Vietnamese to be able to visit Korea more easily

HANOI -- South Korea will simplify the issuance of single-entry visas and expand the scope of multi-entry ones for Vietnamese travelers next week in a bid to increase bilateral trade and investment, and attract more tourists from the Southeast Asian nation, an official at the South Korean Embassy in Hanoi said Thursday.  In this undated file photo, Vietnamese tourists dressed in traditional Korean costumes walk in front of a palace in Seoul. (Yonhap)"The lenient steps, which will be taken Monday

July 6, 2017

Chinese Ambassador calls THAAD biggest problem in Seoul-Beijing ties

China's top envoy in Seoul on Thursday voiced hopes for a "reasonable" solution to the dispute over the deployment of a US missile defense system, which he called the biggest problem in bilateral relations between Seoul and Beijing. Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, speaks with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong during their talks at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 6, 2017. (Yonhap)During a meeting with Choo Mi-ae, the leader of South Korea's ruling Democra

July 6, 2017

Korean Navy deploys 4 more Wildcat choppers

South Korea's Navy said Wednesday four additional AW-159 shipborne anti-submarine helicopters have joined a front-line fleet for combat operations.The Navy acquired eight AW-159 choppers, also known as Wildcats, last year in two batches in June and December, respectively. The first four were deployed in February. AW-159 (Yonhap)"The remaining four were deployed at a front-line fleet and put into maritime operations today," the Navy said in a statement. It did not reveal the location, but a defen

July 5, 2017

Ban Ki-moon-initiated UN education institute to be set up in Korea

POHANG, South Korea -- A ceremony to break ground for a UN global education center, initiated by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, will be held at Handong Global University in the country's southeastern port city of Pohang next week, an official at the faculty said Tuesday.  (Yonhap)"A ground-breaking ceremony for the 'Ban Ki-moon Global Education Institute in Support of the UNAI' will be held next Tuesday for its completion in October 2018," the official said. The UNAI is short for the U

July 4, 2017

Moon, Abe to hold bilateral summit at G-20 meeting

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the upcoming G-20 summit in Germany, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.The two will meet early Friday (German time). (Yonhap)"The two leaders are expected to exchange their views on ways to enhance the countries' exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas," Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release."Also, the two leaders will discuss other issues of

July 4, 2017

Moon, Xi likely to meet in Germany this week to discuss THAAD controversy

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is likely to have talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Germany this week, aimed at helping Beijing understand why Seoul allowed an advanced US missile defense system called THAAD to be installed on its soil, the country's top diplomat said Monday. (Yonhap)"Basically, the THAAD issue should be addressed with the top priority placed on our national interest and security needs," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said during an interview with Yonhap News

July 4, 2017

Russia hopes Korean president to visit the country in Sept.

Russia has expressed hope that South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit the country in September to join a forum it plans to hold in Vladivostok, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the remark during a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, according to the ministry. This marked the first talks Kang had with Lavrov since her inauguration last month.Kang Kyung-hwa(left) and Sergey Lavrov(right) Yonhap"Lavrov congratul

July 4, 2017

Sri Lankan film industry faces liberal winds of change

The film “Let Her Cry,” a tantalizing tale of an extramarital affair between an old professor and his seductive student, might not have been shown on screens in Sri Lanka a decade ago.Works that were hostile to the government or provocative in nature were banned by the previous administration, which ruled the country tightly nearing the end of a 30-year interethnic war. But since the new national unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed o

July 3, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Canada wholehearted on global leadership amid 150th anniversary’

With celebrations of Canada’s 150th Confederation anniversary scheduled throughout this year, there will be ampler space for Canada and Korea to cooperate within the international sphere, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh said, pointing to Ottawa’s intention to play a larger role in global affairs.During a parliamentary speech at the House of Commons in Ottawa on June 6, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada will “step up” to assume a greater share of international obliga

July 3, 2017

‘Pakistan, Korea longtime brethren of Eurasia’

In the eyes of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly, the exhibition “Alexander the Great meets Buddha” at Seoul Arts Center is demonstrable evidence of the enduring linkages between Pakistan and Korea that were spawned more than 16 centuries ago.A collaboration with the Peshawar Museum and Lahore Museum, the exhibit began Thursday and runs through Sept. 30, showcasing Buddhist sculptures of the Gandhara Civilization that thrived in territories of today’s northwestern Pak

July 3, 2017

Moon says now is time for NK to return to dialogue table

South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table Monday, saying now may be the last chance for the communist state to do so.In a meeting with former US President Barack Obama, the new South Korean president noted he and US President Donald Trump agreed to continue using sanctions and pressure as a tool to denuclearize North Korea but also use dialogue in parallel. (Yonhap)Moon returned home late Sunday following his trip to the US for his first summit talks

July 3, 2017

Korea, NATO to hold policy consultation meeting in Seoul

South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will hold their annual policy consultation meeting in Seoul this week to discuss closer cooperation in efforts to fight terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the foreign ministry said Monday.Director-General for International Organizations Bureau Lee Jang-keun and Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Alejandro Alvargonzalez will represent South Korea and NATO respectively in the meeting

July 3, 2017

Obama in Korea to attend conference

Former US President Barack Obama will attend a conference in Seoul on Monday to deliver a speech on leadership, organizers and embassy officials said. Obama arrived at Gimpo International Airport on Sunday night, along with his wife Michelle Obama and two daughters.  Former President Barack Obama`s motorcade leaving Gimpo Airport (Yonhap)It marks his first visit to South Korea since he had a summit with then-President Park Geun-hye more than three years ago. Obama is to deliver a speech regardin

July 3, 2017

President Moon returns home after US trip

President Moon Jae-in returned Sunday from the United States where he had a summit with US President Donald Trump on North Korea, alliance and trade issues. Upon arrival, he issued a statement to the nation stressing the summit has set the stage for South Korea to play a bigger role in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue diplomatically.  (Yonhap)"Through this summit, the two countries agreed to achieve their common goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner," Moo

July 3, 2017

ASEAN-Korea Center to hold youth workshop on sustainable cities

A 10-day annual youth network workshop organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre kicks off Monday in Incheon to forge strong networks among Asian students in achieving a sustainable and clean environment in the region.　Under the theme of “Promoting Clean and Green Environment through the Establishment of Environmentally Sustainable Cities,” students will participate in various lectures, field trips and cultural activities for the 2017 ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop to be held in Korea from July 3-

July 2, 2017

Korea to host forum on Hague int'l private law body

South Korea will host a global forum this week on the Hague Conference on Private International Law, a world organization for cross-border cooperation in civil and commercial matters, related ministries said Sunday.The two-day event to open Monday will mark South Korea's entry into the conference 20 years ago, according to the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry. (Yonhap)More than 300 representatives from South Korea and other countries, including the United States, China, Japan, Singapore

July 2, 2017

Korea to look into US intentions over free trade deal

South Korea will closely look into the US intentions over their bilateral free trade deal, an official said Sunday, amid a controversy over the possible renegotiation of the pact.US President Donald Trump said at the start of summit talks with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in on Friday that Seoul and Washington "are renegotiating a trade deal right now." (Yonhap)However, a joint statement issued after the summit said the two sides "further committed to foster a truly fair and level playi

July 2, 2017

Moon's efforts for inter-Korean ties to gain pace with Trump's support

President Moon Jae-in has received a boost in his push for improving inter-Korean relations as US President Donald Trump has formally thrown his weight behind it, government officials and experts here said Sunday.They emphasized it's important to follow up their summit agreement via close coordination on a more specific "road map." (Yonhap)In their meeting in Washington, D.C. last week, Moon and Trump agreed to leave the door to dialogue with North Korea open "under the right circumstances," acc

July 2, 2017

PM voices hopes for deeper ties with Peru

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday voiced hopes for deeper ties between South Korea and Peru based on "multifaceted" bilateral cooperation triggered by their free trade agreement which took effect in 2011.Lee made the remarks during his meeting with Peruvian Second Vice President Mercedes Rosalba Araoz Fernandez. She was in Seoul to attend a forum on future cooperation between Korea and Central and South America. South Korea`s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (right) shakes hands with Peruvian Secon

June 30, 2017

Korea to demand Japan take steps over dark history of its heritage sites

South Korea on Thursday regretted Japan's foot-dragging on its promise to make public information about its past industrial facilities which were added to the UNESCO heritage list though some of them used forced labor during World War II. A foreign ministry official said South Korea will demand Japan implement its promised steps during a UNESCO meeting next month.Hashima undersea coal mine off Nagasaki, known as “Battleship Island,” one of the 23 properties of “Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolutio

June 29, 2017