March 30, 2015

S. Korea not in dilemma over rivalry between U.S., China: FM

It could be a blessing rather than a dilemma for South Korea being in the middle of the U.S. and China's growing rivalry in the Asia Pacific region, the foreign ministry said Monday.The remarks by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se came amid growing jitters over the country's position as the two super powers step up efforts for a greater presence in the Asian region.Seoul has recently decided to join the formation of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, defying the U.S.'implicit reserv

March 30, 2015

S. Korea to host New Zealand in veteran defender's int'l swan song

Veteran South Korean football defender Cha Du-ri will bid adieu to international play on Tuesday, when his team hosts New Zealand in the nation's capital.The friendly match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the 134th-ranked New Zealand will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.Cha, 34, will be making his 76th and final international appearance for South Korea. He'd earlier announced his retirement at the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in January in Australia but head coach Uli St

March 30, 2015

Japan saw emperor's regret over wartime history as 'inevitable' in 1984: documents

Japan believed in 1984 that it was "inevitable" for its emperor to express regret over Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula when a South Korean president made a state visit to Tokyo, diplomatic documents showed Monday.When South Korea prepared for a state visit by then President Chun Doo-hwan to Japan, topping the agenda was whether then Japanese Emperor Hirohito would make comments or apologize over Japan's wartime wrongdoing, according to the documents released by Seoul's fore

March 30, 2015

S. Korea's finance minister urges more cooperation with Latin America

South Korea's top economic policymaker on Sunday called for more cooperation with Latin America in order to help both sides take full advantage of the mutually complementary economic structures.  In a news conference wrapping up the annual Inter-American Development Bank's board of governors meeting in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Choi Kyung-hwan said that connecting South Korea's prowess in information technology and manufacturing with Latin America's abundant mineral and energy re

March 29, 2015

N. Korea slams Park's Cheonan speech

North Korea blasted South Korean President Park Geun-hye Sunday over her recent speech made at a ceremony to mark Pyongyang's torpedoing of a South Korean corvette in 2010 that killed 46 sailors.  Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy Wednesday, Park said she "hopes North Korea abandons its reckless provocations and belief that nuclear weapons can protect the country." She, however, did not directly accuse the North of downing the South Korean ship Cheonan in the speech.  She was payi

March 29, 2015

President Park attends Lee Kuan Yew's funeral in Singapore

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday attended the funeral ceremony of Lee Kuan Yew, founder of Singapore.  It marked the first time for Park to attend a funeral of an overseas political leader since taking office in 2013.  Park arrived at the service held at the University Cultural Center around 12:50 p.m. and stayed there for more than four hours, according to her office, Cheong Wa Dae.   Dressed in a black pantsuit, Park was joined by former and current heads of state in mourning Lee

March 29, 2015

S. Korea welcomes U.N. move to adopt resolution on NK human rights

South Korea on Friday welcomed a U.N. decision to adopt a resolution that calls for improvement in the human rights situations in North Korea.Earlier, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted the resolution, criticizing the communist country for violating the human rights of its citizens. It was proposed by the European Union and Japan during a session in Geneva, with such issues as political prisoners and discrimination based on family background also touched upon. "We welcome the adoption of the

March 28, 2015

Seoul’s AIIB entry to enhance ties with China, Asian states

South Korea’s decision on Thursday to join a China-led infrastructure investment bank is expected to enhance its ties with China and underdeveloped countries in Asia, potentially including North Korea, which the bank is expected to support, analysts said Friday.They also noted the decision may not hurt Seoul’s long-standing alliance with Washington, given that there has been progress in the efforts to ease the U.S.’ concerns over transparency and the governance structure of the bank. The U.S. ha

March 27, 2015

S. Korea appoints ex-security adviser as new envoy to China

South Korea on Friday formally appointed Kim Jang-soo, a former national security adviser, as its new ambassador to China amid a growing need to cooperate in the fields of peace and security in the region.The 67-year-old Kim, also a former defense minister, will replace predecessor Kwon Young-se, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.It marks the first time that an official with a military background has served as Seoul's ambassador to China after Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic ties in

March 27, 2015

Beijing welcomes S. Korea's decision to join China-led bank

China on Friday welcomed South Korea's decision to join a Chinese-led development bank to fund infrastructure projects in Asia, widely viewed as a potential counterbalance to U.S.-led multilateral lenders such as the Asian Development Bank. South Korea announced its decision on Thursday, becoming the latest U.S. ally to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), despite U.S. concerns about the bank's governance structure and decision-making process. "The Chinese side welcomed South Ko

March 27, 2015

S. Korean, U.S. military chiefs hold talks on security issues

The top military officers of South Korea and the United States held talks on bilateral security issues on Friday amid swirling speculation they could discuss the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense system here.Adm. Choi Yun-hee, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and his U.S. counterpart Gen. Martin Dempsey began their 90-minute meeting in Seoul "to deal with a wide range of issues, including how to deal with North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and their prep

March 27, 2015

S. Korea to seek AIIB stake commensurate with its economic size

South Korea will seek a stake in the China-led investment bank that matches the country's economic size and capability and maximizes its national interest, the finance ministry said Friday.After eight months of deliberation, Seoul announced late Thursday it will join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member.The basic rule is for stakes to be distributed according to the GDP of member states and contributions to the eventual authorized capital set at $100 billion.The ministry

March 27, 2015