South Korea on Wednesday expressed deep regret over Japan’s removal of the country from its whitelist of trusted trading partners, with deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong saying it was now up to Japan to decide whether the two countries terminate their bilateral intel-sharing deal.At midnight Tuesday, Korea became the first country to be taken off the list, meaning Japanese exporters must now apply for clearance to export a wide range of goods to Korea. Japan now has 26 countr

Foreign Affairs Aug. 28, 2019

The South Korean government is attempting to ease concerns that the country’s decision to abandon a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan will weaken its alliance with the US and cooperation in fending off North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. Following Cheong Wa Dae’s announcement Thursday that the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan would be scrapped, the presidential office and related ministries here on Friday stressed that the allianc

Defense Aug. 23, 2019

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said Friday the regime is ready for both dialogue and confrontation with the US, criticizing Washington for using sanctions as leverage in denuclearization talks. In a statement via the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Ri condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for invoking sanctions imposed on the North in a recent interview with Washington Examiner. “The US is miscalculating if it is trying to not lose (the) confrontational stance against

North Korea Aug. 23, 2019

South Korea and the US are expected to launch defense cost-sharing talks in mid-September, according to a Foreign Ministry official, amid a growing concern here over US President Donald Trump’s push for the Asian ally’s substantial hike in contribution. The negotiation for the Special Measures Agreement is for deciding South Korea’s share of the cost for the upkeep of the 28,500 US troops. “I predict that SMA talks could open in mid-September at the earliest, after t

Foreign Affairs Aug. 22, 2019

The US and North Korea are expected to resume denuclearization talks soon, Kim Hyun-chong, a deputy director at the presidential National Security Office, said Thursday after a meeting with a top US envoy for Pyongyang. “The impression I have (from the meeting) is that talks between the US and North Korea will soon begin and it will go well,” Kim told reporters at the Government Complex in Seoul. But Kim said he cannot disclose the details that convinced him US-North Korea nuclear ta

North Korea Aug. 22, 2019

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan remained at odds in their bilateral meeting held in China on Wednesday, reiterating their respective stances on Tokyo’s wartime forced labor and trade curbs. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, met for 35 minutes on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Gubei Water Town near the Great Wall in northern Beijing. “Kang strongly urged Kono to retract the country

Foreign Affairs Aug. 21, 2019

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet her Japanese counterpart in China in another attempt to ease tensions with Tokyo after a diplomatic feud developed into a trade row and now threatens to weaken security cooperation. Kang, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gathered in Beijing on Tuesday for the ninth in an ongoing series of trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings involving the top diplomatic officials of the three countries. Th

Foreign Affairs Aug. 20, 2019

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday sought a detailed explanation on Japan’s reported plan to release radioactive water from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, while expressing safety concerns. Climate, Environment, Science and Foreign Affairs Director Kwon Se-jung summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, economic counselor at the Japanese Embassy here, to convey the government’s concerns on the possible disposal of contaminated water. “Our government very gravely recogn

Foreign Affairs Aug. 19, 2019

The state-run Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has launched a series of events in Seoul to mark the United Nation’s World Humanitarian Day to honor the contribution of people working on the frontline of emergencies. Under the theme “Gather Together for Humanity,” the KOICA will hold a photo exhibition and talk concerts at Seoul Citizens Hall for eight days from Monday to Aug. 26, jointly with Korea NGO council for Overseas Development Cooperation, UN organizations

Foreign Affairs Aug. 19, 2019

The late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il supported the continued presence of US troops on the Korean Peninsula even after the eventual unification of the two Koreas, a veteran lawmaker said Sunday. Recalling the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000, Rep. Park Jie-won of the Alliance for Alternative Politics of Change and Hope said the late Kim, the father of current North Korean leader Jong-un, told then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung that the US forces should remain on the peninsula to m

North Korea Aug. 18, 2019

A visit to South Korea by the US special envoy for North Korea this week has sparked speculation that he may meet Pyongyang’s officials to resume stalled denuclearization talks at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday just after joint South Korea-US military exercises wrap up Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed willingness to restart denuclearization talks

North Korea Aug. 18, 2019

South Korea should target Japan’s “abandonment” of the universal values of human rights and free trade to resolve their escalating dispute, according to professor of Japanese studies Lee Won-deog. Meanwhile, he said, a tit-for-tat response to its retaliatory export restrictions is not a wise strategy.“Given the asymmetry of their economies, a more effective way of pressing Japan is to take actions that follow the universal values or norms,” Lee, a professor at Kookm

Foreign Affairs Aug. 14, 2019

US National Security Advisor John Bolton urged South Korea to ramp up its share of costs for stationing American troops here during his visit to Seoul last month, revealing his country’s spending records, according to the Dong-a Ilbo on Friday.When Bolton met South Korean National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong on July 28, he showed a statement with details of the US spending for stationing 28,500 soldiers here, including training fees and wages for overseas dispatch of military f

Foreign Affairs Aug. 9, 2019

Discussions are underway for a foreign ministers’ meeting later this month in Beijing, where South Korea, China and Japan can discuss issues concerning Northeast Asia ahead of a trilateral summit expected to take place before the end of the year. “The three countries are in talks (for) a foreign ministers’ meeting,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, adding that details, including the date of the meeting, have not been confirmed. Earlier in the day, Japan

Foreign Affairs Aug. 7, 2019

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will hold a meeting with US counterpart Mark Esper in Seoul on Friday, amid Washington’s growing calls for allies to support protecting shipping routes from Iranian attacks in the Middle East. The US defense secretary’s trip comes as both countries face crucial security issues, including North Korea’s recent missile launches in protest against a South Korea-US military exercise and the building of a global coalition to patrol the Gulf shipping

Defense Aug. 5, 2019