Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the South Korean government should keep a cool head about a diplomatic opening with North Korea ahead of the planned inter-Korean summit. 　Warning of the “nature of North Korea,” Ban, who was also foreign minister here from 2004-2006, said that Pyongyang is reaching out to Seoul at this particular moment due to a faltering economy and social conditions brought on by heavy international sanctions. 　“We are very hopeful and excit

Foreign Affairs March 26, 2018

A Korean cargo ship with 24 people on board went missing in the South Atlantic about a year ago and eight Korean nationals never returned home. The victims’ families still don’t know what happened that day.The families of those who remain unaccounted for on Monday called on the government to launch an investigation and approve the use of underwater search equipment to determine the cause of the sinking of the Stellar Daisy that sank some 3,700 kilometers off Uruguay on March 31.  Families of tho

Foreign Affairs March 26, 2018

US President Donald Trump’s pick of defense hawk John Bolton as his new security adviser is fueling concerns in South Korea that Washington is shifting to a tougher stance on North Korea ahead of its planned summit with Pyongyang.　Trump announced in a tweet he had tapped as his new national security adviser Bolton, a Fox News analyst and former US ambassador to the United Nations known for his hard-line stance advocating the use of military force against North Korea and Iran. 　The decision to re

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s raising of the possibility of three-way talks among Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington shows his willingness to use the upcoming summits to push for the end of the Korean War, signing of the peace treaty and denuclearization all together, experts say.Moon said the upcoming North Korea-US summit, expected to happen in May, could lead to a trilateral summit of the South, North and the US during a meeting of Seoul’s inter-Korean summit preparation committee Wednesd

Foreign Affairs March 22, 2018

In South Korea, soldiers who fought alongside the US against communist forces during the 1960-1975 Vietnam War are widely hailed as patriots whose dedication and sacrifice contributed to the nation’s rapid economic rise. Some Vietnamese, however, testify that they still have vivid memories of Korean troops killing their families, friends and neighbors and burning their homes in the US-led conflict five decades ago. “Beyond admitting that South Korea has a debt of heart to Vietnam, the country sh

Foreign Affairs March 21, 2018

A meeting attended by a senior North Korea diplomat, former US officials and academics from South Korea and the US is set to kick off Tuesday in Finland, which could mark a chance to explore the North’s sincerity about its denuclearization pledges and talks with the US. 　Choe Kang-il, deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, arrived in Helsinki, Finland, to attend a dinner with the Finnish government on Monday and a two-day meeting with former US offi

Foreign Affairs March 19, 2018

South Korea’s top diplomat said that she is confident of Washington’s commitment to the alliance and the troop presence in the country during an interview with a US media outlet aired Sunday, as the allies seek to boost coordination amid a diplomatic opening with North Korea. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that US President Donald Trump’s apparent threat to remove US troops from South Korea over a trade dispute “raises eyebrows,” but the country remains “abso

Foreign Affairs March 18, 2018

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha left for Washington on Thursday to meet US officials for discussions on North Korean issues as Washington and Pyongyang prepare for a historic summit in May. 　Kang plans to meet acting Secretary of State John Sullivan, Ivanka Trump, senior adviser to her father President Donald Trump, and key congressional leaders including Paul Ryan, speaker of the House of Representatives, in Washington, according to the Foreign Ministry. 　They are expected to discuss recent dev

Foreign Affairs March 15, 2018

US President Donald Trump’s decision to tap a hard-liner as his new secretary of state ahead of a historic US-North Korea summit hints at serious intentions for the talks, and his determination to tighten his grip over North Korea policy, experts say.　The decision to pick Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, who has been loyal to Trump, could boost US-North Korea talks, they say. But concerns also persist that there is now no one left in Washington to challenge Trump’s decis

North Korea March 14, 2018

US President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by May for talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, but their different understandings of “denuclearization” stand as a major stumbling block to the possibly history-making talks. Despite growing hopes that the breakthrough between North Korea and the US could tackle the nuclear standoff, skepticism also lingers over whether the summit between Trump and Kim can be held and if so whether it wo

Foreign Affairs March 13, 2018

The question of who in Washington will take the lead in preparing for proposed talks between North Korea and the US is gaining attention as concerns grow over a lack of seasoned diplomats in Washington familiar with North Korea.US President Donald Trump accepted an invitation on Friday to meet North Korean leader Kim Jung-un for talks on denuclearization by May in what appears to be a breakthrough after months of insults, threats and hostility between the leaders. With the Trump administration a

Foreign Affairs March 12, 2018

With US President Donald Trump appearing ready to engage with North Korea, questions are rising over what prompted the North Korean leader to offer conditions sufficient to warrant such a reaction from the US leader. 　On Friday, the White House confirmed that Trump will meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un by May to achieve denuclearization, suggesting that Seoul’s envoys conveyed conditions satisfactory to the US leader. 　Trump, who once called Kim a “little rocket man” and threatened to rain

Foreign Affairs March 9, 2018

After North Korea said it was willing to discuss denuclearization with the US, both hope and skepticism are growing over a potential diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Pyongyang. 　US President Donald Trump hailed the North’s offer to denuclearize as “very positive” and “sincere.” He also said in the Oval Office it would be “a great thing” for the world, North Korea and the peninsula, adding he will “see what happens.”　In what many see as an unexpectedly bold move, North Korean leader

Foreign Affairs March 7, 2018

The key achievement of President Moon Jae-in’s envoys to North Korea is that the two Koreas laid the groundwork for easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and opened a possibility for talks between the reclusive regime and the US to tackle the nuclear deadlock, experts said Tuesday. South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit at the Peace House in Panmunjeom at the end of April, Moon’s top security adviser said Tuesday, following a two-day trip to Pyongyang as Moon

Foreign Affairs March 6, 2018

In Korea, spring always comes with an unwelcome guest -- fine dust -- and it has become a norm to check the fine dust level every morning, put on a mask and bear with it. But that does not have be a norm. South Korean people hold the key to challenging the status quo by pressuring the government and businesses, said Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wide Fund for Nature. Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)“Negative changes can be reversed. We decide t

Foreign Affairs March 6, 2018