The World Trade Organization’s leadership race has been thrown up in the air, as the US blocked the Nigerian front-runner and decided to put its weight behind South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, despite her failure to win majority support from the member states. 　 At a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, the WTO’s selection panel recommended Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next director general, as she won the backing of the vast majority of the multilateral body&rsq

Foreign Affairs Oct. 29, 2020

In September during the first televised presidential debate of the election season, US President Donald Trump said “elections have consequences.” 　 His remark holds true not only to Americans, but to countries around the world closely watching the US election and trying to determine what the outcome will mean for them. 　 South Korea is no exception. As a key Washington ally from security to trade and North Korea diplomacy, Seoul has a lot at stake depending on who controls the Whi

Foreign Affairs Oct. 28, 2020

With the EU and Japan reportedly backing Nigeria’s World Trade Organization candidate, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee faces an uphill battle in the race to claim the top job of the international trade body. 　 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, formerly Nigeria’s finance minister and foreign minister, and Yoo are facing off to become the first female chief in the WTO’s 25-year history, replacing Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year early in August after seven years

Foreign Affairs Oct. 27, 2020

South Korea appears to be the only country openly opposing Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, a lawmaker said Monday. 　 According to information obtained by Rep. Lee Tae-kyu from the Foreign Ministry, no other country in the world has publicly protested Tokyo’s impending decision to dispose of contaminated water. 　 Countries in the EU and Pacific island nations, as well as the US, have responded to the issue as a m

Foreign Affairs Oct. 26, 2020

Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee was one of South Korea’s most prominent patrons of sports and the arts. His scope of influence even extended to inter-Korean relations. 　  In the sports world, the Samsung tycoon is best remembered for two key positions he held -- owner of the professional baseball team the Samsung Lions and member of the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2017.  But his interest and investment in sports went well beyond that. Under his leadership, S

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2020

North Korea spoke of its strong ties with China and expressed hope of strengthening bilateral relations further as the two countries marked the 70th anniversary of China’s participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, the North’s official newspaper said Sunday.  The Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party, ran a special report to honor China for its role in the Korean War, recalling how Chinese troops crossed the border into North Korea on

North Korea Oct. 25, 2020

Tributes poured in from across the worlds of politics, business, the arts and sports for Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee on Sunday. 　 Lee died at the age of 78 at a hospital in Seoul on Sunday morning with family members by his side, including his son and de facto Samsung Group chief Lee Jae-yong, the conglomerate said in a statement. He had been bedridden since May 2014 after suffering a heart attack. 　 President Moon Jae-in sent floral wreaths to the late tycoon’s funeral alt

Politics Oct. 25, 2020

Tomas Saraceno, an Argentinian contemporary artist who is behind the launch of a fuel-free air balloon, stressed sustainability during a Q&A session at the Herald Design Forum on Thursday. Saraceno launched a project, titled “Fly with Aerocene Pacha,” an air balloon powered only by the sun and air, forgoing helium or fossil fuels, as a way of exploring environmentally friendly flight. The project was exhibited as part of “Connect BTS,” a global public art project i

Culture Oct. 22, 2020

　 The annual Herald Design Forum kicked off Thursday morning, marking its 10th edition by envisioning how design could change the world in the coming decade. 　 Under the slogan “Another 10 Years,” the largest design forum in Asia brought together prominent designers, architects, artists, curators and directors. The event was held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,400 participants livestreaming the sessions. In compliance with the government&rsquo

Culture Oct. 22, 2020

The South Korean government is considering whether to impose fines on its citizens if they fish in the waters off West Africa, in response to repeated maritime abductions in the region, local reports said Wednesday. 　 The ministries of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries have been discussing the matter with other concerned agencies, seeking a way to dissuade Korean sailors from fishing in the perilous waters, primarily in the Gulf of Guinea, the report said, citing unnamed sources. The fines could a

Foreign Affairs Oct. 21, 2020

The Korea-Iran Association, a private organization established to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, will officially kick off this week. 　 The inaugural meeting will be held at the Iranian Embassy in Seoul at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Chun Jung-bae, a former justice minister and lawmaker, will serve as its inaugural chairman.  　 Joining the group are Song Woong-yeob, former South Korean ambassador to Iran, as well as officials from major companies and sports, culture and media figur

Foreign Affairs Oct. 21, 2020

Seoul authorities are mulling how to respond to Japan’s impending decision on discharging radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, which could heighten concerns on public safety and environment here. 　 Tokyo is set to formally decide on Oct. 27 as to what to do with the more than 1 million tons of contaminated water it has collected since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japanese media outlets said T

North Korea Oct. 20, 2020

Civilian tours of the demilitarized border village of Panmunjom will reopen early next month after being suspended for more than a year due to an outbreak of African swine fever, the Unification Ministry said Monday. 　 The tours of the Joint Security Area and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone are set to begin Nov. 4 for a trial run with a limited number of visitors. The official opening will be Nov. 6, the ministry said. 　 There have been no cases of the animal disease since June in Pa

North Korea Oct. 19, 2020

North Korea said a recent Danish documentary claims to show Pyongyang bypassing international sanctions on arms trading is “fabricated” and called Denmark to find the infiltrator, according to media reports on Friday.  The North Korean Embassy in Stockholm said the documentary “is from the beginning to the end a fabricated film which aimed to cast a slur on the image of the DPRK,” Reuters reported, citing the embassy’s letter sent to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bl

North Korea Oct. 16, 2020

Seoul and Washington are on the same page over the need to declare an end to the Korean War after denuclearizing Pyongyang, Seoul’s top security adviser said, seeking to end speculation that the two sides are in dissent over the matter.  Suh Hoon, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, stressed that the formally ending the Korean War cannot be separated from the denuclearization process of North Korea, adding it was “common sense” that the two matters

North Korea Oct. 16, 2020