New head of UN human rights office in Seoul begins official activities

The new head of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul has vowed to work toward improving North Korea's dire human rights conditions, as he began his official activities after arriving in South Korea earlier this month. James Heenan, representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul, met on Monday with activists from around 30 civic groups working on North Korea's human rights, according to the office's Twitter account. He took over as the office's chief on Oct. 2. "(He

Oct. 18, 2022

Accusations that US provoked N. Korean missile tests 'baloney': State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- A spokesperson for the US state department on Monday dismissed a claim made by North Korea and its friendly nations that the North's recent missile tests had been provoked by the United States, calling it "baloney." Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, also reiterated that the North's recent missile tests and other provocative actions are "condemnable." "As it relates to the DPRK, I think you saw last week when there was

Oct. 18, 2022

Foreign minister heads to Vietnam to celebrate 30th anniversary of bilateral ties

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is to meet Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday, during a trip aimed at discussing ways to strengthen their bilateral relations, now extending to 30 years. Park was set to take off for Vietnam on Monday. According to the Foreign Ministry, Park will pay a courtesy call to the Vietnamese president and hold a bilateral foreign ministers’ meeting Tuesday with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son, who invited him. It is the first time for a

Oct. 17, 2022

Saudi crown prince unlikely to visit S. Korea this year

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has shelved plans to visit South Korea this year, a presidential official said Monday. The two countries had been in talks to arrange the visit for next month, but the plan fell through for reasons that were not immediately clear. "It appears the crown prince's visit to South Korea this year will be difficult," the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "We still remain in close consultation over the timing of the visit

Oct. 17, 2022

[Hwang's China and the World] 3 Issues facing Pakistan: Human Security, National Security, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

A third of Pakistan was completely waterlogged due to a record flood in August. More than 33 million Pakistanis are estimated to have suffered from this unprecedented flooding. Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman stressed that the entire country is “all one big ocean, there is no dry land to pump the water out” and called it a “crisis of unimaginable proportions.” This year, we have more severe damage in Pakistan caused after the global warming, and man

Oct. 15, 2022

N. Koreans added to blacklist for first time in 5 years over missile threats

South Korea added 15 North Koreans and 16 companies to its blacklist on Friday, introducing its first unilateral sanctions in five years in response to the unprecedented number of missile provocations by the reclusive regime this year. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry revealed the sanctions list of those that are all involved in sourcing funds and materials for Pyongyang’s development of weapons of mass destruction. "We strongly condemn North Korea for its recent staging of the series

Oct. 14, 2022

NSC lambasts North Korea’s overnight provocations

South Korea’s National Security Council on Friday strongly condemned North Korea for carrying out a series of military provocations overnight, including an artillery drill in violation of an inter-Korean military agreement. Early on Friday, Pyongyang fired some 170 artillery shots into maritime “buffer zones” in the east and west coast. It also launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea. Prior to the launch of the ballistic missile and artillery shots, the

Oct. 14, 2022

PM arrives in Argentina for official visit

BUENOS AIRES -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Argentina on Thursday for an official visit, as Seoul seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the resource-rich Latin American nation. Han's visit came as the two nations mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. On Friday, Han will hold talks with Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, and they plan to discuss measures to improve cooperation in various fields, including economic security, accordin

Oct. 14, 2022

Overseas Koreans Foundation kicks off annual gathering of Korean adoptees

The 2022 Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees kicked off Wednesday, and will continue until Monday. Organized by the Overseas Koreans Foundation, an organization affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees is an annual homecoming program. The event is designed to invite Koreans who were adopted overseas to their home country and help them better understand the country and mingle with other Korean adoptees. The latest edition of Gathering for Oversea

Oct. 13, 2022

[News Focus] Xi's 3rd term to raise geopolitical pressure for Seoul, experts say

Chinese President Xi Jinping appears set on course to take an unprecedented third term in office at the upcoming Communist Party Congress, and his reappointment would likely ramp up geopolitical pressure for Seoul, experts here said Thursday. The experts also forecast that Xi's hawkish stance toward the US will only intensify the already heightened tensions between the two countries. This in turn will place South Korea in a more difficult position as the two superpowers would likely raise

Oct. 13, 2022

PM arrives in Uruguay for official visit

MONTEVIDEO -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Uruguay on Wednesday for an official visit as South Korea seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the Latin American nation. During his two-day stay in Montevideo, Han will hold talks with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and discuss measures to bolster economic and trade ties between the two nations. It was the first time in 11 years that South Korea's prime minister has visited Uruguay. Uruguay is serving as a rotating chair of Me

Oct. 13, 2022

US will hold N. Korea accountable for provocation, including nuclear test: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to hold North Korea responsible for its provocations, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, insisting the US has the means to do so. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price also insisted that additional provocations by the reclusive North will only further isolate the country. "We have been clear that as long as the DPRK continues with its provocations, continues with its launches of ballistic missiles, including longer range ballis

Oct. 13, 2022

US reaffirms commitment to engage with N. Korea in new security strategy

WASHINGTON -- The United States reaffirmed its commitment to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy in its latest national security strategy released Wednesday that focused largely on how it will handle its growing competition with China. It said the country will continue to enhance and expand its alliances to achieve both ends. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues to expand its illicit nuclear weapons and missile programs," said the

Oct. 13, 2022

South Korea loses election for membership at UNHRC for first time

South Korea was not reelected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, conceding to Bangladesh and the Maldives, among others. It is the first time the country has been turned down membership since the council was established in 2006. At the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Korea received 123 votes, landing fifth among seven Asian countries running to be part of the UN organization for the 2023-25 term. Bangladesh secured the most votes with 160 in the A

Oct. 12, 2022

S. Korea, Chile agree to resume FTA upgrade talks this year

SANTIAGO -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held talks with Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Tuesday and agreed to resume negotiations this year to upgrade a bilateral free trade agreement that went into effect in 2004. They also agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership as the two nations mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year. Chile was South Korea's first free trade deal partner, and the deal has served as a springboard for S

Oct. 12, 2022

UN kicks off investigation into North Korea's acquisition of Niuean ship passing Busan port

The United Nations kicked off an investigation into a Niuean vessel that appears to have been sold to North Korea after it passed by the South's Busan Port, according to local reports on Tuesday. Citing the biannual report released by the UN Panel of Experts on UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, Radio Free Asia reported that the UN is currently looking into a laden cargo ship, An Hai 6, that was spotted outside Nampo lock gate in North Korea around mid-June of this year.

Oct. 11, 2022

Yoon criticizes NK provocations, stresses military cooperation with Japan

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday criticized North Korea for making nuclear threats against the world, saying there is nothing to be gained through nuclear weapons. Yoon also vowed to establish solid security cooperation with the US and Japan amid growing criticism from the opposition party. North Korea has launched ballistic missiles 23 times and cruise missiles twice this year, with 11 missile launches since Yoon took office in May. “As North Korea continues to develop and upgrade i

Oct. 11, 2022

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level consultations on wartime forced labor

South Korea and Japan plan to hold working-level diplomatic consultations Tuesday over their protracted row over wartime forced labor and other bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said. Lee Sang-ryeol, the ministry's director general for Asia and Pacific affairs, is scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, at the Seoul foreign ministry in Seoul. Discussions are expected to focus on the issue of resolving compensation for forced labor of Koreans during World Wa

Oct. 11, 2022

Nat'l Assembly speaker honors Ethiopian war veterans' sacrifice

ADDIS ABABA -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo has met with Ethiopian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and honored their sacrifice. Kim visited the Ethiopian Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Addis Ababa on Monday, met with eight veterans and expressed his gratitude. "Ethiopians showed they were brave soldiers. ... I pay deep respect to their comradeship that brought all 122 of the fallen soldiers back home," Kim said, adding he will work hard to improve ties between the two

Oct. 11, 2022

Kim Jong-un vows to bolster nuclear combat capabilities with 'all means possible,' rejects dialogue

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to bolster nuclear weapons capabilities “with all possible means” as he led a weekslong military training of tactical nuclear weapon units, the country’s state media said Monday. Leading a “field inspection” of the military drill conducted from Sept. 25 to Sunday, Kim also said there is no need to speak with “enemies,” while blaming the United States and South Korea for raising military tension on the Korean Peninsu

Oct. 10, 2022