The French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with the French Embassy in Korea will host their annual Bastille Day event Friday. More than 500 guests will take part in this biggest event of the year for the French Korean community, a celebration of French culture. Bastille Day, France’s national day, commemorates the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a turning point in the French Revolution, as well as the Fete de la Federation, a celebra

Foreign Affairs July 8, 2019

Top negotiators of South Korea and the US will meet in Germany this week in an apparent move to coordinate and discuss details of upcoming working-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang, aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will visit Germany from Tuesday to Friday to meet with Ina Lepel, director general for Asia and the Pacific of the Fede

North Korea July 7, 2019

Debate has been sparked among experts over President Moon Jae-in’s recent remarks that the US and North Korea have effectively agreed to end the Korean War with the recent meeting of their leaders at Panmunjom. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un created fresh momentum for stalled denuclearization talks with symbolic gestures, such as shaking hands on the North’s side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas and then crossing together t

North Korea July 4, 2019

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the US and North Korea have put an end to their hostile relations with the recent meeting of their leaders, who stepped back and forth over the Korean border on Sunday. “Although they did not sign any document, their action was tantamount to a de facto declaration of an end to hostile relations and the beginning of a full-fledged peace era,” Moon said during a Cabinet meeting. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Ki

North Korea July 2, 2019

With US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreeing to return to the negotiating table, South Korea’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy is expected to continue to ensure that the nuclear talks get back on track. Breaking a four-month stalemate was a near-impromptu meeting in the truce village of Panmunjom, inside the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas on Sunday, which came after Trump tweeted an invitation to Kim on Saturday from Japan where he was attending

North Korea July 1, 2019

Stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington gained new momentum after US President Donald Trump set foot in North Korea Sunday. Following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Peace House in Panmunjom, Trump said that he had invited Kim to Washington. “Anytime he wants to do it. I think we want to take this down to the next step, let’s see what happens,” he told reporters. Trump and Kim also agreed to resume working-level talks on denucleari

North Korea June 30, 2019

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Sunday shared outcomes of the two country’s measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic development and the challenges ahead.Some 60 female civic workers and government officials and businesswomen attended the meeting, titled “The ROK-US Women’s Empowerment Forum,” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul.  Ivanka accompanied her father, US President Donald Trump, who wa

Foreign Affairs June 30, 2019

Messages from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un relayed by Chinese President Xi Jinping invited mixed interpretations in Seoul.During a summit with President Moon Jae-in in Japan on Thursday, Xi briefed him on the results of his two-day state visit to Pyongyang June 20-21.  While stressing the North Korean regime’s unwavering commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue with the US, Xi said that Kim is willing to do what it can to address the regime’s &l

North Korea June 28, 2019

A South Korean woman who was part of a government delegation to Spain died Thursday at a Barcelona hospital after being treated for head injuries she suffered during an attempted robbery there, according to news reports. The deceased woman, who served on a government advisory committee, was injured Sunday night while trying to avoid a motorcyclist who attempted to steal her purse. “As a result of the robbery, the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital where she d

Social Affairs June 28, 2019

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, kicked off an event to promote Saudi Arabia’s culture in Seoul this week. The event has been held across the world to promote Saudi culture and history and expand cultural exchanges with other countries. In Asia, South Korea is the first to hold the event, titled “Bridges to Seoul,” which will run until Wednesday at Grand Hilton Seoul. “I am very pleased to promote the history and culture of Saudi Arabia to Korea

Diplomatic Circuit June 27, 2019

Ahead of his trip to Japan and South Korea, US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he would not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “I’ll be meeting with a lot of other people. Not … him,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying as he departed the White House for his flight to Asia. While ruling out the possibility of a one-on-one meeting with Kim, Trump hinted that there could be an interaction. “But I may be speaking with him in a different for

North Korea June 27, 2019

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday it that North Korea can be considered to have entered an irreversible stage of denuclearization process when it dismantles a nuclear complex in Yongbyon. “If all the nuclear facilities in the complex, including the plutonium reprocessing facilities and the uranium enrichment facilities, are completely demolished and verified, it would be possible to say that the denuclearization of North Korea has entered an irreversible stage,” he said in a joint

North Korea June 26, 2019

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday a fresh summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have been mentioned in letters he exchanged with Kim and they will meet “at some point” ahead of his visit to Seoul this weekend. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said his recent letter to Kim was a “nice” response to Kim’s birthday message to him. Trump turned 73 on June 14. Asked if a summit was mentioned in the exchange of letters with Kim, he said,

North Korea June 26, 2019

A South Korean woman, who was on an official government trip to Spain, was injured after trying to avoid robbery on a street in Barcelona, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.  The woman, who is known to be an official of a Korean government advisory committee, was sent to a hospital after she injured her head when she fell down on Sunday night. The unconscious woman was treated at the scene, according to Spanish media. After failing to snatch the victim’s belongings, the su

Foreign Affairs June 26, 2019

Positive signals sent back and forth between the US and North Korea are feeding hopes for a swift resumption of nuclear negotiations that have been at a standstill since the last summit between the two countries ended without results in late February. Within the past two weeks, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un each disclosed that they had received letters from each other, with both expressing satisfaction and hinting that the letters might be a sign of positive devel

North Korea June 24, 2019