There will be “good results” in the Seoul-Washington discussions on declaring the end of the Korean War, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Sunday in the US, ruling out a potential rift between the allies in regards to the matter. 　 Speaking in Washington, Choi said he expects to see a “good result soon,” in regards to the ongoing discussions with the US on Seoul’s proposal for an end-of-war declaration. 　 Choi is in Washington to hold series of talks

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun on Sunday left for Washington for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts, with North Korea’s nuclear issue and the global supply chain disruption expected to top the agenda.  Choi will be in Washington through Friday, during which he is scheduled to hold a three-way meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo on Wednesday. The three envoys last met for a

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been missing from public view for more than a month, fueling speculation over his whereabouts, as it marks his longest absence since 2014.   The last time Kim appeared in a public setting was on Oct. 11 when he delivered a speech at a rare defense exhibition in Pyongyang that showcased the country’s new weaponry, according to state media. 　 Since then there have been reports of him sending letters to foreign leaders and his people, but he ha

Japan’s newly appointed Foreign Minister on Thursday expressed willingness to step up dialogue with South Korea to improve their strained ties, but urged Seoul to take appropriate action to resolve the historical issues at the center of their feud.  Veteran lawmaker Yoshimasa Hayashi was named the country’s top diplomat the previous day, as Fumio Kishida was formally inaugurated as Japan’s new prime minister. Hayashi replaced Toshimitsu Motegi, who now occupies the rulin

The top US diplomat for East Asia held talks with officials in South Korea on Thursday, with the two sides agreeing to bolster ties in dealing with the global supply chain disruption and bring Pyongyang back to the stalled denuclearization talks.  　 Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday following a four-day stop in Tokyo. It marks his first Asia trip since taking office in September. 　 Kritenbrink met wit

South Korea and Colombia vowed to deepen ties and step up cooperation in the areas of health care, digital transformation and climate change, as the top envoys of the two countries met Wednesday. 　 Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held talks with visiting Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez in Seoul, discussing a wide range of bilateral and regional issues. Ramirez was in Seoul to attend the Korea-Pacific Alliance Green Economy Forum held earlier in the day, joined

About 18,700 metric tons of urea that China was holding back will be shipped to South Korea soon, temporarily alleviating an acute shortage of an essential additive used to cut emissions from diesel vehicles. 　 China has confirmed that it will proceed with the export process for 18,700 tons of solid urea that was previously contracted to Korean firms, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. 　 Of the total, about 300 tons of urea has cleared customs and will be able to leave the Chinese port arou

North Korea has continued operation and production at its key uranium plant, a US think tank said Monday, highlighting the reclusive regime’s pursuit of weapon advances amid the stalled denuclearization talks with Washington.  Beyond Parallel, a website specializing in North Korean matters run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Pyongsan Uranium Concentrate Plant, located some 45 kilometers north of the inter-Korean border, remains operat

A senior US diplomat for East Asia is scheduled to visit South Korea on Wednesday, during which he is expected to meet the South Korean presidential candidates of the two major parties. 　 Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is on his first Asia trip since taking office in September. He will arrive here on Wednesday after a four-day stay in Japan, according to the State Department. 　 In Seoul, Kritenbrink is expected to meet officials, in

The US said it remains committed to imposing UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea aimed at limiting its nuclear and ballistic missile program, amid Beijing and Moscow’s push to ease sanctions on the regime.  “We do remain committed to the sanctions regime,” Ned Price, the spokesperson for the US State Department, said during a daily press briefing on Thursday (US time). “We call on all UN members to fulfill their sanctions obligations under existing UN Sec

Around 42 percent of North Koreans have suffered from undernourishment over the past three years, a UN report said Friday, as the impoverished nation grapples with acute food insecurity amid the prolonged pandemic and severe weather conditions, compounded by international sanctions.  As many as 10.9 million people in North Korea, or 42.4 percent of the population, were undernourished from 2018 to 2020, according to the Statistical Yearbook – World Food and Agriculture 2021 released

South Korea’s Unification Minister Lee In-young on Thursday said the envisioned papal visit to North Korea is a real possibilty, and that it hinges on Pyongyang’s determination.  The minister accompanied President Moon Jae-in to his meeting with Pope Francis last week at the Vatican. During their talks, Moon asked the pope to visit the North to help build “momentum for peace” on the Korean Peninsula. In response, the pope, calling the two Koreas “brothers who

North Korea may launch a space rocket next year as part of the regime’s program to enhance weapons capabilities amid long-stalled denuclearization talks with the US, a state-run think tank report says.    Ko Jae-hong, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency, released a report Tuesday examining the North’s weapons expo held last month and the country’s defense outlook. 　 Ko said that it i

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is striving to have Pope Francis visit North Korea in what appears to be a final push to salvage diplomacy with the reclusive regime, but it remains to be seen whether Pyongyang will accept the proposal. 　 Moon asked the pope to visit the North when they met at the Vatican on Friday, saying a visit would build “momentum for peace” on the Korean Peninsula, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 　 In response, the pope, calling the

South Korean President Moon Jae-in departed for Europe on Thursday, for a meeting with Pope Francis and to attend a Group of 20 summit in Rome and the UN climate summit in Scotland. 　 Moon’s first stop of his nine-day trip is Italy, where he is scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday to discuss a wide range of issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula, as well as global issues, including poverty, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also scheduled to meet Vatican

South Korea and Russia stressed the urgent need to resolve North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closely communicate to resume the stalled talks with Pyongyang, Seoul’s top diplomat said Wednesday.  The remarks came after talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, took place in Moscow. 　 “The two countries shared the view on the urgency of resolving North Korea’s nuclear problem and agreed to closel

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of regional cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future, as he attended a video summit with leaders of China, Japan and the Southeast Asian nations.  Moon said health cooperation was “urgent” to overcome the pandemic, in his opening remarks at the annual ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which involves the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with China, Japan and Korea.  Other p

Washington and Seoul appear to be on different trajectories on the matter of declaring a formal end to the Korean War, with a top US security official saying the allies could have “different perspectives” on the timing and conditions. 　 US national security adviser Jake Sullivan made the remarks Tuesday (US time) amid Seoul’s renewed push to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, as a way to nudge Pyongyang back to talks and ultimately to convince the regime to aband

A 93-year-old former “comfort woman” pleaded with the South Korean government on Tuesday to take the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery to the UN Committee Against Torture.  Speaking at a virtual press conference, Lee Yong-soo urged President Moon Jae-in to refer the case to the UN body, which monitors adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment -- which both South Korea and Japan have ratified. 

A declaration to formally end the Korean War is the most symbolic move that Seoul could take to show Pyongyang that neither Washington nor Seoul have a “hostile policy” toward the regime and revive the stalled denuclearization talks, South Korea‘s chief nuclear envoy said Monday. 　   　 Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark at a forum organized by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank a