Korean ‘caravan’ to cross Central Asia next week

A group of South Koreans will travel to Central Asia next week under the banner of promoting cross-regional ties amid tension with neighboring North Korea.On Monday, a delegation of some 100 government officials, businessmen, scholars and artists will leave for Almaty, Kazakhstan, on the first leg of a two-nation, three-city tour that will later take them to Tajikistan, according to the Foreign Ministry.Dubbed the South Korea-Central Asia Caravan, the annual event is now in its sixth year.Under

March 25, 2016

China sidesteps question on U.S. call for talks on missile shield in Korea

China on Wednesday sidestepped a question on whether it would respond to a possible move by the United States to set up bilateral talks on the deployment of an advanced missile defense system to South Korea.In the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket this year, South Korea agreed to engage in talks with the U.S. that can lead to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in the country. China has long voiced concerns ab

March 23, 2016

Russian envoy meets with Seoul official amid suspension of logistics project

Russia's envoy to South Korea met with a ranking Seoul government official on Wednesday to discuss situations on the divided peninsula following North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, officials said.The talks between Amb. Alexander Timonin and Vice Unification Minister Hwang Boo-gi came amid Seoul's decision to suspend a trilateral logistics project involving the two Koreas and Russia.The so-called Rajin-Khasan logistics project calls for the shipment of Russian coal into South Korea th

March 23, 2016

China's Xi to attend Nuclear Security Summit in Washington

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Washington later this month to attend the Nuclear Security Summit, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The summit, set for March 31 to April 1, is aimed at discussing ways to reduce the stockpile of highly enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, to keep it out of the hands of terrorists and to ensure atomic safety.South Korean President Park Geun-hye will also attend the summit.North Korea's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons is likely to become

March 23, 2016

Korea condemns deadly terrorist attack in Turkey

South Korea on Monday condemned a terrorist bombing in Turkey that left dozens dead or wounded, saying it will continue efforts to root out the violence.On Sunday, a suicide car bomb struck a square in central Ankara, killing 34 people and injuring 125 others, according to officials. It was the second attack on the Turkish capital in less than a month.In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, South Korea expressed "shock and concern" at the latest attack and offered its condolences to the v

March 14, 2016

Obama mourns passing of former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday mourned the passing of Nancy Reagan, the wife of late former President Ronald Reagan, saying she redefined the role of first lady.The former first lady died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 94, her spokeswoman Joanne Drake of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library said in a statement. She will be buried at the library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband who died in 2004, Drake said."Nancy Reagan once wro

March 7, 2016

Austrian conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt dies at 86

VIENNA, (AFP) -- Celebrated Austrian conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, considered to be the "pope" of the Baroque music revival, died Saturday aged 86, his family announced via the APA news agency."Nikolaus Harnoncourt took his last breath peacefully surrounded by family," said the short announcement run by the Austrian news agency.In December Harnoncourt had announced his retirement, citing health reasons, in a farewell letter to the audience of the Musikverein, home to the Vienna Philharmonic or

March 6, 2016

Pope calls nuns killed in Yemen modern-day martyrs

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis says the four nuns killed in an attack on a home for the elderly in Yemen are modern-day martyrs and victims of indifference.Francis told the faithful Sunday that the nuns ``gave their blood for the Church'' and that they were not only victims of the attackers but also of "this indifference of globalization."The nuns were among 16 people killed Friday by gunmen who stormed a retirement home run by a charity established by Mother Teresa. The pope also praised an

March 6, 2016

Foreign Minister skips 'comfort women' issue at U.N. session

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made no mention of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women while addressing the United Nations this week, triggering fresh controversy at home about the government's handling of the issue.In a keynote speech on Wednesday before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Yun deplored the human rights situation in North Korea, saying many North Koreans are risking their lives in search of "freedom and human dignity."The speech was also expected to touch on th

March 3, 2016

Park meets with Egypt president

President Park Geun-hye met with her visiting Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties, Cheong Wa Dae said The meeting will be an opportunity for the two countries to expand their bilateral ties to the next level and increase cooperation on regional and global issues, the South Korean presidential office said before the meeting.Egypt's president arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a three-day visit that also includes talks with Prime Minister Hwang Ky

March 3, 2016

Korea and Indonesia open joint online gov‘t service center

South Korea and Indonesia launched a joint online government service center in Jakarta on Wednesday in their latest joint effort to set up an e-government system that can raise administrative efficiency, the Ministry of the Interior said. Interior Minister Hong Yun-sik took part in the opening ceremony for the government service center set up in the headquarters of Indonesia's Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform. His Indonesian counterpart Yuddy Chrisnandi was also present

March 2, 2016

RZD says new U.N. sanctions might halt joint project with N. Korea

Russian Railways (RZD) said Thursday that it might be forced to suspend its Rajin-Khasan trade logistics project with North Korea, depending on the passage of new U.N. sanctions against the communist North for the latter's recent nuclear test and a long-range missile launch.   The state-run railway company said it first needed to see the actual contents of the proposed U.N. bill on fresh sanctions against Pyongyang.   The company added its future actions will be in line with the Russian governme

Feb. 25, 2016

Seoul trying to confirm Korean casualties in Turkey bombing: ministry

South Korea is trying to ascertain if there are any South Korean casualties in Wednesday's apparent terrorist attack in the Turkish capital of Ankara that left at least 28 people dead and more than 60 others injured, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.The ministry has been contacting Turkish police to gain related information and sent telephone messages to South Korean residents or tourists there, requesting caution."We are currently trying to find out if there is any damage to South Korean nati

Feb. 18, 2016

Hong Kong activists face riot charges after holiday protest

Several dozen people appeared in a Hong Kong court Thursday to face rioting charges following a violent clash earlier this week between protesters and police sparked by a clampdown on holiday street food vendors.Hong Kong police and local media reports said 37 people were attending court in Kowloon, each facing one count of taking part in a riot, a rarely used charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.Defendants were given bail and their cases adjourned until April, the report

Feb. 12, 2016

Korea to offer aid $12 mln to help Syria

South Korea will provide $12 million won worth of aid to help resolve the humanitarian crisis in Syria, Seoul officials said Friday.The decision was made at an international donors' conference in London that Lee Suk-joon, a lead officer for government policy coordination at the prime minister's office, is to attend. He left for the meeting on Wednesday.Seoul's pledge came as Syria has been affected by a civil war for the past five years, prompting a humanitarian crisis for millions of people dis

Feb. 5, 2016