German foreign minister 'happy and relieved' Savchenko freed

BERLIN (AFP) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday hailed the release of Ukrainian helicopter pilot Nadiya Savchenko after nearly two years in a Russian prison."I am happy and relieved that Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko has finally been released and can return to her family in Ukraine," said Steinmeier, also the current chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe."This is good news for which we worked a long time and for which we also had to wait

May 25, 2016

Korean-Americans have most unfavorable views of Trump: survey

Korean-Americans have the most unfavorable view of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump among Asian-American voters in the U.S., a survey showed Tuesday.About 80 percent of Korean-Americans had negative views of Trump, followed by Japanese-Americans with 76 percent and Filipino-Americans with 62 percent, according to the survey of 1,212 Asian-American voters released by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.In total, 61 percent of the respondents had unfavorable views of Trump while only 1

May 25, 2016

Trump could invoke 'Super 301' trade sanctions: KOTRA report

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is expected to seek protectionist trade policies that could include invoking the powerful "Super 301" trade sanctions against foreign countries, a report said Tuesday.The Super 301 tool, which authorizes the president to take retaliatory measures against countries engaged in unfair trading practices, is among a series of options Trump could take without consent from Congress, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said in a report.Under his "Am

May 25, 2016

Trump deals with allies as if bargaining with enemies: U.S. scholar

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is dealing with friends and allies with a tactic best suited to bargaining with enemies, a renowned U.S. foreign policy scholar said.Harvard University professor Joseph Nye, considered a key Asia policy adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, made the point in a recent article contributed to the Project Syndicate, expressing concern that Trump is taking a "disastrous approach" to allies."Weakening America's alliances, the likel

May 25, 2016

S. Korea's nuclear armament could undermine U.S. influence in Asia: CRS report

Encouraging South Korea to develop nuclear weapons could undermine American influence in Asia, unravel the U.S. alliance system and spark a nuclear arms race in the region, a congressional report said in apparent criticism of Donald Trump's suggestion to do so."Presidential candidate Donald Trump in spring 2016 stated that he was open to South Korea's developing its own nuclear arsenal to counter the North Korean nuclear threat," the Congressional Research Service said in the recent report on So

May 23, 2016

Clinton says Trump's foreign policy poses 'immediate dangers'

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday that her Republican rival Donald Trump's foreign policy views, including "heaping praise on a dangerous dictator in North Korea," pose "immediate dangers.""Look what he's done this past week, you know, attacking our closest ally, England. Heaping praise on a dangerous dictator in North Korea. Reiterating his call to pull out of NATO, our strong military alliance. Talking about letting other countries have nuclear weapons," Clinto

May 23, 2016

Korean-American GOP members vow to play bridging role between Korea, Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is expected to refine his foreign policy now that he's clinched the nomination, a senior Korean-American Republican Party official said.Michelle Park Steel, vice chair of California's Orange County Board of Supervisors, made the remark, vowing to play a bridging role between her native South Korea and Trump amid concerns about the negative effects a Trump presidency could have on the alliance between the two countries.Steel, the first Korean-America

May 22, 2016

Trump says he will continue to defend S. Korea, but wants Seoul to pay up

 U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he will continue to defend South Korea, but wants the Asian ally to pay more for American defense support.   Speaking on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Trump also said that he's willing to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but won't go to the communist nation.   "As far as Japan and South Korea are concerned, all I'm saying is we defend them. They are paying us a tiny fraction of what it's costing. I want them to pay," Trump

May 21, 2016

Asian former sex slaves adopt resolution denouncing Seoul-Tokyo deal

Asian victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery denounced the agreement reached by Seoul and Tokyo last year by claiming their views were not properly considered.Wrapping up the 14th Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, the surviving victims adopted a resolution saying the deal "cannot be a resolution of the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery." Under last year's landmark deal, Tokyo expressed its apology and contrition for its colonial-era atrocit

May 20, 2016

Obama to take 'brief tour' of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park: White House

U.S. President Barack Obama's planned visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima will include laying a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and a "brief tour" of the memorial grounds, a senior White House official said Thursday."We anticipate that he will be able to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial to lay a wreath and engage in a brief tour of the memorial grounds after which he will be able to deliver a statement reflecting upon what his impressions are," Deputy National Security Advisor

May 20, 2016

Clinton says Trump's statement on N.K. shows he's not qualified to be president

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday accused her Republican rival Donald Trump of "praising" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying it is one of a series of statements that show the real-estate tycoon is not qualified to be president.Clinton made the remark in an interview with CNN, calling the North's leader "a despotic dictator.""Whether it's attacking Great Britain, praising the leader of North Korea, a despotic dictator who has nuclear weapons, whether it is sa

May 20, 2016

House lawmaker calls Trump's willingness to meet with N.K. leader 'ludicrous'

A U.S. House Republican lawmaker blasted Donald Trump's willingness to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying such a meeting will only bolster the stature of a dictator seeking to "nuke the United States.""You don't meet with a dictator like Kim Jong-un. All you do is, you feed into him at that point, you strengthen him. You put him in a better position," Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said on CNN, calling the real-estate tycoon a "populist.""The reality is, Donald, you may have goo

May 20, 2016

China urges Japan not to repeat militarism with Obama's Hiroshima visit

Japan must reassure the world that it will not repeat the past by walking down the path of militarism when U.S. President Barack Obama visits the Japanese city of Hiroshima late next week, China's foreign ministry said Thursday. On May 27, Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima since it was hit by an American nuclear bomb in 1945. Along with a second nuclear bombing on Nagasaki, these attacks forced Japan to accept unconditional surrender that hastened the end of W

May 19, 2016

U.N. chief: 'Don't vote for politicians' denying climate change

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday for rejecting politicians who are unconcerned about climate change and make racist remarks, in what could be a swipe at U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump."We are appalled by war crimes in Syria and elsewhere. We are outraged by racism and hatred, especially when voiced by politicians and would-be leaders who have a duty to bring people together, not drive them apart," Ban said during a speech at the Columbia University commenc

May 19, 2016

U.S. lawmakers call for awarding Medal of Freedom to late Korean-American war hero

A group of U.S. House lawmakers called Tuesday for President Barack Obama to award this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom to late Korean-American war hero Kim Young-oak.Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Mark Takano (D-CA) made the appeal during a joint press conference at the House Rayburn building, saying the late retired Colonel Kim contributed to safeguarding and promoting the U.S. founding ideals of freedom and equality.Joining the campaign are a total

May 18, 2016

Trump willing to hold talks with N. Korean leader: report

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Tuesday he is willing to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to a Reuters report."I would speak to him, I would have no problem speaking to him," Trump was quoted as saying of the North's leader in an interview with the Reuters.Trump also reiterated that he would pressure China to rein in the North, according to the report."I would put a lot of pressure on China because economically we have tremendous power over Chin

May 18, 2016

G7 leaders to discuss N. Korea at next week's summit: White House

North Korea will be a topic when President Barack Obama and other leaders of the Group of Seven countries hold a summit in Japan next week, the White House said Tuesday."I'm confident that this is an issue that will be discussed at the G-7 meeting in Japan. Obviously the world is concerned about the provocations and destabilizing activities of the North Korean regime," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said at a regular briefing.The U.S. will continue to work with the international commun

May 18, 2016

Republican lawmaker calls for Trump to refine Asian policy

A U.S. Republican House lawmaker has called for the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, to refine his Asia policy, especially his approaches to issues involving North and South Korea.Rep. Peter King (R-NY) made the remark, speaking about Trump's plan to use Chinese pressure to rein in North Korea and his apparent threat to withdraw troops from South Korea unless the Asian ally agrees to pay more for American defense support."I don't think his Asian policy is coherent, because

May 17, 2016

China urges restraint as S. Korea, U.S., Japan plan joint anti-missile drills

China called for calm and restraint on Monday, responding to planned joint drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan aimed at tracking North Korean missiles.The planned drills, set for late next month, will be held on the sidelines of the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, off Hawaii, a U.S.-led biennial multinational naval exercise. In the latest sign of strengthening defense cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, it will be the first time that the three nat

May 16, 2016

Korea to carry out survey on foreign employment this week

The South Korean government will hold a nationwide survey on foreign employment later this week as part of its plan to establish a database of its foreign workforce, the state-run census agency said Monday.The survey on 11,500 selected foreign residents over 15 years old will start on Tuesday and run through May 30, according to Statistics Korea.It is aimed at helping the government map out comprehensive policies for the foreign workforce based on the collected data on their employment, unemploy

May 16, 2016