Sep 19, 2019

S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy calls for flexibility in upcoming US-NK negotiations

South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator on Thursday called on the US and North Korea to take a flexible approach to achieve substantial progress ahead of their upcoming denuclearization talks. “To keep the dialogue momentum (between the US and North Korea) alive and make substantial progress, they have to take a flexible approach,” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at Incheon Airpo

Sep 19, 2019

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that an official handling Asia-Pacific affairs will visit Japan to meet his counterpart amid mounting tensions between the two countries. Kim Jung-han, director general for Asian and Pacific Affairs at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, will meet Shigeki Takizaki to discuss matters of mutual interest, the ministry said in a press release.  This is Kim’s first one-on-one meeting with Takizaki, who replaced Kenji Kanasugi as head of J

Sep 19, 2019

SNU professor to head Korea Foundation

Lee Geun, a professor at Seoul National University, was named president of the Korea Foundation, a nonprofit public diplomacy organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. He replaces Lee Si-hyung, and his three-year term is renewable once. The new president served as a professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies. He was also vice president and dean of the SNU Office of International Affairs, in addition to being a policy adviser

Sep 19, 2019

US is actively engaged to help resolve S. Korea-Japan row: official

The United States is actively engaged in efforts to resolve the current trade and historical row between South Korea and Japan, and will continue to encourage both sides to find "positive solutions," a top US official said Wednesday.David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, saying that he has spent a "considerable" amount of time on the issue in his two and a half months in

Sep 18, 2019

Experts raise possibility of interim US-N. Korea denuke agreement

The United States and North Korea could take compromise approaches to get tangible results in the next round of denuclearization negotiations, experts said during an international conference hosted by Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank, Wednesday.Robert Einhorn, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, suggested a near-term arrangement between Washington and Pyongyang to move their stalled talks forward by addressing the North’s nuclear and missile capab

Sep 18, 2019

FM to visit US military base this week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to visit a sprawling US military complex south of Seoul this week and hold talks with US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams, her ministry said Wednesday. Kang will visit the Osan air base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers away from the capital, on Friday, the ministry said in a release. US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris will accompany her on the visit. During the talks with Abrams, Kang is expected to reaffirm the importan

Sep 18, 2019

S. Korea appoints ex-deputy NIS director as new ambassador to Israel

South Korea on Wednesday appointed a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service as its new ambassador to Israel, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Suh Dong-gu, who served as the first deputy NIS director from June 2017 to August this year, will succeed Choi Yong-hwan as Seoul's top envoy in Israel.Before his stint at the spy agency, Suh worked as a career diplomat for decades, serving in various overseas posts, including in the United States, the United Nations, Canada and Pakistan

Sep 18, 2019

US ready to resume nuke talks with N. Korea: top official

The United States is ready to resume denuclearization talks with North Korea, but will maintain sanctions on the regime for now, a top US official said Tuesday.US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell made the remarks in a prepared statement for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia ahead of his scheduled testimony Wednesday. "We remain committed to the goals President Trump and Chairman Kim set in their summit in Singapore in June 2018 and

Sep 17, 2019

S. Korea, Japan explore possibility of talks between their top diplomats: sources

South Korea and Japan are exploring the possibility of their top diplomats holding talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, though nothing has been decided yet, multiple sources here said Tuesday.Should they meet, it will mark the first face-to-face talks between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi since Tokyo's top diplomat was appointed in last week's Cabinet reshuffle. Their talks would come amid high tensions caus

Sep 17, 2019

Seoul calls for action on Fukushima at IAEA

South Korea raised concerns at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday about Japan’s plans to dispose of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.Seoul’s First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Mun Mi-ock brought attention to Tokyo’s handling of radioactive water during her keynote speech at the IAEA’s 63rd General Conference.“Issues concerning the disposal of Fukushima contaminated water still remain unanswered

Sep 17, 2019

Pompeo urges 'constructive dialogue' between S. Korea, Japan

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday emphasized the need for "constructive dialogue" between South Korea and Japan, two US allies that have been locked in a bitter dispute over trade and history.Pompeo discussed the matter in a phone call with new Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as he congratulated his counterpart on the new position and reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral alliance, according to the State Department."Secretary Pompeo emphasized the need for

Sep 16, 2019

S. Korea names former vice FM as new ambassador to UN

South Korea on Monday named former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun as its new ambassador to the United Nations, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Cho, who served as first vice foreign minister from September 2018 to May this year, will replace Amb. Cho Tae-yul. Entering foreign service in 1979, Cho Hyun worked in various key diplomatic posts, including in India and Austria. In 2006, he served as South Korea's deputy permanent representative to the UN.The Seoul government also designated Chang Won-sam

Sep 16, 2019

S. Korea voices concern over attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities

South Korea on Monday expressed concern over last week's attacks on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, saying it would undermine regional stability and energy security around the world.The drone attacks on two plants at the center of the Middle Eastern country's oil industry took place on Saturday. The Iran-linked Houthi rebel group in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the attacks."The attacks this time posed a serious threat to key international energy infrastructure, and we express co

Sep 16, 2019

Foreign ministry to focus on early resumption of US-NK nuclear talks

The foreign ministry said Monday that it will focus its diplomacy on facilitating an early resumption of working-level nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea and substantive progress in them.In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry also said that it would maintain close coordination with Washington through bilateral consultations, including at the UN General Assembly in New York."(The ministry) will concentrate its diplomatic capacity on ensuring that the working-