Ambassador to Australia Cho Tae-yong was appointed Monday new chief envoy to the stalled six-nation talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.Cho, 57, will replace Lim Sung-nam as the Foreign Ministry’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. Lim has been named South Korea’s ambassador to Britain. Since his 1980 entry to the ministry, Cho has resumed various key positions including chief of protocol, ambassador to Ireland, special advisor to the minister, director

Foreign Affairs May 27, 2013

The South Korean and U.S. government remained cautious over reports that a high-ranking North Korea envoy to China expressed willingness to talk with the U.S. and other nations, saying they need more details on the purported overture.On a trip to Beijing, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, was quoted as saying his country is willing to take China’s advice and resume joint talks with the U.S. and other nations.Choe first made the remarks in a meeting wit

North Korea May 24, 2013

With Korea’s ever-growing thirst for energy, a free trade pact with Canada will help diversify the country’s supply lines and expand access to the North American nation’s vast resources reserves, the ambassador to Canada said Wednesday. Seoul and Ottawa launched negotiations for a free trade agreement in 2005 but remain at odds chiefly over agricultural products such as beef and pork, and industrial items including cars. Ambassador Cho Hee-yong expressed hopes for a breakthrough this year, which

Foreign Affairs May 24, 2013

Korea on Monday slammed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s defense of political leaders’ visits to the country’s controversial war shrine, reiterating its demand that Japan correct its understanding of history. In an interview with the Foreign Affairs magazine, Abe likened the Yasukuni Shrine to a military cemetery just outside Washington, saying it will be “quite natural” for him to commemorate the deceased veterans. The Arlington National Cemetery is home to some 400,000 fallen U.S. troops f

Foreign Affairs May 20, 2013

Arctic states Wednesday accepted South Korea, China, Japan, India, Italy and Singapore as permanent observers to the Arctic Council. They are joining the existing group of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. A growing number of countries are vying for a bigger stake in the far north as global warming accelerates the melting of ice caps, boosting the potential for maritime logistics and resources development in addition to scientific research. The intergovernme

Foreign Affairs May 16, 2013

Korea became a permanent observer to the Arctic Council on Wednesday, stepping up its foray into the region where melting ice sheets are boosting the potential for maritime logistics, resources development and scientific research.The decision was made in the Swedish city of Kiruna at a ministerial meeting of eight member states ― the U.S., Russia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The intergovernmental organization, which is responsible for setting the rules for development o

Foreign Affairs May 15, 2013

Economic prosperity, an aging population and stark gender imbalance have combined to turn Korea into a major destination for Asian migrants. But Asia’s fourth-largest economy appears to lack institutional systems to keep pace with the change. Its policies on immigration and expatriates are hamstrung by short-sighted vision, fragmented policymaking and a dearth of leadership and commitment in officialdom.Several years after it started a multicultural policy in earnest, the government still lacks

Foreign Affairs May 15, 2013

Yu Hyun-seok, an international relations professor at Kyung Hee University, was on Monday named the new president of the Korea Foundation, the Foreign Ministry said. Yu, 50, has succeeded Kim Woo-sang to steer the state-run public diplomacy institute. He took office on Monday after receiving a letter of appointment. A prominent figure in the fields of foreign relations and international politics, Yun has been a member of the KF’s public diplomacy forum and a policy adviser to the Unification Mi

Foreign Affairs May 13, 2013

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday dismissed her spokesman Yoon Chang-jung over allegations that he sexually abused a woman during the delegation’s stay in Washington.The incident dealt a fresh blow to Park, who has repeatedly been criticized for inept personnel appointments. Sexual crime is one of the four social evils that she promised to eradicate. Park returned on Friday from her six-day visit to the U.S., where she held a summit with President Barack Obama.Washington police have launched a

Politics May 10, 2013