Japanese lawmakers are expected to go ahead with their planned trip to an island near South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo on Monday, upping tensions as the Seoul government plans to ban them from entry. Despite South Korea’s official announcement that it will bar the Tokyo politicians from entering its land, three lawmakers of Japan’s opposition Liberal Democratic Party said they would go ah

Foreign Affairs July 31, 2011

South Korea said Thursday it will ban two Japanese lawmakers from visiting an island near the country’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, a move that has been rekindling criticism over Tokyo’s longstanding territorial claims. Four lawmakers of Japan’s opposition Liberal Democratic Party said last week they plan to visit the island Ulleungdo on Aug. 1 to see for themselves “how South Koreans feel” about

Foreign Affairs July 28, 2011

South Korea is considering sending anti-malaria supplies to North Korea, an aid group here said Wednesday, indicating Seoul’s softening stance toward its northern rival.The Seoul government is positively considering the group’s request to approve sending two items of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment to the North, the Korean Sharing Movement said. Charity groups here need government approval to send

North Korea July 27, 2011

Ieodo is not a disputed territory and both South Korea and China are aware that this submerged rock in the East China Sea cannot be claimed by either side, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry unofficially announced its position as news reports unveiled China had recently renewed its territorial claim over Ieodo by demanding South Korea halt its work to hoist a sunken commercial s

Foreign Affairs July 27, 2011

Police said Friday they are currently investigating telephone calls made between a reporter and politician related to the alleged bugging of a Democratic Party meeting. “We are currently looking into telephone calls made by the reporter, politician and his aides to verify whether they shared information over the alleged bugging,” an officer at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul said Friday.

Social Affairs July 22, 2011

‘Chance of North’s News analysis communication with S. Korean media slim’North Korea’s recent gesture to open its doors wider to Western media indicates the reclusive state’s dilemma of wanting to escape international isolation while keeping its people marooned, analysts and officials here say. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency recently signed agreements with the New York-based Ass

North Korea July 21, 2011

North Korea’s imports of luxury goods from China almost doubled in a year, a report from China showed Wednesday, indicating the ongoing shopping spree by the elite class of the reclusive regime even as its people are supposedly dying of hunger. According to Beijing customs, quoted by Seoul officials, the total volume of trade between Pyongyang and its last-remaining ally and economic benefactor su

North Korea July 20, 2011

Foreign minister warns Tokyo to end Korean Air boycott over DokdoJapan has more to lose than gain from its recent boycott against South Korea’s main airline, as such a move is far from enough to undermine South Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo islets or Korean Air’s business, the Foreign Ministry here said Tuesday. Last week, Japanese foreign minister instructed officials to refrain from using Korea

Foreign Affairs July 19, 2011

Official says Seoul will not highlight N. Korea’s attacks in chairman’s statementAn unofficial meeting between top diplomats of the two Koreas during a regional security forum this week may pave the way for the resumption of long-stalled official dialogue between the countries, officials and analysts said Monday. South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will visit Indonesia from Thursday to att

Politics July 18, 2011

Starving North Koreans have been conducting aggressive campaigns to deliver rice to their 1.2 million-strong active military, the South Korean government said Sunday, as disputes continue over the conditions in the communist state. North Korean farmers vowed to “carry out active campaigns to send more rice to the military” during a July 4 assembly, the Seoul government said, quoting a recently acq

North Korea July 17, 2011