President Park Geun-hye (far right) delivers a speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday as North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong (left) and his aides confer. (Yonhap)The foreign ministers of Korea and Japan were to hold talks in New York on Thursday as the two countries seek to restore relations that are at their lowest ebb in decades. Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida will meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. They also had consultations last month at the ASEAN Regional Fo

Foreign Affairs Sept. 25, 2014

The following is the 11th and last in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.Despite pressing needs and ongoing diplomatic negotiations, prospects for an end to the tragedy of the “comfort women” remain dim in the face of Tokyo’s tenaciously defiant attitude toward wartime history and other hostile political and social circumstances. The two countries have since April

Foreign Affairs Sept. 24, 2014

Seo Hyun-juIn 1941, 15-year-old Kim Bok-dong left her home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, under pressure from senior village leaders, who had made a sugar-coated proposal about working at a military uniform factory.Her journey ended after five years of tragedy. Kim was first raped by a Japanese army surgeon after arriving in Guangdong province in China via Shimonoseki and Taiwan. After that she was forced into sexual servitude in “comfort stations” run by the Japanese military in such r

Foreign Affairs Sept. 24, 2014

The top diplomats of South Korea and the U.S. discussed the dire human rights situation in North Korea, Washington’s military operation against Sunni militants in Syria and other bilateral, regional and global issues in New York, officials said Tuesday. Yun Byung-se and John Kerry met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly immediately before an unprecedented ministerial gathering hosted by the top U.S. diplomat on Pyongyang’s human rights violations. Among other participants were Japanese

Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2014

Chiefs of the country’s two major parties are expected to hold a meeting Monday, boosting hopes for a breakthrough to end the prolonged stalemate over the special Sewol bill and put the paralyzed parliament back on track. The mood has shifted since Rep. Moon Hee-sang became the new interim chief of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy last week. In Friday’s acceptance speech, he signaled an intent to end the party’s boycott of legislative affairs, quoting the late President Ki

Politics Sept. 21, 2014

After spending six years as U.N. human rights chief, Navi Pillay strongly urged Japan to investigate “every allegation of sexual slavery” and “prosecute perpetrators” through a rare statement and then again a media interview last month.Her perspective and interest in the issue of the “comfort women” stand out because they demonstrate the international community’s human rights standards and growing demands for Tokyo’s action.In the Aug. 6 statement, Pillay expressed “profound regret that Japan ha

Foreign Affairs Sept. 21, 2014

The following is the 10th in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.In 2007, U.S. lawmaker Mike Honda set a milestone in the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II by spearheading the adoption of a resolution at the House of Representatives calling for Tokyo’s apology. The resolution played a key role in boosting awareness in the intern

Foreign Affairs Sept. 21, 2014

Lee Ho-yeon, a member of the Incheon Asian Games steering committee, lights the torch at Seoul Plaza two days before the event kicks off. The torch arrived in the host city of Incheon later in the day. After a 36-day pilgrimage through 17 cities in South Korea, the flame reached the city two days before the opening ceremony. The torch will be left overnight in the port city for the next two days before completing the final leg of its 6,000-kilometer journey to Incheon Asiad Main Stadium. (Yonhap

Foreign Affairs Sept. 17, 2014

The U.S. has proposed consultations with North Korea over its plans to send a special envoy to secure the release of three Americans locked up in the reclusive country, a news report said Wednesday. The U.S. State Department has expressed that it is “open to all possibilities” and willing to dispatch a higher-profile figure than Robert King, special envoy for North Korean human rights, Voice of America reported, citing a source well versed in relations between Pyongyang and Washington. The North

North Korea Sept. 17, 2014

Hopes are rising slowly for a long-awaited thaw in relations between Korea and Japan as Seoul appears to be sending out reconciliatory signals while pressing Tokyo to come clean about its wartime atrocities. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se sat down with Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho for tea on the sidelines of a joint culture event on Sunday, marking their first one-on-one consultation. During the one-hour talk, the two diplomats concurred on the need for consistent efforts to shore up the relat

Foreign Affairs Sept. 15, 2014