Two ships suspected of having carried North Korean coal to South Korean ports in October last year were found to be operated by Chinese companies, as South Korean authorities investigate the alleged shipment in violation of United Nations sanctions.According to safety inspection data published by the Port State Control Committee in the Asia-Pacific region, the Panama-registered Sky Angel, which shipped about 4,000 tons of North Korean coal to the port of Incheon on Oct. 2, was operated by Dalian

Foreign Affairs July 18, 2018

The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it is looking into cases in which North Korean coal was allegedly shipped to South Korea via Russia last year in violation of United Nations sanctions. 　According to an annual UN sanctions committee report summited by a panel of experts, North Korean coal shipped to the Russian port of Kholmsk was unloaded at docks and reloaded onto two vessels that took it to South Korean ports of Incheon and Pohang in October.　North Korean coal was transported from the North’s

North Korea July 17, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday named a women’s rights expert to head the National Human Rights Commission, amid growing calls to better protect the rights of women and minorities. 　Choi Young-ae, chief of the human rights commission of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, has been tapped as the new chief of the National Human Rights Commission, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom announced at a press briefing.　If appointed, the 67-year-old will become the first female chief of the human rights

Politics July 17, 2018

The US and North Korea held working-level talks on Monday at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss details of the return of the remains of US soldiers killed during the Korean War, which experts say could help propel follow-up negotiations on North Korea’s denuclearization.The US and North Korea agreed to resume field operations to search for the war remains at a general-level meeting on Sunday, which US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said was “productive and cooperative and resulted in fir

Foreign Affairs July 16, 2018

The US and North Korea have agreed to resume the search for the remains of US soldiers killed during the Korean War, with working-level meetings to begin on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. The agreement came at a general-level meeting between the two sides on Sunday at the border village of Panmunjom, which Pompeo said was “productive and cooperative and resulted in firm commitments” in a statement.  (Yonhap)“Working level meetings between US and North Korean officials will begin

North Korea July 16, 2018

A UN Security Council sanctions committee has reportedly allowed South Korea to temporarily supply fuel and vehicles to North Korea, an exception granted for the Koreas to restore their military communication lines.  (Yonhap)The sanctions committee on North Korea approved the South Korean government’s request for permission to export gasoline, buses, trucks and other items to the North, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, citing diplomatic sources at the UN Security Council. The 15-member UN Secu

Foreign Affairs July 15, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he hopes to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War this year, and discussions are underway among the two Koreas and the US, but there are stumbling blocks along the way, according to experts. 　In a written interview with the Straits Times conducted before his overseas trip to India and Singapore that kicked off Sunday, Moon said that declaring an end to the Korean War would be a milestone toward permanent peace.　“As agreed in the Panmunjeom Declara

Foreign Affairs July 12, 2018

For North Korean refugees who made the perilous journey to South Korea to escape the repressive regime, learning English is not only about surviving in the hyper-competitive South Korean society.  　It is also about pursuing their new freedom, finding their identities and regaining their voice, said Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Teach North Korean Refugees, a Seoul-based nonprofit group. 　“They were at first either so shy or afraid to speak in English,” said Lartigue during an interview with The

North Korea July 11, 2018

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy said Wednesday that the next few months are crucial for the path to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as he departed for Washington to consult US officials on North Korea. Lee Do-hoon (Yonhap)Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security affairs at the Foreign Ministry, also stressed the importance of coordination between South Korea and the US. “In the path toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the nex

Foreign Affairs July 11, 2018

South Korea's commission for the minimum wage on Tuesday voted down a proposal to differentiate minimum pay by business sector, dealing a blow to employers' push for the move. (Yonhap)The Minimum Wage Commission, comprising those representing the public interest, workers and employers, rejected the proposal in a 14-9 vote. Of the 23 participants in the poll, five were from the labor side and nine spoke for the public interest. Following the vote, the employers' representatives left the room in p

Social Affairs July 10, 2018

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea on Tuesday called on the South Korean government to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the defection of North Korean restaurant workers in 2016, saying some of the workers were “victims” of a scam. 　The government should hold accountable those responsible for what he said could constitute a “crime” and allow the workers to decide whether to remain in South Korea or return to North Korea, Tomas Ojea Quintana said at a pre

North Korea July 10, 2018

After the US top diplomat’s visit to North Korea laid bare fundamental differences between Washington and Pyongyang on how to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the follow-up negotiations are expected to be an uphill battle, experts say. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang last week did not yield tangible outcomes, but the two countries kept the momentum of dialogue alive by agreeing to create a working group on verification.  Senior North Korean official Kim Yo

Foreign Affairs July 9, 2018

North Korean ruling party’s senior official met with Raul Castro, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, in Cuba on Thursday, and delivered a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to media reports. According to Cuba’s state-run broadcaster, Ri Su-yong, a vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, and Castro confirmed traditional ties and friendship between the governments, parties and people during a meeting. During the meeting, Ri delivered to

North Korea July 6, 2018

The South Korean delegation returned to Seoul on Friday with concrete plans to further expand inter-Korean sport exchanges. The delegation was in Pyongyang on a four-day trip to play cross-border basketball friendly matches for the first time in 15 years. Announcing the results of the 23-minute overnight inter-Korean talks, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that North Korea will send a delegation of 16 players and nine officials to an international table tennis tournament to be

North Korea July 6, 2018

Relaxing of sanctions on North Korea appears to be inevitable as long as the country continues to engage in dialogue over the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program with the US, experts say. In the coming months, China and Russia will step up calls for lifting of sanctions against North Korea, China will loosen its control on the border with North Korea, and the US will turn a blind eye to the crack in implementation of sanctions to maintain the momentum of dialogue, they say.(Yonhap)Followi

Foreign Affairs July 5, 2018