FM Yun to attend Washington meeting on fighting ISIS

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se departed for Washington DC, on Tuesday to attend a meeting of a global partnership to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, his office said.US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to preside over the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS on Wednesday. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap"It will bring together the majority of the 68 national partners of the Global

March 21, 2017

US nuclear envoy meets major Korean presidential contenders

The US envoy on the North Korean nuclear conundrum met with some of the major presidential contenders in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss North Korea, the alliance and other pending diplomatic issues, political and diplomatic sources said.The rare meetings of Joseph Yun and South Korea's potential next leaders came as the Donald Trump administration is reportedly in the final stage of crafting its new North Korea approach.Joseph Yun, special representative for North Korea policy of the State Departme

March 21, 2017

Danish environment minister endorses 'circular economy'

Denmark is a front-runner in the “circular economy,” a holistic industrial paradigm geared toward maximizing productivity and minimizing pollution.As an antidote to the “linear economy,” which produces vast excesses of goods and wastes, the circular economy feeds off a virtuous cycle of production, consumption and recreation by “recycling, restoring and reusing” energy and waste. Denmark outshines other European Union counterparts on many sustainability metrics, such as the share of renewable en

March 20, 2017

EU shares pains, gains in combating gender violence

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights released the results of a survey on gender-based violence across its 28 member states in March 2014, after interviewing 42,000 women. “The results were shocking,” according to Dr. Joelle Hivonnet, minister counsellor at the EU Delegation to Korea. One in 3 women, numbering 60 million, reported experiencing either sexual or physical violence or both. One in 5 admitted being stalked online. One in 20 claimed that they were raped. Despite being the s

March 20, 2017

Kazakhstan gains from disarmament, diplomacy, democracy

As a country that renounced the world’s fourth-largest atomic arsenal, Kazakhstan condemns North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and urges its return to the six-party talks for denuclearization, according to its top envoy to Korea. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Kazakh Ambassador Dulat Bakishev underlined his country’s path of disarmament and subsequent progress in diplomacy and commerce as a strategic country in Eurasia.On Aug. 29 1991, Kazakhstan voluntarily relinquished its military nuclear

March 20, 2017

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Vietnam discuss cooperation on NK threats

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Vietnam discussed how to jointly rein in North Korea's prohibited nuclear tests and missile launches during their talks in Vietnam on Monday.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who is doubling as a deputy prime minister, in the Southeast Asian country to celebrate the countries' 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (L) is shaking hands with Vietname

March 20, 2017

Top US nuke envoy to visit Seoul amid growing threats from NK

The top US nuclear envoy will visit Seoul this week to discuss cooperation with his South Korean counterparts against North Korea amid the growing nuclear and missile threats from the reclusive state, government officials said Monday.Joseph Yun, special representative for North Korea policy of the State Department, will fly to Seoul late Monday from his stay in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials, according to the officials.Joseph Yun (Yonhap)Details of his itinerary in Seoul have yet to be

March 20, 2017

Tillerson reaffirms 'ironclad' security alliance with Korea

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" security alliance with South Korea amid growing military threats from a provocative North Korea.The US top diplomat made the remarks during his meeting with South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who took over in December after then President Park Geun-hye was impeached by parliament over a massive corruption scandal.South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn shakes han

March 17, 2017

China's retaliation over THAAD seen as meddling with internal affairs: official

China's retaliation against South Korea over the ongoing deployment of an advanced US missile defense system could be viewed as meddling with internal affairs, a senior foreign ministry official hinted Thursday.During a meeting with lawmakers, Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said "Yes" to a question on whether China's bashing of Korea over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system represents interfering in internal affairs.He went on to say that giving into Beijing's pressure would not b

March 16, 2017

Defector urges S. Korea to be predictable on N. Korea

Thae Yong-ho, a former Pyongyang diplomat who defected to Seoul last year, on Thursday urged South Korea to be "predictable" when it comes to inter-Korean issues."(The conservative and liberal parties) must reach consensus to let North Korea know that it will pay dearly for any provocations against South Korea," Thae said during a meeting with lawmakers."Only then will North Korea not roll out thoughtless policies against the South."Thae Yong-ho, a former Pyongyang diplomat who defected to Seoul

March 16, 2017

Expert calls for suspending THAAD deployment until Beijing stops retaliation

A national security expert on Thursday called on South Korea to consider putting on hold the ongoing deployment of a US missile defense system on its soil until China stops its stepped-up retaliation on Korean goods and businesses.South Korea and the US recently started the process of installing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to cope with the North's missile threats. Members from conservative civic organizations calls for China to stop retaliatory steps against South Korea's planne

March 16, 2017

Korea, Japan to discuss cooperation on nuclear power

South Korea and Japan will hold a meeting in Seoul to discuss cooperation for the safe use of nuclear power, the foreign ministry said Thursday.The meeting will be held later in the day between Ham Sang-wook, director-general for nonproliferation and nuclear affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart Kazutoshi Aikawa, according to the ministry.They will discuss their own nuclear power-related policies and measures aimed at increasing cooperation in the global stage includi

March 16, 2017

S. Korean, Sri Lankan top diplomats agree to cooperation in pressuring N. Korea

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Sri Lanka have agreed to work together in pressuring North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons program, the foreign ministry here said Thursday.South Korea's Yun Byung-se and Sri Lanka's Mangala Samaraweera also shared the understanding that North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches pose a serious threat to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific as well as the entire international community during their talks in Colombo a day earl

March 16, 2017

Consent from China, Russia vital to deploying THAAD system: Democratic Party

The floor leader of the Democratic Party said Thursday South Korea should delay the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in the country until it wins consent from Beijing and Moscow.Rep. Woo Sang-ho also said Seoul should let the new government decide on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and ensure that the issue does not damage South Korea's relationship with neighboring countries. Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the Democratic Party (Yonhap)"

March 16, 2017

Top S. Korean, US security officials agree to respond sternly to additional NK provocations

Top security officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Wednesday to respond sternly to any additional provocations by North Korea and work closely together with China to increase pressure on Pyongyang, officials said.South Korean National Security Adviser Kim Kwan-jin reached the agreement when he met with US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster at the White House, sharing the view that additional North Korean provocations could come at any time, Kim's office said in a statement. 

March 16, 2017

THAAD row not affecting PyeongChang-Beijing Winter Games

The diplomatic tensions between South Korea and China over the deployment of a US missile defense system hasn't affected Winter Games cooperation between the two sides, a senior Olympic official here said Wednesday.Lee Hee-beom, president of the organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, said the South Korean host city and Beijing, which will stage the 2022 Winter Olympics, have remained cooperative despite the ongoing spat over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Since Sou

March 15, 2017

Expert calls for inter-Korean summit after May election

South Korea should seek summit talks with the North under the next government in order to keep the North's nuclear threats in check through negotiations and dialogue, a North Korea expert here said Wednesday.South Korea will hold an election to choose its new president on May 9 following the country's top court ruling last week to unseat Park Geun-hye from office over a massive corruption scandal."In order to keep the North's nuclear and missile threats in check through negotiations and dialogue

March 15, 2017

Tillerson embarks on first trip to Asia amid tensions over N. Korea, THAAD

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarked on his first trip to Asia Tuesday, seeking to come up with better ways to deal with North Korea and defuse tensions with China over the ongoing deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.Other key objectives of the trip to Japan, South Korea and China include bolstering alliances with Seoul and Tokyo in the face of North Korean threats, especially at a time when the South is gearing up to elect a new leader after former President Pa

March 15, 2017