S. Korea's top diplomat to attend UN meeting on N. Korea this week

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will attend a UN Security Council meeting on North Korea to be chaired by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.The ministerial meeting on Friday in New York will bring together US Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and officials from the council's 15 members, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)"It is the first-ever meeting to be held on the is

April 25, 2017

Kazakhstan health care ushers in privatization

Emerging from seven decades of state-led management of health care, Kazakhstan has embarked on an ambitious program of medical sector privatization and modernization, with a focus on attracting foreign investors and professionals. Under the “third wave” of economic modernization, health care has been identified as one of the key priorities with five objectives: system integration around patients’ needs; implementation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development best practices; e

April 24, 2017

‘South African, Korean economies can complement each other’

With the silver jubilee of diplomatic ties slated on Dec.1 this year, South Africa and South Korea can expand cooperation by exploiting economic areas of mutual benefit, according to Ambassador Nozuko Gloria Bam. South Africa’s recently adopted National Development Plan targets economic diversification and higher competitiveness, covering mining, agriculture, manufacturing and services. To achieve these measures, the government identified 40 projects in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing,

April 24, 2017

Argentine Embassy promotes flagship Malbec wine

The Argentine Embassy last week promoted the country’s flagship Malbec wine at a tasting event in Seoul. In its seventh iteration of the annual event, “Malbec World Day” at Millennium Seoul Hilton showcased the finest wines of Argentina, whose unique flavors and properties are forming savory chemistries with Korean consumers. The event is a global initiative sponsored by Wines of Argentina, a public promotional agency supported by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Worship and the Argentine W

April 24, 2017

Korea, US to discuss alliance issues

South Korea and the United States will hold working-level consultations later this week on a broad range of alliance issues including North Korea's military threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.The two sides are scheduled to open the two-day Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue meeting in Washington DC on Wednesday (local time), according to the Ministry of National Defense. An image of South Korea-US alliance in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV. (Yonhap)It would be their first KIDD s

April 24, 2017

US forces in Korea to hold drill for evacuation of noncombatants in June

The US Forces Korea plans to hold an exercise for the evacuation of noncombatant US citizens from South Korea in June, military sources said Sunday.The regular Courageous Channel practices operations for a safe exit of the 230,000 Americans in case of a conflict. The drill is led by the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Daegu, 302 kilometers southeast of Seoul.  (Yonhap)Tensions have mounted over North Korea's threat of nuclear and missile tests, and the US dispatch of powerful military

April 23, 2017

Nuke envoys from Korea, US, Japan to meet this week to chart ways to rein in North

Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet this week seeking to chart new ways to rein in North Korea as the communist country appears to be on the verge of another nuclear provocation.The meeting scheduled for Tuesday in Tokyo will bring together chief negotiators on the North Korean nuclear issue to coordinate their responses to evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.  (Yonhap)The Donald Trump administration is in the final stage of the formulatio

April 23, 2017

Korea expresses disappointment over Japan politicians' visit to shrine

South Korea voiced its "deep disappointment" on Friday after Japanese politicians paid their respects at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war criminals.Around 90 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine earlier in the day to mark an annual spring festival, Japan's Kyodo News reported.(Yonhap)They included Seiichi Eto, an aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.Abe also sent a ritual offering, the report said. "The (South Korean) government expresses deep concerns and disappointment

April 21, 2017

Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet next week to discuss NK issue

South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet next week to discuss their coordinated approach toward North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the foreign ministry here said Friday.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the South Korean foreign ministry, will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts -- Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi -- in Tokyo on Tuesday, according to the ministry. Kim Hong-kyun (left), South Korea's chief envoy on North

April 21, 2017

Top diplomats of Korea, Tanzania to hold talks in Seoul next week

The top diplomats of South Korea and Tanzania will sit down together in Seoul next week to discuss bilateral collaboration on economic issues as well as the North Korean nuclear issue, the foreign ministry here said Thursday.The talks between Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Tanzanian counterpart Augustine P. Mahiga are scheduled for Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. It will be their second meeting in about four months following one held on Dec. 7 in Ethiopia during a regional f

April 20, 2017

S. Korea's top diplomat to attend UNSC meeting on NK issue

South Korea's foreign minister will attend a United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for next week to discuss North Korea's nuclear threats and efforts to make the North go nuclear-free, a ministry source said Thursday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will join the UNSC meeting to be held in New York on April 28 that will focus on North Korea's nuclear stalemate and its denuclearization, the source told Yonhap News Agency. South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)The meeting wi

April 20, 2017

Korea, US, Japan unite against China's THAAD retaliation

South Korea, the United States and Japan united on Wednesday in urging China to stop economic retaliation on Seoul in connection with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system here.Senior defense officials from the three countries made the call at the Defense Trilateral Talks in Tokyo, which focused on their joint response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.In a joint press statement, they pointed the finger apparently at Beijing for its thinly veiled economic sanctions

April 20, 2017

White House seeks to fend off criticism over Carl Vinson's whereabouts

WASHINGTON -- The White House sought to fend off criticism Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other top officials have misleadingly said a Navy strike group was heading to the Korean Peninsula to deter North Korea when it was actually moving in the opposite direction.US officials came under fire following revelations that the group of ships led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson were thousands of miles away from Korea despite earlier statements suggesting they would be in the region

April 20, 2017

Vice unification minister meets with Japan's top envoy over NK issue

South Korea's vice unification minister on Wednesday met with Japan's top envoy to Seoul to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missile problems, government officials said.Vice Minister Kim Hyung-suk held the meeting with Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine to exchange views on security concerns and the importance of cooperation in responding to North Korea's threats, according to Seoul's unification ministry. This photo taken on April 19, 2017, shows Japanese Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine (center) heading to South K

April 19, 2017

Japan's consulate meets Busan ward chief over 'comfort women' statue

BUSAN -- The Japanese Consulate in the southern South Korean port city of Busan on Wednesday exerted indirect pressure on the city's Dong Ward municipality to remove a statue symbolizing Korean women forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels, officials at the regional government said.Japan's consul general in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto held talks with Park Sam-seok, chief of the municipality, earlier in the day as he offered to pay a courtesy call. Morimoto returned along with Japanese

April 19, 2017

Korea urges Japan to refrain from exacerbating security concerns

South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday called on Japan to refrain from fanning security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, one day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mentioned a contingency plan in the event of a conflict in Korea.In a parliamentary committee session on Monday, Abe said his government is working on contingency plans for a crisis situation on the peninsula, referring to a potential influx of Korean refugees into Japan. A Japanese newspaper's report on the possibility of U.S. attac

April 18, 2017

US official: THAAD deployment is right on track

WASHINGTON -- A US State Department official said Monday there is no hiccup in the ongoing deployment of a cutting-edge missile defense system in South Korea, dismissing concern about a political setback."There hasn't been any change, and there hasn't certainly been anything about the decision-making process that would indicate any change," Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters in a telephone conference. "So we're on track as far a

April 18, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Australia, Korea can progress across Indo-Pacific’

The defining axis of global growth over the next 25 years will be the “Indo-Pacific” region, encompassing rising India and Southeast Asia, a renowned political scientist forecast, urging Seoul to harness a future-oriented strategy that involves strengthened cooperation with Australia. As China’s growth falters and India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations amass industrial weight and abundant labor, the world economy’s center of gravity will drift toward the Indo-Pacific, according to

April 17, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Malaysia, Korea are partners in innovation’

Dato Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed, Malaysian minister of international trade and industry, believes Malaysia and Korea can skillfully navigate the volatile world economy by enhancing partnerships tailored to 21st-century commerce.Since assuming his post in 2009, the economics-trained politician has striven to raise the competitiveness of Malaysian enterprises and bureaucracies, with an emphasis on attracting quality foreign direct investments. The key objective of the Malaysian government is to uplif

April 17, 2017

S. Korea, US, Japan to discuss N. Korea in trilateral talks

Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan will have face-to-face talks on North Korea's saber-rattling later this week, a Seoul ministry announced Monday.The regional powers plan to hold the Defense Trilateral Talks in Tokyo on Wednesday, the ninth session of the forum launched in 2008, according to the Ministry of National Defense.An image of three-way defense cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan against North Korea in this file photo provided by Yonhap N

April 17, 2017