South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday urged Japan to make a “prudent” response to rulings on Japan’s wartime use of South Korean forced labor, in a phone conversation with her Japanese counterpart amid an intensifying diplomatic row. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono exchanged views on the South Korean top court’s recent rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate South Korean victims forced into lab

North Korea is said to have offered an informal apology to Vietnam for involving a Vietnamese national in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)“I heard that North Korea informally expressed regret to Vietnam about involving a Vietnamese woman in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam,” a source with knowledge of the situation in Vietnam told reporters Tuesday.The apology, albeit informal, could indicate the involvement of the Kim Jong-un regi

South Korea joined 163 UN member states in signing a nonbinding migration pact aimed at better handling the rising flow of migrants worldwide, despite growing anti-immigrant sentiment at home.The Global Compact for Migration was formally approved by 164 countries at a two-day conference in Marrakesh, Morocco. It is the first international accord on managing migration.(Yonhap)The pact is not legally binding, and signing it would not immediately result in changes in South Korea’s immigration and r

The US on Monday imposed sanctions on three senior North Korean officials for human rights abuses, amid Pyongyang’s continued silence in its denuclearization talks with Washington. 　The US Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party; Jong Kyong-thaek, minister of state security; and Pak Kwang-ho, director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department.　The Treasury Department cited “brutal” human rights abuses and censorship as well as th

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called on South Korean ambassadors and consuls general Monday to increase their diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of North Korea and establish peace. “Now, we are facing an important opportunity for a resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue,” Kang said at the opening of the annual meeting of some 181 ambassadors and general consuls abroad.  “The journey, going forward, will not be smooth, but I believe in the power of our di

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho’s trips to the communist state’s allies -- China, Syria and Vietnam -- show the North’s desperation amid stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington, experts say. Ri met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday for talks, during which Xi reaffirmed his country’s strong relations with Pyongyang, North Korea’s state-run media reported Sunday.Xi was quoted as saying by North Korea’s state-run media that he regards Pyongyang-Beijing tie

US President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding South Korea pay as much as double its current funding for American troops stationed in South Korea, as Seoul and Washington negotiate how to shoulder defense costs in the coming years. (Joint Press Corps)The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump wants South Korea to pay roughly double the current amount, equivalent to $1.6 billion per year for the next five years, citing people familiar with the talks. Other sources cited in the report say the

The top diplomats from South Korea and the US were set to meet Thursday in Washington amid continued efforts to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea, the Foreign Ministry said. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were scheduled to meet in Washington D.C. at 8:30 a.m., according to the ministry. Kang was in the US to lead South Korea’s delegation to the funeral of former US President George H.W. Bush. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sout

US senators who are influential in shaping Washington’s North Korea policy advise tying the second US-North Korea summit to more tangible steps toward denuclearization from Pyongyang, Voice of America reported Thursday.  (Yonhap)Republican Senator Cory Gardner said President Donald Trump should “walk away” from the summit if there are any signs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is using it as an excuse to buy time, according to the report.“As I said from the last one, if the complete, verifia

The two Koreas are discussing when and how they will conduct a joint survey on cross-border roads, the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday, with inter-Korean railway inspections already underway. (Yonhap)The Koreas plan to inspect the road connecting Goseong in Gangwon Province and Wonsan in the North’s Kangwon Province along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. “Consultations are currently underway, and future schedules will be determined (based on the outcome),” Unification Ministry s

US President Donald Trump plans to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un because the North has failed to follow through on its promise to denuclearize, US national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday (US time), amid North Korea’s continued silence. His remarks came after Trump reaffirmed his wish to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim in January or February. Trump said he could grant Kim his wishes if he delivers on denuclearization, according to South Korean Pre

As US President Donald Trump eyes a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks early next year, Washington faces its own dilemma stemming from a lack of bargaining chips. 　Time may also not be on Trump’s side, with reported cases of sanctions being eased, intelligence reports pointing to North Korea’s continued work on nuclear and missile programs, and a fast-approaching 2020 presidential election.　North Korea has called on the US to t

The momentum for a second US-North Korea summit early next year and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul has been kept alive through a flurry of diplomacy on the sidelines of the G-20 summit. 　But North Korea has chosen to stay mum, which analysts say indicates a deepening dilemma for the young leader under pressure to prove he was right about offering to give up his country’s nuclear weapons program. 　The US and South Korea’s often repeated statement that sanctions against North Kor

A South Korean train crossed into North Korea for the first time in a decade on Friday, as the two countries began an 18-day joint study on cross-border railways, the first step toward modernizing and connecting the Koreas’ railroads. A six-car South Korean train departed Seoul Station at around 9:05 a.m. for North Korea’s Panmun Station near the inter-Korean border to carry out the survey, which had been delayed due to US concerns over possible sanctions violations. (Yonhap)The train, which car

A senior US diplomat said Wednesday that the US and the international community are not prepared for the significant lifting of sanctions for an inter-Korean railway connection until North Korea’s “final, fully verified denuclearization.” Marc Knapper, acting deputy assistant secretary at the US State Department, made the remarks during a forum on regional peace and cooperation in Seoul, as the Koreas eye a reconnection of inter-Korean railways. The US wants North Koreans to have a bright future

A new deal on victims of Japan’s wartime use of forced labor, or a joint fund involving the Japanese government and firms, could be solutions to resolving the intensifying diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo, the victims’ lawyer said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Relations between the neighbors have again hit a new low after South Korea’s top court ruled last month that Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. must compensate four South Koreans, who were forced to work at its stee

The US decision to grant an exemption to UN sanctions for a joint study on modernizing and reconnecting inter-Korean railways hinted at what the future holds for North Korea should it take steps to denuclearize, experts said Sunday.　South Korea received a sanctions exemption from the United Nations Security Council, allowing the South to bring fuel and other equipment into the North for a joint survey of inter-Korean railroads, according to the Foreign Ministry. 　South Korea also secured support

The issue of Japan’s military sexual enslavement of South Korean women cannot be resolved through diplomatic negotiations, a government official said Thursday, amid worsening bilateral ties over Seoul’s decision to disband a Japanese-funded foundation to support the victims. “The issue of comfort women is not a matter that can be resolved in the short term through diplomatic consultations. Rather, it is a matter that should be resolved based on truth and principle,” said an official from the For

As South Korea’s capital, home to some 10 million people, is blanketed in a heavy fine dust that clogs throats, a newly opened botanical garden in western Seoul has become a haven for those seeking to breathe clean air. Seoul Botanic Park, which is twice the size of Yeouido Park and located at the center of Magok high-tech industrial zone, has opened for a test run after a five-year construction before its official launch next spring. The indoor botanic garden showcases gardens from 12 tropical

A Russian-flagged vessel slapped with US sanctions against North Korea has yet to leave a South Korean port, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.  (Yonhap)The ministry’s response came following a Radio Free Asia report that the Russian ship Sevastopol had re-entered the port of Busan, based on its location shown by vessel tracking service Marine Traffic. “The ship did not re-enter the South Korean port. It has yet to leave the port for its own reasons,” a ministry official said. The South Ko