The Korea Herald

Singapore PM receives honorary Seoul citizenship

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded honorary Seoul citizenship on Thursday, becoming the 13th foreign head of state to receive the honor, the municipal government said Thursday.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon awarded Lee with a certificate of honorary citizenship in a ceremony at his office and exchanged views on experiences in economic development and urban management, Seoul officials said."Lee's visit to Seoul will not only strengthen ties between South Korea and Singapore but als

Dec. 11, 2014

S. Korea to hold talks on public governance with ASEAN

South Korea's administration minister plans to hold discussions with his counterparts from Southeast Asian countries later this week on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Korea commemorative summit, officials said Thursday.Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs Chong Jong-sup will host roundtable talks to discuss issues such as innovation in public governance with public administration ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday in the country's southeaste

Dec. 11, 2014

Korea, ASEAN kick off summit

BUSAN ― The special summit between South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations kicks off its two-day run in Busan Thursday as Seoul seeks to bolster its partnership with the geostrategically vital bloc.Seoul hosted the summit to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of its dialogue relationship with ASEAN, an increasingly crucial group for cooperation in trade, business, culture, tourism, politics and security.Under the main theme of “Building Trust and Bringing

Dec. 10, 2014

[Herald Interview] Sharing Korean development know-how via online archive

Armed with expertise and a multiethnic culture, KDI School is ready to step up its contributions to sharing Korea’s know-how on economic development through an online database, policy advisory projects, and lectures and seminars, its chief said. The Seoul-based school in 2012 launched an online archive called K-Developedia, providing free access to resources accrued over the last six decades on the country’s economic ascent. As of Dec. 10, it boasts more than 28,700 theses, academic journals, re

Dec. 10, 2014

[Herald Interview] Sharing Korean development know-how via online archive

Experts review Helsinki Process for N.K. dilemma

The Helsinki Process that helped thaw the Cold War was in focus at a seminar on North Korea’s human rights and nuclear issues at the Korea Policy Foundation building in Seoul on Nov. 20. The seminar was attended by 10 leading South Korean experts on the North, including Lee In-bae, Korea Polytechnic College Gangseo Campus president. Lee gave a lecture on what should be done on the North Korean human rights and nuclear threat issues.“Closely monitoring the unfolding human rights situations and nu

Dec. 10, 2014

Experts review Helsinki Process for N.K. dilemma

Asia’s emerging growth engine

In his keynote address at the recently held ST Global Outlook Forum last month, Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuwan Yew School of Public Policy, confidently stated that Asia will experience “a new golden era of peace and prosperity over the next 10 years.” With an exploding middle class population and China fast on the heels of the United States in purchasing power parity, few can argue otherwise. The media has also been extensively covering Asia’s burgeoning growth and phrases like “pivot

Dec. 10, 2014

Korea pushes infrastructure projects in Malaysia

South Korea is pushing to participate in infrastructure projects in Malaysia, South Korea’s presidential office said Wednesday.South Korea expressed its wish to secure projects during a summit between President Park Geun-hye and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, according to Park’s office.Malaysia plans to select a successful bidder in the coming years for a $13 billion project to build a high-speed railway that stretches some 400 kilometers between Malaysia and Singapore.South Korean compan

Dec. 10, 2014

Korea pushes infrastructure projects in Malaysia

S. Korea eying infrastructure projects in Malaysia

South Korea is pushing to participate in infrastructure projects in Malaysia, South Korea's presidential office said Wednesday.South Korea expressed its wish to secure projects during a summit between President Park Geun-hye and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, according to Park's office.Malaysia plans to select a successful bidder in the coming years for a US$13 billion project to build a high-speed railway that stretches some 400 kilometers between Malaysia and Singapore.South Korean comp

Dec. 10, 2014

S. Korea, U.S. may fail to reach nuke accord this year: official

South Korea and the United States may miss the year-end target of renewing their nuclear accord as both sides remain divided over several issues, a ranking Seoul official said Wednesday.Seoul and Washington are in the final stage of revising the 1974 accord over Seoul's civilian nuclear energy use, also known as the "123 agreement."South Korea is hoping to win the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel to address the headache of growing nuclear waste. But the U.S. has been relu

Dec. 10, 2014

Park calls for thorough preparations for Korea-ASEAN summit

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for thorough preparations for an upcoming summit with her counterparts of 10 Southeast Asian countries to further strengthen ties.Park described the multilateral summit as "an important conference" to lay out a blue print for cooperation among South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Park's comments at a Cabinet meeting came two days before she plans to host a special summit for the Asian leaders in South Kor

Dec. 9, 2014

China not invited to death anniversary of Kim Jong-il

BEIJING (Yonhap) ― China is unlikely to send a delegation to next week’s third death anniversary of North Korea’s former leader, Kim Jong-il, because it has yet to receive a formal invitation from Pyongyang, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the North Korea-China relations said Monday. Kim Jong-il, whose iron-fist rule and pursuit of nuclear weapons stoked regional tensions for more than a decade, died of heart failure on Dec. 17, 2011 at the age of 69, passing power onto his youngest son an

Dec. 8, 2014

Park vows efforts for summit with China and Japan

President Park Geun-hye said Monday that South Korea will make efforts to hold a summit with China and Japan, the latest move that underscores her commitment to advancing ties with the two Asian neighbors.The remarks came three weeks after she suggested there are uncertainties over a potential summit with Chinese and Japanese leaders. "The South Korean government will make efforts to ensure a trilateral summit can take place based on the meeting of their foreign ministers in the near future," Pa

Dec. 8, 2014

S. Korea, China to launch joint crackdown on illegal fishing

South Korea and China will launch this week their first joint crackdown on illegal fishing in their shared waters, the South Korean government said Monday.The week-long joint inspection will begin Tuesday in a joint fishing zone in the Yellow Sea, involving a patrol boat from each country, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."Penalties alone have limits in curbing illegal fishing by Chinese ships, which requires a greater awareness from the Chinese side, as well as joint efforts by

Dec. 8, 2014

Unification minister due in U.S. for talks on N. Korea

South Korea's point man on North Korea left Monday for the United States in his rare overseas trip, as the Park Geun-hye administration is stepping up efforts to draw international support for its preparations for reunification.Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae's weeklong visit is also intended to seek understanding on Seoul's approach towards Pyongyang amid drawn-out military tensions on the peninsula.He plans to stay in Washington D.C. from Tuesday through Thursday, where he will meet with Ac

Dec. 8, 2014

U.S. House Foreign Affairs committee chairman says Dokdo is right name

The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said “Dokdo” is the right name to refer to South Korea’s easternmost islets, rejecting Japan’s long-running claims that the East Sea islets are its own.“It’s another one of those issues where we have to understand history and what abuses occurred because it is relevant to our understanding today,” Rep. Ed Royce (R-California) said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency earlier this week. “The proper name is Dokdo island.”Japan’s claims to

Dec. 7, 2014

U.S. House Foreign Affairs committee chairman says Dokdo is right name

Kazakhstan marks 23rd independence anniversary

Twenty-three years ago on Dec. 16, Kazakhstan became an independent nation after seven decades as an “autonomous republic” in the Soviet Union. The country now has the largest and strongest economy in Central Asia, and aims to become one of the world’s 30 most competitive economies by 2050. Diplomats, businessmen, journalists and students from Korea and Kazakhstan joined the evening gala to mark Kazakhstan’s National Day at Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul on Thursday.Kazakh Ambassador Dulat Bak

Dec. 7, 2014

Kazakhstan marks 23rd independence anniversary

Thai Embassy fetes king’s 87th birthday

Even if you don’t recognize the name of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, you might be familiar with his image, which can be seen everywhere in Thailand. For many Koreans, encountering the king’s portrait at the Thai national day reception rekindled memories of travel in the country. The Thai Embassy hosted a reception celebrating the king’s 87th birthday and Thai national day at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. Dignitaries, scholars, businesspeople, military officers and journalists joined the au

Dec. 7, 2014

Romania plugs in music diplomacy

The Romanian Embassy in Seoul let music speak the spirit of their national day celebration. The sound of music that filled the reception hall at JW Marriot Dongdaemun last Monday did more than words could do, striking a chord of freedom and unity with the guests.“Anniversaries are opportunities for honoring happiness and recalling memories. It is also an occasion to validate the essence of our ideals,” Romanian Ambassador to Korea Calin Fabian said in an opening speech. “Anniversaries are of a s

Dec. 7, 2014

[Weekender] Korea, ASEAN to mark 25 years of ties

Marking their 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Korea and ASEAN are poised to formulate a vision for their future partnership at a summit in Busan next week. President Park Geun-hye will host the leaders of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ― Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ― during the meeting scheduled for Dec. 11-12. President Park Geun-hyeThe 11 heads of state are expected to review

Dec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Korea, ASEAN to mark 25 years of ties

[Weekender] ASEAN key figures

Dec. 5, 2014