Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, vowed on Friday to enhance ties with China if he becomes president.  Yoon made the remarks during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, during which he stressed that South Korea and China are each other’s most important trade partners and that next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the

South Korea has expanded a newly minted task force on economic security to better cope with supply chain disruptions and detect emerging risks at an early stage, the foreign ministry said Friday. Lee Seong-ho, deputy minister on economic diplomacy, will lead the task force composed of three subdivisions -- supply chain, digital and new technologies, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) -- the ministry said. The team was launched under the ministry's bilateral economic diplomacy dep

Labor minister An Kyung-duk met with US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai on Friday and discussed cooperation in enhancing rights of workers and international labor standards, An's office said. Tai was on a four-day trip to South Korea for talks on pending trade issues, such as supply chains for key components and steel tariffs. During the meeting held at a regional labor office in Seoul, An pointed to the "growing significance in ties between trade and labor on a global scale&quo

WASHINGTON -- Senior diplomats of the United States and Japan reaffirmed the importance of cooperation with South Korea on Thursday, one day after Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori boycotted a joint press conference over what his US counterpart called an unrelated bilateral issue. Mori and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, state department spokesman Ned Price said. "The two also dis

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori pulled out at the last minute from a joint news conference with his South Korean and US counterparts over a territorial feud with Seoul on the Dokdo islets.  Mori and South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun were scheduled to appear alongside US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at a press conference scheduled after the three held talks over regional issues, including North Korea’s nuclear program, in Washington on

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeo Mori refused to take part in a joint press conference with his South Korean and US counterparts Wednesday, citing a recent visit by South Korea's top police official to Dokdo. The joint press conference was originally set to follow their trilateral talks in Washington but was instead held alone by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. "We agreed to the US, the host of the trilateral talks, announcing the outcome of the South Korea-US-Japan vice minist

The French culture minister has said she will actively consider lending "Jikji," the world's oldest existing metal-printed book made in ancient Korea, for exhibitions in South Korea, Culture Minister Hwang Hee said. France's Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin made the remarks in response to Hwang's request to lend the item during their talks in Paris, Hwang told South Korean correspondents in Paris on Wednesday (Paris time). Hwang said he brought up the topic while discussing

US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai was to visit South Korea on Thursday for talks on pending trade issues such as supply chains for key components and steel tariffs. Tai is scheduled to arrive here from Japan later in the day for a four-day stay, the USTR office said in a release. It will be the first time in 10 years that the top US trade official visits the country. The chief plans to meet with South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Friday for the joint committee meeting of the

T he United States is very satisfied with its consultations with South Korea and Japan on the best way to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday. The US diplomat, however, declined to offer any direct response when asked if the US supported declaring a formal end to the Korean War as proposed by South Korea. "The United States is very satisfied with the consultations we are having both with the Republic of Korea and with Japan and with

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the US discussed how to restart stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, including Seoul’s proposal to formally end the Korean War, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, amid concerns that the allies may be at odds over President Moon Jae-in’s proposal.  First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun is in Washington through Friday for talks on security issues including North Korea, economic cooperation and other matters. Choi met his American coun

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's vice foreign minister held talks with his US counterpart and discussed ways to bring North Korea back to dialogue, including the possible declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. During the 60-minute talks in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (local time), South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also discussed the alliance and other issues of common intere

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is one of key areas where the United States and China can and should work together, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. Sullivan also reiterated US commitment to dialogue with the reclusive North. "Of course, we have seen a series of tests by North Korea. The United States has indicate we are prepared to engage in good faith and diplomacy if North Korea is prepared to do the same," he said, referring to recent missile tests by the North

A UN official on the human rights situation in North Korea has criticized China for sending back North Korean defectors, describing the practice as a serious challenge to international law, according to a news report Tuesday. "The issue is very serious and the government is challenging international law," Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special rapporteur on North Korea human rights, was quoted as saying by the Voice of America (VOA). He added, "I urge once again the People's Republic

Cheong Wa Dae on Monday said that discussions are still underway to hold a trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan this year, denying a recent Japanese news report that Seoul has asked to postpone the meeting again. The three neighboring countries have held a summit every year under a rotation system, but last year’s Seoul meeting was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With less than two months left in the year, expectations are low that a meeting will take place

There will be “good results” in the Seoul-Washington discussions on declaring the end of the Korean War, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Sunday in the US, ruling out a potential rift between the allies in regards to the matter. 　 Speaking in Washington, Choi said he expects to see a “good result soon,” in regards to the ongoing discussions with the US on Seoul’s proposal for an end-of-war declaration. 　 Choi is in Washington to hold series of talks