WASHINGTON -- South Korea's national security advisor Suh Hoon has been in Washington on a previously unannounced trip and has already met with his US counterpart Robert O'Brien, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday. Suh arrived in Washington on Tuesday, an informed source said on condition of anonymity without providing further details, including what the purpose of his trip was. O'Brien later confirmed Suh's visit, saying in a tweet that they met earlier in the day. "Great to see my fr

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday highlighted the importance of what he called a more "equitable" sharing of costs to maintain US troops in South Korea, saying it would ensure the "stable stationing" of US troops in the Asian ally. His remarks came in an annual meeting of defense ministers of the two countries, known as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). "We must find a more equitable means of sharing the costs of our common defense, so i

WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to the envisioned transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces back to Seoul, but it will take time to meet the required conditions, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday. Esper made the remark at the start of annual defense talks with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Wook, amid growing speculation that the OPCON transfer is unlikely to be completed before the term of President Moon Jae-in ends in May 2022.

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met separately Wednesday with the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for talks on bilateral ties and other issues, the foreign ministry said. In the talks with Ambassadors Abdullah Saif Nuaimi of the UAE and Riyad Ahmed Al Mubaraky of Saudi Arabia, Choi asked for the two countries' keen attention to enhancing bilateral cooperation in coronavirus responses so as to expand the scope of such cooperation to a wider range of hea

Korean survivor of Japanese military sexual slavery demands that statue be allowed to stay

South Korean Ambassador to New Zealand Lee Sang-jin admitted Wednesday that his embassy's handling of a sexual harassment case involving a senior diplomat was insufficient. Lee made the remarks during a video-linked parliamentary audit session in response to a lawmaker's question about the 2017 case, although the ambassador was not serving at the embassy at the time. A local employee at the embassy has accused the diplomat of groping him multiple times. The case resurfaced in July when New Zea

The Navy launched annual cruise training on a smaller scale Wednesday amid the virus pandemic, which includes visits to Guam and Malaysia for the delivery of medical items to Korean War veterans and overseas Koreans, officials said. The Navy Cruise Training Task Group, consisting of the 4,400-ton destroyer Kang Gam-chan and the 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang, set sail from the southern resort island of Jeju with 540 sailors aboard, including 147 naval cadets, on the day. During the 7

BERLIN -- A Berlin district office has withheld its order to remove a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery following protests from activists and citizens. The Mitte district office said in a statement Tuesday that the order to remove "The Statue of Peace" by Wednesday was no longer applicable due to an injunction filed by local civic group Korea Verband, which brands itself as a platform for all who are interested in Korea. "We will take time to thoroughl

BERLIN -- Hundreds of people staged a rally in Berlin on Tuesday to protest a district office's order to remove a statue in the German capital symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. Some 300 activists and citizens gathered near the statue, formally called "The Statue of Peace," in Berlin's Mitte district and marched to the Mitte district office, demanding the German city authorities revoke the removal decision. Korea Verband, a Berlin-based civic group with South Ko

Over 100 South Korean lawmakers have signed a joint letter protesting the city of Berlin's order to remove a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery from the streets of the German capital, according to political parties Tuesday. The letter, signed by 113 members of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the minor progressive Justice Party, Basic Income Party, Transition Korea party and independent legislators, was delivered to the German embassy in South Korea on Tuesday. Korea

The trilateral summit planned later this year for South Korea, Japan and China is no longer a sure thing, as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reportedly notified Seoul he will not attend unless “proper measures” are taken to settle a feud between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor. 　 Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would continue to work toward the trilateral summit within this year and was consulting with the other two countries. The ministry d

A legal battle to protect a statue erected in the German capital commemorating the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery began on Monday as Koreans based in Germany sought to invalidate a Berlin district office’s order to remove the statue. Korea Verband, a Germany-based civic organization with Korean ties, were set to file for an injunction in protest against the central Mitte district’s order to remove the statue, which was installed late last month with the city author

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with India's top envoy to Seoul on Monday for talks on strengthening bilateral relations amid the coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said. In the talks with Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, the two sides agreed to continue efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation, especially in the defense industry and people-to-people exchanges. They also shared the need to continue close communication via virtual meetings between the two governments and

South Korea has called on Iraqi authorities to carry out a fair investigation into the death of a South Korean businessman involved in a large port construction project in the Middle Eastern country, the foreign ministry said Monday. The senior director at Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. was found dead Friday in the company compound located in the southern province of Basra, and Iraqi police initially concluded that he committed suicide. But Iraq's interior ministry formed a commi

WASHINGTON -- The election of US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would mean a stronger alliance with South Korea and other allies, but tensions with North Korea could escalate because Pyongyang could try to test his administration, experts said Saturday. "I think if Biden is elected, most American allies, including South Korea, will breathe a sigh of relief. He is likely to work much harder to strengthen our alliances," said Gregg Brazinsky, professor of history and inter