A South Korean diplomat has been caught allegedly attempting to smuggle expensive elephant tusks into the country upon his return from a post in Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. Some 16 pieces of ivory, which is among the nation’s contraband goods, were found in the shipment of the diplomat who returned to the country in March and currently holds a high-ranking post at the central governm

Foreign Affairs May 2, 2011

For decades, labor movements in Korea were orchestrated by two umbrella groups, whose views often led to politicized activities rather than efforts for actual labor rights.Feeling the need for a new labor culture, some of their member unions are moving to create a “third labor alliance” that they say will focus less on politics and more on labor issues. Taking the lead, the Seoul Metro labor union

Social Affairs May 1, 2011

South Korea’s recent offer to simultaneously use the “East Sea” and the “Sea of Japan” to name the waters between the peninsula and Japan is drawing criticism from people here, who fear the decision will give the international community the wrong idea. The appellation for the body of waters, called the “East Sea” by Koreans and the “Sea of Japan” by the Japanese, has long been a source of tension

Foreign Affairs May 1, 2011

Carter arrives in Pyongyang for possible talks with N.K. leaderChina and South Korea have managed to bridge their once divided views over how to revive the stalled peace dialogue with North Korea, a process that should begin with an earnest dialogue between the two Koreas, a senior official here said Tuesday. Chief nuclear envoys of the two neighboring countries held talks in Seoul Tuesday -- the

Foreign Affairs April 26, 2011

Antiquated North Korean airliners have been banned from operating in European countries for six years in a row as part of the European Union’s prohibition on 21 states that have failed to meet its safety standards, a U.S.-funded private radio station reported Tuesday. Under the EU ban, Pyong­yang’s Air Koryo can only fly two new airliners it purchased from Russia last year to the E.U. member state

Foreign Affairs April 26, 2011

Chief nuclear envoys of China and South Korea will meet in Seoul next week, to discuss the possibility of resuming peace talks with North Korea possibly through an inter-Korean nuclear dialogue, the Foreign Ministry here said Friday. The visit to South Korea by Wu Dawei comes after Beijing recently suggested nuclear envoys of the two Koreas meet to pave the way for larger-scale six-nation denuclea

Foreign Affairs April 22, 2011

The Vietnam government will open this week a Korean language research institute ― the country’s first state-backed institute for a foreign language ― as part of its efforts to expand cultural exchanges with Seoul, a state-run foundation here said Thursday.As an affiliation of the Vietnamese government, the Korean language center will open in Hanoi on Sunday at a ceremony joined by some 100 members

Foreign Affairs April 21, 2011

A South Korean man received a suspended jail term Tuesday for retweeting messages from North Korea’s official website in the first such case since the communist state launched a cyber propaganda campaign.The Seoul Central District Court said it had handed the 55-year-old man identified only as Cho a two-year jail sentence, suspended for three years, for violating South Korea’s security law.The man

Politics April 20, 2011

Allies united as they soften stance over past military provocations by PyongyangFacing the increasing need to deal with North Korea’s ongoing nuclear ambitions, South Korea and the U.S. appear to be softening their once firm stance not to resume dialogue until the communist state apologizes for attacking Seoul last year, according to officials and reports Tuesday. International efforts to achieve

Foreign Affairs April 19, 2011