[Herald Interview] Ethnic Koreans sow seeds of success in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- It was a snowy onset of winter in October 1937. The order came from Joseph Stalin to deport ethnic Koreans from Russia’s Far East to the barren steppes of Central Asia. Running out of time to gather their belongings, the Koreans picked up what little they could -- mostly vital rice seeds secured inside their pillows. The “Koryo-saram,” as they have been called, took with them the seeds of hope for their unknowable future. Many elderly and sick died on the trains used to car

June 19, 2017

Moon to send special envoy to India, Australia

President Moon Jae-in will send a special envoy to India and Australia this week to deliver his wish for enhanced economic and diplomatic cooperation, his office said Wednesday.Park Soo-hyun, presidential spokesman, said that former Culture Minister Chung Dong-chea will embark on the trip on Thursday to explain Seoul's diplomatic policy vision and deliver Moon's handwritten letters to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Former Culture Minister Chun

June 14, 2017

Senior US official arrives in Seoul to prepare Moon-Trump summit

United States Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon arrived in Seoul Tuesday to prepare for a summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump.During his three-day stay in Seoul, the undersecretary of state for political affairs will meet with South Korean officials, including Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, to set the agenda for the first talks between the leaders slated for June 29-30.United States Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon arrives in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Securit

June 13, 2017

Korean actress donates to Sri Lanka flood relief

Korean actress Lee Young-ae donated roughly $50,000 to Sri Lanka to help support flood relief in the country. Flooding was caused by a heavy monsoon in the latter half of May. The money was handed over to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul on June 5 through the Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, where Lee is an advisory chairperson.Lee Young-ae (Sri Lankan Embassy)The actress said she was “deeply saddened by the lost lives and homes from the severe flooding” and that she wanted to help

June 12, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Swiss direct democracy enfranchises citizens’

Every so often, Swiss citizens go to the polling stations to vote on issues relevant to their lives, ranging from national energy to local roads and everything in between. They often cast votes more conservatively than their elected officials would, believing firmly that nothing is free and pork barrel politics ultimately comes out of their pockets.In a prudent and wise decision on the country’s national energy, Swiss citizens voted to phase out nuclear power and switch to renewable sources in M

June 12, 2017

[Herald Interview] Baltic States adorn tourism jewels

Ahead of their centenary of proclaiming statehood next year, the three Baltic countries have unveiled a myriad of tourism offers for international travelers, introducing the northern European nations as an integrated destination. As only Latvia among the Baltic States -- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- has an embassy in Korea, the diplomatic mission organized a tourism promotion seminar in Seoul on May 15, where some 20 public tourism officials and numerous other travel company representatives

June 12, 2017

Former foreign ministers endorse Kang Kyung-hwa as Moon's first FM

South Korea's former foreign ministers have come out in support of Kang Kyung-hwa, a beleaguered diplomat nominated by President Moon Jae-in to be his first foreign minister.Ten former top diplomats, who served as foreign ministers in the preceding conservative and liberal governments, issued a joint statement Saturday, saying Kang is the right person to deal actively with the nation's diplomatic challenges and pending thorny issues. Kang Kyung-hwa (Yonhap)"Foreign minister nominee Kang Kyung-hw

June 10, 2017

Abe's special envoy-cum-seasoned politician visits Korea

Japan's senior ruling party official has arrived in Seoul as a special envoy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday.While meeting with reporters at Gimpo Airport, Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said, "I will cooperate with everyone to try my best to do my job as a special envoy." Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is surrounded by reporters at Gimpo Airport, outside Seou

June 10, 2017

Belgium princess visits Korea for economic ties

Princess Astrid of Belgium arrived in South Korea on Saturday along with an economic mission to promote business ties between the two countries, according to theforeign ministry.During her one-week stay, Princess Astrid is scheduled to meet with President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon to discuss bilateral economic cooperation, a foreign ministry spokesman said. Princess Astrid of Belgium (Yonhap)She also plans to visit the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas, as well as hav

June 10, 2017

Top US diplomat to visit Korea next week

WASHINGTON -- US Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon will visit South Korea next week for talks on the alliance between the two countries, North Korea and other issues, the State Department announced Friday.Shannon will be in Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday to "meet with senior Korean officials to discuss the US-Korea Alliance and our shared global priorities, including our coordinated responses to the threat posed by the DPRK," the department said in a release. (Yonhap)He will also visit the

June 10, 2017

Abe's special envoy to visit Korean province this week

MUAN -- A group of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's special envoys will visit South Korea's southwestern province of South Jeolla as part of a four-day trip to South Korea, officials at the provincial government said Wednesday.The group, led by Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will make a stopover in Mokpo, a coastal city in the province, on Saturday-Sunday before departing for Seoul to hold talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to convey

June 7, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘North Korean human rights vital to regional security’

As the world focuses on neutralizing North Korea’s nuclear and missile brinksmanship, equal attention should be given to grave human rights violations in the country, a former United Nations official said, stressing “there can be no security without accountability.”For Michael Kirby, former chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the issue has been close to his heart. He grew up in postwar Australia watching newsreels of Nazi concentration

June 5, 2017

ASEAN showcases rich cuisines, tourism offers

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the ASEAN-Korea Cultural Exchange Year, a culinary and tourism promotional event took place at Coex in Seoul from Thursday to Sunday. Ten celebrity chefs from the 10 member states flew to Korea for the event and showcased their national dishes, including Brunei’s ilkan goreng berkuah, Cambodia’s prahok ktiss, Indonesia’s sate maranggi, Laos’ laab kai, Malaysia’s pulut kuning and rendang, Myanmar’s shan noodle salad, t

June 5, 2017

‘Thailand litmus test for booming ASEAN market’

The Eastern Economic Corridor in Thailand is an axis of industrial estates southeast of Bangkok. It is the Thai government’s flagship project to turn the country into the hub of the region’s advanced industries and commercial networks. Comprised of the Pin Thong Industrial Estate, Hemraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, Amata City Industrial Estate and Rayong Industrial Estate, the scheme integrally underpins the “Thailand 4.0” economic restructuring initiative, aimed at spurring entrepreneur

June 5, 2017

N. Korea draws more attention at Shanggri-La, minister says

SINGAPORE -- North Korea has been in the spotlight at the forum here of top defense officials from around the world, reflecting increased global concern about its military threats, officials here said Sunday.“The biggest characteristics of the session this time is that more attention has been paid to the North Korean nuclear and missile issue than in the previous ones,” said South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo. This photo provided by the Seoul defense ministry shows Han Min-koo, South Kore

June 5, 2017

US to welcome President Moon with maximum respect

WASHINGTON -- The United States intends to welcome South Korean President Moon Jae-in with maximum respect and a "full program" of events when he visits Washington later this month for his first summit talks with President Donald Trump, a South Korean official said Thursday.US officials expressed the intent when South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong visited the White House for discussions with his US counterpart H.R. McMaster about setting up the summit, a South Korean official s

June 2, 2017

South Korean elected head of OECD's intergovernment body on transport

SEJONG (Yonhap) -- A South Korean official at the transportation ministry on Thursday was elected the head of the International Transport Forum at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, government officials said.Kim Young-tae, 50, a director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, became the secretary-general of the intergovernmental body for a five-year term, according to the ministry. This photo, provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

June 1, 2017