The foreign ministry has fully activated a public-private task force set up to explore South Korea's security and economic strategies in the face of a growing rivalry between the United States and China, officials said Sunday. The task force, comprising government officials, people from academia and corporate sectors, was established in December last year, but its operation has been limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, with members discussing issues via email without in-person meetings. N

South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Lee Do-hoon met separately with the top Chinese and Russian envoys to Seoul on Friday and discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The meetings took place as Lee reported to work for the first time since his release from mandatory two-week self-isolation after returning from a trip to Washington, where he held talks with his counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun. Lee first met with Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming, who was seen ar

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday said the government is making an all-out effort to resume stalled dialogues with North Korea, amid recent heightened tensions between the two Koreas.  “For the time being, North Korea has stopped taking additional measures that could worsen the situation in the Korean Peninsula. The ministry will remain vigilant and focus on managing the situation to prevent deterioration, and make all-out diplomatic efforts for the North to return to the

BRUSSELS/SEOUL -- The European Union (EU) has approved a guideline recommending its member states reopen their borders to 14 countries, including South Korea, after restricting all non-essential entries from outside the bloc over coronavirus fears. The European Council representing 27 member states adopted the non-binding recommendation on Tuesday (Belgium time), taking effect the next day, according to the council. Each member state will have the final say on to what extent the restriction

South Korea and the European Union on Tuesday agreed to continue cooperating on a range of global issues, from the COVID-19 pandemic and environment to multilateralism and global security issues, in a teleconference summit. President Moon Jae-in spoke with President of the European Council Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in place of the canceled South Korea-EU summit that was originally planned to be held in Seoul last month. In his opening remarks, Moo

Stephen Biegun, US deputy secretary of state and the point man on North Korea, is planning to visit South Korea as early as next month, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. Officials in Seoul and Washington have been in talks to arrange details for the envisioned trip, taking into account various circumstances amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources. A local newspaper reported that Biegun plans to travel to Seoul early next month and related ministry officials in Seoul are in ta

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday described former US National Security Advisor John Bolton's memoir as being fraught with a "far-right" perspective. She made her first comment on the publication during a parliamentary session amid growing controversy here over Bolton's accounts of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea. Kang said "The Room Where It Happened" is "a book that clearly displays a far-right perspective." "It is clear that Bolton had advis

The Japanese government has raised objections to the US proposal to invite South Korea to an expanded Group of 7 summit in September, Japan’s Kyodo News reported Sunday, citing diplomatic sources from Washington and Tokyo. In a message relayed to Washington upon its announcement to have Seoul at the table for the first time, along with three other countries, Japan said South Korea prioritizes inter-Korean reconciliation and leans on China, so the engagement would be inconsistent with

The remains of six service members who died during the 1950-53 Korean War while fighting under the UN flag were sent to Hawaii, the United Nations Command (UNC) said Saturday. The remains, believed to be of Americans, were excavated at multiple locations in South Korea across various periods of time and had been kept by Seoul's defense ministry, according to the US-led UNC and the ministry. On Thursday, which marked the 70th anniversary of the onset of the conflict, the remains of the six ser

South Korea on Friday voiced "deep regrets" over recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels, reiterating any assault on civilians should not be tolerated. On Monday and Tuesday, Houthi rebels launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on several densely populated areas in Saudi Arabia, ratcheting up tensions in the conflict-laden Middle East. "The government expresses deep concerns about the drone and missile attacks targeting civilian areas, and reaffirms that a

Five South Korean sailors and a Ghanaian have been kidnapped by unidentified armed groups in waters off Benin in West Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.  Unknown gunmen, believed to be pirates, attacked the fishing vessel at about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, Benin time, in waters 111 kilometers south of the country’s Contonou Port.  A total of 30 crew members were onboard the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier ship, but the kidnappers took off with only six people. The remaini

Diplomats of South Korea and the United States held a videoconference Thursday to prepare for annual vice-ministerial economic talks where America's push to shift global supply chains away from China could be high on the agenda. The foreign ministry said that Yang Dong-han, director-general for bilateral economic affairs, and two deputy US assistant secretaries of state -- David Meale and Marc Knapper -- discussed plans for the Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) slated for later this year. The ta

US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris said Thursday that the South Korea-US alliance will continue to thrive for generations to come, calling it a linchpin of regional security amid "serious threats and challenges reshaping the world." In a message marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Harris also stressed that the alliance has developed into a multidimensional partnership reinforced by "shared values, shared concerns and economic interests." "

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo has sent letters of thanks to UN member countries that fought alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict, his office said Wednesday. In letters sent to the defense ministers of the countries, Jeong expressed gratitude for the sacrifice the foreign warriors made to safeguard the democracy and peace of a country they did not even know. Jeong said thanks to the friendship and supp

WASHINGTON -- Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Tuesday defended his remarks on South Korea in his newly published memoir, saying it would be a "disservice" to the South Korean people if he didn't write the truth. In an interview with Fox News, Bolton was asked to comment on Cheong Wa Dae's criticism of the book, "The Room Where It Happened," as being "distorted" and based on "bias and prejudice." "Look, if you don't write the trut