The Korea Herald

Hopes for Korea-Japan thaw grow

Hopes are rising slowly for a long-awaited thaw in relations between Korea and Japan as Seoul appears to be sending out reconciliatory signals while pressing Tokyo to come clean about its wartime atrocities. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se sat down with Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho for tea on the sidelines of a joint culture event on Sunday, marking their first one-on-one consultation. During the one-hour talk, the two diplomats concurred on the need for consistent efforts to shore up the relat

Sept. 15, 2014

World united against wartime sexual slavery

The following is the eighth in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.In the grueling campaign to make Japan own up to its wartime sexual slavery, South Korea has not been alone. The United States, the European Union and other countries, as well as international organizations such as the U.N., have been key drivers of the campaign.Recognizing Japan’s sexual enslavemen

Sept. 14, 2014

World united against wartime sexual slavery

Papua New Guinean marks Independence Day

Papua New Guinean Ambassador to South Korea Bill Veri lauded his country’s democratic government during a reception celebrating its 39th Independence Day in Seoul on Thursday. “Thirty-nine years on, after concluding eight successful national parliamentary elections, Papua New Guinea continues to enjoy a strong and vibrant democracy,” Veri said. “We remember the peaceful transition of administrative powers from our good neighbor and friend Australia on Sept. 16, 1975, with the simultaneous procla

Sept. 14, 2014

Papua New Guinean marks Independence Day

Malaysia lauds ‘Look East Policy’

Malaysian Ambassador to South Korea extolled the 50-plus years of bilateral ties with South Korea by underscoring her country’s renewed Look East Policy, during a reception celebrating the Southeast Asian nation’s 57th National Day at a hotel in Seoul in earlier this month. Dato Rohana Ramli, Malaysia’s ambassador here, said Malaysia’s first Look East Policy was so successful that the country reintroduced it 30 years later in 2012 in the policy’s “second wave.” “The difference from the first wav

Sept. 14, 2014

Korea eyes democratic Myanmar

There’s no doubt that Myanmar is a country in transition. Even its harshest critics admit that many game-changing political reforms have been implemented since the country’s first civilian government took office in April 2011. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party participated in elections in April 2012, restrictions on the media began to be removed, hundreds of political prisoners were freed and travel restrictions eased and, more recently, a slew of cease-fire agreements were

Sept. 14, 2014

Korea-Uzbekistan diplomacy to raise profile of ‘Koryosaram’

Bakhtier N. Ibragimov, charge d’affaires of the Uzbek Embassy here, underscored the role strong diplomatic ties will play in raising awareness about ethnic Koreans living in the Central Asian nation, during a reception celebrating the 23rd anniversary of his country’s Independence Day in Seoul on Wednesday.The Korean diaspora “has become an indispensable and active part of Uzbek society and it plays an important role in strengthening bilateral relations, serving as a linking element between the

Sept. 14, 2014

U.K. Embassy accepting scholarship applications

The British Embassy is now accepting applications from Korean students for the United Kingdom’s Chevening Scholarships until Nov. 15 for the 2015-2016 academic year.North Korean settlers in South Korea are also invited to submit applications for the scholarship, an official at the embassy said. Chevening Scholarships offer the opportunity to study for a one-year master’s degree at any U.K. university, including tuition fees and a monthly stipend. The Chevening Scholarships are awarded to outstan

Sept. 14, 2014

[Weekender] Incheon courts international organizations

With a diverse portfolio of international organizations, Songdo is seeking to become a leading business, tourism and logistics destination in Northeast Asia. Long known for its seaside amusement park, the reclaimed island is the linchpin of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, which, since its 2003 inception, has been grappling with budget woes, flagging foreign investment and a moribund property market. The launch of U.N. offices and other multinational bodies in recent years was deemed a much-neede

Sept. 12, 2014

[Weekender] Incheon courts international organizations

Korea, Japan meet amid history tension

Ranking officials of Korea and Japan held talks on Friday to discuss ways to boost trilateral cooperation with China and restore bilateral relations frayed by historical and territorial brawls. Deputy Ministers Lee Kyung-soo and Shinsuke Sugiyama agreed on the need to put the three-way partnership back on track and bring about a foreign ministers’ meeting and eventually a summit, Seoul officials said. The consultations came on the sidelines of a high-level meeting on Thursday that included Liu Z

Sept. 12, 2014

China speaks of possible three-way FM talks with S. Korea, Japan

China said Friday it has discussed the possibility of resuming a long-stalled three-way meeting of top diplomats from South Korea and Japan, as the three nations move to seek ways to mend ties worsened by territorial disputes and history-related issues. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, however, gave a cautious response to the likelihood of resuming a trilateral summit among leaders of the three nations, urging Japan to make "positive efforts" before any such three-way summit ca

Sept. 12, 2014

S. Korea, Germany to hold annual meeting on reunification

South Korea and Germany will hold a vice ministerial meeting next week intended to share the European nation's experience on reunification, an official said Friday.The annual session, the fourth of its kind, will take place in Berlin from Wednesday through Friday, according to Lim Byeong-cheol, spokesman for Seoul's unification ministry.The two countries launched a joint government-civilian consultative committee in 2010 with the aim of sharing Germany's experience and knowledge acquired in the

Sept. 12, 2014

Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo diplomats hold talks

Senior diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul on Thursday for the first time in about 10 months in a bid to discuss ways to promote three-way cooperation.The meeting brought together Seoul’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and their Japanese counterpart, Shinsuke Sugiyama, according to the foreign ministry.The high-level talks, the first since November, dealt with various cooperative projects to be pursued i

Sept. 11, 2014

Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo diplomats hold talks

Park to debut on U.N. with call for peace

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will debut on the United Nations later this month with a call for peace and eventual unification on the divided Korean peninsula, her office said Thursday.She also plans to seek international support for her initiative calling for peace in Northeast Asia by building trust among countries in her keynote speech in the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24, it said.Park also plans to attend the climate summit at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 23, her off

Sept. 11, 2014

Seoul backs U.S. plan to defeat Islamic State extremists

South Korea expressed support Thursday for U.S. President Barack Obama's plan for airstrikes in Syria and expanded strikes in Iraq to defeat the Islamic State militant group.Obama said Wednesday he won't hesitate to take action against the Islamic State in Syria, as he pledged to "degrade, and ultimately destroy" the extremists responsible for beheading two American journalists."South Korea voices its support to the efforts by the international community to defeat the Islamic State militant grou

Sept. 11, 2014

S. Korean Cabinet approves Canada FTA bill

South Korea's Cabinet on Thursday approved a bill on a free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada ahead of ratification by the parliament, the prime minister's office said. After nearly nine years of talks, including a five-year hiatus, Seoul and Ottawa concluded the FTA in March this year. The two sides expect the deal to help significantly boost bilateral trade by cutting tariffs on a wide range of products including automobiles and meat.During a weekly meeting held in Seoul earlier in the day, th

Sept. 11, 2014

Seoul, U.S. want N. Korea steps for denuclearization

South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday that North Korea won’t be able to pull itself out of diplomatic isolation as long as it holds onto its nuclear program, Seoul’s chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark to reporters after talks with his U.S. counterpart, Glyn Davies, referring to a recent series of diplomatic efforts by the North to engage with the outside world. “With regard to the No

Sept. 10, 2014

Unification committee hopes to invite Kissinger

South Korea’s new committee on national unification is hoping to recruit Henry Kissinger, former U.S. secretary of state, as its special international adviser, a government official said Tuesday.“The international advisory group under the unification committee is trying to recruit a high-profile figure who has interest in Korean affairs and has influence,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Former Secretary Kissinger is under consideration.”It wasn’t certain whether Kissinge

Sept. 10, 2014

Korea to help Myanmar establish state think-tank

Korea and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a state-run think tank in the Southeast Asian country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry plans to send a delegation to Myanmar in order to begin the project within the year. The think-tank, named Myanmar Development Institute, will be modelled after the Korea Development Institute and will research economic and social issues, the Foreign Ministry said. Under the plans agreed upon by the t

Sept. 10, 2014

National security chief to visit U.S. next week

North Korea will be high on the agenda when South Korea's national security adviser meets with U.S. officials in Washington next week, a government source said Wednesday.Kim Kwan-jin will head for Washington D.C. on Sunday and hold talks with his U.S. counterpart, Susan Rice, and other high-ranking officials and experts, the source said. He will return to South Korea on Sept. 17.It will be Kim's first overseas trip since he was appointed as the chief national security adviser in June.Earlier, th

Sept. 10, 2014

China, U.S. should avoid military incidents: Rice

BEIJING (AP) -- China and the U.S. need to avoid incidents that complicate relations between their militaries, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Tuesday following a recent close call between air force planes from the two sides.Rice made the comments on the second day of a two-day visit to pave the way for a trip to Beijing in November by President Barack Obama, which will include a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rice was to meet with Xi later Tuesday. "Military-to-milita

Sept. 9, 2014