Sydney Seiler, the U.S. special envoy to the multilateral talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, met with senior South Korean officials on Monday in Seoul to discuss Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear program and ways to persuade it to come out for dialogue. Sydney Seiler, the U.S. special envoy to the multilateral talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, speaks in a meeting with the press in Seoul. (Yonhap)His meeting with Seoul officials came ahead of the trilateral talks among the nuclear envoys

North Korea July 27, 2015

North Korea’s recent deployment of four multiple rocket launchers on a border island is raising questions whether South Korea is sufficiently prepared to handle threats from these rockets and other artillery targeting Seoul and its surrounding areas.This file photo shows North Korea’s forward-deployed artillery piece, marked with a red circle, at its border island of Galdo, 4.5 km from South Korea’s Yeonpyeongdo Island. (Yonhap)　In recent years, defense discourse here has centered on countering

Defense July 26, 2015

South Korea’s Defense Ministry pledged Friday to “promptly and exhaustively” investigate the U.S. military’s accidental shipment of a live anthrax sample to a U.S. base here, after the Pentagon released the outcome of its probe, calling the shipment an “inexcusable mistake.”“We will visit Osan Air Base at the earliest date to exhaustively look into the accidental shipment of the anthrax sample to the unit and check the outcome of the U.S. side’s probe into the case,” the ministry said in a press

Defense July 24, 2015

“IS Report” By Samuel Laurent, Korean translation by Eun-Jung Felsner / (Hanul Publishing Group) Since it declared statehood about a year ago, the Islamic State, a jihadist militant group, has been making headlines with beheadings of hostages, terrorist attacks and other nefarious activities to push for its religious causes.Despite the U.S.-led fight against the radical group, the IS has been strengthening its clout in Iraq, Syria and beyond, as if to confirm the revival of a “caliphate,” a poli

Books July 23, 2015

For a country’s external policy to fare well, it needs sufficient backing from both within and outside. It is particularly so when it comes to a defense initiative that is costly and could be perceived as a security threat to its neighbors. In this July 16 phpoto, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a plenary session at the lower house in Tokyo. (AP-Yonhap)Despite its mantra of active contribution to peace, or “active pacifism,” Tokyo’s pursuit of heavier armament and an expanded security

Foreign Affairs July 22, 2015

In the field of political science, the issue of national identity has been marginalized due to its abstract, impractical and amorphous nature that makes it difficult for one to empirically back his or her analyses of international relations.For mainstream theorists -- be they liberalists or realists -- material power, trade volume, investment amounts and other tangible, thus, measurable, data are critical sources of research, while “soft” concepts like identity have largely been overlooked.This

Books July 16, 2015

Following Tuesday’s landmark deal over Iran’s nuclear program, questions are being raised over whether the accord would offer momentum for progress on North Korea’s denuclearization, with analysts torn over the deal’s implications for the peninsular standoff.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets with heads of North Korea’s overseas missions during a meeting of diplomats, the North’s official Korea Central Television reported Wednesday. (Yonhap)Some analysts say that after the U.S. took steps to

Foreign Affairs July 15, 2015

통일의 피아노 (공명 제공)통일부가 휴전선 폐철책으로 만든 “통일의 피아노”를 다음 주 화요일에 공개한다. 통일부가 주관하고 제일기획의 대행으로 지난 4월 시작된 이 사업은 올해 남북분단 70년, 광복 70주년을 맞아 한국인들의 통일의 염원을 강조하기 위해 추진된 사업이다.한국 전통음악을 기반으로 독특한 현대 음악 장르를 추구하여 국내외 주목 받고 있는 월드뮤직그룹 “공명”이 피아노 제작을 맡았다. 공명은 전방 육군부대의 지원을 받아 폐철책을 이용하여 두 개의 통일의 피아노를 제작했다. 통일의 피아노는 다음 주 화요일 서울시립미술관에서 열리는 남북한 전시전에서 첫 공개된다. 이 피아노의 현은 모두 폐철책으로 만들어진 것이다. 이 피아노는 또한 8월 15일 광복절 70주년 기념으로 열리는 국립합창단 공연에 처음 연주된다. 공명의 리더인 박승원씨는 코리아헤럴드와의 전화인터뷰에서 “전쟁의 대표적인 상징이고 (남북한의) 대치상황을 나타내는 철조망이 피아노에 걸려지고 (이 피아노가) 통일 염

한국어판 July 14, 2015

North Korea’s efforts to idolize its late former leaders appear to have recently been reduced, an indication that current ruler Kim Jong-un is striving to wean himself from the influences of his predecessors and build his own leadership, analysts said Monday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears on the screen during a recent performance by the North’s Moranbong troupe. (Yonhap)The current leader has recently appeared in a series of public events without wearing a badge depicting the portraits

North Korea July 13, 2015

Kim Sung-jae, director of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center and former culture minister, speaks in a meeting with reporters at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday. (Yonhap)Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, will take a direct flight over the West Sea to Pyongyang on Aug. 5 for a four-day visit, her aides said Monday after their talks with the North Korean side, raising expectations for her role to thaw frosty inter-Korean relation

North Korea July 6, 2015

The wanted list of the then-Toyohara Police Station in southern Sakhalin. (The Commission on Verification and Support for the Victims of Forced Mobilization under Japanese Colonialism in Korea)At least 846 Koreans were forced by Japan to work in overseas locations including Sakhalin, the island off the far eastern end of Russia, during the 1910-45 colonial period, a government fact-finding panel said Friday.The Commission on Verification and Support for the Victims of Forced Mobilization under J

Foreign Affairs July 3, 2015