South Korea and the United States will resume negotiations next week on sharing of the cost of stationing American troops here after their latest talks broke down due to differences over how much Seoul should pay for its share. Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator for the defense cost-sharing talks, will meet with his US counterpart, James DeHart of the State Department, in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday (US time), Seoul's foreign ministry said in a release.The previous negotiations

South Korea's National Security Council on Thursday discussed how to cope with pressure from the United States to sharply raise Seoul's financial burden for the presence of American troops here.In the weekly session of the NSC's standing committee, its members also reviewed the situation following South Korea's decision to suspend the efficacy of its Aug. 22 decision to terminate a pact with Japan on sharing military intelligence.They then "discussed ways to resolve pending issues between S

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit South Korea next week for the first time in over five years, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. He will visit Dec. 4-5 at the invitation of South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha. Kang and Wang are expected to arrange a summit between President Moon Jae-in and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the occasion of Moon’s visit to China for a trilateral meeting with Japan and China, which will be held in Chengdu

President Moon Jae-in and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad held a summit meeting in Seoul on Thursday, agreeing in principle to upgrade bilateral relations to that of strategic partners next year. At the summit, Moon praised Malaysia’s rapid economic growth and expanding South Korea-Malaysia relations, going on to express hopes for further cooperation. “Malaysia’s Look East Policy and Korea’s New Southern Policy have come together harmoniously (enabling

WASHINGTON -- The US Defense Department has estimated it will cost nearly $4.5 billion to station troops in South Korea in fiscal year 2020, suggesting why President Donald Trump reportedly seeks $5 billion from Seoul next year.According to the Pentagon's budget estimate drawn up in March, the total payment toward military personnel, operations, maintenance and family housing in South Korea amounts to $4.46 billion in the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2020.In fiscal year 2019, the number was $

President Moon Jae-in held a summit with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Seoul on Wednesday, and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties. After their meeting, three memorandums of understanding and a revised version of a treaty to prevent double taxation were signed by both sides. Moon welcomed the rapid development of South Korea-Vietnam relations and called for further strengthening cooperation. According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon requested the Vietnam

Leaders adopt Mekong-Han River Declaration

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has unveiled a new idea for resolving the issue of Japanese wartime forced labor as he pushes for a bill to create a foundation funded by companies, governments and citizens of South Korea and Japan.The move came amid expectations that Seoul and Tokyo will ramp up efforts to resolve the issue after the South decided last week to "conditionally" suspend the termination of its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan.Parliamentary officials de

A UN committee has adopted by consensus a resolution designating a special day to promote clean air under a South Korea-led initiative for global efforts to improve air quality, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.On Tuesday, the Second Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with economic growth and development issues, endorsed the resolution to set Sept. 7 as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies to be observed starting next year.  South Korea launched a diplomatic

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook hosted a banquet dinner on Tuesday for leaders of the five Mekong River nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their spouses on the eve of their inaugural summit. The banquet was held to mark the start of the 1st Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit slated for Wednesday in the southern port city of Busan, which follows the two-day special summit held between South Korea and the 10 ASEAN countries.  The five ASEAN leaders were

The leaders of South Korea and Myanmar held bilateral talks on Tuesday and discussed ways to further boost ties in various areas including fisheries and the environment, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.President Moon Jae-in and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi met after the closing of a special summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the southern port city of Busan. The two-day event was held to mark the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations betw

South Korea and Vietnam agreed Tuesday to further promote bilateral trade and investment.South Korean Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo met his Vietnamese counterpart, Tran Tuan Anh, and exchanged various ideas on expanding trade of the two countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.Vietnam is the third largest export partner of South Korea. The meeting came during the two-day special group summit between South Korea and the 10 member countries of ASEAN, which kicked off in

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his country will help Laos achieve its goal of becoming a "transportation and logistical hub" in the region.He made the commitment in bilateral talks with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The prime minister was on a visit to the port city for the ASEAN-Republic of Korea special summit to mark the 30th anniversary of their dialogue relationship. They had a broad range of discussio

BUSAN – The ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit wrapped up Tuesday with the leaders agreeing to expand economic, political and social cooperation among the countries.  “Advancement of the ASEAN is Korea’s advancement. Cooperating over the past 30 years through friendship and trust, we have shown ‘potential of Asia,’ overcoming financial and foreign exchange crises,” President Moon Jae-in said ahead of announcing the joint press statement. “Now, we have t

The first Mekong-Korea Summit will kick off Wednesday in Busan following the conclusion of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit as part of Seoul’s drive to diversify diplomatic and economic channels, reducing reliance on traditional partners.Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said the Mekong-Korea summit will contribute to advancing the living standards of countries in the Mekong region. “This (Mekong-Korea summit) will be an opportunity to advance future cooperat