S. Korea, Poland agree to boost defense ties

The South Korean and Polish defense chiefs agreed Wednesday to strengthen their security ties and further boost cooperation in the defense industry, officials said. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo met with his Polish counterpart, Tomasz Siemoniak, in Seoul to "exchange their assessment on the situation of the Korean Peninsula and the region and discuss ways on how to further develop their defense cooperative ties," according to the defense ministry.The Polish minister arrived here earl

March 25, 2015

S. Korea's hosting of IDB meeting to help create Latin America boom

South Korea's hosting of the annual governors meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank is expected to fuel a Latin America boom in the country that will lead to greater economic cooperation with the region, the government said Wednesday.The finance ministry said the annual board of governors meeting to be held in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, over the weekend will be preceded by knowledge business forums, as well as one-on-one talks between companies.The meeting will be the lar

March 25, 2015

U.S. defense chief to visit S. Korea next month: Seoul sources

The defense chief of the United States plans to visit South Korea in early April for talks with his South Korean counterpart on pending security and alliance issues, sources here said Wednesday.U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is expected to come here early next month as the destination of his first bilateral visit since taking office last month," a Seoul source said, adding his itinerary will also include Japan."Seoul and Washington have made a significant progress in pushing for Carter'

March 25, 2015

U.S. military chief to discuss integrated missile defense during S. Korea visit

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said Tuesday that building an integrated air and missile defense system will be a key topic of discussions when he meets with South Korean officials.Heading off on a trip to Japan and South Korea, the general also said that the U.S. is making progress on building an integrated air and missile defense umbrella, and Seoul and Tokyo have "made some commitments in procurements on their side to make us more interoperable."Dempsey did not elabora

March 25, 2015

S. Korea to join China-led development bank: source

South Korea has decided to join a Chinese-led development bank and is expected to announce the decision soon, a South Korean diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the matter said Monday, despite U.S. concerns over the new multilateral lender in Asia. The Chinese-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has recently gained traction as major Western economies, including Britain, Germany and France, decided to join. South Korea, a close ally of the U.S. in Asia, has said it will make a d

March 23, 2015

Park offers condolences on death of Singapore's founding father

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday offered her deep condolences to Singaporeans over the death of the city-state's founding father Lee Kuan Yew.Park said in statement that she hopes Lee, respected by Singaporeans, may rest in peace.She called Lee a friend of South Koreans, as he offered wisdom for the development of relations between South Korea and Singapore.Lee, who transformed a port city into a thriving global finance center during his 31-year-old rule, died Monday at age 91. (Yo

March 23, 2015

Seoul, Tokyo set to resume security consultation: source

South Korea and Japan are expected to resume their long-stalled security policy consultation meetings next month, a government source said Monday, after the top diplomats of the countries agreed on tighter cooperation over the weekend. The foreign ministers from Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing agreed Saturday to improve trilateral cooperation in their rare meeting in Seoul, which was held after a near three-year hiatus due to conflict over their shared history."(Seoul) has yet to discuss specifics with

March 23, 2015

U.S. lawmaker introduces bill calling for 'Wall of Remembrance' honoring Korean War heroes

A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill calling for erecting a "Wall of Remembrance" at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington that would list the names of all American soldiers killed during the conflict.Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), who served in the 1950-53 war, introduced the bill (H.R.1475) Thursday that would authorize the wall's establishment and allow certain private contributions to fund the project. Cosponsoring the bill were Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI)

March 23, 2015

Ex-U.S. ambassador calls on Japan to stop backtracking on past apologies

The key to improvement in relations between South Korea and Japan is for Tokyo not to backtrack on past apologies for its imperialist past and crimes committed during that period, a former senior U.S. diplomat said.Stephen Bosworth, who served as ambassador to South Korea, made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency, highlighting the difference between the ways Japan and Germany have dealt with historical issues."I think the key here is Japan should not go back on what it has alr

March 22, 2015

S. Korea sends remains of Chinese war dead to homeland

South Korea returned the remains of 68 Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War to China on Friday for final burial in their homeland, the defense ministry here said.   During a solemn ceremony at Incheon International Airport, South Korean soldiers handed over the coffins to the Chinese side in a symbolic gesture of friendship toward its former battlefield foe.  The remains will be sent to the southeastern city of Shenyang for reburial in a state cemetery for war dead, according to

March 20, 2015

U.S. ready to hold sincere discussions if THAAD is necessary: S. Korean lawmakers

The United States is prepared to hold sincere discussions with South Korea if it determines it is necessary to deploy a THAAD missile defense battery to the Asian nation, U.S. officials were quoted as saying Thursday.  U.S. Defense Department officials made the remark when they met with a group of South Korean lawmakers visiting Washington, stressing there have been no formal consultations on the issue between the two countries so far, according to the lawmakers.  "It appears that the U.S. is ta

March 20, 2015

U.S. lawmaker vows to get 'historical record correct' on Japan's wartime sexual enslavement

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman said Thursday he is committed to "getting the historical record correct" with regard to Japan's sexual enslavement of women for its troops during World War II.  Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) made the remark during a meeting with a group of South Korean lawmakers, noting that he paid a visit to a memorial set up in Glendale in Los Angeles to honor sexual slavery victims, known euphemistically as "comfort women."  "We also discussed the upcoming 70th annive

March 20, 2015

IOC 'convinced' PyeongChang will deliver successful Winter Olympics in 2018

The International Olympic Committee said Thursday it is "convinced" that PyeongChang, the South Korean host of the 2018 Winter Games, is well on track to stage a successful competition.The IOC's Coordination Commission, headed by long-time IOC member Gunilla Lindberg, wrapped up its three-day visit to Gangneung, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul, after inspecting Olympic venues and meeting with local officials. Gangneung lies east of PyeongChang and will stage hockey and skating events during th

March 19, 2015

S. Korea to decide on AIIB membership by late March: finance minister

South Korea will decide by end of this month whether to join the China-led regional development bank as a founding member, the country's top economic policymaker reaffirmed Thursday.His remarks confirmed earlier comments by several officials who have said Asia's fourth-largest economy will make its decision on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank membership after countries like Britain, Germany, France and Italy have declared their participation in the $50 billion bank."Because the deadline

March 19, 2015

S. Korea seeks '2nd Middle East boom' through strengthened ties with resource-rich countries

South Korea will seek a "second Middle East boom" by strengthening economic cooperation with countries that are preparing for the post-oil era, the government said Thursday.In a national trade and investment promotion meeting, chaired by the President Park Geun-hye, policymakers stressed the considerable potential for local companies to tap large scale development projects in resource-rich countries that are scrambling to build up their economic and social infrastructure before their energy rese

March 19, 2015

U.S. lawmaker demands Abe clearly apologize for wartime sexual slavery when addressing Congress

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must include a clear apology for the country's sexual enslavement of women during World War II in an address he is expected to deliver at a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, an American congressman said Wednesday.Abe has sought a congressional invitation to address a joint session of the House and the Senate when he visits Washington next month. Indications have grown he would get the chance despite objections that the nationalist leader is not qualified for

March 19, 2015

US sets new record for denying, censoring government files

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss the Chinese-led multinational lender as they are set to hold a three-way meeting in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday. China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in November with 21 nations in Asia and the Pacific region listed as its founding members. Close U.S. allies in the region -- South Korea, Australia and Japan -- have yet to make their decision. The Chinese-led ba

March 18, 2015

S. Korea, China, Japan may discuss AIIB in Seoul: Beijing

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss the Chinese-led multinational lender as they are set to hold a three-way meeting in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday. China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in November with 21 nations in Asia and the Pacific region listed as its founding members. Close U.S. allies in the region -- South Korea, Australia and Japan -- have yet to make their decision. The Chinese-led ba

March 18, 2015

Prince Charles, Camilla to tour Mount Vernon, King memorial

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Prince Charles and his wife will visit the home of the man who, more than anyone else, ensured that Americans would not be his subjects.The visit Wednesday to George Washington's Mount Vernon estate by the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is one of many stops the two will make throughout the Washington, D.C. area.The first scheduled visits Wednesday are stops at the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.In the afternoon, Charles wi

March 18, 2015

S. Korea, China, Japan may discuss AIIB in Seoul: Beijing

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss the Chinese-led multinational lender as they are set to hold a three-way meeting in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday.   China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in November with 21 nations in Asia and the Pacific region listed as its founding members. Close U.S. allies in the region -- South Korea, Australia and Japan -- have yet to make their decision.   The Chinese-led bank

March 18, 2015