New US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris on Tuesday formally started his stint here as he presented a copy of his credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.He delivered the document to Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and exchanged views on ways to strengthen the alliance and on North Korea, the ministry said. Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo meets with Command of US Pacific Command Harry Harris at Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 20, 2017. (Yonhap)The retired admiral, who served as

South Korea and China will hold the second round of talks to expand the scope of their bilateral free trade agreement this week to better cover the service and investment sectors, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday.The two nations engaged in the first round of FTA follow-up negotiations in March and have agreed to discuss details of the agreement in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.The two sides implemented the FTA in December 2015 to lower tarif

President Moon Jae-in on Monday focused on highlighting the potential presented by South Korea-India ties. Moon began the second day of the state visit with a meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and discussed ways to improve ties between the two countries.“I have hopes to raise Korea-India relations to that with the four major powers surrounding Korea to match India‘s global standing,” Moon said.  President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the mu

After the US top diplomat’s visit to North Korea laid bare fundamental differences between Washington and Pyongyang on how to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the follow-up negotiations are expected to be an uphill battle, experts say. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang last week did not yield tangible outcomes, but the two countries kept the momentum of dialogue alive by agreeing to create a working group on verification.  Senior North Korean official Kim Yo

NEW DELHI -- Korean President Moon Jae-in's trip to India will help create the next largest market for his country, Seoul's trade minister said Monday, calling India the next China for Korea."The visit to India and Singapore by the head of state marks a move toward launching the New Southern Policy in earnest," Kim Hyun-chong told reporters, referring to Moon's key foreign policy that seeks to greatly enhance the country's relationship with India and 10 members of the Association of Southeast As

NEW DELHI -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in India on Sunday for a state visit that will include a bilateral summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on ways to further improve their countries’ relationship.　The South Korean president left his home country earlier in the day on a two-nation trip that will later take him to Singapore. His trip to India marks the first of its kind since he took office in May 2017.　“India is fast becoming a major power with the fastest growing

The top diplomats of South Korea and Canada had phone talks Friday on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation on regional and global issues.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland exchanged views on the current security condition on the Korean Peninsula, according to Kang's ministry. Kang Kyung-hwa (Yonhap)Kang briefed Freeland on inter-Korean ties, including recent military dialogue and joint sports programs. She also reaffirmed that Seoul will continue to co

Harry Harris, the new United States ambassador to South Korea, is scheduled to arrive here this weekend to assume his position, his embassy said Friday.He plans to issue a brief statement at Incheon International Airport at 6 p.m. on Saturday, which will be livestreamed on US Embassy Seoul‘s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/usembassyseoul, it added.The retired admiral, who served as commander of American forces in the Asia-Pacific region, is filling the post that had been vacant since Jan

Relaxing of sanctions on North Korea appears to be inevitable as long as the country continues to engage in dialogue over the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program with the US, experts say. In the coming months, China and Russia will step up calls for lifting of sanctions against North Korea, China will loosen its control on the border with North Korea, and the US will turn a blind eye to the crack in implementation of sanctions to maintain the momentum of dialogue, they say.(Yonhap)Followi

Choi Jung-wha, president of the Corea Image Communication Institute, received the Yeongsan Diplomat Award on Wednesday for her decadeslong efforts to uplift Korea from obscurity to the world’s limelight. The annual award given by the Seoul Forum organization recognizes individuals who made consummate endeavors to enhance the nation’s image and interests around the world. Choi was honored alongside former South Korean Ambassador to the United States Ahn Ho-young. CICI President Choi Jung-wha (cen

JOINT SECURITY AREA -- The Vatican's top diplomat on Thursday voiced optimism for ongoing diplomacy to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying "many good things" will be achieved despite challenges down the road.Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, delivered a message of hope for Koreans, as he toured the Joint Security Area close to the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. (Yonhap)"Of course, it is a very historic period, a perio

More than seven in 10 South Koreans and two in 10 Japanese think a 2015 bilateral agreement on compensation for the Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery should be renegotiated, according to a survey released Thursday.The poll was jointly conducted by the Seoul-published Hankook Ilbo and the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Shimbun on June 22-24 to gauge public opinion in the two countries on the landmark agreement to end the wartime sexual enslavement feud and set up the Reconciliation and Healin

The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet in Tokyo next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.The talks, to be held Sunday, will follow US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Pyongyang, which is scheduled to start Thursday.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold bilateral talks with Pompeo to listen to the outcome of her US counterpart's trip to North Korea. The meeting will be followed by three-way talks involving Japanese Foreign Mi

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is expected to visit Japan this weekend for a tripartite meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Japan's top diplomat Taro Kono on North Korea, her ministry said Tuesday.Pompeo plans to leave for Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss details of the communist nation's agreed-upon "complete denuclearization," the State Department announced earlier in the day.It said that he is scheduled to meet "Japanese and South Korean leaders" in Tokyo shortly

A daughter of South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has regained Korean citizenship before a process to renounce her American nationality, authorities announced Tuesday.The Ministry of Justice included Kang's oldest daughter in the list of those permitted to recover Korean nationality, according to a public notice.Kang's office said her daughter will soon start procedures to relinquish her US citizenship, which are expected to take six months to a year. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang