Envoys gather for iftar dinner

Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio on Thursday held an iftar -- a meal ceremony to mark the end of the daily Ramadan fast at sunset -- joined by several Muslim ambassadors. The event at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul included Islamic prayers, a speech and dinner, acting as a point of convergence for the believers. Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Chraibi, Kuwaiti Ambassador Jasem Albudaiwi, Tunisian Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nafti, Azeri Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov and Bruneian Ambassador Dato Paduka H

July 3, 2016

'Cambodian agriculture ripe for investment'

Cambodia, a country nestled in the southern lowlands of the Indochinese Peninsula, has fertile areas that yield some of the richest agricultural products in the region. Hallmark produce such as rice, rubber, vegetables, sugar cane, cashew nuts and soybeans have been the mainstay of exports, along with livestock and aquaculture. Amid the nation’s efforts to be a middle-income economy by 2030, agriculture was chosen as a priority sector, with the government actively wooing foreign investors. Korea

July 3, 2016

Bizmen again seek gov't approval to visit Gaesong factory park

A group of South Korean businessmen has asked the government again to approve their plan to visit the now-shuttered joint industrial park in North Korea next week, government officials said Tuesday.Seoul's unification ministry said that 29 businessmen made the request on Monday to visit the Gaesong Industrial Complex in the North's border city of the same name, where their factories are located, next month."The government plans to not approve the group's bid," said a government official, adding

June 28, 2016

Korea, U.S. to discuss cooperation at cybersecurity meeting

Korea and the United States will hold a policy consultation meeting in Washington this week to discuss cooperation against the growing threat from hacking and other cybercrimes, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.The meeting will be held on Wednesday (local time) in Washington between a Korean delegation led by Shin Maeng-ho, the ambassador for the ministry's international security affairs, and U.S. officials led by Christopher Painter, the coordinator for cyber issues at the U.S. Department of S

June 28, 2016

S. Korea to further strengthen coordination with China on N. Korea

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Tuesday that South Korea will further strengthen coordination with China to deal with North Korea's nuclear standoff and provocations. Hwang, who is on a five-day visit to China, made the remarks during a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Beijing ahead of meetings with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. North Korea, which has been hit by tougher U.N. sanctions following its fourth nuclear test in January, claimed la

June 28, 2016

S. Korea rejects N.K. offer for joint meeting involving parties, key figures

South Korea on Tuesday rejected North Korea's offer to hold a meeting involving both sides' political parties and social organizations in August, saying that denuclearization should be prioritized as a precondition for dialog.North Korea on Monday proposed to hold a joint conference of political parties, organizations and individuals between the two Koreas around Aug. 15 to mark the 71st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The North offered to have a working-lev

June 28, 2016

Obama nominates new deputy USFK commander

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated a new deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, director of the Air Force secretary's legislative liaison. (Yonhap)Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, director of the Air Force secretary's legislative liaison, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and nominated to be deputy USFK commander, Carter said in a statement.If confirmed, Bergeson will succeed Lt. Gen. Terre

June 28, 2016

S. Korea, U.S., Japan set for 1st joint missile defense exercise in Hawaii

South Korea, the United States and Japan are to hold their first trilateral missile defense exercise this week against North Korea's ever growing ballistic missile threats.The antimissile drill set for Tuesday in waters around Hawaii will revolve around a hypothetical missile launch by North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense here.The three countries will each dispatch one Aegis Combat System-equipped warship to the trilateral antimissile drill, the first of its kind to be held

June 27, 2016

Korean PM attends economic forum in China's Tianjin

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is set to brief global economic leaders on Korea's industrial reform and innovation at the World Economic Forum on Monday in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Hwang arrived in Tianjin on Sunday for a five-day trip to China that included meetings with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. At the "Summer Davos" forum in Tianjin, Hwang is slated to explain South Korea's "fourth industrial revolution," according to the prime minister

June 27, 2016

Grasping German for fortunes in Germany

The German Embassy last week granted diplomas to bookworms at high schools across Seoul who successfully completed German language courses offered by Germany’s school authorities and Foreign Office. At the ceremony on Tuesday, 72 students received certificates for completing the DSD 1 and DSD 2 programs, shortened names for the German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference.By earning these credentials, they are recognized as having the necessary competence to study at German

June 26, 2016

Poland, Korea hash over cultural promotion

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Glinski visited Korea last week to boost collaboration between the two countries, which aim to globalize their cultures as engines of growth. As part of his five-day visit, he participated in the 7th Asia-Europe Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Gwangju, representing the Polish delegation that joined with the highest number of officials. He also met his counterpart, Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jon

June 26, 2016

New Zealand minister touts Maori enterprise

New Zealand Minister for Maori Development Te Ururoa Flavell came to Korea last week to raise the profile of Maori businesses and promote their time-honored traditions. On his first visit, Flavell led a trade delegation of nine Maori firms covering food and beverage, seafood, horticulture, agriculture, forestry and tourism. At the breakfast forum hosted by the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, known as “The Kiwi Chamber” on Tuesday, he addressed more than 50 local business community leaders on th

June 26, 2016