Xi expresses hope for closer relations with Korea

China’s new leader Xi Jinping sent a message to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak saying he hopes to work together with Seoul to further deepen relations between the two countries and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, the presidential office said Wednesday.The message came after Lee offered congratulations on Xi’s election earlier this month.“China and South Korea are friendly neighboring countries and have seen a marked development in bilateral relations over the past 20 years since est

Nov. 28, 2012

China’s new leader expresses hope for closer relations with S. Korea

China's new leader Xi Jinping sent a message to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak saying he hopes to work together with Seoul to further deepen relations between the two countries and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, the presidential office said Wednesday.The message came after Lee offered congratulations on Xi's election earlier this month."China and South Korea are friendly neighboring countries and have seen a marked development in bilateral relations over the past 20 years since est

Nov. 28, 2012

Seoul, Beijing agree to closely cooperate on North Korea

South Korea and China have agreed to work closely to achieve their common goal of North Korea’s denuclearization, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.During the annual vice ministerial talks held in Beijing a day earlier, the two sides reaffirmed that “the denuclearization of North Korea and peace and stability of the Korean peninsula are the two countries’ strategic goals,” and agreed upon the need for “a frank dialogue and close cooperation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The St

Nov. 27, 2012

Korea, China hold strategic dialogue

South Korea and China on Monday discussed ways to strengthen their bilateral ties and cooperation on North Korea issues during their annual strategic talks in Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said. The fifth Strategic Dialogue marked the first high-level meeting since Xi Jinping took the helm of the Chinese Communist Party last week, becoming the country’s de facto leader. The two-day event also comes amid concerns that Pyongyang may be readying to fire a long-range ballistic missile. Washington ha

Nov. 26, 2012

Korea ready to file official continental shelf claim

South Korea is set to submit a formal claim to an extended portion of its continental shelf to the United Nations, a government official said Sunday, amid spiraling territorial tension across the region. The Foreign Ministry has been preparing official documents to present to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a scientific and technical review and recommendation. “Having decided to turn them in within this year, we’ve already reported the plan to Cheong Wa Dae and wil

Nov. 25, 2012

British Embassy invites Chevening Scholarship applications

The British Embassy is accepting applications from Korean students for the United Kingdom’s Chevening Scholarship through Jan. 2, for the 2013-2014 academic year.North Korean settlers in South Korea are also invited to submit applications for the scholarship, the embassy said in a press release in October.Chevening Scholarships cover the cost of one year of post-graduate study in Britain, including tuition fees, a monthly stipend and round-trip airfare.The Chevening program was created to suppor

Nov. 25, 2012

The hidden potential of Europe’s waning diplomatic power

Could Korea learn from diplomatic experience in today’s Europe? After all, whilst the economic risers of this world, in Asia and elsewhere, are beaming with confidence and brainstorming about what they can contribute to the new international order, many foreign ministries in the European Union are now depressing places. Once-high-minded diplomats convinced of seemingly eternal Western superiority are licking their wounds, wondering what is left of Europe’s soft power. European diplomatic service

Nov. 25, 2012

Seoul blasts Tokyo over reported move to name Dokdo peaks

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) – Seoul blasted Tokyo Thursday over its reported move to name peaks on South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, saying it would amount to a "serious violation" of its territorial sovereignty.Tokyo has long laid claim to the islets, which lie closer to South Korea in the body of water dividing the Korean Peninsula and Japan, often leading to diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries.According to Japan's Kyodo News Service, the Japanese government decided earl

Nov. 22, 2012

S. Korean FM warns Japan against ‘shifting to the right’

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on Thursday warned Japan against "shifting to the right," saying Seoul will maintain its vigilance on any attempts by Tokyo to act more confrontationally in territorial and other issues. "Japan has taken an extremely conservative and offensive approach over territorial and other matters and there are concerns that Japan is shifting to the right," Kim told a forum hosted by the Korea Employers Federation. "Overall, the political situation in Japan is sh

Nov. 22, 2012

U.S. ambassador 'optimistic' about future alliance with S.Korea

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea voiced optimism Tuesday about the future alliance between the two countries, saying that Seoul-Washington ties will be further bolstered whoever wins the December presidential election here.U.S. President Barack Obama won re-election and South Koreans go to the polls on Dec. 19 to pick their next leader. Some South Koreans are concerned that the current lockstep cooperation between the two countries is unlikely to be sustainable, particularly for the North Kore

Nov. 20, 2012