The Sweden-Korea Business Forum 2019 was held by the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul together with Business Sweden and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Korea on Monday, in a bid to discuss ways to enhance competitiveness of companies in the rapidly changing economic environment, especially in China and the technology sector. Some 70 people from Swedish companies operating in South Korea, including fashion brand H&M and Ericsson-LG, a telecommunication equipment joint venture, participated in the fo

The escalating tensions between the US and China highlight the pressing need for broadening South Korea’s diplomatic horizon further with President Moon Jae-in’s initiative that aims at deepening ties with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. However, the policy should address more regional issues rather than just expanding Seoul’s economic presence in the ASEAN block, experts said.  President Moon Jae-in (second from left) at 31st ASEAN Summits in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 13,

For those who dream of escaping from the hustle and bustle of the city life, Seongnagwon offers a new level of relaxation, with 200 years of history that had been veiled until only recently. The garden, whose name means “enjoy nature outside of the castle,” is open to the public only temporarily, from April 23 to June 11, as preservation work is not yet completed.Created in 1790, Seongnagwon was used as a royal villa for 35 years by Yi Gang, the fifth son of King Gojong of the late Joseon era (1

The South Korean government is ramping up efforts to send food aid to North Korea in an attempt to thaw relations and revive stalled denuclearization negotiations between the US and the North, but it remains unclear how Pyongyang will respond. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry are moving swiftly to clear obstacles in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, after a call between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on Tues

South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia Lee Suk-bae has pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation with Moscow, a country that he believes will contribute to building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. “This is a very important moment for strategic communication between South Korea and Russia for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of a peace regime,” Lee, who was appointed as a new ambassador to Russia on May 3, told reporters on Tuesday. South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia L

The Foreign Ministry reaffirmed Tuesday that it will continue to exert due efforts to bring North Korean defectors who wish to flee to the South from overseas, fending off criticism that Seoul is taking a passive approach toward them. “We have a principle of bringing all North Korean defectors if they wish to come to South Korea on their own free will,” a ministry official said. He dismissed recent news reports that the government has changed its guidelines on protecting defectors from the North

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for multilateral dialogue to provide an international security guarantee for North Korea has raised the possibility of resuming six-party talks, but experts said this is highly unlikely.The talks involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan began in 2003 in an effort to persuade the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. But the talks collapsed in 2008 mainly because the North denied access to its nuclear facilities. Russia's President Vladim

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary will make a state visit to Korea from May 20-22 with a business delegation, the Danish Embassy in Seoul said. The key purpose of the visit is to give “visibility to Danish technology and high-quality products,” according to the Royal Danish House. The couple plans to attend a business conference and seminars. Visits to Korean companies across various sectors, including sustainable energy a

Defense officials from South Korea, the US and Japan will meet here in early May for annual trilateral talks, the Defense Ministry said Sunday, amid tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over an incident in the East Sea in December. Japan has accused a South Korean warship of locking its fire-control radar on a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft, a claim South Korea denies.The goal of the Defense Trilateral Talks, which have been held every year since 2008, is to deepen cooperation on regional securit

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for the resumption of six-way talks on North Korea’s denuclearization to move stalled negotiations forward. “If South Korea and the US can offer sufficient measures for (North Korea’s security) guarantee, the six-party talks may not be operated. But the guarantee mechanism from the South and the US does not seem to be sufficient,” he said.He was speaking at a press conference after a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time a

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, reaching out to the country’s traditional ally as nuclear negotiations with the US remain in a stalemate. At 1 p.m., Kim and Putin started a one-on-one session, which was followed by a three-hour extended session with policy staff at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific port city.  Russian Presi

About a year ago, President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held their historic first summit at the border village of Panmunjom, which led to a rapid thaw in inter-Korean relations.To mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration that the two Koreas signed at the April 27 inter-Korean summit, the South will hold a ceremony Saturday at the recently demilitarized Panmunjom, though Pyongyang’s lukewarm attitude toward Seoul in recent months indicates a slim chance of the N

The Korean Wave has enhanced cultural exchange between Korea and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, building a close regional bond, experts said at a forum organized by The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Under the theme of “ASEAN and Korean Waves,” some 30 high-level representatives from leading media organizations in Southeast Asian countries and Korea, as well as the government, academia and business communities, discussed ways to spread the phenomenon through mutu

Preparations are in full swing for the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vladivostok, with Pyongyang’s confirmation of the state visit Tuesday. North Korea’s state-run airline landed at an airport in Vladivostok on Tuesday morning, hours after the Korean Central News Agency confirmed that Kim “will soon pay a visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation.” In thi

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should decide whether he will seize the opportunity to advance nuclear negotiations with Washington. US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Monday while emphasizing the US’ commitment to “final, fully verified denuclearization.”Harris said US President Donald Trump took the right course of action by opting for no agreement during his summit with Kim in February as the negotiation was a choice between “no deal” or a “very bad deal,” in a press briefing sess

North Korea’s demand for removal of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from future nuclear talks may escalate into a war of nerves between Pyongyang and Washington before the two sides enter a fresh round of denuclearization negotiations, experts here said Friday. The US State Department did not directly respond to North Korean Foreign Ministry’s call for replacing Pompeo, Washington’s top negotiator, with someone who is more “careful and mature.”  In this Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, US President

North Korea’s propaganda outlets on Thursday criticized the South Korean government for conducting military exercises with the US, which it called “provocative actions” that destroy peace on the Korean Peninsula. The state-run online publication Uriminzokkiri denounced Seoul for lacking willingness to implement the military agreement signed by the two Koreas last year, as the South Korean military carried out a landing drill near Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on April 3 and another exercise

US envoy Stephen Biegun will visit Moscow this week ahead of a planned summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which could take place as soon as next week. Biegun, special representative for North Korea, will meet with Russian officials Wednesday and Thursday to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, the US State Department said in a statement Tuesday. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (Yonhap)Biegun’s Mo

The United Nations Development Program’s Seoul Policy Center held a workshop for South Korean companies to help them contribute to and benefit from global sustainable development initiatives in more strategic ways. The conference, titled “Private Sector: Business as SDG Accelerator Workshop” and co-hosted by the center and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took place Friday in Seoul.  (UNDP`s Seoul Policy Center Facebook)The sustainable development goals, or SDGs, are targets set and adopted by a

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time next week, amid a stalemate in nuclear talks with the US. The two leaders’ meeting may take place in the far eastern region of Russia, which borders the northeastern part of North Korea, on April 24 before Putin travels to Beijing for an international forum. The “One Belt, One Road” forum is scheduled for April 26-27, Yonhap News Agency said Monday, citing an unidentified diplomati