Articles by Shin Hyon-hee
Shin Hyon-hee
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Cracks emerge between Korea, U.S. over Japan
After pursuing a hard-line approach for years, South Korea may be seeing its policy toward Japan coming to a head as signs emerge of a rift with the U.S.With President Park Geun-hye’s inauguration in February 2013, it seemed the relationship with Japan could not possibly deteriorate further. Two years later, ties are still frosty. Many diplomatic and security initiatives are at a standstill. Businesses have closed down or scaled back investment, while tourist in- and outflows contracted. Though
Foreign Affairs March 2, 2015
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Two Koreas to face off at U.N. rights council
The two Koreas are poised to face off at the U.N. in Geneva this week as the South plans to ratchet up pressure over the North’s grim human rights record while Pyongyang wages a campaign to undercut an upcoming resolution against it. Seoul’s Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on Tuesday at a high-level meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which kicks off Monday for a four-day run. He is expected to stress the need for follow-up measures in line with
North Korea March 2, 2015
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Park presses Japan on sex slavery
President Park Geun-hye on Sunday urged Japan to face up to and sincerely atone for its brutalities during colonial rule as a first step to writing a “new history” with Korea for the next 50 years. In her Independence Movement Day address, she called for the two Koreas to meet to discuss reunions of families displaced by the 1950-53 Korean War, while expanding cooperation in sports, culture, arts and humanitarian areas. With the Korea-Japan relationship marking the 50th anniversary of its normal
Foreign Affairs March 1, 2015
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‘N.K.’s nuke miniaturization limited’
North Korea is not yet likely to have miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, though it appears to have been developing related technology to a “considerable” degree, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.“They have technology of a considerable level but it is unlikely they are capable of miniaturizing nuclear warheads. In other words, they have not mastered the weaponization process,” ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a regular news briefing.His remarks run counter
North Korea Feb. 26, 2015
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Seoul to consider West Germany’s money-for-prisoner model
Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo said Wednesday he will look into the money-for-prisoner scheme used by former West Germany in tackling the issue of South Korean abductees in North Korea, rekindling concerns about its feasibility.In his debut facing parliamentary questions, Lee pledged to sustain humanitarian matters as a top priority in Seoul’s approach to Pyongyang despite “difficulties” such as bilateral sanctions imposed after the communist country’s fatal attacks on a South Korean corvette and a
Foreign Affairs Feb. 25, 2015
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Missing Korean teen receiving IS training: spy agency
A Korean teenager who went missing in Turkey last month is training to become a member of the Islamic State militant group, the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday. The 18-year-old tourist from Seoul, surnamed Kim, vanished on Jan. 10 after leaving a hotel in the border town of Kilis. He initially arrived in Istanbul on Jan. 8 and flew to the southern city of Gaziantep before reaching Kilis by car the next day, a typical route locals say is taken by aspiring IS jihadists. The Seoul police
Defense Feb. 24, 2015
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Korea, U.S. to go ahead with military drills
South Korea and the U.S. plan to stage their annual joint military drills next month, the allies said Tuesday, as North Korea threatened a military response to what it called a “rehearsal for aggressive war.” Key Resolve, a computer simulated command post exercise, will kick off on March 2 for a 12-day run, involving some 10,000 South Korean troops and 8,600 American servicemen. The Foal Eagle field training drill, which will continue through April 24, is expected to mobilize about 200,000 South
Defense Feb. 24, 2015
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Pressure building on Abe ahead of U.S. visit
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is coming under mounting pressure to defuse his revisionist views and embrace a more repentant attitude toward wartime history as some activists seek to submit a petition against his envisaged plan to address U.S. Congress this year. The Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues, a group consisting chiefly of Korean-American scholars and activists based in the U.S. capital, said it plans to send a letter to Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs Feb. 23, 2015
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Foreign Ministry blasts Japan’s Dokdo event
Seoul on Sunday slammed the Japanese government’s dispatch of a high-level official to a local event designed to stress its claim to the Korean islets of Dokdo. The Shinzo Abe administration sent a vice minister-level official for a third straight year since its launch to the “Takeshima Day” ceremony in Shimane Prefecture attended by some 500 politicians, local government officials and residents. The islets are an “inherent part of Japan’s territory under international law. We will make all-out
Foreign Affairs Feb. 22, 2015
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Ebola medics recount mission on edge of death
Propelled by her lifelong wish to help the needy and thirst for field experience, Hong Na-yeon volunteered to head to Sierra Leone and look after Ebola patients as part of Korea’s first emergency response team in December. There, the virus’ worst epidemic in history continues to unfold. Dozens of new patients pour every week into the Goderich treatment center in the suburbs of the capital Freetown. The 100-bed hospital, run by Italian relief group Emergency, is hardly able to keep track of patie
Foreign Affairs Feb. 22, 2015
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Russia adds to geopolitical complexity
With its courting of North Korea, Russia is adding to complexity in the dynamics on the Korean Peninsula as Seoul seeks to improve its relations with both Cold War foes without creating a rift with Washington. Moscow has been reaching out to Pyongyang in recent months in an apparent effort to increase its influence in inter-Korean affairs and secure investment from the South in major trilateral economic projects, such as a joint industrial district, railway, gas pipeline and power grid. With the
Foreign Affairs Feb. 17, 2015
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Partial Cabinet shake-up imminent
With President Park Geun-hye expected to carry out a Cabinet shake-up this week, rumors continued to swirl Sunday around a potential new presidential chief of staff and other ranking officials. The nominees will likely be named shortly after a parliamentary vote scheduled for Monday on whether to endorse the embattled former ruling party floor leader Lee Wan-koo as the new prime minister. A handful of ministers are likely to be replaced, including the ministers of oceans and fisheries; unificati
Politics Feb. 15, 2015
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Palestine seeks diplomatic mission in Seoul
South Korea and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to begin consultations for the launch of a diplomatic mission here as the two sides explore ways to crank up political, economic and cultural exchanges, the Palestinian foreign minister said Friday. Though Seoul is yet to recognize the state of Palestine and maintains close ties with Israel its longtime foe across the border, Riad Malki was upbeat about relations with South Korea, raising hopes for a boost especially in economic and developme
Foreign Affairs Feb. 13, 2015
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Korean, Czech leaders set for summit this month
South Korea and the Czech Republic plan to hold a summit later this month in Seoul as the two countries seek to deepen political, economic and cultural exchanges, marking the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is scheduled to arrive here on Feb. 24 and have talks with President Park Geun-hye two days later, her office said. His four-day visit will be the first prime ministerial trip from the European country since 2001, and
Foreign Affairs Feb. 13, 2015
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Korea-Japan tension grows over Dokdo, historical discord
Japan’s foreign minister renewed the country’s claim to South Korean islets of Dokdo on Thursday, triggering criticism from Seoul and exacerbating ongoing territorial and historical tension between the two countries.In a parliamentary address in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to continue to “clearly convey the claim and persistently respond” to the issue, calling the islets “Japan’s indigenous territory.” He used the expression for the first time last year at the annual e
Foreign Affairs Feb. 12, 2015
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