DAEJEON/SEOUL ― Nineteen diplomats from 13 developing countries on Wednesday vowed to help bolster relations between Korea and their homelands by boosting people-to-people exchanges, knowledge sharing and other political, business and cultural partnerships. Wrapping up a two-week training program run by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, they presented possible “action plans” to expand bilateral cooperation at the institute’s Seoul headquarters. The participants were from Bangladesh, Belarus

In the wake of cross-border military talks Wednesday, disputes broke out over the background to the discussions and the proposal for a restart of high-level dialogue. The plan for the talks came to light that morning, thanks to a news report that a military meeting may take place “as early as today” and the South had already offered a second round of consultations between senior security advisers. But the unification and defense ministries repeatedly refused to confirm the report, even after the

The South Korean government said Monday it plans to send off a group of military and health officials to West Africa in early November to join the global efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak amid deepening concerns over whether the safety measures will be adequate to guard against possible infection. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul presided over an intra-agency meeting to discuss plans to provide medical workers and related supplies, which was attended by senior officials from the foreign, he

The two Koreas are again engaged in a war of nerves against a backdrop of recent military talks, prompting the North to threaten to back out of the planned high-level dialogue and casting a cloud over a long-awaited reconciliation. Seoul has come under fire for flip-flopping on Pyongyang’s initial offer of a military meeting, and how and why the Wednesday event had been set behind closed curtains, among other issues. The communist country’s official media argued late Thursday that it had consist

Seoul on Friday strongly condemned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ritual donation and a visit by more than 110 lawmakers to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, saying the moves defy its postwar peace pledges and international norms. Marking an autumn festival, Environment State Minister, Yasuhiro Ozato, Abe’s special aide Seiichi Eto and other Cabinet members and parliamentarians paid tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine. The premier, whose trip in December 2013 riled Korea and China, sent flow

MILAN, Italy ― South Korea plans to send medical workers to Africa to beef up its contribution to a global fight against the Ebola virus as fears grow over more potential cases and calls rise for sweeping action in the international community. The decision was revealed late Thursday by President Park Geun-hye, who is attending the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting in Milan. The Korean government plans to send about 10 health officials, her spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters. The timeline and the des

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made an on-site visit in his first public appearance in about 40 days, Pyongyang state media reported Tuesday, taming rampant speculation over his physical health and political stature.Kim’s visit to the newly built residential district for satellite engineers and a new energy research institute marked his first “field guidance” trip since attending a concert on Sept. 3. The official Korean Central News Agency did not mention the date of the trip, but it was t

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made a field trip in his first public appearance in about 40 days, Pyongyang state media reported Tuesday, taming rampant speculation over his physical and political health.The visit to the Wisong Scientists Residential District and a new energy research institute marked his first “field guidance” since attending a musical concert on Sept. 3. The official Korean Central News Agency did not mention the date of the trip, but it was thought to have been Monday.In

With the international community ratcheting up criticism, North Korea is intensifying efforts to defend its human rights record through a U.N. resolution, investigative report and dialogue with its traditional partners. Pyongyang is working on a draft to be presented to the U.N. General Assembly that calls for an end to resolutions that it claims are aimed solely at interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries and deepening confrontation and mistrust in the international community, Seo

Concerns are growing over a possible diplomatic spat with China in the aftermath of the death of the captain of a Chinese fishing vessel during a raid by Korean Coast Guard officers on Friday. Song Houmu, the 45-year-old skipper of the 80-ton boat, died following a fight with the officers who stopped his boat for suspected illegal fishing in Korea’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Sea. As he violently attacked the inspectors despite the warning shots, a guardsman shot him in the stomach with

Steered by North Korean defectors and activists, civic groups and their anti-Pyongyang leaflets have long goaded the Kim regime into fury at what it calls an act of hostility. The two Koreas traded fire Friday after the North began shooting heavy machine guns, apparently aiming at balloons launched by two organizations which were filled with flyers denouncing the communist regime, $1 bills, mini radios and other items.  A group of North Korean defectors living in South Korea sends balloons carry

Marking its third edition, Korea’s recent big showcase event in Silicon Valley, K-Tech 2014, focused on the Internet of Things ― and the “connected future.” Close to 1,000 people attended, along with more than 100 Korean companies, including more than 20 promising Korean startups. The event was quite successful. Vice Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Yoon Jong-lok offered his support to participating companies and briefed attendees on the Korean government’s policies on promoting the

With its persistent overconsumption and energy-intensive industry, Korea should step up efforts to curb its ecological footprint by “greening” its economy and adopting environmentally sustainable practices, the head of the Korean chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature said. The Gland, Switzerland-based nonprofit organization launched the Korean edition of its flagship Living Planet Index on Wednesday. In the biennial report, it said the populations of more than 10,000 species of mammals, bird

The chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea and the U.S. are to meet in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, human rights and the overall situation on the Korean Peninsula. Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, is scheduled to touch down in Seoul for consultations with Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsular peace and security affairs. His two-day trip is part of a weeklong tour that includes stops in Bei

Few signs of progress were detected on a possible summit between South Korea and Japan during their foreign ministers’ talks in New York on Thursday though they pledged to continue working together for a recovery of bilateral relations. The 35-minute meeting between Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida came on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, following their consultations last month at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Myanmar.With the bilateral ties and the peninsula situation topping the agenda

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se held talks with top diplomats of five Nordic countries on Thursday, as Korea is seeking to deepen cooperation on Arctic research, climate change and scientific development. The unprecedented meeting with Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland took place in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The five are members of the 87-nation Nordic Council, an official inter-parliamentary forum launched in 1952 to discuss globalization, climate and free

President Park Geun-hye (far right) delivers a speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday as North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong (left) and his aides confer. (Yonhap)The foreign ministers of Korea and Japan were to hold talks in New York on Thursday as the two countries seek to restore relations that are at their lowest ebb in decades. Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida will meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. They also had consultations last month at the ASEAN Regional Fo

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is under fire after allegations surfaces that employees of some district offices were forced to buy tickets to the Asian Games to help boost sales. Organizers of the event, which kicked off Saturday in Incheon for a 16-day run, have been struggling to counter low ticket sales. Though the spectacular opening ceremony fared relatively well, many other competitions are taking place in empty stadiums.Seoul City reportedly requested its workers to join the cause last

The following is the 11th and last in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.Despite pressing needs and ongoing diplomatic negotiations, prospects for an end to the tragedy of the “comfort women” remain dim in the face of Tokyo’s tenaciously defiant attitude toward wartime history and other hostile political and social circumstances. The two countries have since April

Seo Hyun-juIn 1941, 15-year-old Kim Bok-dong left her home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, under pressure from senior village leaders, who had made a sugar-coated proposal about working at a military uniform factory.Her journey ended after five years of tragedy. Kim was first raped by a Japanese army surgeon after arriving in Guangdong province in China via Shimonoseki and Taiwan. After that she was forced into sexual servitude in “comfort stations” run by the Japanese military in such r