Articles by Ahn Sung-mi
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Ahn Sung-mi
sahn@heraldcorp.com-
S. Korea, US, Japan urge NK to cease tension escalation, return to dialogue
Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan urged North Korea to cease activities that escalate tension and return to dialogue and diplomacy at the earliest, following the regime’s recent flurry of missile tests. The call was made at the three-way session between South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his American and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday (local time). Both bilateral and tril
Foreign Affairs Feb. 11, 2022
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NK issue at pivotal moment: nuclear envoy
South Korea’s top nuclear envoy stressed that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a pivotal moment following North Korea’s recent series of missile tests, calling for the need of engagement with the reclusive regime. “I believe we are at a very pivotal moment that will decide if we will return to the period of cold winter or a season of warm atmosphere as it is here,” South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk told reporters upon arriving at Honol
North Korea Feb. 10, 2022
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After Olympic furor, US envoy says hanbok Korean
The top US diplomat to South Korea released a photo donning hanbok and backing its origin as Korean on Tuesday, in an apparent response to the controversy sparked by China’s alleged cultural appropriation over the traditional Korean attire during the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Christopher Del Corso, charge d’affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Seoul, posted two pictures of himself wearing hanbok while touring historic places on his Twitter on Tuesda
Foreign Affairs Feb. 9, 2022
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NK holds key parliamentary meeting in leader Kim’s absence
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament gathered for two days earlier this week to discuss cabinet work and government budgets, with leader Kim Jong-un absent at the key gathering. The sixth session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly was held in Pyongyang on Sunday and Monday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday. There was no separate message toward Washington or Seoul amid heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula, unlike last September when
North Korea Feb. 8, 2022
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Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii for talks on NK
Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting this week in Hawaii to discuss ways to restart the stalled talks and rid the North of its nuclear weapons, amid escalating tension after the regime’s back-to-back missile launches. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will meet with his American and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakos
Foreign Affairs Feb. 7, 2022
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NK continues nuclear program, relies on cyberattacks for revenue: UN report
North Korea continued to expand its nuclear and missile programs last year despite international sanctions, while the regime relied on cryptocurrency heists as its key revenue source, according to a news report Sunday. A United Nations panel of experts monitoring sanctions on Pyongyang said the regime “continued to develop its capability for production of nuclear fissile materials,” despite no reported nuclear tests or launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles last year, in
North Korea Feb. 6, 2022
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FM Chung protests Japan’s Sado mine heritage push in his first call with Hayashi
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Thursday expressed deep disappointment and protested against Japan’s recent decision to seek a UNESCO World Heritage List designation for the gold mine on the island of Sado, which is associated with the wartime abuse of Korean laborers, in his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi. Their conversation came just days after the Japanese government on Tuesday decided to go ahead with the listing of the Sado min
Foreign Affairs Feb. 3, 2022
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Seoul seeks to establish office for inter-Korean exchange at Chinese border city
The South Korean government is seeking to establish a new office in a city along the China-North Korea border to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, amid signs that the North may relax its pandemic border closure soon. The South-North Korea Exchanges and Cooperation Support Association, which is run by the Unification Ministry, plans to open its first overseas bureau in a Chinese city near the border with North Korea, the ministry said Thursday. “There are many private
North Korea Feb. 3, 2022
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Washington’s pick of new envoy to Seoul: what’s the implication?
After more than a year wait, the Joe Biden administration has decided on a new US ambassador to South Korea, according to sources here. It will nominate Philip Goldberg, a career diplomat currently serving as US Ambassador to Colombia, to lead the US mission in Seoul at a critical moment on the Korean Peninsula. Observers are trying to determine what Washington’s selection would mean for the future of the 70-year alliance and its approaches to nuclear-armed North Korea, as well as how it
Foreign Affairs Jan. 31, 2022
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NK confirms missile tests as Kim Jong-un visits munitions factory
North Korea on Friday confirmed it had test-fired an upgraded long-range cruise missile and a tactical guided missile this week, as its leader Kim Jong-un inspected a munitions factory for the first time in years. The official Korean Central News Agency said it “conducted the test-firing for updating long-range cruise missile system and the test-fire for confirming the power of conventional warhead for surface-to-surface tactical guided missile” respectively on Tuesday and T
North Korea Jan. 28, 2022
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Seoul advises Korean nationals in 15 Ukraine regions to leave
South Korean government advised its nationals residing in 15 regions in Ukraine to leave amid heightened fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday additionally placed 12 provinces located in the eastern and northern regions of Ukraine, including capital Kyiv, Rivne, Sumy and Odessa, under the elevated travel alert, advising South Korean nationals to swiftly exit the region. Fifteen out of Ukraine’s 25 provinces are now under a Level 3 travel ad
Foreign Affairs Jan. 26, 2022
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New NK sanctions face up to 6-month delay on China and Russia’s objection
The US’ push to impose UN sanctions on five North Koreans responsible for the regime’s recent missile launches could be delayed for at least six months, after China and Russia blocked the move. Norway, which holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in January, confirmed that China and Russia have put a hold on a US initiative to impose additional UN sanctions on the regime, according to a Voice of America report Tuesday. It added that the block period can last up
North Korea Jan. 25, 2022
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Professor slams Japanese Embassy’s refusal to Moon’s gift over Dokdo
Seo Kyung-duk, a well-known professor at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, on Monday slammed the Japanese Embassy in Seoul for rejecting President Moon Jae-in’s Lunar New Year gift that bears an image resembling the Dokdo islets on the gift box, saying it was an attempt to make the island an area of conflict. Cheong Wa Dae had sent a gift box with chestnuts, traditional liquor and other items to all the foreign ambassadors, including Japanese Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi, ahead
Foreign Affairs Jan. 24, 2022
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End-of-war declaration ‘meaningless’ if no progress on NK denuclearization: US lawmaker
US Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed support for South Korea’s proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War, but stressed that the declaration on its own is “meaningless” if Pyongyang is reluctant to talk or makes no progress toward denuclearization. “I commend the Biden and Moon administrations for taking steps to engage North Korea and urge North Korea to return to the negotiating table,” Meeks said in a statemen
North Korea Jan. 20, 2022
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Ex-FM Kang to face public hearing for ILO leadership bid Thursday
Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who is running to be the next director general of the International Labor Organization, will face a public hearing to present her candidacy and take questions from the organization’s governing body on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO on Wednesday said public dialogues with five candidates for its top job will be held on Thursday and Friday. A Foreign Ministry official said Kang’s meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. (Geneva time) on Thur
Foreign Affairs Jan. 19, 2022
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