Japan’s top diplomat is set to visit South Korea for a two-day visit from Tuesday, his first trip to South Korea since taking the post last August, a diplomatic source said Monday. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (left) and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono. (Yonhap)Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will meet his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday, the source said on condition of anonymity. 　The foreign ministers plan to exchange views on matters of mutual conc

South Korea's new consul general in Japan said Monday that he will work hard to iron out differences in perceptions among people of the two neighbors over Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women. Oh Tai-kyu, a former journalist who led the government review of a controversial deal reached in late 2015 on the comfort women issue, will formally take office as consul general in Osaka on April 17."As a person who was involved (with the comfort women issue), I will make efforts to narrow the d

South Korea's transport ministry said Sunday it signed a preliminary agreement with its Latvian counterpart to open a direct air route between the two countries.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it has agreed with Latvia to operate flights that connect the two countries three times a week. (Yonhap)The ministry said South Koreans and Latvians will also be able to travel between the two countries through code-share programs."The direct flights between South Korea and Latvia w

As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly agreed to return to six-party talks, South Korea reaffirmed Friday that talks on denuclearization should be discussed first among the two Koreas and the US during planned summits, before the other nations are involved.　North Korean leader Kim told Chinese President Xi Jinping during talks in Beijing last week that he agreed to return to six-party talks on his nation’s nuclear program and missile tests, the Nikkei newspaper said Thursday, quoting

The growing trade discord between the US and China is fueling concerns that it may hurt efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear crisis.  　On Tuesday, the Trump administration proposed levying 25 percent tariffs on 1,300 Chinese goods in aviation, technology and machinery sectors, which would add up to about $50 billion annually. In retaliation, China on Wednesday announced plans to impose its own 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of US exports including aircraft, cars and soybeans. 　Earlie

The Elders, an international organization of global leaders, has expressed its support for South Korea and President Moon Jae-in's efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, calling Moon's upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "precious opportunity" to achieve that goal, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.In a letter to the South Korean president, The Elders said it wished to express its firm support for the direction set by Moon, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim

Seoul's top diplomat reaffirmed Wednesday a complete denuclearization of North Korea is a shared objective of South Korea and the United States, emphasizing that the allies are closely coordinating their strategies to achieve the goal.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that it will take time to verify the sincerity of the North's recently stated commitment to denuclearization, adding that it will become clear in the process of preparing talks with Pyongyang. Foreign Minister Kang Kyu

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet US President Donald Trump this month, and the Japanese foreign minister will reportedly visit South Korea next week, as Japan struggles to remain relevant in the upcoming inter-Korean and North Korea-US talks.  Abe will meet Trump from April 17-18 to discuss North Korea and trade ties at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida ahead of an inter-Korean summit scheduled for April 27 and planned talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before th

The acting US ambassador to South Korea said Monday a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program remains a "nonnegotiable" US goal in its upcoming talks with Pyongyang.During a forum in Seoul, Marc Knapper said the US is "hopeful but realistic" in its expectations for the upcoming summit between the leaders of the US and North Korea, citing more than two decades of failure in making the North give up its nuclear weapons."These are not sanctions for sanct

After US President Donald Trump’s abrupt remarks tying talks with North Korea to the recently finalized US-South Korea trade deal, Cheong Wa Dae said it will try to find out the “true intention” behind the remark. (Yonhap)While mentioning the Korea-US free trade agreement, Trump suddenly warned on Friday that he “may hold it up until after a deal is made with North Korea,” in an effort to gain more leverage in potential talks with the rogue nation. “You know why? Because it’s a very strong card.

South Korea’s Education Ministry on Friday strongly protested Tokyo’s decision to revise its high school curriculum guidelines to teach all Japanese students that the disputed islets of Dokdo belong to Japan.“The Korean government requests for an immediate removal of the new guidelines,” the Education Ministry said in a statement, adding Dokdo is South Korea’s inherent territory historically, geographically and in the eyes of international law.“We make it clear again that any provocation on this

Ranking officials from South Korea and China met in Seoul on Thursday to exchange views on how to rid North Korea of its nuclear ambitions, while the two Koreas set the date for what could be a historic meeting between their leaders. Chung Eui-yong (L), top security advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, ushers Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi into the venue for their talks at a Seoul hotel on March 29, 2018. (Yonhap)Chung Eui-yong, chief security advisor to South Korean President Moo

Announcing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s surprise summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, the North’s Korea Central News Agency reported Wednesday that key issues, such as the improvement of strategic ties between the two nations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, were discussed. “The two great leaders of (North Korea) and China and respective parties exchanged in-depth opinions on important issues including the development of ties between China and North Korea and manage

South Korea repatriated the remains of 20 Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War on Wednesday in a humanitarian move that reflects Seoul's pursuit of forward-looking ties with the former foe.The two sides held a handover ceremony of the caskets, covered with the Chinese national flag, at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul."Historically, the repatriation of (soldiers') remains between the two parties involved in a battle is a humanitarian move and also carries a peace mes

South Korea‘s political parties showed mixed responses to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea said it believes the summit “created an opportunity that would help find a peaceful resolution to the North’s nuclear issue through dialogue.”“The more North Korea comes out to the diplomatic stage, the easier it will be to solve problems of the Korean Peninsula,” the party’s spokesperson Kim Hyun said in a statement Wednesday.“