A potential South Korea-Japan summit may face further delays despite Monday’s election of Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, amid protracted rows over wartime history and trade. President Moon Jae-in held no summit with Kishida’s predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, during his one-year tenure. The two governments had sought to arrange a meeting between Moon and Suga on the occasions of multilateral events, including the G-7 summit in June and the Tokyo Olympics in July, but re

Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday continued to exercise caution regarding North Korea’s latest missile test, while the US and Japan have condemned Pyongyang for firing what appears to be a ballistic missile, a violation of UN resolutions. “We cannot predict anything for now,” Park Soo-hyun, President Moo Jae-in’s senior secretary for public communication, told a radio interview with KBS. “Every single action North Korea takes is open to interpretation as it always cont

South Korea’s National Security Council on Tuesday expressed “regret” over North Korea’s new missile launch, but refrained from calling the latest test a “provocation.” Earlier in the day, North Korea test-fired a short-range missile toward the East Sea, Seoul's military said, with more flight data still under analysis. The launch came after a test earlier this month of two short-range ballistic missiles from a train. “NSC members expressed regr

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need for discussions about a ban on dog meat, renewing a decades-old dispute here over the slaughter of animals, especially dogs, for food. “Hasn’t the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?” the president asked Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum during their weekly meeting, according to his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon made the comments after he was briefed on the government’s new measures to prote

South Korea’s presidential office on Monday appeared to be cautiously optimistic about a conciliatory overture from North Korea over the weekend, saying the reclusive regime had shown renewed eagerness for dialogue. On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said the two Koreas could discuss improvements to their long-strained ties if mutual trust is restored. She went on to say that North Korea would consider holding a summit meeting

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held a rare inflight news briefing on his way back home after wrapping up a packed five-day trip to New York and Hawaii. In his fifth and final keynote speech as president at the UN General Assembly, he reiterated his push for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not in a peace treaty. “I think there is a lack of understanding about an end-of-war declaration. It’s not a peace treaty but the st

An inter-Korean summit on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February is still a possibility, President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for communications, Park Soo-hyun, said Thursday. “We are making efforts for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, with all possibilities remaining on the table,” Park said during a radio interview with MBC when asked about the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending the Beijing Games. South Korea

President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourlar in New York on Tuesday, during his five-day trip to the US for the UN General Assembly, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the meeting, the president is expected to express his gratitude toward the US vaccine maker’s COVID-19 vaccine supply and ask support for future partnership. Moon has held a series of meetings with leaders of global vaccine makers, including Moderna, AstraZeneca and Curevac, in recent months as part of

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook sent out regional specialties as Chuseok gifts for about 15,000 people, including front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. The presidential couple favors locally produced foods when giving official gifts for major holidays. This year’s gift boxes consisted of rice from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu, Gangwon Province; Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Yesan, South Chungcheong Provi

North Korea on Wednesday fired a pair of ballistic missiles into the East Sea, following a cruise missile test that took place less than a week ago. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, two short-range ballistic missiles were fired from the central county of Yangdok at 12:34 p.m. and 12:39 p.m. and flew around 800 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 60 kilometers. “South Korea and US intelligence authorities are analyzing details for additional information,&rd

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Tuesday evening as part of a weeklong Asia tour that aims to bolster regional ties. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, China’s top diplomat will hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in before leaving for China later in the day. Wang last visited Seoul 10 months ago, in November last year. South

President Moon Jae-in is heading to New York on Sunday to deliver his speech at the United Nations General Assembly but nothing has been decided on bilateral meetings, including a possible summit with US President Joe Biden, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday. The president plans to visit New York and Honolulu during his five-day trip to the US. This will be his fifth attendance at the annual General Assembly, a diplomatic mega event that convenes Sept. 21 for two weeks. Moon plans

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held a virtual summit Friday and agreed to elevate bilateral ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It was the first summit between the two leaders since the Mongolian president assumed the presidency in a landslide election win in June. Mongolia is a major partner for South Korea’s New Northern Policy, which is intended to bolster strategic ties with Central A

President Moon Jae-in will receive an annual pension of 166.9 million won ($142,500) along with other benefits after his retirement in May next year, according to the government’s budget plan for 2022 on Thursday. Under the Honorable Treatment of Ex-Presidents Act, a former president is entitled to a pension worth 95 percent of presidential salary. Based on his current salary of over 175.56 million won this year, his monthly payment after retirement will be 13.9 million won. Moon is expe

South Korea appears to be downplaying renewed tensions over North Korea’s apparent restarting of its nuclear activity, possibly in an attempt to leave room for dialogue with the reclusive regime amid a flurry of diplomacy efforts among allies. Asked if the restarting of the Yongbyon complex is a violation of inter-Korean agreements made in summit talks in 2018, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said during a parliamentary session Tuesday: “I don’t think so.” &

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make a two-day visit to Seoul next week to discuss bilateral relations and other pending issues, including North Korea, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The top Chinese diplomat will arrive here on Sept. 14 and hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Sept. 15. He is also likely to pay a courtesy call to President Moon Jae-in but both the ministry and Cheong Wa Dae said nothing has been confirmed yet.

South Korea has received a fresh invitation from the world’s most exclusive intelligence-sharing alliance, the so-called Five Eyes, but experts warn there is no such thing as a free lunch in diplomacy. Last week, the US House of Representatives submitted a draft bill to the National Defense Authorization for the 2022 fiscal year, asking the US administration to consider expanding the Five Eyes program that currently consists of five English-speaking democracies: the US, UK, Canada, Austr

President Moon Jae-in is weighing whether to attend the UN General Assembly set to be held in New York later this month in his renewed push to resume stalled talks with North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials. “This is a significant year that marks the 30th anniversary of South and North Korea becoming UN members together,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. “It would be very meaningful for the two Koreas to send a unified peace message on such

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday rolled out his administration’s last budget plan worth 604.4 trillion won ($519 billion) that aims to cement the economic recovery, reduce deepening income disparity and prepare for post-pandemic policy initiatives. The big spending plan for 2022, up 8.3 percent from this year’s 558 trillion won, is set to be submitted to the National Assembly on Friday for approval. “At a time when the coronavirus crisis has greatly dampened the private sect

President Moon Jae-in on Monday suggested that coronavirus vaccine booster shots will be available here soon, with health care workers and older adults the first to receive the extra shots. “Based on guidance from health authorities and experts, the government will start offering booster shots for high-risk groups like elderly people and health care workers and expand the recipients in phases,” the president said in a weekly meeting with his aides at Cheong Wa Dae. His remarks ca