Moon picks special envoys to four major powers

President Moon Jae-in picked special envoys to the United States, China, Japan and Russia, a source said Sunday, as he strives to build closer ties with the four major powers amid persistent military threats from a provocative North Korea.The source said that Moon picked Hong Seok-hyun, a former chairman and CEO of the JoongAng Media Network, and former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan as special envoys to the US and China, respectively. This combined file photo shows Hong Seok-hyun (L), a former cha

May 14, 2017

Officials to discuss summit between Moon, Trump

South Korean presidential officials will meet a US delegation on Monday to discuss details for a summit between their leaders, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official.The official told reporters Sunday that the US delegation, led by Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council, and Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the NSC, will arrive in Seoul on Monday for a two-day visit. Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the White House's National Security C

May 14, 2017

Moon, Merkel agree to enhance economic, diplomatic cooperation

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed Friday to boost their countries' cooperation in dealing with various global issues while enhancing their bilateral trade relations, the Seoul government said.The German leader also promised to work closely with South Korea in ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions.Her remarks came in her call to the new South Korean leader to congratulate him on his recent election. The call lasted about 15 minutes, according to the pr

May 12, 2017

Moon, Turnbull agree to jointly fight trade protectionism

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agreed Friday to jointly deal with a spread of trade protectionism in the global market, Moon's presidential office said.The agreement came in a telephone conversation beginning 2:30 p.m. (Seoul time), according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. South Korean President Moon Jae-in holds a telephone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at his presidential office in Seoul on May 12, 201

May 12, 2017

[Breaking] Moon Jae-in talks with Abe over disputed ‘comfort women’ deal

　President Moon Jae-in and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday talked over the phone to discuss the future direction of the Korea-Japan bilateral ties, focusing on unsettled history disputes such as the wartime sex slavery issue.　“President Moon talked with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the phone for the first time since taking office,” Yoon Young-chan, the newly appointed senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a briefing. (Yonhap)　During the 25-minute conve

May 11, 2017

Moon and China's Xi agree to improve ties, denuclearize N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart agreed Thursday to further improve their countries' bilateral relations, while jointly calling for efforts by all concerned parties to help denuclearize North Korea, Seoul's presidential office said.China's Xi Jinping called the new South Korean leader to congratulate him on his election this week, Moon's press secretary Yoon Young-chan said at a press briefing."The two heads of state discussed ways to improve South Korea-China relat

May 11, 2017

Moon's N. Korea policy to be within US expectations: adviser

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's much-speculated engagement with North Korea will not go beyond the United States' comfort zone and consultation may precede key decisions toward Pyongyang under the new administration, a key policy adviser to Moon said Thursday."I will fly straight to Washington ... I will go to Beijing and Tokyo and under the right circumstances go to Pyongyang as well," Moon said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. During his campaign, the former leader of the liberal De

May 11, 2017

‘Russian ex-envoy calls for pragmatic diplomacy on N. Korea’

With North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities growing rapidly, the next South Korean administration would be wise to pursue a “pragmatic” policy of multilateral dialogue and negotiation to put the brakes on Pyongyang, according to a former Russian diplomat. Georgy Toloraya, chair of regional programs at the Russian World Presidential Foundation in Moscow, said the current sanctions regime should not be an end in itself, adding that the international community could achieve more by seeking

May 8, 2017

Taiwan draws tech talents to 'Asia Silicon Valley'

The government of Taiwan has been harnessing all efforts to invigorate its economy by launching the Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan, which is to create a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship for the island nation’s knowledge-based economy, according to its representative office in Seoul. Announced by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in September, the scheme will hatch a haven of research and development and commercialization in the northwestern city of Taoyuan, acting as a magnet for tale

May 8, 2017

‘Georgia-Korea ties are a force for good in perilous purlieus’

Freshly minted Georgian Ambassador Otar Berdzenishvili says his country and Korea are closer in substance than their distance, sharing a common pride of national language and alphabet as well as passion for freedom and democracy.Having assumed his post in late April, the 38-year-old wunderkind from the Caucasus country says he wants to invigorate bilateral ties with his full force, building on the achievements of his predecessor Nikoloz Apkhazava, who has been nominated to serve in Malaysia. Ber

May 8, 2017

THAAD deployment could raise cost-sharing questions: CRS report

WASHINGTON -- The deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea could raise cost-sharing questions in the United States despite Washington's agreement to pay for it, a congressional report has said.The Congressional Research Service report, dated April 4, came a few weeks before US President Donald Trump began demanding that South Korea pay for THAAD because it's designed to protect the country from North Korean threats.That shows that Trump's demand is not an isolated view and m

May 8, 2017

State Department: 'Track 2' meetings are independent of US government involvement

Unofficial "Track 2" meetings are routinely held "independent of US government involvement," the State Department said Sunday after reports that a senior North Korean diplomat is set to hold talks with former US officials.Japanese media reported that Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's bureau handling relations with the United States, headed to Europe via Beijing for talks with unidentified former US government officials.Choe Son-hui, director-general at the Nor

May 8, 2017

USFK to create HUMINT unit for gathering intelligence on NK

The US troops in South Korea are pushing to set up a unit that will be charged with gathering and analyzing human intelligence on North Korea, local authorities said Sunday.Human Intelligence, known as HUMINT, is intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact. This undated photo provided by the Eighth US Army shows soldiers of its 501st Military Intelligence Brigade analyzing intelligence. (Yonhap)The move comes as the North's development of communications security technology is increas

May 7, 2017

Daunting diplomatic challenges with Trump, China await next S.Korean president

A whirlwind of events have reshaped the geopolitical landscape surrounding South Korea over the past months, including the deployment of a high-profile US missile defense system here and China's crushing retaliations against Seoul, with no incumbent president in South Korea to cope with the urgent issues.Next week, South Koreans will finally pick a new president to succeed Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from her presidency in March, about one year ahead of the completion of her five-year term.The

May 7, 2017

Report on Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women to be publicized this week

South Korea said Wednesday that it will distribute to government agencies and post online a report compiled by private-sector experts to detail Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women. (Yonhap)The 216-page report, along with a separate data book, is based on an analysis done by 10 professors and experts seeking to shed light on the suffering of Korean women forced into front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The

May 3, 2017

US expresses no desire to change THAAD agreement with S. Korea: senior official

US has expressed no desire to alter the terms of an agreement with South Korea to deploy the THAAD missile defense system, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday, following a dust-up over who should pay for the $1 billion system.US President Donald Trump sparked a firestorm in South Korea with his repeated demand that Seoul pay for a THAAD unit installed in the country to bolster defenses against North Korea. The demand runs counter to an agreement under which US pays for the system while t

May 3, 2017

White House: Trump discusses 'very dangerous situation in N. Korea' with Putin

US President Donald Trump discussed North Korea when he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said Tuesday. (Yonhap)"They spoke about how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea," the office said in a readout.The main focus of the call was Syria, it said."President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence," the statement said. (Yonhap)

May 3, 2017

Clinton: US should be careful about negotiations with N. Korea

US should be careful about holding negotiations with North Korea, former US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Tuesday, after President Donald Trump said he would be "honored" to meet with the North's leader under the right circumstances."The North Koreans are always interested, not just Kim Jong-un but his father before him, were always interested in trying to get Americans to come to negotiate to elevate their status and their position. And we should be very careful about giv

May 3, 2017