Korea strongly protests Japan diplomat's comments on comfort women

South Korea on Thursday strongly protested a Japanese diplomat's disparaging comments on the victims of Tokyo's sexual slavery during World War II. In a recent media interview, Takashi Shinozuka, the consul general of Japan in Atlanta, called them paid prostitutes saying there is no evidence that the nation mobilized women as sex slaves. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck (Yonhap)"It was a very inappropriate remark inflicting a deep wound to the victims again who went through

June 29, 2017

Top diplomats of Korea, US to hold talks ahead of summit

South Korea's top diplomat will meet her US counterpart to fine-tune details related to the upcoming summit between their leaders scheduled later this week, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson early Wednesday (local time) in Washington just ahead of the talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.  Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha delivers her inauguration speech in Seoul on June 19, 2017.

June 28, 2017

Moon-Trump meeting to focus on alliance, N. Korea

SEONGNAM AIRPORT -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump this week in a summit largely expected to focus on how to strengthen their countries' alliance and put their joint strength to use in ridding North Korea of its nuclear arms, Seoul officials said Wednesday.The two leaders will hold their first summit talks Friday (US time), following a dinner hosted by Trump and his wife, Melania, at the White House the day before.The most urgent issue for the meetin

June 28, 2017

US congressmen take to floor to welcome Moon

WASHINGTON -- A series of US congressmen have spoken on the floor to welcome South Korean President Moon Jae-in's first official trip to the United States and to call for further strengthening the alliance between the two countries.Moon is scheduled to visit Washington from Wednesday to Saturday for his first summit talks with US President Donald Trump as well as meetings with other top government officials and leaders of the House and the Senate."President Moon's trip comes at a critical time -

June 28, 2017

Korean president to attend G20 summit in Germany: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will head for Germany next week on an official visit that will also include his trip to the upcoming G20 summit in the European country, his office Cheong Wa Dae announced Tuesday.The new South Korean leader will depart for Germany next Wednesday, two days after his return from a trip to the United States where he is set to hold a bilateral summit with US President Donald Trump.Moon will first head to Berlin for an official two-day visit that will include bilat

June 27, 2017

‘Kazakhstan, Korea kindred spirits in sustainable development’

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- According to Korean Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kim Dae-sik, the fact that Korea has the largest pavilion at the Astana International Exposition site is no coincidence. “The sheer size of the Korean pavilion at 1,800 square meters demonstrates the close friendship and trust between our two countries,” he told The Korea Herald in an exclusive interview at the venue on June 9. The expo, designed to spotlight Kazakhstan’s vision and plans for future energy and sustainable develop

June 26, 2017

US, Korea affirm steadfast alliance

Amid concerns and uncertainties over the bilateral alliance, the Korea America Friendship Society dispelled the skepticism and vindicated the two nation’s time-tested resolve to deter North Korea’s military threat at an annual reception on Wednesday. The Korea America Friendship Night at Grand Hyatt Seoul gathered some 600 military servicepersons, diplomats, university presidents, business leaders, journalists and their spouses.“Tonight, we organized this event to comfort and encourage all the e

June 26, 2017

High-spirited school tour draws young minds to ASEAN

Middle schooler Park Ah-reum has renewed her passion for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through the ASEAN School Tour Program in mid-June.As a first grader in Ansan, a growing multicultural city in Gyeonggi Province, she comes from a multicultural family, her mother being an ethnic Philippine and father a Korean.“I learned about various countries of ASEAN and now really want to go Vietnam to try original ‘pho’ rice noodles and Indonesia to wear the traditional national dress,” the 13

June 26, 2017

Embassies endorse Spanish education

The embassies of Spanish-speaking countries hosted a Spanish Day celebration Saturday to promote their language and cultures in Korea. Sixteen diplomatic missions helped organize the event with Cervantes Institute and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. The participating embassies were Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominica Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain and Venezuela. “In a world where more than 6,000

June 26, 2017

Moon seeks advice from former ambassadors ahead of meeting with Trump

President Moon Jae-in was set to hold a rare meeting Monday with the country's former top diplomats to the United States, in an apparent move to seek advice on important topics and the best ways to deal with his US counterpart Donald Trump.The meeting comes two days before the president is set to head to Washington, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the new US head of state. (Yonhap)The meeting, to be held from 10:30 a.m., was set to involve seven former ambassadors to the Unite

June 26, 2017

S. Korea-US alliance stands at 'critical juncture' amid threats from NK

South Korea and the United States stand at a "critical juncture" in their alliance in the face of the rapidly growing threats from North Korea but they will surely achieve their "common goal" to successfully address the problem, Seoul's top diplomat said Sunday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks in her speech to troops of the US 2nd Infantry Division stationed north of Seoul. She visited the ground unit to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. South Ko

June 25, 2017

Seoul mayor to visit Russia, Uzbekistan

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon will visit the major cities of Russia and Uzbekistan this week to share city development ideas and expand cooperation with them, a Seoul city official said Sunday. "Mayor Park will visit Russia's Moscow, Ullyanovsk and Saint Petersburg and Uzbekistan's Tashkent for a nine-day run from Monday to stage practical city diplomacy and contribute to the development of South Korea's relations with the nations," the official said.  Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (Yonhap)In Moscow, th

June 25, 2017

Upcoming summit to set tone of alliance under new Korean, US leaders

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump this week with the meeting expected to set the tone for the future of the alliance amid escalating North Korean threats and growing geopolitical uncertainties. The new South Korean president will hold the two-day talks in Washington on Thursday and Friday (US time). He will head for the United States on Wednesday for his first-ever summit with a foreign leader.  This composite image shows South Korean President Moo

June 25, 2017

US senators call for greater cooperation on N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- Top US senators who led the introduction of a resolution welcoming South Korean President Moon Jae-in's first official visit to the United States issued a separate statement Friday reiterating their calls for closer cooperation on North Korea and other issues.Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), John McCain (R-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) led the resolution together with 15 co-sponsors, welcoming Moon's visit, reaffirming the importance of the alliance and calling for further

June 24, 2017

Vice unification minister meets Japan's top envoy

South Korea's vice unification minister on Wednesday met Japan's top envoy to Seoul to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and ways to strengthen cooperation, government officials said.Chun Hae-sung and Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine exchanged views over North Korea's nuclear issue and bilateral matters, according to the Ministry of Unification. Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung (left) and Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine (right) on June 21, 2017. (Ministry of Unif

June 21, 2017

Korea, US arranging telephone conversation between top diplomats

South Korea's new Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha plans to have a telephone conversation with US counterpart Rex Tillerson and express consolation over the death of an American student who was recently released from detention in North Korea, Seoul officials said Tuesday. "Currently, South Korea is adjusting with the US the schedule for a telephone conversation between Minister Kang and Secretary of State Tillerson," foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a press briefing.  South Korea

June 20, 2017

Korea, China agree to maintain close communication on THAAD

BEIJING -- Senior officials from Seoul and Beijing agreed on Tuesday to have frequent and close communications on the controversial deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The agreement was reached during a high-level strategic dialogue in Beijing between Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and his Chinese counterpart Zhang Yesui, according to the ministry."The two sides exchanged their views on the THAAD deployment issue and shared the need to mai

June 20, 2017

Astana Expo harbinger of future energy politics

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- As visitors walk through the glistening “Nur Alem” Kazakh pavilion in the center of the Astana International Exposition site, they are awestruck by the futuristic design of the spherical edifice, the largest of its kind in the world, built to showcase Kazakhstan’s vision and plans for sustainable energy. Standing 100 meters from the ground with an 80-meter diameter, the building illuminates the Central Asian country’s future energies -- water, kinetic, biomass, wind, solar

June 19, 2017