The UN Security Council has set out to craft a fresh set of tougher punitive measures over North Korea’s latest nuclear test, while Seoul and Washington mull independent sanctions to deepen the North’s isolation and further tighten the economic screws. The 15-member council convened an emergency session in New York on Friday, hours after the communist state carried out its fifth underground blast, which demonstrated the strongest explosive power yet. The body issued a press statement condemning

The UN Security Council on Tuesday managed to promptly condemn North Korea’s latest test of ballistic missiles, propelled by China’s endorsement despite its opposition to the plan to deploy US anti-missile assets in South Korea. The 15-member body issued a press statement from New York, “deploring” Monday’s launch that marked its 22nd missile experiment this year alone and was “in flagrant disregard” of multiple UNSC resolutions. The projectiles, presumed to be the intermediate-range Rodong, fle

North Korea claimed Tuesday to have used an upgraded model of its mid-range Rodong projectiles during their test fire one day earlier in a fresh display of its unbridled ambition to shore up its nuclear and missile programs.   State media said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the liftoff in which three ballistic missiles flew some 1,000 kilometers above the East Sea toward Japan, expressing “great satisfaction” and calling for sustained efforts to develop the country’s nuclear capabiliti

Despite Seoul’s attempts to contain the rows with China over its plan to host a US anti-missile system, tension is expected to endure for the time being given the stark differences between the two countries’ positions, observers said Monday. President Park Geun-hye held a summit with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the margins of the Group of 20 conference in Hangzhou. The face-to-face meeting was their first since Seoul unveiled its decision last July to station a Terminal High Altitude A

A new law on North Korea’s human rights came into force Sunday, fueling momentum for decade-old efforts to ease the plight of the people and boost pressure on the reclusive regime.Under the plan, a foundation is expected to be set up in Seoul as early as this week with the mission to survey the communist state’s living conditions and provide policy advice.The Unification Ministry is gearing up to launch a records center later this month. It will document cases of Pyongyang’s rights violations an

President Park Geun-hye called North Korea a "disconnected node in Eurasia and the greatest threat," on Saturday, saying the country is getting in the way of Russia's Far East realizing its full potential.During her keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok, the president urged continued global efforts to pressure Pyongyang into renouncing its nuclear ambitions and becoming a responsible member of the international community."Although the Far East

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Henry Kissinger, one of the most prominent American diplomats with Republican affiliation, is expected to announce his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, news reports said Friday.George Shultz, who served as secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, told the Politico newspaper that he won't endorse Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and that he and Kissinger discussed publicly backing Clinton. "We are going to do it toget

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye on Saturday voiced hope for a free trade agreement between South Korea and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, underscoring that the deal would open a "new chapter" in bilateral economic cooperation.To explore the possibilities of the FTA between Korea and the bloc consisting of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Seoul and Moscow have been conducting a joint civilian feasibility study since December."The EAEU, led by R

Hundreds of top business leaders from South Korea and Russia gathered in Russia on Saturday for discussions on ways to boost the countries' bilateral cooperation, a South Korean trade body said.The South Korea-Russia Business Dialogue was held in Russia's Vladivostok, involving some 350 leading businesspeople from the two countries, according to the Korea International Trade Association.The talks, the ninth of their kind, were also held on the sidelines of a regional forum, the Eastern Economic

South Korea expressed its condolences to the Uzbekistani people on Saturday for the death of the country's leader Islam Karimov."We would like to express our condolences and sympathy to the Uzbekistani government and people," the government said in a statement. "We also hope that the people of Uzbekistan will soon overcome the shock and sorrow of losing their great leader."South Korea plans to send a delegation, headed by Education Minister Lee Joon-sik, who doubles as deputy prime minister of e

President Park Geun-hye will visit and hold summits with her Russian and Chinese counterparts starting Friday as Seoul seeks to defuse tension with the two countries over its plan to station advanced US missile defense assets here, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Park is scheduled to land in Vladivostok for a two-day stay during which she will deliver a keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum and hold a summit with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. From Sunday, she is expected to attend

Driven by technological know-how and shared values, Washington is pushing to step up cooperation with Seoul to help combat poverty in underdeveloped countries in such fields as girls’ empowerment and science and technology, a senior US aid official said Wednesday. John Seong, who is in charge of policy coordination with Seoul and Tokyo for the US Agency for International Development as a counselor at the US Embassy in Japan, underscored the need to craft fresh ways to mobilize finances and build

The international community should continue to capitalize on political will and diversify funding sources through partnerships to achieve inclusive growth going forward, experts said Wednesday. Some 400 policymakers, academics and relief workers from around the world gathered for the Seoul ODA International Conference hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. Under the theme “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” the two-day event sought to explore better ways to

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered at Namsan Park in central Seoul to mark the introduction of a memorial for the victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement during its 1910-45 colonial rule.  The establishment of the “Site of Memory” was funded by nearly 20,000 ordinary Koreans and steered by a civilian committee with the support of Seoul City. The 1,000-square-meter venue was once the home of the Japanese resident-general of Korea. It was exactly 106 years ago that day that Japan unila

The South Korean Embassy in Beijing has warned its citizens in China about the possibility of an attack or abduction attempt by North Korean agents amid growing safety concerns following recent high-profile defections, Seoul officials said Monday. Since late July, Seoul and the South Korean Embassy in China have issued a multitude of safety and travel advisories for those who live or plan to visit regions near the North Korea-Chinese border. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have is

A North Korean diplomat posted in Russia has recently fled the host country, marking the latest in an ongoing string of defections by Pyongyang’s elite members, news reports said late Thursday. The official, whose identity and current whereabouts remain unclear, is known to have had served at Pyongyang’s trade representative within its consulate-general in Vladivostok before leaving there with his family. Affiliated with the North’s Ministry of External Economic Affairs, the secretary-level dipl

The fund for the victims of Japan’s sex slavery during World War II plans to offer each of its survivors some 100 million won ($89,500) and the families of the deceased victims 20 million won in cash benefits, Seoul officials said Thursday. The decision came one day after Japan’s Cabinet approved the transfer of 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) pledged under the two countries’ Dec. 28 settlement intended to end the disputes. Seoul has since set up the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, a public-

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed the latest test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile as the “success of all successes,” state media said Thursday, as the UN gears up to condemn the event that would likely beef up the country’s nuclear capabilities. The young ruler observed Wednesday’s liftoff during which the projectile flew about 500 kilometers before falling into Japan’s air defense zone, marking the weapon’s longest flight and signaling sweeping technological advances. The experim

President Park Geun-hye on Monday urged North Korean officials and ordinary people to join Seoul’s efforts for reunification, while reiterating her calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambition.During her address for the 71st Liberation Day, Park also defended Seoul’s decision to station the U.S.’ advanced missile defense assets here as a necessary step to counter Pyongyang’s “reckless threats.”“Officials of the regime and all North Koreans, a unification will offer a fresh chance for all

Korea’s civil servants, elected officials, journalists and officials of private educational institutions must soon abide by this new discipline: They cannot receive free meals that cost more than 30,000 won ($27), presents worth over 50,000 won or monetary gifts valued 100,000 won or higher. The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act -- or the Kim Young-ran law, named after its initiator and the former chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission -- is poised to reshape the country’s cu